How to Choose a GEO Agency: Checks, Red Flags, Questions

TL;DR

Walk away from anyone who guarantees rankings or AI citations. Google says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.
Run five checks yourself before the first sales call: OAI-SearchBot in robots.txt, the Search Console generative AI setting, structured data that matches the page, identical name, address and phone, and real reviews.
Give an auditor read-only access during the audit, and keep every account in your name.
Ask for dated prompts and answers tracked per AI tool, because answers change from run to run and from tool to tool.
Google says AI search optimization is still SEO, so be wary of pitches that sell GEO as a separate world or sell llms.txt as a shortcut.

How do I choose a GEO agency?

Pick the agency that refuses to promise placement. It should show you a dated baseline of real prompts and answers, put its scope in writing, and ask for read-only access during the audit. It should also fix the basics you can check yourself: crawler access, Search Console settings, listings and reviews. Skip anyone who guarantees rankings or AI citations.

That last rule comes straight from Google. Its hiring guide says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google, and warns against SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google . I hold ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and Perplexity promises to the same standard. I can't promise any placement in any of them, and neither can anyone else.

What does a GEO agency actually do?

Short answer: it works to make your business easy for AI tools to find, understand and cite. Most of that work is search basics done well.

GEO stands for generative engine optimization. The term comes from a 2023 research paper (arXiv 2311.09735) that tested how content changes affect visibility in AI-generated answers. Agencies now use it for any work aimed at getting a business mentioned in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews and AI Mode. You will also see the labels AEO and LLM SEO.

Google's position is that this is still SEO. Its 2026 guide says SEO best practices continue to be relevant because Google's generative AI features are rooted in its core Search ranking and quality systems . Google also explains that both AI Overviews and AI Mode may use a "query fan-out" technique, issuing multiple related searches across subtopics and data sources to develop a response . So an answer can draw on more than the exact words your customer typed.

The audience is large. Google says AI Overviews now has over 2.5 billion monthly active users, while AI Mode has surpassed one billion monthly users . That reach is why so many agencies now sell GEO, and why you should check before you buy. For background, see my explainers on generative engine optimization and GEO vs SEO for a local business.

Why does AI visibility still depend on search basics?

Because the AI tools mostly pull from pages they can crawl and index. If the plumbing is broken, no clever content will fix it.

Google's guide spells out the gate. To be eligible for generative AI features, a page must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet. In addition, a site must be included in Search generative AI features in Search Console . Those are yes-or-no questions an owner can ask.

The same guide warns against a tactic some agencies sell. Creating separate content for every possible variation of how people might search, including fan-out queries, primarily to manipulate rankings or AI responses, violates Google's scaled content abuse spam policy . If a pitch promises hundreds of near-identical pages, one per prompt, that is a risk to your site.

Google also lists things to stop worrying about. On llms.txt, Google's crawler treats these files like any other text file, with no special treatment or preferred indexing pathway, though other crawlers may make use of them . A vendor log study relayed in this post citing Ahrefs data reported that most valid llms.txt files got no requests in a month. That is a vendor study, not settled fact, but it points the same way. My take: an llms.txt file is cheap hygiene, not a product worth paying for. More in llms.txt for small business.

What basics can an owner inspect without an agency?

Your listings, your reviews, your name, address and phone (NAP), and your site's crawler settings. None of the three top-ranking guides walk an owner through these.

Google's AI guide includes a section on optimizing your local business and ecommerce details . In practice that means a claimed, complete Google Business Profile, a matching Bing Places listing, an Apple Business Connect listing, and identical details on the directories in your industry.

Some vendor data suggests your own site matters too. A BrightLocal study of local AI searches, relayed in this post, reported that individual business websites made up most of the cited domains and earned about 42% of citations across ChatGPT, AI Mode and AI Overviews. I have not reviewed the full method, so treat it as a vendor study.

