An SEO service is paid work that helps your website get found in search results, covering technical fixes, content, links and reporting. An AI SEO agency does the same work, plus tracking and improving how often AI answers like Google AI Overviews, AI Mode and ChatGPT mention or cite your brand, and uses AI tools to work faster.
Key takeaways
- A good AI SEO agency is still an SEO agency first. Google says its AI features run on the same ranking and quality systems as regular Search.
- The "AI" part should mean two concrete things: AI visibility tracking and prompt-level content work, and AI tools that speed up research and production.
- Expect monthly retainers in the same range as standard SEO. In Ahrefs' survey, $501 to $1,000 a month was the most common retainer band.
- Walk away from anyone who guarantees rankings in ChatGPT or Google, or can't show you what they'll deliver each month.
What AI SEO services include
Strip away the sales page and AI SEO services fall into two buckets.
Classic SEO, which still does most of the work. Google's own guide on optimizing for generative AI features is blunt about this: its AI features are "rooted in our core Search ranking and quality systems," and from Google's view, optimizing for them "is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO." So any serious AI SEO company should still be doing:
- Technical SEO: crawling, indexing, site speed, internal links, structured data where it helps.
- Keyword and topic research, then content planning around real search demand.
- Content creation and updates for existing pages.
- Link building and digital PR.
- Local SEO if you serve a city or region.
The AI-specific layer. This is where the "AI" label should earn its keep:
- AI visibility tracking. Running a fixed set of prompts through ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, AI Overviews and AI Mode and reporting how often you're mentioned or cited. I cover how this works in my guide to AI search visibility.
- Citation source analysis. Finding the pages AI answers keep citing in your space (review sites, Reddit threads, comparison lists) and getting your brand onto them.
- Answer-first content. Rewriting key pages so a clear answer sits near the top and each section can be quoted on its own.
- Brand entity work. Making sure your company details, reviews and third-party mentions are consistent, since AI answers lean heavily on what other sites say about you.
- AI-assisted production. Using AI for research, briefs, clustering and first drafts, with humans editing. This should lower your cost or raise output, not replace expertise.
What it shouldn't include: special "AI files" sold as a ranking fix. Google states you don't need new machine-readable files or markup to appear in its AI features, and that Google Search ignores llms.txt. There can be reasons to publish one for other AI tools (I explain them in my llms.txt guide), but it's a small task, not a service line.
Deliverables per month from an AI SEO agency
Here's what a realistic monthly scope looks like at three budget levels. Use it to compare proposals line by line.
| Deliverable | Starter retainer | Growth retainer | Full-service retainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical audit | One-off at start, light monthly checks | Quarterly re-audit | Monthly monitoring and dev tickets |
| New or updated content | 1 to 2 pages | 4 to 6 pages | 8+ pages plus refreshes |
| Link building / digital PR | None or light outreach | Monthly outreach campaign | Ongoing PR and partnerships |
| AI visibility tracking | 20 to 30 prompts, monthly snapshot | 50 to 100 prompts, weekly | 150+ prompts, daily tool data |
| Citation source outreach | No | Top 10 cited domains | Full cited-source programme |
| Reporting | Monthly dashboard | Monthly report + call | Monthly report, call and quarterly strategy review |
| Typical fit | Local business, single site | SMB or growing SaaS | Multi-location, e-commerce, enterprise |
The prompt counts and page volumes are typical ranges I'd use for scoping, not an industry standard. What matters is that every proposal lists deliverables this specifically. "Ongoing optimization" is not a deliverable.
A monthly report should also tie back to numbers you care about. I'd expect organic clicks, conversions, rankings for money keywords and AI mention rate at minimum. My guide to SEO KPIs lists what to ask for.
Pricing ranges for AI SEO services
There's no reliable survey of "AI SEO" pricing yet, because the category is too new. The best benchmark is general SEO pricing, since most of the work is the same.
In Ahrefs' pricing survey of 439 SEO providers:
- $501 to $1,000 a month was the most common monthly retainer (20.4% of respondents).
- $75 to $100 an hour was the most common hourly rate (24%).
- $2,501 to $5,000 was the most common one-off project fee (21.2%).
- 78.2% of providers charged a monthly retainer.
Those are the most common bands, not averages or recommendations. Agencies serving competitive national markets charge well above them.
How AI work changes the price:
- AI visibility tracking adds a tool cost. Entry-level trackers start from about $29 to $99 a month; I compare them in my review of the best AI visibility tools. Some agencies pass this through, some bundle it.
