Google itself warns buyers to be careful here. Its guidance on third-party SEO advice now names AEO and GEO directly, and says no outside tool or agency has access to Google’s internal ranking data or can guarantee results.
The 12 questions, with good answers and red flags
| # | Question to ask | A good answer | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How will you measure our AI visibility? | Search Console’s Generative AI report, Bing’s AI Performance report, AI referral traffic in GA4 and a fixed list of buyer prompts | Only a proprietary “AI score” you cannot check |
| 2 | Will you show us a baseline before we start? | Yes: where we’re named today, which competitors appear, and our current AI traffic | Starts work with no starting numbers |
| 3 | Can you guarantee we’ll appear in ChatGPT or AI Overviews? | No. Here are realistic targets and what affects them | Any guarantee of rankings or citations |
| 4 | What will you change on our website? | Crawler access, clear service pages, content gaps, structured data, page speed | Vague answers such as “AI optimisation” |
| 5 | How will you earn mentions on other sites? | PR, expert articles, partnerships, review generation, directory clean-up | Buying mentions, fake reviews or forum spam |
| 6 | Is llms.txt part of your service? | An optional small task, not the main deliverable | Presents it as the key to AI visibility |
| 7 | How do you use AI to write content? | AI-assisted drafts, reviewed and improved by subject experts with first-hand examples | Hundreds of AI-written pages a month |
| 8 | Can we speak to two current clients? | Yes, with names and contact details | Only anonymous testimonials |
| 9 | Who will actually do the work? | Named people, their experience and their hours on your account | A senior pitch, then an unnamed junior team |
| 10 | How does this fit with our SEO? | One plan: AI search builds on SEO foundations | “SEO is dead” |
| 11 | What do we own at the end? | All content, accounts, data and reports | The agency keeps the content or accounts |
| 12 | How often will you report, and what are the terms? | Monthly reports in plain language; clear exit terms | Long lock-in contracts with no exit |
Five red flags that should end the conversation
- Guaranteed rankings or citations. No one outside the AI companies controls their answers.
- Claims of special access. Google says it does not approve or evaluate third-party services.
- Paid or fake mentions. Google says chasing inauthentic mentions doesn’t help, and fake reviews break platform rules.
- Mass-produced AI content. Publishing pages at scale mainly to manipulate rankings breaks Google’s spam policy on scaled content abuse.
- No access to your own data. You should always be able to see Search Console, Analytics and your reports yourself.
What the first 90 days should look like
| Period | What should happen | What you should receive |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | Audit and baseline; fix crawler access, business details and Google Business Profile | Baseline report and a prioritised plan |
| Month 2 | Improve key service pages; publish answer-led content; add structured data | Pages changed and new content published |
| Month 3 | Reviews, PR and listings work; first re-measurement against the baseline | Comparison with month 1 and next-quarter plan |
Crawl and on-page fixes can show up within weeks. Reputation work such as reviews and press usually takes several months to move AI answers.
How AEO and GEO agencies usually price their work
Most engagements take one of three forms: a one-off audit, a fixed project sprint of 30 to 90 days, or a monthly retainer. Ask for a written scope with deliverables, timelines and the metrics you will review together, whichever model you choose.
What a good AEO or GEO proposal includes
- A baseline: where you appear today in Google, AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Copilot, with the prompts tested.
- A diagnosis: the specific reasons you’re missing, such as crawler access, unclear pages, weak reviews or inconsistent listings.
- A scope of work: named deliverables, such as pages rewritten, schema added, listings fixed and PR placements targeted.
- Owners and timelines: who does what, by when.
- Metrics: the numbers you’ll review together, and how they’re measured.
- Assumptions and risks: what depends on you, such as approvals, content or developer time.
- Commercial terms: fees, notice period and what you keep if you leave.
The monthly report you should expect
| Section | What it should show |
|---|---|
| Summary | Three to five sentences in plain language: what improved, what didn’t, why |
| Google visibility | Rankings, clicks, and AI Overview and AI Mode impressions from Search Console |
| Microsoft visibility | Copilot citations and grounding queries from Bing Webmaster Tools |
| AI assistant mentions | Prompt panel results and share of voice versus competitors |
| Traffic and leads | AI referral visits, organic leads and conversions |
| Work completed | Pages changed, content published, listings fixed, PR secured |
| Next month | Planned actions, tied to the gaps found |
In-house team, agency or freelancer?
| Option | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| In-house specialist | Larger companies with ongoing content and developer resources | Hard to hire for a new discipline; one person can’t cover everything |
| Agency | Businesses wanting strategy, content, technical and PR under one roof | Junior staff on your account; long contracts |
| Freelancer | Small businesses with a defined, limited scope | Capacity limits and gaps in skills such as PR or development |
Many businesses combine options: an agency for strategy and technical work, with in-house staff supplying expertise and approvals.
Check the agency’s own AI visibility
Before hiring anyone to improve your AI visibility, test theirs. Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity about AEO or GEO agencies in your country and see who appears. Read their blog: is it specific, sourced and dated? Look for a named team, real client references and contact details that match across their website, Google Business Profile and LinkedIn. An agency that can’t make itself visible and credible will struggle to do it for you.
Questions to answer internally before you hire
- What outcome do we want? More qualified leads, more brand mentions in AI answers, or both?
