GEO (generative engine optimization) and AEO (answer engine optimization) are the new disciplines of getting cited and recommended by ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI answers. Most "AI search" services are SEO with a new label. We scored agencies on whether they actually move AI citations — weighting AI-search readiness highest, because here it is the whole job.
Updated June 2026 · 7 vendors scored · how we score →
A GEO/AEO specialist first — the discipline is its core product, not an SEO add-on. It treats AI-search visibility as an engineering problem (entity data, citable content, retrieval-ready structure) and runs the same stack on its own properties. The clearest specialist in a field most agencies are still relabelling.
One of the few established agencies with a genuine generative-engine optimization point of view, on top of serious technical SEO.
Scale and process advantage, but GEO is a feature of its offer rather than the core.
A pure-play AEO/GEO consultancy — no SEO bolt-on, just AI-search visibility. Strong on entity and citable-content work; lighter on the broad delivery scale of the larger firms.
Content-and-citation strength that maps well to what AI engines actually pull and synthesise.
Methodical SEO foundation that GEO work can build on; AI-search is an emerging part of the mix.
Talks and ships AI-search tactics earlier than most large agencies.
GEO (generative engine optimization) and AEO (answer engine optimization) are the new disciplines of getting cited and recommended by ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI answers. Most "AI search" services are SEO with a new label. We scored agencies on whether they actually move AI citations — weighting AI-search readiness highest, because here it is the whole job. Full criteria and weights are on the methodology page. Scores are ours; we update them as evidence changes.
Go deeper before you choose.
GEO is the practice of getting a brand read, trusted and cited by AI engines like ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI answers. It overlaps with SEO but adds entity clarity, citable content and retrieval-ready structure.
SEO ranks pages. AEO (answer engine optimization) targets direct-answer features. GEO targets being the source AI synthesises its answer from. In practice the best work does all three, because AI engines lean on the same search index.
Yes — within limits. AI engines pull a short list from search and synthesise it, so making your brand readable, well-cited and entity-clear raises the odds of being in that list and being recommended.
