How to Choose an AEO Agency: 12 Questions to Ask

Demand for AEO services has exploded since mid-2024, and supply has expanded to meet it. Many of those new AEO agencies are excellent specialists. Many others are SEO shops that added "AEO" to their homepage and changed nothing else. The 12 questions below separate the two groups.

1. How long has your team been working specifically on AEO?

Real AEO expertise predates 2024. Look for teams that have been actively running AEO programs since 2023 or earlier, not just teams that added the word to their site recently.

2. Show me three case studies with named clients and specific AEO metrics.

Credible AEO agencies have measurement and outcomes. They can show you AI share of voice growth, citation count growth, and the specific prompts where their clients have won. Vague case studies are a red flag.

3. What measurement tools do you use, and can you walk me through your dashboard?

Real AEO programs run on real measurement infrastructure: Profound, Otterly.AI, Athena HQ, Bluefish, or similar. Ask to see a dashboard for an existing client (anonymized is fine) so you can evaluate the depth of their measurement.

4. Who specifically will be working on my account, and what is their background?

Many agencies sell with senior team members and deliver with juniors. Insist on knowing who will actually work on your account, what their background is, and what percentage of their time will be allocated to you.

5. How do you approach llms.txt and AGENTS.md deployment?

This is a quick competence check. Real AEO agencies have shipped these files dozens or hundreds of times and have an opinionated point of view on them. Vague answers indicate inexperience.

6. How do you handle schema markup at scale?

Ask whether they hand-code schema, use a CMS plugin, or use a managed schema platform like Schema App. Their answer signals the sophistication of their technical AEO work.

7. What is your point of view on AEO vs. SEO?

The right answer involves running both as a single integrated discipline, not two separate teams. Agencies that treat AEO as a wholly separate practice often duplicate work and miss synergies.

8. How do you decide which prompts to target first?

Real AEO programs prioritize prompts based on buyer intent, search volume, competitor share of voice, and revenue impact. Look for a structured prioritization framework.

9. What does your reporting cadence and format look like?

Ask for a sample monthly report. Look for clarity, specific metrics, named pages, named prompts, and clear next-step recommendations. Avoid agencies that send vanity-metric vanity reports.

10. How long are your typical engagements, and what is your client retention rate?

Strong AEO agencies have multi-year client relationships and high retention. Short engagements and low retention are warning signs.

11. What do you NOT do?

Specialists know their lane. An agency that claims to do everything from AEO to PR to PPC to web design is usually a generalist with shallow AEO depth. The best AEO specialists focus narrowly.

12. What is your refund or guarantee policy?

Most credible AEO agencies do not guarantee specific results — AEO outcomes depend on too many factors outside their control. But they should guarantee responsiveness, deliverable quality, and a clean exit if the engagement is not working. Run from anyone who guarantees specific citation counts or share of voice numbers.

To browse vetted AEO agencies, visit our agency directory. To be matched with 3-5 agencies that fit your specific needs, use our Get Matched service.