How to Spot an SEO Agency That Actually Gets AI Search

Jan de Vries · 2026-09-15

Hiring an SEO agency used to be simple. You'd check case studies, look at ranking history, agree on a reporting cadence, and sign. That decision has gotten a lot messier. 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 name generative engine optimization (GEO) capability as a separate line item. 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. ### 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 those ten blue links. GEO is about earning a citation inside an answer the user never has to click through. It's decided by entity authority, structured data, and independent mentions the AI system trusts. 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. That's exactly what a competent combined agency should be optimizing for — not treating as two separate deliverables. ### What to Evaluate Before You Sign 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. 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. 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 $2,500 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 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 brands that win in AI search aren't the ones with the biggest budgets. They're the ones asking the right questions before they sign the contract." ### One More Thing to Keep in Mind Don't expect a single agency to be equally strong in both areas right out of the gate. GEO is still a young discipline, and even the best agencies are learning as the platforms evolve. What you can do is look for honesty. An agency that admits what it doesn't know yet is usually more trustworthy than one that claims to have AI search completely figured out. Ask for their process, not just their promises. The right partner will show you how they track results, how they adapt, and how they'll keep you visible as the answer engines keep changing. That's the real test. Not whether they say "AI SEO" on their homepage — but whether they can prove it when it matters.