How to Pick an SEO and GEO Agency That Actually Gets You Cited by AI

Jan de Vries · 2026-09-15

Hiring an SEO agency used to be pretty straightforward. You'd check case studies, look at ranking history, and agree on a reporting schedule. That's not enough anymore. AI answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews now sit right next to—and often above—the traditional search results. And here's the catch: the skills that get you ranked in one place don't automatically get you mentioned in the other. You could hire a perfectly good SEO team and still be invisible when an AI assistant answers a buyer's question about your category. That's why more companies are now asking specifically about generative engine optimization (GEO) as a separate capability. They're not just assuming their SEO vendor can tack on AI visibility. The two disciplines share a foundation—a crawlable, well-structured, credible website—but they're measured differently, reported differently, and often need different specialists. Treating them as the same thing is a common way brands end up disappointed six months into a contract. ### The Real Difference Between SEO and GEO Traditional SEO is about earning a ranking position and a click. Backlinks, on-page relevance, and technical health decide who shows up in those ten blue links. GEO is about earning a citation inside an answer the user never has to click. That's decided by entity authority, structured data, and independent mentions the AI system trusts. The sweet spot—where most of your budget should go—is content that's genuinely well-sourced and clearly structured. That kind of content performs in both systems at once. A good combined agency optimizes for that overlap, not for two separate deliverables. ### What to Evaluate Before You Sign A few questions separate agencies with real GEO chops from ones that just slapped a new label on an old service: - **Documented proof in both channels.** Ask for actual ranking data *and* specific examples of the agency's content being cited in ChatGPT, Perplexity, or AI Overviews. A single screenshot isn't a track record—ask how many clients, and over what period. - **A technical foundation, not just content tricks.** Strong GEO is built on the same technical rigor as strong SEO: crawlability, site architecture, structured data. If an agency can't talk about your site's technical health, their GEO plan is probably just content rewrites. - **A real measurement method.** Standard rank trackers don't capture whether you were cited inside an AI answer. Ask exactly how they track citation frequency and share of voice across AI platforms, how often they report it, and what a baseline audit looks like. - **Transparent, scoped pricing.** Mid-market GEO retainers can run anywhere from $2,500 to $10,000 per month. Ask what's included at each tier—audits, content production, digital PR, ongoing monitoring—not just a vague monthly number. - **Fit with your industry.** Some agencies specialize by vertical, client size, or number of markets. A firm built for enterprise technical SEO audits might not be right for a regional service business, and vice versa. > "The biggest mistake brands make is assuming their SEO agency can just 'add AI' to the retainer. GEO requires a different mindset—it's about being the source, not just the result." ### SEO and GEO Agencies to Consider Here's a quick look at how a few agencies split their work between traditional SEO and GEO, based on what they publish about their own services. | Agency | Traditional SEO | GEO | Best For | |--------|----------------|-----|----------| | Panem Agency | Technical, on-page, off-page, and local SEO | AI citation audits, schema/E-E-A-T content builds, monthly AI-visibility scorecards across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity | Brands that want a single partner for both channels | Of course, this is just one example. The key is to ask the right questions and find a partner who understands that SEO and GEO are complementary—not interchangeable. ### The Bottom Line AI search isn't a fad. It's where a growing share of buyers start their research. If your brand isn't showing up in those answers, you're losing deals you never even knew were on the table. Take the time to vet your agency properly. The right partner will help you win in both the ten blue links and the AI answers—and that's a competitive advantage worth paying for.