Here is my honest limit. I have not found a primary source from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI or Perplexity showing exactly how each tool weighs your listings. So I treat these basics as the foundation, not as a lever with a known payoff. If an agency claims to know the exact formula, ask where it learned it.

Five checks to run before the first sales call

Most of these take no paid tools. They also test the pitch: a good agency will find the same things you do.

Check 1: Is OAI-SearchBot allowed in your robots.txt?

OpenAI says OAI-SearchBot is used to surface websites in search results in ChatGPT's search features, and sites that are opted out of OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers, though they can still appear as navigational links . OpenAI recommends allowing OAI-SearchBot in your robots.txt file .

Open yourdomain.com/robots.txt in a browser.
Look for a group that names OAI-SearchBot, or a blanket rule that blocks all bots.
Remember the settings are separate. A webmaster can allow OAI-SearchBot to appear in search results while disallowing GPTBot for training .
After a change, wait. It can take about 24 hours from a robots.txt update for OpenAI's systems to adjust .

Other AI tools use their own crawlers. My guide to allowing AI crawlers in robots.txt covers the rest.

Check 2: Is your site included in Google's Search generative AI control?

Search Console has a setting for this. Including your site is the default control for all properties . The exclude option means your content is prevented from being visible in Search generative AI features, including being linked to and helping ground AI responses .

Google says sites that opt out will not receive traffic or impressions from its generative AI features, and the control will not be used as a ranking signal outside those features . Confirm nobody switched it off. While you are there, open the Generative AI performance report, which measures how your content performs in these features . That gives you your own baseline before any agency shows you theirs.

Check 3: Does your structured data match what visitors see?

Google's structured data policies say not to mark up content that is hidden from readers, and not to mark up misleading content such as fake reviews. Compare your page with its markup. If the markup lists hours, services or a star rating the page does not show, fix one or the other.

Keep schema in perspective. Reboot Online's guide asks for evidence of technical SEO expertise, including schema markup . That is fair. But a vendor study from Ahrefs, shared by its CMO, reported that schema had no meaningful impact on ChatGPT citations. My read: accurate schema is hygiene, not a growth lever. See local business schema for AI search.

Check 4: Is your name, address and phone identical everywhere?

Search for your business on Google, Bing, Apple Maps and two directories in your field. Compare the name, address, phone, hours and website character by character. "Suite" vs "Ste.", an old phone number, or a missing location page are common problems.

Why bother? A BrightLocal finding relayed in this post reported that only 20 to 33 percent of local AI results overlapped when the same search was repeated. Answers move around. Consistent facts give every tool the same story about you each time. That is my reasoning, not a proven mechanism.

Check 5: Are your reviews real and earned?

The FTC's final rule prohibits the sale or purchase of fake reviews and testimonials and allows the agency to seek civil penalties against knowing violators . It covers reviews by someone who does not exist, such as AI-generated fake reviews, or by someone who had no actual experience with the business .

A law firm summary notes the rule also will prohibit companies from paying for either positive or negative reviews . If an agency sells a review package, ask exactly where the reviewers come from. The risk lands on your business, not just theirs.

Red flags that should end the call

If you hear any item in the middle column, I would walk away. The right column is what a good agency says instead.

Topic	Red flag	Good sign
Promises	Guaranteed rankings or AI citations	States in writing what it can't promise
Relationships	Claims a special line to Google or OpenAI	Makes no such claim
Access	Wants owner or admin rights on day one	Read-only during the audit
Reviews	Review packages or "5 stars fast"	Asks real customers only
Content	A page for every prompt variation	Pages that answer real buyer questions
Shortcuts	llms.txt or schema sold as a fix	Treats both as hygiene
Method	"Proprietary," won't explain	Explains each step plainly
Reporting	Screenshots with no prompt or date	Dated prompts and answers, per tool
Ownership	Agency owns your listing or analytics	Every account in your name

WebFX's guide lands in the same place on several of these. It lists guaranteed citations or rankings, vague methodology, weak reporting, and pitches that treat GEO as completely separate from SEO as red flags. Google adds one more: be careful if a company is secretive or won't clearly explain what they intend to do .

