Buyer guide
SEO vs AEO vs GEO: what should an agency deliver?
Compare SEO, AEO, GEO and LLM SEO by business objective, practical deliverables and measurement. Use a common brief to evaluate agency proposals.
At a glance
SEO, AEO and GEO overlap. SEO addresses discovery through search; AEO commonly emphasises customer questions and direct answers; GEO commonly emphasises representation in generative answers. LLM SEO is another label used for this work. There is no universal boundary between these services. Compare the proposed work, supporting evidence and accountability rather than purchasing a label.
Start with a business decision
Consider three different briefs. A retailer whose products cannot be indexed first needs technical SEO and reliable product information. A software business whose buyers ask detailed integration questions may need better answers and supporting documentation. An international brand described inaccurately in AI comparisons needs to identify the source of those descriptions and correct its public information.
All three could be sold as AI SEO. The useful distinction is the problem, the evidence and the work required. Write down the audience, country, language, product or service, and the decision the customer is trying to make before requesting proposals.
SEO: access, relevance and discovery
A practical SEO scope can include crawling and indexing, page architecture, internal links, relevant content and measurement. For a migration, request a URL inventory, redirect plan, release responsibilities and a post-launch verification process. For content, ask which unanswered needs the work will address and who supplies the expertise.
Google says its generative search features rely on core search systems and that SEO best practices remain relevant. An agency should therefore explain how its AI-search work connects to the existing site, rather than presenting an unrelated technical shortcut.
AEO: questions, answers and supporting evidence
An answer engine optimisation brief often begins with the questions people ask before buying. Useful deliverables include a question map, a review of existing answers, a plan for missing evidence and clear ownership of content changes. A list of FAQ headings without substantive answers is a weak deliverable.
For example, a B2B product page might need a supported explanation of integration limits, deployment responsibilities and the conditions behind a performance claim. The value comes from helping a customer assess the product, whether they reach the answer through conventional search or an assistant.
GEO: representation across generative answers
A generative engine optimisation brief may examine whether a brand is mentioned, what is said about it and which sources are cited. Ask the agency to separate factual corrections, original content, technical access and external editorial work. An outreach package should explain what is paid for and how commercial placements are disclosed.
For an international engagement, specify the markets and languages. A result from an English prompt in Australia does not establish visibility for a German-speaking buyer. The measurement design should record those differences rather than hide them in one global score.
LLM SEO: clarify retrieval and training claims
Agencies may use LLM SEO as a synonym for GEO or AI search. Ask what system and mechanism they mean. Making a public page accessible to a search crawler is different from changing a model’s training data, and neither establishes that a particular answer will include the brand.
Request a concrete change list. If a proposal relies on a special file, schema type or proprietary score, ask for documentation, evidence and a way to test whether the change helped. Avoid treating an unsupported technical claim as a procurement requirement.
Compare measurement on the same basis
Ask each agency to use the same sample of questions and competitors, with dates, engines, countries and languages recorded. Keep the baseline and retain unfavourable results. A changing sample makes improvement difficult to assess, and repeated outputs can vary even when the page has not changed.
Report brand mentions, linked citations, referred visits and qualified enquiries separately. A rise in mentions does not by itself prove a rise in revenue. Ask what the agency can observe directly, what it infers and what remains unknown.
Turn two proposals into a fair comparison
Send both agencies one brief and request the same headings: diagnosis, evidence, deliverables, implementation, assigned team, reporting, exclusions and fees. Ask for a worked example of the first piece of work rather than a longer presentation of capabilities.
Use the directory’s AEO and GEO service pages to inspect published offers, then follow the agency profiles to compare delivery and evidence. The existing 2026 ranking is historical context; it is not a new service-specific award or a substitute for checking the team and scope you will receive.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about seo vs aeo vs geo: what should an agency deliver?
Do we need three separate agencies for SEO, AEO and GEO?
Not necessarily. The work overlaps. A single agency may cover it, or a specialist may support an existing team. Compare responsibility and capability before adding suppliers.
Should we publish a page for every query?
Only when the page has a distinct purpose and useful information. One well-structured page can answer several related questions. A new page needs more than a different keyword or place name.
How do we assess a claimed AI-search result?
Ask for the engine, query sample, market, dates, baseline and work completed. Distinguish agency-reported examples from independent verification and ask what other changes could explain the result.