Hiring an SEO and GEO Agency in 2026: 12 Questions to Ask
Buyers now ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity for recommendations before they ever type a query into Google. That has created a new service line, usually called GEO (generative engine optimization) or AEO (answer engine optimization), and a wave of agencies selling it. Some are excellent. Some are selling the same keyword reports with a new label.
This guide explains what GEO genuinely adds to SEO, how an AI-native agency is set up, and twelve questions that separate a real plan from a rebrand. As an example of an agency built around this model we look at Neurise, an AI-native SEO and GEO agency in Poland, which positions itself on visibility in both Google and AI answers.
Key facts
- 2 surfaces — Classic search results and AI-generated answers now both drive discovery
- Intent — Modern SEO plans are organised around what the searcher wants, not single keywords
- Citations — In AI answers, being cited as a source is the new “ranking”
- Verifiable — Ask for a baseline and a monthly report you can check yourself
What GEO adds to SEO, and what it does not
GEO is not a separate algorithm you can game. AI assistants that browse the web lean on the same signals search engines do: crawlable pages, clear answers, structured data, a consistent business entity across the web, and sources other sites trust. What GEO adds is a different measure of success. Instead of “position 3 for a keyword”, the question is whether your brand is named or cited when someone asks an assistant a question you should be the answer to.
So a credible GEO plan still contains technical SEO, content and links. It adds prompt research (what people actually ask assistants), entity work (making sure your business is described the same way everywhere), and answer-shaped content an assistant can quote.
How AI-native agencies are set up
Agencies that call themselves AI-native usually automate research, briefs and reporting with AI tools and keep people on strategy, editing and outreach. Neurise, for example, describes moving from SEO built on phrases to SEO built on intent, alongside Google Ads and Meta campaigns, and offers a free audit as a starting point. Automation can genuinely lower cost. The question to ask any agency is where the human judgement sits, because that is what you are paying for.
12 questions to ask before you sign
- What is our current baseline, in Search Console clicks and in AI answers, and how will you measure it each month?
- Which prompts and queries will you track, and can we see the list?
- What technical fixes do you expect in the first 30 days?
- Who writes the content, and who edits it before it is published?
- How do you make sure content is not mass-produced filler?
- How do you build links, and will any of them be paid or exchanged?
- What structured data will you add, and to which pages?
- How will you keep our business details consistent across directories and profiles?
- What do you need from us each month?
- What happens to the content and accounts if we leave?
- Can you show a client result with dates and the starting point, not just a percentage?
- What would make you tell us SEO is not the right channel for us?
Red flags in an SEO or GEO proposal
- Guaranteed rankings or guaranteed placement in ChatGPT answers. Nobody controls either.
- Volume promises such as hundreds of articles a month with no editing step. Google’s spam policies name scaled, low-value content explicitly.
- Link packages sold by quantity. Links should be earned, or clearly disclosed.
- No access to your own Search Console, analytics or content.
- Reports you cannot check, built only from the agency’s own tools.
Doing part of it yourself first
Before hiring anyone, set up Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, make sure your important pages are indexable, and write down the ten questions customers ask you most. Ask those questions in two or three AI assistants and note who gets cited. It costs nothing, gives you a baseline, and makes any agency conversation far more concrete.
Disclosure: BuiltToWinWeb and Neurise exchanged links through VerifiedDR. The link to Neurise in this article is marked as sponsored. We describe only what the product’s own site says it does; this is not a paid review.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
What is GEO in SEO?
Generative engine optimization: work aimed at getting a business named or cited in AI-generated answers from assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. It builds on technical SEO, content and entity consistency rather than replacing them.
Can an agency guarantee my business appears in ChatGPT?
No. AI answers vary by prompt, user and time, and no agency controls them. A trustworthy agency promises a process and honest measurement, not placement.
How do I check an SEO agency’s results?
Ask for client examples with dates, starting metrics and screenshots from the client’s own Search Console, and keep owner access to your own accounts throughout.
Want the technical side done right?
BuiltToWinWeb builds sites that search engines and AI assistants can crawl, understand and cite. Ask for a free quote.
Get a free quote