Questions to ask any GEO agency

Take this list to every call. Good answers are specific. Weak answers lean on secret methods.

What is my baseline today? Ask to see where you appear now, with dates, before any work starts.
Which AI tools do you check, and how often? Ask if the list covers ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews and AI Mode.
What prompts do you track, and why those? The prompts should sound like your real customers, not like your brand name.
Can I see the raw answers? A screenshot with no prompt and no date proves very little.
What exactly do I get each month? WebFX suggests you compare what its service package actually includes, from audits and technical fixes to content updates, AI visibility monitoring, and ongoing optimization .
How will you tie this to business results? Calls, form fills and booked jobs matter more than mention counts.
Who owns the accounts? Your profile, listings, analytics and Search Console should stay in your name.
What are the exit terms? Get the minimum term and notice period in writing.
Can you back each recommendation with a source? Google's guide, OpenAI's crawler docs and the FTC rule are all public. A good agency points to them.
Do you work with my direct competitors? If yes, ask how they handle it.

How do I judge an agency's AI visibility reports?

Ask for logged, dated re-runs per AI tool, and treat any single snapshot with caution. AI answers change from run to run and from tool to tool.

Different tools often lean on different sources. One study, relayed in this post, reported only about 11% source overlap between ChatGPT and Perplexity. The Ahrefs vendor research shared here reported that 28.3% of ChatGPT's most-cited pages had no Google visibility. Both are vendor or third-party numbers, not settled fact. Still, they show why "you rank on Google, so you're fine in ChatGPT" is not a safe assumption.

A sound report looks like this:

A fixed prompt set agreed with you, written in your customers' words.
Each prompt run in each tool, with the date and the full answer saved.
The same prompts re-run on a schedule, so you can see patterns, not one lucky result.
A change log of what the agency did and when.
Business numbers next to the visibility numbers.

You can do a basic version yourself. My guide on how to check if AI recommends your business shows how. If a competitor keeps showing up instead of you, read why ChatGPT recommends my competitor.

What access should I give, and what should I get in writing?

Give read-only access during the audit and keep ownership of everything. Google's hiring guide says that if an SEO offers an audit, only grant read access to Search Console, and at this stage, don't grant them write access .

Get these in writing before you pay:

Deliverables listed by name, not just "optimization."
The monthly price, the minimum term, and what is excluded.
Which AI tools and how many prompts the reports cover.
Who owns each account, and what happens to it if you leave.
What the agency will not promise, in plain words.

Switching agencies: if every account is in your name, switching means removing the old agency's access and adding the new one's. If the old agency owns your listing or analytics, ask for a written transfer before you give notice.

How much should a GEO agency cost?

I don't have a reliable, sourced national price range, so I won't make one up. Prices vary widely by scope. Compare each quote against its written deliverables, not against another agency's headline number.

seo.com's guide puts price first and says to make sure the GEO agency you partner with is in your budget . That is sensible. I would add: a low price for vague work is not a bargain. For what drives cost up or down, see what AI search optimization costs.

Should I hire a specialist or a full-service agency?

It depends on where your gaps are. Match the agency to your biggest problem, not to the biggest pitch.

Your situation	Likely starting point
Listings messy or incomplete	Listings and AI visibility specialist
NAP differs across sites	Listings and AI visibility specialist
Site blocks crawlers or won't index	Technical SEO or web developer first
Multi-brand company with a content team	Full-service GEO agency
Basics fine, still not mentioned	Content plus third-party presence

The big-agency guides make good points for larger buyers. seo.com stresses foundational SEO knowledge, experience with multiple generative engines, and content marketing skills . Reboot Online notes that generative search is fragmented, and each platform works differently . WebFX uses private equity firms running programs across several brands or locations at once as an example. That fits some buyers. Most small businesses need the basics done right first.