- Which services or products matter most? An agency can’t prioritise for you.
- Who will approve content quickly? Slow approvals are the most common reason agency work stalls.
- Do we have developer access? Technical fixes need someone who can change the website.
- What can we prove? Case studies, reviews and data are the raw material of GEO.
- What’s our realistic monthly budget, and for how long? AI visibility builds over months.
Pricing models compared
| Model | How it works | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-off audit | Fixed fee for a diagnosis and action plan | Understanding where you stand before committing | Audits that list problems but never prioritise them |
| Project sprint | Fixed scope over 30 to 90 days | Clearing technical issues and rewriting key pages | Scope creep and unclear acceptance criteria |
| Monthly retainer | Ongoing work at a monthly fee | Continuous content, PR and measurement | Retainers with no defined monthly deliverables |
| “Guaranteed results” pricing | Fees tied to promised rankings or citations | Rarely appropriate | Nobody can guarantee AI answers; treat as a red flag |
How to onboard an agency in the first two weeks
- Grant access to Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, GA4, Google Business Profile and your website, using user accounts rather than shared passwords.
- Share your sales knowledge: the questions prospects ask, common objections and your best case studies.
- Agree the prompt list you’ll track monthly, and record the baseline together.
- Agree the reporting format and dates before work starts.
- Name one decision-maker on your side for approvals.
- Set the first 30-day priorities in writing, with owners and deadlines.
Signs your AEO or GEO engagement is working
- Technical issues found in the audit are fixed within the first month or two.
- Key pages have been rewritten with clear answers, facts and dates.
- AI Overview and AI Mode impressions in Search Console are trending up.
- Copilot citations appear in Bing Webmaster Tools for your important pages.
- Your brand appears in more of your tracked prompts, for more AI assistants.
- Visits from AI assistants show up in GA4, and some lead to enquiries.
- Prospects mention ChatGPT, Gemini or other AI tools when asked how they found you.
If none of these move after six months, despite the agreed work being delivered, revisit the strategy together.
A contract checklist before you sign
A good proposal tells you what the agency plans to do. The contract decides what happens when plans change. Before you sign, check that it covers:
- Term and notice: a short first term, such as three months, then month-to-month or a clear renewal, with a notice period you can live with.
- Deliverables: what is delivered each month, in numbers you can check, such as pages rewritten, technical fixes made or reports sent.
- Account ownership: Search Console, GA4, Bing Webmaster Tools, Google Business Profile, ad accounts and tracking tools stay in your name, with the agency added as a user.
- Content ownership: everything written or designed for you becomes yours once paid for, including drafts and research.
- Reporting: what the monthly report contains, when it arrives and who reviews it with you.
- Guarantees: no promise of specific rankings or AI placements. No one controls what Google or ChatGPT shows, so treat a guarantee as a warning sign, not a benefit.
- Third-party costs: which tools or subscriptions you pay for separately, such as rank trackers or AI visibility tools, and whether the agency adds a markup.
- Handover: on exit, the agency returns access, shares its working files and documents work in progress.
- Confidentiality and data: how the agency handles your customer data, logins and business information.
- Payment terms: amounts, due dates, GST and what happens if a payment is late.
Read the contract with the proposal open next to it. If the proposal promises something the contract doesn’t mention, ask for it to be added in writing.
Frequently asked questions
Is AEO or GEO worth it for a small business?
Yes, if the basics are in place first: a fast website, clear service pages and a complete Google Business Profile. For many local businesses, that foundation work delivers most of the benefit.
How long do AEO and GEO take to show results?
Technical fixes can register within weeks. Being named consistently in AI answers usually takes several months of content and reputation work.
Can I do AEO and GEO myself?
Much of it, yes. Allow AI crawlers, write clear pages, keep your details consistent, collect detailed reviews, and track a list of prompts monthly. An agency helps with scale, PR and technical work.
What is the difference between an SEO agency and a GEO agency?
A GEO agency focuses on mentions and citations in AI answers, including off-site reputation. A strong SEO agency increasingly covers both, because Google treats AI search optimisation as part of SEO.
What should a GEO audit include?
AI crawler access, how AI assistants currently describe you, competitor share of voice, consistency of your business details, content gaps, and a prioritised action list.
How much does an AI visibility audit cost?
It varies by scope, from free introductory audits to paid in-depth reviews. A useful audit tests real prompts across several AI engines, checks crawler access and business details, and gives you a prioritised list of fixes.
Should I sign a long contract with a GEO agency?
Prefer agreements with a clear initial period, such as 90 days, defined deliverables and a reasonable notice period. Long lock-ins without exit terms are a red flag.
What results should I expect in the first 90 days?
Typically: crawler and technical fixes completed, key pages rewritten, business details made consistent, and early movement in AI impressions or prompt mentions. Larger gains in AI recommendations usually follow over the next few months.
Can an SEO agency handle AEO and GEO too?
Often, yes, if it understands AI crawlers, answer-first content and digital PR, and measures AI visibility as well as rankings. Ask for examples of that work specifically.
What should I do if an agency promises guaranteed AI rankings?
Treat it as a warning sign. Ask exactly how they would achieve it and how it would be measured. Reputable agencies set targets and explain their methods, but don’t guarantee outcomes they don’t control.
Want to see these answers in practice? Request a free AI visibility audit and judge our work before you commit.
