What Does an AEO Agency Do?

Key Facts

• AEO delivery should connect your ideal buyers and services to a clear research and implementation plan.
• DomiSearch tracks agreed questions across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and Google AI Overviews.
• Our standard 90-day programme includes agreed website improvements and 36 new or refreshed content pieces.
• We track the agreed questions daily and review progress through monthly reporting and a strategy call.
• AI recommendations and enquiry volumes cannot be guaranteed.

How AEO differs from a renamed SEO service

A credible AEO service should show how it investigates and measures your presence in AI answers, then explain how those findings influence the work. Adding the term to an existing service page does not demonstrate that capability.

There is substantial overlap with SEO. Accessible websites, useful content and clear business information remain important. Google’s guidance on generative AI search confirms that established SEO practices remain relevant to its AI features.

At DomiSearch, the focus is the questions your ideal clients could ask before choosing a provider. We examine who is being recommended and which sources are cited, then use that evidence to prioritise the work.

For example, a recruitment firm might want to reach employers researching senior finance recruitment in a particular region. The starting point is that commercial priority, rather than a broad target to publish more articles.

Six deliverables to look for in an AEO programme

1. An AI visibility and competitor baseline

The agency should establish where your business appears today for a relevant set of buyer questions. That assessment should record the questions, platforms, dates, competitors and sources being monitored.

At DomiSearch, we agree the programme’s tracked questions during onboarding and establish a baseline across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and Google AI Overviews. We include relevant questions that do not name your business so we can assess discovery as well as brand representation.

This creates a measurable starting point. If visibility has never been tracked, the baseline is unknown until measured; it should not automatically be recorded as zero.

2. An audit of your business information and technical foundations

An entity audit examines how clearly your online presence explains who your business is, what it does and where it operates. That includes the consistency of your services, specialisms, locations and supporting evidence.

The technical review should identify relevant issues affecting access, indexing and the availability of important content. Recommendations should be prioritised against the actual website, with clear implementation responsibilities.

DomiSearch audits these foundations and agrees the improvements to deliver. Existing SEO audits and planned website changes can inform that work, helping us coordinate with your team or other providers.

3. Improvements to existing pages and a targeted content plan

A useful content plan explains which existing pages need improving and where new material would help buyers. It should connect each priority to your services, audience and the gaps identified in the research.

DomiSearch’s standard 90-day programme includes 36 new or refreshed content pieces alongside agreed website improvements. The mix is confirmed after the audit and can include practical guides, explanations of your services, specialist content and evidence-backed case studies.

We improve clarity, structure and usefulness so visitors can understand the answer and your expertise. Your team contributes specialist knowledge and approves content before publication.

The goal is useful coverage of genuine buyer needs. A content target should not become a reason to create near-duplicate pages for every variation of the same question.

4. Appropriate structured data and validation

Structured data describes information on a page in a machine-readable format. Where it is appropriate, an agency should implement or correct it, validate the markup and ensure it matches the visible content.

DomiSearch includes relevant structured-data work within the agreed technical scope. The types used depend on the business, the page and the information genuinely present.

Schema is not a universal route into AI answers. Google explicitly says no special schema markup is required for its generative AI search features. A validation result checks the markup; it does not prove that an AI platform will recommend your business.

5. A credibility and cited-source strategy

The agency should review the sources referenced in relevant AI answers and assess how your business’s expertise is represented online. This can reveal useful gaps in your website evidence, business profiles or wider coverage.

For DomiSearch, this includes presenting relevant case studies, testimonials, client or placement examples and consistent business information. We use the sources appearing in tracked answers to inform further investigation and priorities.

Original research or digital PR can be relevant, but neither should be implied as a standard deliverable unless it is included in the proposal. Any outreach, research production or third-party placement work needs a defined scope, budget and owner.

An answer citing a particular publication does not prove that obtaining a mention there will produce the same result for your business.

