The short version

A good AI SEO agency can show you its method, name the people doing the work, measure results honestly and refuse to guarantee outcomes nobody controls. Ask for the prompt set they'd track, how they report, and what they'd fix in the first 90 days. If the answers are vague or the promise is "#1 in ChatGPT," keep looking.

Why buyers get this wrong

AI search optimization (you'll hear GEO, AEO and "AI SEO" used for overlapping work) is new enough that every agency has a deck and few have a track record you can check. We hear the same story from prospects: they hired someone who rebranded their old SEO package, got a dashboard of impressive-looking charts, and still couldn't say whether customers were finding them through AI assistants.

So this checklist leans on questions that expose method and honesty, not slogans.

The 12 questions

1. What will you actually do in the first 90 days?

Look for specifics: a technical and content review, fixes to crawl access and structured data, a baseline of AI mentions, and a prioritized plan. Be wary of "ongoing optimization" with nothing dated.

2. How do you measure AI visibility?

A credible answer includes a fixed prompt set, repeated runs on several engines, mention and citation rates, share of voice versus named competitors, and results reported as ranges with dates, because AI answers vary from run to run. Our own method is in how to measure AI search visibility.

3. Do you guarantee rankings or citations?

They shouldn't. No agency controls what ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google's AI features say. Promises of "guaranteed #1" or "guaranteed AI citations" are the biggest red flag in this market.

4. Who does the work?

Ask for names and roles. Who writes? Who handles technical fixes? Who reviews facts? A senior person selling and an unnamed junior team delivering is common, so ask who you'll talk to monthly.

5. How do you handle technical access?

They should check that AI search crawlers aren't blocked by robots.txt or a firewall, that key content shows in raw HTML, and that structured data is valid. See our guide to technical SEO for AI for what a good answer sounds like.

6. What's your plan for third-party presence?

AI answers often draw on what other sites say about you: review platforms, directories, publications, forums. An agency that only edits your website is covering half the picture. Ask how they build real, earned mentions without paid-link schemes.

7. How do you make content trustworthy?

Look for named authors with real experience, fact-checking by a human, original data or examples, and clear sourcing. Mass AI-generated pages with no review are a risk for you, not a feature.

8. What will your reports show?

You want plain-language reports separating actual data (Search Console, GA4) from estimates (third-party tools), with a clear "what we did, what changed, what's next." Ask for a sample with client details removed.

9. What are the contract terms?

Check minimum term, notice period, who owns the content and accounts, and what happens to the work if you leave. Avoid contracts that lock you in while results can't be measured.

10. Can I talk to a client like me?

Request references or case studies in your industry and size range, and check that the results described can be verified.

11. Which tools and data do you use?

They should name their data sources and be honest about limits. Prompt-tracking tools sample AI answers; they don't see every conversation. Ask what they do when data is missing.

12. How will we work together across time zones?

Many US businesses work with remote agencies. That's fine if it's handled well: meeting times, response times and who covers urgent issues. Our team is based in Delhi, India, so ask any agency, us included, to put meeting times and response windows in writing.

Red flags

  • Guaranteed rankings, traffic or AI citations
  • "Proprietary algorithm" with no explanation
  • Reports with no dates, sources or definitions
  • Fake or unverifiable testimonials; no named people
  • One-size packages that ignore your industry
  • Pressure to sign quickly
  • Buying links or reviews

US specifics worth checking

  • Regulated industries. Health, legal and financial content has higher standards. Ask who reviews claims and whether experts are credited.
  • Reviews and testimonials. The FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials, in effect since October 2024, prohibits fake reviews and certain kinds of review buying. An agency should never fabricate or buy reviews.
  • Multi-state or multi-city service. If you serve several areas, ask how they avoid thin, copy-and-paste city pages. See local AI search for US businesses.
  • Ecommerce. Ask about product data, Merchant Center health and reviews, not just blog posts.

A simple scorecard

Score each agency 0 to 2 on each of the twelve questions (0 = vague or evasive, 1 = reasonable, 2 = specific and verifiable). Anything under 16 out of 24 deserves a second conversation. Treat the scorecard as a conversation aid, not a formula.

How we'd answer

We'd start with a baseline: your technical access, your entity facts across the web, and a fixed prompt set run on the engines your customers use. Then we'd agree a prioritized 90-day plan, report monthly with actual and estimated data kept apart, and be upfront about what we can't promise. If you want to talk it through, see our AI SEO agency in the USA page or contact us.

Frequently asked questions

What does an AI SEO agency do?

It helps your business appear accurately and favorably in AI-generated answers and traditional search. That usually means technical fixes, content and entity work, third-party presence and measurement.

How is AI SEO different from regular SEO?

It overlaps a lot. Good SEO still matters. AI SEO adds attention to being cited or mentioned in AI answers, consistent brand facts across the web and a different way of measuring results.

How much does AI SEO cost in the US?

It varies widely by scope, industry and competition. We don't quote a single number here. Our pricing guide explains what drives cost.

Can anyone guarantee a ChatGPT recommendation?

No. Agencies can improve the conditions that make a mention more likely and measure what happens, but not control the outcome.

How long until I see results?

It depends on your starting point and how often AI systems refresh what they use. Ask for a measurement plan with a baseline, instead of a fixed timeline promise.

Should I hire a local agency or a remote one?

Either can work. What matters is method, proof and communication. Check time-zone overlap and who your day-to-day contact is.

What should I send an agency before a first call?

Your site URL, your top three competitors, the questions customers ask before buying, and any Search Console or analytics access you're comfortable sharing.