How do you choose a GEO agency?
Ask nine questions: do you work with my competitors, who owns my profile, what exactly ships each month, how do you measure AI visibility, what is the contract length, what happens if it does not work, who writes the content, do you buy links, and can I see a real report.
The nine questions
Do you work with my competitors? If yes, your money funds their rankings too.
Who owns the Google profile and the pages? You should. Manager access, not ownership, and pages on your own domain.
What ships each month? A specific list. "Ongoing optimization" is not a deliverable.
How do you measure AI visibility? Look for prompt testing with repeat runs. If the answer is vague, they are not doing it.
How long is the contract? Ninety days is reasonable. Twelve months is not.
What if it doesn't work? Listen for a real answer rather than an explanation of why it always works.
Who writes the content? Ask whether anyone will talk to the person doing the actual job.
Do you buy links? If yes, walk.
Can I see a real client report? Redacted is fine. Refusal is not.
Answers that should end the conversation
A guaranteed number one ranking or a guaranteed ChatGPT mention. Ownership of your profile or your website. Per-lead pricing. Refusal to name what ships. A report full of impressions and no calls.
Signals worth paying for
Exclusivity in your category and city. A named person on your account. Plain-English reporting you can read in five minutes. Willingness to tell you something is not worth doing.
The short version
- Nine questions, asked before you sign
- Ninety days is a reasonable commitment; twelve months is not
- You own the profile and the pages, always
- Any guaranteed ranking or mention is a red flag
Related questions
Should I use a local agency?
Location matters less than whether they understand your trade.
What about freelancers?
Fine, often better value. Ask what happens when they take a holiday.
How do I check their own site?
Search for them the way a customer would. If they cannot get themselves named, ask why.
Keep reading
How much does GEO cost?
For a single-location small business, expect $400 to $1,500 a month. Below about $400 you are buying...
What access does a GEO agency actually need?
Manager access to your Google Business Profile, editor access to your website, and read access to Search...
What should a monthly SEO or GEO report include?
Four things: which customer questions now name you, where you rank across a map grid, actions taken from your...
Want this checked on your own business?
The free visibility check shows what AI assistants say about you today, where you sit on the map grid, and the three fixes worth doing first.