- AI-assisted production should make content cheaper per page, not more expensive. If an agency charges a premium for "AI content," ask what the human editing process is.
- Citation outreach is closer to digital PR and is priced like it.
For the full breakdown by business type and country see how much SEO costs.
Red flags when hiring an AI SEO company
Threads on r/SEO are full of business owners who paid for "AI rankings" and got a dashboard and nothing else. Their warnings line up closely with Google's own advice on hiring an SEO. Treat any of these as a reason to walk away:
- Guaranteed rankings in ChatGPT or Google. Google states "no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google." AI answers change from one run to the next, so guaranteed AI placement is even less credible.
- A "special relationship" with Google or OpenAI. Nobody gets priority treatment.
- Secret methods. If they won't explain what they'll do, assume it's either nothing or something that can get you penalized.
- Bulk AI content with no editing. Hundreds of unedited AI pages a month is the fastest route to thin, unhelpful content.
- Paid links or private blog networks sold as "authority building."
- Proprietary "AI score" as the only metric. Scores are fine as a guide, but reports must also show clicks, leads or revenue.
- Long lock-in contracts with no deliverables listed.
- Cold emails promising "first page in ChatGPT." Google lists unsolicited SEO emails as a warning sign, and the same logic applies here.
Questions to ask before you sign
Ask these on the first call. A good agency answers all of them without hesitation.
- What exactly will you deliver each month, and can I see a sample report?
- Which prompts will you track for AI visibility, and which engines?
- How do you use AI in production, and who edits and fact-checks the output?
- Do you follow Google Search Essentials? What link-building methods do you use?
- Can you show a past result with numbers, and let me speak to that client?
- What results do you expect in 3, 6 and 12 months, and what would make you change course?
- Who will actually do the work, and how often will we talk?
- What's the notice period, and do I keep the content, accounts and data if we part ways?
On question 6, be wary of precise promises. Most sites need several months before SEO work shows clearly in traffic; my guide on how long SEO takes explains why.
How I work
Here's how I structure an AI SEO engagement.
Month 1: audit and baseline. Technical audit, content audit, keyword and prompt research, and a baseline of your AI visibility across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, AI Overviews and AI Mode.
Months 2 to 3: fix and build. Technical fixes shipped with your developer, answer-first rewrites of your most valuable pages, and the first new content aimed at gaps in both search and AI answers.
Month 4 onward: grow and report. New content, outreach to the sources AI engines cite in your niche, and a monthly report covering clicks, conversions, rankings and AI mention rate.
If you'd like me to look at your site, get in touch through my contact page with your URL and your main goal. I'll tell you whether you need ongoing help or whether a few fixes will do.
Frequently asked questions
What is an SEO service?
An SEO service is paid help to improve how your website ranks and appears in search results. It usually covers technical fixes, keyword research, content creation, link building and monthly reporting. Many services now also track how often AI answers like ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews mention your brand.
What does an SEO consultant do?
An SEO consultant audits your site, finds what's holding rankings back, and builds a plan to fix it. Some do the work themselves; others advise your in-house team or developers. Consultants usually work alone or in small teams, so you deal directly with the person doing the thinking.
What is an SEO agency?
An SEO agency is a company with a team of specialists (technical SEOs, writers, link builders, analysts) that runs search optimization for clients, usually on a monthly retainer. Agencies can handle more volume than a solo consultant, but you may deal with an account manager rather than the specialist.
Is AI SEO different from regular SEO?
Mostly no. Google says its AI features are built on its core ranking systems, so regular SEO still does most of the work. The additions are tracking AI mentions and citations, structuring content so it can be quoted, and getting your brand onto the sources AI answers rely on.
How much does an AI SEO agency cost?
Expect similar pricing to standard SEO. In Ahrefs' survey of 439 providers, $501 to $1,000 a month was the most common retainer, though competitive markets cost more. AI visibility tracking tools can add roughly $29 to $99 a month at entry level, depending on the tool.
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Driven by advanced SEO expertise, deep marketing analytics, high-impact content strategy
With 2+ years of hands-on SEO experience, I specialize in holistic search strategies that don’t just rank—they drive real, measurable business growth. I’ve worked across industries including healthcare, hospitality, legal, e-commerce, and professional services, helping brands dominate their target markets. My approach bridges the gap between raw data and creative execution. Every strategy I build is rooted in rigorous market analysis, structured SEO frameworks, and tailored content ecosystems—no templates, no shortcuts. Whether you’re a single-location brand or scaling across multiple cities, I create data-driven marketing systems designed to compound results and grow with you.
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