Planning & Templates
AEO ROI Calculator
Model the return on answer engine optimization: citation share, qualified traffic, pipeline, and payback period from your own inputs.
The size of your prompt bank.
Estimate from search volume for the equivalent query.
Answer-engine work compounds; 6 is typical.
Year 1 revenue$393,984
Year 1 cost$48,000
Year 1 net$345,984
ROI721%
PaybackMonth 1
At target share, per month
| Incremental citations | 2,400 |
|---|---|
| Visits | 432 |
| Leads | 17 |
| Customers | 3.5 |
| Revenue | $41,472 |
12-month ramp
| Month | Revenue | Cost | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $6,912 | $4,000 | $2,912 |
| 2 | $13,824 | $4,000 | $9,824 |
| 3 | $20,736 | $4,000 | $16,736 |
| 4 | $27,648 | $4,000 | $23,648 |
| 5 | $34,560 | $4,000 | $30,560 |
| 6 | $41,472 | $4,000 | $37,472 |
| 7 | $41,472 | $4,000 | $37,472 |
| 8 | $41,472 | $4,000 | $37,472 |
| 9 | $41,472 | $4,000 | $37,472 |
| 10 | $41,472 | $4,000 | $37,472 |
| 11 | $41,472 | $4,000 | $37,472 |
| 12 | $41,472 | $4,000 | $37,472 |
What the model assumes
- Citation share moves linearly from current to target over your ramp period, then holds. Real curves are lumpier.
- Only the incremental share is counted as new revenue. Citations you already earn are not credited to the work.
- Every stage after the citation — click, lead, close — uses your own existing rates. If those are guesses, the output is a guess.
Be honest about the inputs
The number this produces is only as good as your click-through and close rates. It is a planning tool for framing a budget conversation, not a forecast to put in a board deck unqualified. Where you can, replace the defaults with measured numbers from your own analytics.
The most commonly overstated input is prompt volume. Assistants are asked far fewer distinct commercial questions than search engines receive queries.