The SEO and GEO Agency Decision That's Tripping Up Smart Brands

Jan de Vries · 2026-09-15

Hiring an SEO agency used to be a fairly contained decision. You'd check the case studies, look at ranking history, agree on a reporting cadence. Simple enough. That decision has gotten more complicated. AI-generated answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews now sit alongside — and increasingly in front of — the traditional results page. The skill set that earns a spot in one doesn't automatically earn a spot in the other. A brand can hire a perfectly competent SEO team and still be invisible in the answer an AI assistant gives a buyer researching the same category. That's why more procurement conversations now specifically name generative engine optimisation (GEO) agency capability as a separate line item, rather than assuming any SEO vendor can bolt AI-visibility work onto an existing retainer. The two disciplines share a foundation — a crawlable, well-structured, credible website — but they're measured differently, reported differently, and often require different specialists to execute well. Treating them as identical is one of the more common ways brands end up disappointed six months into a contract. ### The Real Difference Between SEO and GEO Traditional SEO is still mostly about earning a ranking position and a click: backlinks, on-page relevance, and technical health decide who shows up in ten blue links. GEO is about earning a citation inside an answer the user never has to click through — decided by entity authority, structured data, and independent mentions the AI system trusts. The overlap in the middle is where most of the actual budget should go: content that's genuinely well-sourced and clearly structured tends to perform in both systems at once. That's exactly what a competent combined agency should be optimising for rather than treating as two separate deliverables. ### What to Evaluate Before Signing A few questions tend to separate agencies with real GEO capability from ones that have simply relabeled an existing service: - **Documented proof in both channels.** Ask for actual ranking data alongside specific, verifiable examples of the agency's content being cited in ChatGPT, Perplexity, or AI Overviews — not just a claim of "AI SEO" on the services page. A screenshot of a single citation isn't a track record; ask how many clients, and over what period. - **A technical foundation, not just content tricks.** The strongest GEO work is usually built on the same technical rigor as strong SEO — crawlability, site architecture, structured data — rather than treated as a separate content exercise layered on top. If an agency can't speak to your site's technical health, its GEO plan is likely just content rewrites. - **A real measurement method.** Standard rank trackers don't capture whether a brand was cited inside an AI answer. Ask exactly how the agency tracks citation frequency and "share of voice" across AI platforms, how often that gets reported, and what a baseline audit looks like before work starts. - **Transparent, scoped pricing.** Mid-market GEO retainers typically run anywhere from $3,000 to $15,000 per month, so ask what's actually included at each tier — audits, content production, digital PR, ongoing monitoring — rather than accepting a vague monthly number. - **Fit with your industry.** Some agencies specialise by vertical, client size, or number of markets served; a firm built for enterprise technical SEO audits isn't necessarily the right fit for a regional service business, and vice versa. ### SEO and GEO Agencies to Consider Here's a quick look at how a few agencies in this space split their work between traditional SEO and GEO, and who each tends to serve, 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, and monthly AI-visibility scorecards across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity | Mid-market brands wanting a single partner for both | As you weigh your options, remember that the right agency won't just talk about AI — they'll show you exactly how they've helped brands get cited in AI answers. Ask for specifics, and don't settle for vague promises. > "The best GEO agencies don't treat AI visibility as a magic trick. They treat it as a natural extension of solid SEO fundamentals — and they can prove it with data." Ultimately, the choice comes down to finding a partner who understands both worlds and can navigate the overlap. That's where your budget will work hardest, and where you'll see the most durable results.