How Get Found with AI approaches it

This is one example, not proof of results. I run Get Found with AI, a national service that helps businesses get found, cited and recommended in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and Perplexity, plus Google AI Overviews and AI Mode.

No placement promises. I don't promise rankings, recommendations, citations or timelines. The tools decide, and their answers change.
Basics first. I start with the checks in this article: crawler access, the Search Console setting, listings, NAP, structured data and reviews.
Your accounts stay yours. Read-only access during the audit.
A call to start. You can book a call before you decide anything.

You can read the process on how it works and the scope on services. Hold me to the same questions you ask anyone else. Engine-specific guides are on the blog, including ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google AI Mode. For a do-it-yourself pass, use the AI visibility audit checklist.

How I put this together

On October 22, 2026, I looked up the top three US results for "how to choose a geo agency" and read each one. Then I checked every fact in this article against primary sources: Google Search Central and Search Console Help, OpenAI's crawler docs, and the FTC. Vendor studies are labeled as vendor studies.

Guide	Strong on	Missing
seo.com	Criteria, budget, case studies	Owner checks, red flags, access
WebFX	Red flags, packages, freshest	Crawler and Search Console checks, FTC
Reboot Online	SEO foundations, multi-platform	Dated; predates Google's 2026 guide

All three are written by agencies, mostly for brand and enterprise buyers. This article covers every question they answer and adds what they skip: five checks an owner can run alone, the 2026 Search Console generative AI control, OpenAI's OAI-SearchBot rule, read-only access and account ownership, FTC review risk, Google's warning on mass prompt pages, and why AI answers need dated, per-tool re-runs.

Frequently asked questions

What is a GEO agency, and is it different from an SEO agency?

A GEO (generative engine optimization) agency does work meant to get a business mentioned, cited or recommended in AI answers from tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. Google says its generative AI features are rooted in its core Search ranking and quality systems, so the line between GEO and SEO is blurry. Judge the agency by its scope and honesty, not the label.

Can a GEO agency guarantee ChatGPT or Google AI will recommend my business?

No. Google says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google and warns against SEOs who claim to guarantee rankings. AI answers also change from run to run. Treat any promised AI recommendation or citation as a reason to end the call.

How can I tell if my website is blocking ChatGPT search?

Open yourdomain.com/robots.txt and look for rules naming OAI-SearchBot. OpenAI says sites that opt out of OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers. Its setting is independent of GPTBot, so you can allow search while blocking training. OpenAI says changes can take about 24 hours to take effect.

What access should I give a GEO agency during an audit?

Read-only. Google advises granting only read access to Search Console during an SEO audit and not granting write access at that stage. Add more access only when paid work begins, and keep your Google Business Profile, Bing listing, analytics and Search Console in your own name.

Do I need llms.txt or special schema to show up in AI answers?

Google says llms.txt files get no special treatment in Google Search, though other crawlers may use them. A vendor study from Ahrefs reported that schema had no meaningful impact on ChatGPT citations. Treat both as cheap hygiene, not levers, and make sure any structured data matches what is visible on the page.

How should a GEO agency report AI visibility?

Ask for a dated baseline before work starts, the exact prompts it tracks, the actual answers from each AI tool, and logged re-runs over time. Ask it to track each tool separately and to tie the work to business results like calls and form fills. Google's Search Console also has a generative AI performance report you can check yourself.

Is it a red flag if an agency offers to get me more reviews?

It depends on how. Asking real customers for honest reviews is fine. The FTC's final rule bans buying or selling fake reviews, including AI-generated reviews and reviews from people with no real experience of the business, and lets the FTC seek civil penalties against knowing violators. Ask exactly where the reviewers come from.

How to Choose a GEO Agency: 5 Checks, Red Flags and Questions to Ask