6. Ongoing tracking and decisions based on the findings

The agency should monitor the agreed questions consistently, explain changes and use the findings to refine the work. One screenshot is an observation rather than a complete performance assessment.

DomiSearch tracks the agreed buyer questions daily and provides monthly reporting and a strategy call. We review visibility, competitor appearances, cited sources and how your business is described, alongside completed work and the next priorities.

Where measurement is available, we also review identifiable AI referral traffic and relevant enquiries. Reporting should make clear that visibility figures describe the monitored questions and platforms, not every AI conversation. Our guide to measuring AEO covers the metrics in more depth.

What AEO is not

• A guarantee of position one in ChatGPT. An agency cannot reliably promise a particular recommendation or a fixed number of enquiries.
• A one-off schema exercise. Technical work is one part of a programme that also needs useful content, relevant evidence and measurement.
• Traditional backlink building with a new label. Links, brand mentions and source citations are different things, and should be explained and measured accordingly.
• A replacement for SEO or paid search. Each can serve a role in your marketing plan. AEO work should be coordinated with relevant existing activity and assessed against its own agreed objectives.

You should be buying clear deliverables and a research-led process, with an honest explanation of the outcomes the agency can influence and those it cannot control.

What to measure during the first six months

Use a timeline to organise delivery and review the evidence. It should not promise that mentions, citations or enquiries will increase in a particular month.

DomiSearch’s standard initial programme runs for 90 days. Work in months four to six depends on the continuing service and priorities agreed after that period.

Month 1 establishes the starting point and priorities

Agree the buyer questions, record the baseline and complete the audit. Confirm priority technical fixes, page improvements, the content plan and the approval process.

The first review should establish what has been measured, what work has started and what dependencies need resolving. Early visibility changes can be recorded without treating them as proof of a lasting trend.

Months 2 and 3 focus on delivery and learning

Continue the agreed website improvements and publish approved content. Review whether the work is improving coverage of your services and the questions buyers need answered.

Monitor changes in appearances, citations, competitor visibility and brand representation against the baseline. Early movement may occur, but it should be assessed across the tracked set and over time.

Months 4 to 6 build on the review if work continues

Use the 90-day review to identify remaining gaps and agree the next work. That could involve improving further pages, expanding useful content or strengthening evidence around priority services.

Assess whether visibility is becoming more consistent on commercially relevant questions, which sources are being cited and whether identifiable visits or enquiries support the wider picture. Flat or mixed results should prompt investigation and a decision about what to change.

Citation visibility is one result to measure, alongside brand appearances and business outcomes. An answer can name your business while citing another website, so mentions and citations should be distinguished.

How to evaluate an AEO agency

Ask the agency to show how its research connects to its proposed delivery. Use this short checklist to compare the scope behind the pitch:

• Platforms covered: which AI experiences are monitored, and how are the buyer questions selected?
• Reporting: what baseline, definitions and tracking frequency support the figures?
• Technical delivery: which changes will the agency implement, and what requires your developer?
• Content and credibility: how will your expertise and evidence shape the work? If original research or digital PR is proposed, what is included?
• Ownership: what content and website assets do you keep, and when does monitoring end?
• Timescales and costs: what will be delivered, when will it be reviewed, and what sits outside the fee?

For a provider comparison, read our guide to the best AEO agencies in the UK. Recruitment businesses can also use our guide on how to choose an AEO agency as a recruitment business. Use the checklist above to assess each provider’s current proposal and fit for your business.

Find out where your business stands in AI search

Start with a free discovery call to discuss your business, ideal clients, target markets and priorities.

If there is a fit, we research your current AI visibility and prepare a tailored audit and proposed 90-day roadmap. On a separate call, we walk through the relevant buyer questions, competitor appearances, identified gaps and recommended work, including scope, timings and investment.

The research is prepared before the walkthrough. There is no obligation to proceed.

Book a free discovery call with DomiSearch