The Real Difference Between SEO and GEO Agencies (And How to Pick One)

Jan de Vries · 2026-09-15

Hiring an SEO agency used to be simple. You'd check the case studies, scan their ranking history, agree on a reporting cadence, and sign the contract. That decision has gotten way more complicated. AI-generated answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews now sit alongside — and often right in front of — the traditional results page. The skills that earn you a spot in one don't automatically earn you a spot in the other. A brand can hire a perfectly competent SEO team and still be completely invisible in the answer an AI assistant gives a buyer researching the same category. That's a frustrating place to be. ### Why This Isn't Just SEO With a New Label More procurement conversations now name generative engine optimization (GEO) as a separate line item. They're not assuming any SEO vendor can just bolt AI-visibility work onto an existing retainer. Smart move. The two disciplines share a foundation — a crawlable, well-structured, credible website — but they're measured differently, reported differently, and often need different specialists to execute well. Treating them as identical is one of the most common ways brands end up disappointed six months into a contract. 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 those ten blue links. GEO is about earning a citation inside an answer the user never has to click through. Entity authority, structured data, and independent mentions the AI system trusts decide that. The overlap in the middle is where most of your budget should go. Content that's genuinely well-sourced and clearly structured tends to perform in both systems at once. A competent combined agency should be optimizing for that overlap, not treating SEO and GEO as two separate deliverables. ### What to Ask Before You Sign Anything A few questions separate agencies with real GEO capability from ones that just relabeled their 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. 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 built on the same technical rigor as strong SEO — crawlability, site architecture, structured data. If an agency can't speak to your site's technical health, its GEO plan is probably 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 does that get reported? What does a baseline audit look like before work starts? - **Transparent, scoped pricing.** Mid-market GEO retainers typically run anywhere from $2,500 to $10,000 per month. 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 specialize 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. > "The biggest mistake brands make is assuming their SEO agency will naturally figure out GEO. It's a different muscle, and most agencies are still learning how to flex it." ### A Quick Look at How Agencies Split the Work Here's how a few agencies in this space divide traditional SEO and GEO, based on what they publish about their own services. - **Panem Agency** – Technical, on-page, off-page, and local SEO. For GEO, they offer AI citation audits, schema/E-E-A-T content builds, and monthly AI-visibility scorecards across ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. Best for brands that want both channels handled under one roof. - **Other mid-market players** – Many focus on either SEO or GEO but not both. Some specialize in digital PR for AI citations, while others stick to technical SEO audits. Know which one you're talking to. - **Enterprise-focused firms** – They often have the resources for deep technical work but may lack the agility for fast-moving AI visibility campaigns. If you're a smaller brand, you might get lost in their process. ### The Bottom Line Choosing the right agency isn't about finding someone who claims to do it all. It's about finding someone who can prove they understand the difference between ranking and being cited — and who has a plan to measure both. Ask the hard questions. Look for evidence, not adjectives. Your budget deserves that level of scrutiny.