A generative engine optimization (GEO) marketing agency goes beyond basic SEO principles, which is becoming more and more important now that people are moving away from traditional search engines and getting AI-generated answers instead. In this guide, our experts dive into whether or not a generative AI search engine optimization agency is truly worth it, red flags to watch for, and how we can help:
What AI-GEO Optimization Agencies Should Be Doing
Strengthen technical SEO foundation.
Here’s something most marketing agencies won’t tell you: SEO for Squarespace sites (and other template-based website builders) is very weak. Why does it matter? Without the ability to customize certain aspects of technical SEO, you’re limiting schema markup and performance optimization, two of the biggest factors in generative search engine optimization.
Build topical authority around your niche.
A website with descriptive product pages, guides, and industry expertise not only receives more traffic but also tells search engines and AI tools that your brand is trustworthy. The more helpful information you share (stats, tables, downloadable resources, demos, how-tos, etc.), the easier your site can be crawled, indexed, and cited in AI-generated answers.
Create content that directly answers questions.
Perhaps the most important step in how to build third-party mentions for AI visibility is FAQs and Q\&A sections. Combined with schema markup that directly answers user queries, your website has a much better chance of showing up in AI summaries and chatbot responses.
Track AI visibility through citations, organic traffic, and conversions.
Short-term wins are great, but if that’s the only goal, then your overall marketing strategy will fall short in the long run. A generative AI search engine optimization agency shouldn’t be relying on vague AI ranking data but rather dive deep into brand mentions, searches, conversion rates, etc.
When to Be Cautious & How to Detect Red Flags
- Verbiage that promises “#1 in AI results”: Generative search engines don’t use the ranking system of traditional search engines.
- Mass-produced blog content: AI-written content can rank in organic search results and be cited in generated answers; however, most of these generic blog posts receive zero traffic.
- Ignores content quality, authority, and traditional SEO: getting traffic from AI begins with a website that’s built with the best practices in technical SEO, with content that’s original, detailed, and conversational.
- No framework to measure or track results: No explanations for what will change on the website or how you can see where the traffic is coming from reveal that the agency is simply using SEO and GEO interchangeably.
Quick Recap: Is a GEO SEO Agency Worth It?
The bottom line is that your marketing strategy shouldn’t be GEO vs SEO, but rather an integration of SEO (technically sound website) + AEO (structured content with direct questions and answers) + GEO (authority building to increase visibility in AI-generated search engines).
If a digital marketing agency can tell you how your website is currently performing in AI search, how the competition is doing in relation to you, how their suggested changes will improve your visibility, and how they plan to measure traffic and revenue, then yes, it’s absolutely worth it!
Looking for Top SEO Agencies Specializing in GEO?
IMEG has been an industry leader in SEO for years, maintaining a strong and effective framework for GEO so that our clients can keep up with the new and shifting search trends.
Here are the 10 best questions to ask when hiring an SEO company. We’d love to have a conversation about your business, answer these questions in detail, and provide a free audit of your website. Get in touch with our generative AI search engine optimization agency today!
