AEO for Marketing Agencies

Marketing agencies face a dual AEO challenge: they need to optimize their own visibility in AI answers (to win new clients), and they need to build AEO capabilities to offer as a service (to retain and grow existing clients). Agencies that move fast on AEO are capturing a new revenue stream while competitors are still debating whether AI search is real.

Why Marketing Agencies Need AEO

The agency landscape is shifting. Clients are starting to ask about AI search visibility, and agencies that can’t answer are losing pitches. Meanwhile, the agencies themselves need to be found and increasingly, that means being cited by AI when prospects ask “best marketing agency for [industry].”

The double opportunity

For your agency’s own growth: When a CMO asks ChatGPT “best digital marketing agency for B2B SaaS,” the AI cites specific agencies. If your agency isn’t structured for AI citation, you’re not in that answer. This is a new acquisition channel that most agencies haven’t tapped.

As a service offering: AEO is a natural extension of SEO services, but it requires different expertise. Agencies that build AEO capabilities now can command premium rates for a service that’s in high demand and low supply.

The competitive gap

According to Conductor’s benchmarks, only a small fraction of agencies currently offer dedicated AEO services. This means early movers have a massive window to establish themselves as AEO experts both in practice and in AI engines’ own citations.

How AI Engines Handle Agency Queries

When business leaders ask AI about marketing agencies, the models evaluate:

• Specialization clarity: Does this agency clearly serve my industry or need?
• Proof of expertise: Case studies, client results, thought leadership
• Service definition: What exactly does this agency do?
• Differentiation: Why this agency over others?
• Recency: Is the agency’s content current and active?

Example: How AI answers “best SEO agency for e-commerce”

The AI typically:

1. Looks for agencies that explicitly state e-commerce SEO as a specialty
2. Weighs case studies and specific e-commerce client results
3. Cross-references review platforms (Clutch, G2) for validation
4. Cites agencies with clear service pages, structured data, and author credibility
5. Favors agencies that publish thought leadership on e-commerce SEO topics

Agencies with generic “we do everything” positioning rarely get cited. AI rewards specificity.

Agency-Specific AEO Strategies

1. Optimize your own agency for AI citation

Your agency website needs AEO first. This serves two purposes: you practice what you preach, and you win more clients.

• Implement Organization and ProfessionalService schema
• Create clear service pages for each offering (not just a services list)
• Build industry-specific landing pages (“SEO for SaaS,” “Content Marketing for Healthcare”)
• Showcase case studies with measurable results
• Publish thought leadership that AI engines can cite as authoritative

2. Build AEO as a service offering

Structure your AEO service with clear deliverables:

AEO Audit: Analyze client sites for AI citation readiness

• Structured data assessment
• Content structure analysis
• Entity and authority evaluation
• Competitive AI visibility benchmarking

AEO Optimization: Implement changes to improve AI citation

• Schema markup implementation
• Content restructuring for answer-first format
• FAQ development and optimization
• Entity and author authority building

AEO Monitoring: Track ongoing AI visibility

• Brand mention tracking across AI engines
• Citation rate measurement
• Competitor visibility comparison
• Monthly reporting and recommendations

3. Create thought leadership content

Agencies that publish authoritative content about AEO get cited as experts by the very AI engines they’re optimizing for. This creates a virtuous cycle:

• Write definitive guides on AEO topics
• Publish original research and benchmarks
• Share client case studies (with permission)
• Contribute to industry publications
• Speak at conferences about AI search

4. Specialize and signal clearly

AI rewards specificity. Instead of being a “full-service digital agency,” clearly communicate:

• Which industries you serve
• Which services you specialize in
• What size companies you work with
• What results you deliver

Each specialization should have its own page with specific case studies, testimonials, and service details.

5. Leverage client work for authority

With client permission, document and publish your AEO work:

• Before/after case studies showing improved AI citation
• Data-driven reports on what works in specific industries
• Process documentation that demonstrates expertise
• Benchmarks from your client portfolio

6. Train your team on AEO

AEO requires different skills than traditional SEO:

• Understanding how LLMs process and cite content
• Structured data expertise (beyond basic SEO schema)
• Content strategy for answer-first formatting
• AI visibility monitoring and measurement
• Cross-engine optimization (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI, etc.)

Invest in upskilling your team now. Certified AEO expertise is a competitive advantage in client pitches.

Content Types That AI Cites for Agencies

Content Type	Why It Gets Cited	Priority
Industry-specific service pages	Matches “[type] agency for [industry]” queries	Essential
Case studies with measurable results	Provides proof and builds trust	High
Thought leadership on AEO/AI search	Positions agency as expert source	High
Clear, structured service pages	Answers “What does [service] include?”	High
Client testimonials and reviews	Third-party validation	Medium
Team/about page with credentials	Establishes expertise	Medium

How Genrank Helps Agencies

Genrank serves marketing agencies in two ways:

For your agency’s own visibility: Audit your agency website to identify what’s preventing AI citation. Get specific fixes for your service pages, case studies, and thought leadership content.

As a tool for client work: Use Genrank to audit and optimize client sites for AI citation. The platform’s scoring dimensions (Answerability, Citability, Entity, Freshness, Parseability) provide a clear framework for client reporting and a structured approach to AEO engagements.

• Answerability: Does your agency and client content directly answer the questions people ask AI?
• Citability: Are claims backed by data, case studies, and verifiable results?
• Entity: Are your agency, team, services, and client brands clearly identified with proper schema?

FAQs

How do I pitch AEO services to existing SEO clients?

Frame AEO as the natural evolution of their SEO investment. Show them how AI is changing search behavior in their industry, demonstrate that competitors are already being cited (or not), and position AEO as protecting their organic investment. A quick competitive AI visibility analysis makes a compelling pitch deck.

Can small agencies offer AEO services?

Absolutely. AEO is still early enough that expertise matters more than agency size. A 5-person agency with deep AEO knowledge will win over a 50-person agency that treats it as an afterthought. Focus on a few industries, build genuine expertise, and let your results speak.

How should agencies price AEO services?

AEO services typically command a 20-40% premium over equivalent SEO services because of the specialized expertise and measurement requirements. Offer tiered packages: audit-only, optimization, and ongoing monitoring. Monthly retainers for AI visibility monitoring are a natural recurring revenue stream.

What’s the difference between offering AEO and GEO services?

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) are largely synonymous terms used by different parts of the industry. AEO focuses on being cited by AI answer engines; GEO focuses on optimizing for generative AI. Use whichever term your target clients recognize or offer both and explain the overlap.