How to choose an AEO or GEO agency
AEO and GEO agencies do one job: get AI assistants to recommend your business. Choose the one that measures it the way you will judge it and names exactly what it will change.
Six questions to ask
- How will you measure it? Look for fixed buyer questions, repeated runs and both ChatGPT and Google AI Mode.
- What exactly will you change? Expect named sites, listings and pages, not a general strategy.
- Do you check access and identity first? A blocked crawler or inconsistent listings undo everything else.
- Who does the work, and how will I see it's done?
- What won't you do? Fake or incentivized reviews are banned under the FTC rule in force since October 21, 2024.
- What happens if the number doesn't move?
Local businesses versus B2B
Local questions are answered from map listings and reviews. In October 2026 I asked ChatGPT and Google AI Mode 24 buyer questions for two businesses, three times each, twice: 288 answers. Questions about local services were answered from map listings (Google Business Profiles in Google, map listings in ChatGPT). Firms with only a few reviews made those lists; businesses without a listing never appeared.
B2B and online businesses are recommended from industry lists, directories and third-party mentions, so the work centers on getting onto those.
The free check shows who AI recommends to your customers today.