How to Choose a GEO or AEO Agency: 8 Questions to Ask Before You Sign

AI visibility is new, and new services attract big promises.

Pink laptop on a vanity desk showing an AI checklist

AI visibility is new, and new services attract big promises. If you're a med spa or local business thinking about hiring a GEO or AEO agency, the right questions will quickly separate honest, measurable work from expensive guesswork. This guide explains what good AI visibility work looks like, what to ask and which red flags should make you walk away.

In this article

  1. What does a GEO or AEO agency actually do?

  2. What questions should you ask a GEO or AEO agency?

  3. What are the red flags?

  4. How much should AI visibility work cost?

  5. How long before you see results?

  6. Do you need a separate agency if you already have an SEO agency?

  7. FAQ

Quick takeaways

Key insight

Explanation

Ask for the method

A good agency can explain exactly how it measures AI visibility.

Expect a baseline

Work should start with a dated "before" snapshot.

No guarantees

No one can guarantee placement in AI answers.

Beware of shortcuts

Bought links, fake reviews and mass-produced pages can backfire.

Positioning matters

AI describes you clearly only when your business is described consistently.

What does a GEO or AEO agency actually do?

A GEO or AEO agency helps AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI features find, describe and recommend your business. In practice, that means checking how AI currently describes you, fixing inaccurate information online, improving your listings and reviews process, creating content that answers real customer questions and measuring progress over time.

What questions should you ask a GEO or AEO agency?

The best questions test whether an agency has a clear, honest method. Ask how they measure results, what they'll fix first, what they won't do and how they'll report progress. A good agency answers specifically and in plain language.

  1. How will you measure my AI visibility? Look for a fixed set of questions checked in several AI tools on a regular schedule.

  2. Will you take a "before" snapshot? Without a dated baseline, there's no way to prove progress.

  3. What will you fix first? Accurate business information usually comes before new content.

  4. Which listings and directories will you work on? They should be based on the sources AI tools actually cite in your area.

  5. How do you handle reviews? The only right answer is helping you ask real customers for honest reviews.

  6. Who writes the content, and who checks it? For health or financial topics, your team should approve facts before anything goes live.

  7. What results can you show? Ask for real examples with dates, and check that clients agreed to be named.

  8. What won't you do? An honest agency will name the shortcuts it avoids.

What are the red flags?

Walk away from any agency that guarantees a number one spot in ChatGPT, sells a special AI file as the main fix, buys links or reviews, or can't explain how it measures results. Google says you don't need special AI files or markup for its AI features, and it warns that mass-producing low-value pages can break its spam policies.

  • "Guaranteed #1 in ChatGPT" or any guaranteed placement

  • A "special AI file" presented as the main solution

  • Packages of bought backlinks or fake reviews

  • Hundreds of generic articles with no review process

  • No baseline, no fixed questions and no clear reports

Pro tip: ask an agency to show you one real report. If it's vague, the work probably is too.

How much should AI visibility work cost?

Pricing varies widely depending on scope: a one-time audit, a fix list, ongoing content and listings work or monthly reporting. Rather than comparing prices alone, compare what's included, how progress is measured and who does the work. A lower price that includes guarantees or bought links usually costs more in the long run.

How long before you see results?

Fixing inaccurate information can change how AI tools describe your business within a few weeks. Being recommended for competitive searches, like "best med spa in [city]", usually takes longer, often a few months, because it depends on listings, reviews and mentions building up. A trustworthy agency will set those expectations up front.

Do you need a separate agency if you already have an SEO agency?

Not always. Some SEO agencies now offer AI visibility work, and the two overlap. What matters is that someone owns AI visibility specifically, with a clear method and reports, and that everyone agrees who updates the website, listings and content so the work doesn't clash.

Option

Best fit

What to watch for

Your current SEO agency

They already offer AI visibility with a clear method

AI work can become an afterthought

A specialist GEO/AEO agency

You want focused AI visibility work and reporting

Agree who owns the website and listings

Doing it yourself

Small business with time to learn

Easy to stop measuring consistently

How Glammi Studio works

We start with brand positioning, so every listing, page and article describes your business the same way. Then we take a dated baseline, fix inaccurate information, build listings where AI tools look, create content your team approves and measure progress with the same questions every month. We don't guarantee placements, buy links or write reviews.

FAQ

Is GEO the same as AEO?

They overlap. Both aim to get your business mentioned and described correctly in AI answers, and agencies often use the terms interchangeably.

Can an agency guarantee I'll show up in ChatGPT?

No. AI answers change and no one controls them. An honest agency will promise a clear method and regular measurement, not a guaranteed placement.

What should a GEO agency report each month?

Which of your tracked questions mention you, how AI tools describe you, which sources they cite and what work was done since the last report.

Do I need an llms.txt file?

Not for Google. Google says you don't need special AI text files or markup to appear in its AI features.

What should I prepare before talking to an agency?

A list of your services and locations, the questions customers ask most and who manages your Google Business Profile and website. Share access by adding the agency as a manager, never by sending passwords.

Looking for an honest, measurable approach to AI visibility? Glammi Studio helps med spas and local businesses get named and recommended by AI search, starting with clear brand positioning. Book a discovery call.

Written by: Glammi Studio

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