To choose an AEO or GEO agency, ask to see how they measure AI visibility before you sign anything. A good agency shows you a baseline of how ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity answer your buyers' questions today, explains which changes it expects to move that baseline, and reports the same measurements every month. This checklist covers what to ask, the red flags, and what good reporting looks like.

What an AEO / GEO agency should actually do

Answer engine optimisation (AEO) structures your content so AI assistants and Google AI Overviews can lift a direct answer from it. Generative engine optimisation (GEO) makes your brand the source that AI platforms cite and recommend when they write an answer. A specialist agency should cover six areas:

  • AI citations and citable pages — content written so AI platforms can quote it
  • Entity consistency — the same facts about your company everywhere AI platforms look
  • Topic portfolio — the questions where you should be the recommended answer
  • Technical AI optimisation — AI crawler access, structured data, meta tags and llms.txt
  • Off-site optimisation — the third-party sources AI platforms trust in your category
  • AI share-of-voice tracking — how often you are mentioned, cited and recommended against competitors

10 questions to ask before you hire

  1. Which AI platforms do you measure? ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and Copilot behave differently; a serious agency tracks several.
  2. Can I see my baseline before I commit? You should see how AI platforms describe you and your competitors today.
  3. Which prompts will you track, and can I change them? The prompt list is your scorecard; it should reflect real buyer questions.
  4. How do you separate mentions, citations and recommendations? Being named, being linked as a source and being recommended are different outcomes.
  5. What will you change first, and why? Expect a prioritised list, not a generic package.
  6. Who implements the changes? Strategy without implementation leaves the work with you.
  7. How do you handle technical fixes? AI crawler access, schema and site structure should be checked with a tool, not by eye.
  8. What about off-site sources? AI answers often quote directories, reviews and industry sites, not your own website.
  9. How often do you report, and from what data? Monthly reporting from the same measurements as the baseline is the minimum.
  10. What happens to the data if we stop? You should keep your reports and know what was measured.

Red flags

  • Guaranteed placement in ChatGPT. No one controls what an AI platform recommends; a guarantee means the claim is not measurable.
  • No baseline. Without a before, there is no way to show an after.
  • Only traditional SEO reports. Rankings and organic traffic do not show whether AI platforms recommend you.
  • Vague "AI optimisation" with no list of prompts or platforms.
  • Bulk AI-written content as the main deliverable. Volume without accuracy and authority rarely earns citations.

What good AEO / GEO reporting looks like

  • Share of voice by AI platform, compared with named competitors
  • Citations: which of your pages, and which third-party sources, AI platforms cite
  • The prompt list, with your result for each prompt over time
  • Gaps: prompts where competitors are recommended and you are not
  • What changed this month, and what moved as a result

Agency, platform or in-house?

If you have marketing capacity, an AI visibility platform lets your team run AEO and GEO themselves. If you want the outcome without building the skill, an agency runs it for you. Many teams combine both: an agency to set up and prioritise, a platform to keep measuring. For a deeper comparison see AI SEO consultant vs agency vs freelancer, consultant vs in-house and how to hire an AI SEO consultant. For typical costs, see the AI SEO consulting pricing guide.

How UltraScout AI works

UltraScout AI is a UK AI SEO agency for AEO and GEO with its own AI visibility platform. Every engagement starts from a measured baseline on the UltraScout GEO Platform, technical checks run with CiteTrust™, and reporting comes from the same data. You can also start free with the CiteTrust™ check or a free platform account. See our AEO & GEO agency in London, AEO & GEO for US companies or AI SEO services for small businesses.

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose an AEO agency?

Ask for a baseline of how AI platforms answer your buyers' questions today, the list of prompts and platforms they will track, who implements the changes, and how they report. Avoid any agency that guarantees placement in ChatGPT.

What is the difference between an SEO agency and an AEO / GEO agency?

An SEO agency optimises for rankings and clicks in search results. An AEO / GEO agency optimises for being quoted, cited and recommended inside AI answers, and measures that directly. Good AEO and GEO build on SEO foundations rather than replacing them.

How long before an AEO / GEO agency shows results?

Technical fixes such as AI crawler access and structured data can be in place within weeks; content and authority changes take longer to be picked up by AI platforms. Because the same prompts are measured over time, you can see what is moving rather than waiting.

Can an agency guarantee my brand will be recommended by AI?

No. Each AI platform decides what it recommends. A trustworthy agency commits to measurement and transparent reporting, not guaranteed placement.