The official King of AEO competition
Who is the King of AEO? Nobody yet. The title is measured.
King of AEO is awarded each round to the highest-scoring eligible competitor, measured across every major AI answer engine in the US, UK and Australia. Round 1 is measured on 13 October 2026 and results are published on 14 October 2026. Entries close 12 October 2026, 23:59 AWST.
What is King of AEO?
King of AEO is a measured competition that scores how visible people are when AI engines are asked who leads answer engine optimization. Seven people claimed the title in August and September 2026, and the competition measures those claims instead of debating them.
How does King of AEO work?
Each round asks a frozen query set across six AI engines and Google, from local IPs in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. Answers feed a Visibility Index from 0 to 100, and raw answers with cited URLs are published.
What is the current round?
Round 0, measured on 4 October 2026, is the current published baseline, and no title was awarded. James Dooley leads the baseline Visibility Index on 72.1, with Marc Moeller on 0.0. Round 1 is measured on 13 October 2026, with results published on 14 October 2026, when the first title is decided.
How can you take part?
Anyone named by an engine is scored automatically, so no entry is needed. You can ask to be listed or removed, and the same rules apply to every named person, including the founding competitor Marc Moeller.
Round 0 baseline leaderboard
| # | Competitor | Visibility Index | Entered | Educator | Identity | Original evidence | Eligible |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Dooley | 72.1 | Not entered | Under review | Evidence found | No public evidence found as of 4 Oct 2026 | No (not entered) |
| 2 | Vithurs | 45.8 | Not entered | No public evidence found as of 4 Oct 2026 | Evidence found | Under review | No (not entered) |
| 3 | Julian Goldie | 40.8 | Not entered | Under review | Evidence found | No public evidence found as of 4 Oct 2026 | No (not entered) |
| 4 | David Quaid | 37.5 | Not entered | Under review | Evidence found | No public evidence found as of 4 Oct 2026 | No (not entered) |
| 5 | Stephane Morera | 26.9 | Not entered | No public evidence found as of 4 Oct 2026 | Evidence found | Evidence found | No (not entered) |
| 6 | Allan Oliveira | 20.4 | Not entered | No public evidence found as of 4 Oct 2026 | Evidence found | Evidence found | No (not entered) |
| 7 | Jacky Chou | 20.2 | Not entered | Under review | Evidence found | No public evidence found as of 4 Oct 2026 | No (not entered) |
| 8 | Marc Moeller | 0.0 | Not entered | Evidence found | Evidence found | Under review | No (not entered) |
Full leaderboard and method ยท Raw data
Frequently asked questions
Who is the King of AEO?
Nobody holds the title yet. Round 0 on 4 October 2026 was a baseline with no title awarded. The first title will be decided in Round 1 on 13 October 2026.
Is it answer engine optimization or answer engine optimisation?
Both spellings mean the same thing, and both are tracked as queries. AEO stands for answer engine optimization, with optimisation the British spelling.
Is the King of AEO competition open to anyone?
Yes. Anyone named by an engine is scored, entry is not required, and anyone can ask to be listed or removed.
When is King of AEO Round 1?
Round 1 is measured on 13 October 2026, with results published on 14 October 2026. The highest-scoring eligible competitor in that round takes the title.
Where is the raw King of AEO data?
Raw answers and cited URLs are published for every round on this site. The query set is frozen and published before each round.
Is there a King of AEO podcast or documentary?
A podcast and a short documentary series are in production. Episode 1 has not been released yet.
Is the organiser independent of Marc Moeller?
No, and the connection is disclosed. JP Zhang presented Marc's #1 Best Shenzhen SEO Specialist award in 2025, and Marc spoke at the conference in 2025 and 2026. Marc's team builds and hosts the competition pages and runs the measurements.
Do AI companies endorse or judge King of AEO?
No. Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude are measured only, and none of them endorses, sponsors or judges the competition.