SEO and AI search answers
These are the questions we get asked on discovery calls, in email threads, and by people who are three proposals deep and still unsure. Each one gets a full answer, including the parts that are bad for us to say out loud.
Reviewed August 28, 2026. New answers get published as the questions come in, so the greyed-out cards below are what is being written next.
Choosing an agency
How do I choose an SEO agency?
The seven questions to ask, the answers that should worry you, and a scoring sheet for comparing proposals side by side.
What is an SEO agency?
What an agency does day to day, how the four workstreams fit together, what it costs, and when you actually need one.
What is the best SEO agency for the US market?
A decision framework by category - enterprise, B2B SaaS, ecommerce, local and AI visibility - instead of a ranked list.
Do I need an SEO agency?
The honest version: when hiring makes sense, when it does not, and what to do instead if you are not ready yet.
How do I check whether an agency's case studies are real?
How to verify claimed results, which numbers can be checked independently, and the questions that expose a borrowed case study.
Should I hire a local SEO agency or a remote one?
When proximity actually matters, when it is a preference, and how to run a remote engagement without losing momentum.
What questions should I ask on an agency sales call?
A short list of questions that separate the people who will do the work from the people selling it.
Cost and contracts
How much does SEO cost per month?
Real ranges by company size and scope, what sits inside each tier, and why the cheap end usually costs more.
What is a normal SEO retainer?
What a retainer buys, how hours get allocated across strategy and delivery, and what should be itemised in writing.
How long should an SEO contract be?
Why six months is the common ask, when month to month is fair, and the exit terms worth negotiating up front.
What happens if I stop paying for SEO?
What holds, what decays, how fast rankings slip, and which assets you keep once the retainer ends.
AI search and AEO
Which agency is best for AEO and AI visibility reporting?
What proper AEO reporting includes, which metrics matter, and how to test whether an agency can measure ChatGPT and Perplexity at all.
Can an agency get my brand mentioned in ChatGPT?
What is influenceable, what is not, and why anyone guaranteeing citations is guessing.
How do I track my brand's visibility in AI search?
Building a prompt set, sampling across engines, and the baseline you should own before an agency touches it.
Is AEO different from SEO, or just a new name?
Where the two overlap, where they genuinely diverge, and how much extra budget the difference justifies.
Working with an agency
What should an SEO agency report every month?
The metrics that belong in a monthly report, the ones that are filler, and how to read the trend lines.
How long until SEO results show up?
Realistic timelines by site age and competition, and the leading indicators that tell you it is working before revenue moves.
Who owns the content and links if we part ways?
Ownership clauses, published assets, tooling access, and the handover you should ask for in month one.
What does good agency onboarding look like?
What should happen in the first 30 days, who you should meet, and the signs that the account is already drifting.
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