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When you hire a Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) agency, the process typically follows ten stages: onboarding and access setup, question research, content architecture, foundation building, entity and listings alignment, content production, multi-channel distribution across LinkedIn, YouTube, Reddit, and Google Business Profile, FAQ and structured data implementation, ongoing management, and performance reporting. The goal is to make your business visible and citeable across AI platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity, not just ranked on Google. Most businesses begin seeing early signals within 60 to 90 days, with results compounding over time as AI search traffic converts at 14.2% compared to Google's 2.8%.
That requires more than content. Many businesses rank page one on Google, have great SEO, and are completely invisible to AI. That is common because AI works differently to Google.
When you hire a Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) agency, you’re not buying marketing; you’re building a system that makes your business visible, trusted by LLM's like ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and the list goes on.
And that requires more than content. Many business rank page 1 on Google have great SEO and are invisible to AI and that is so common and it's because AI works differently to Google.
It requires alignment across:
Because AI doesn’t just read one page.
It builds a picture of your business from across the internet.
And if that picture is unclear or inconsistent: you don’t get recommended.
So what actually happens after you sign?
Let’s break it down.
Most businesses expect something to happen immediately.
That expectation is one of the biggest disconnects in marketing.
According to HubSpot, 61% of marketers say generating traffic and leads is their biggest challenge, yet most businesses still expect immediate results from new strategies.
If you are still unsure about what GEO is and how it is better than SEO then read this blog on What GEO is and how it beats SEO.
It builds visibility first.
Then it captures demand, and that only works if the foundation is built properly.
The onboarding process is designed to be quick and efficient.
For most clients, it takes around one hour.
But what happens in that hour sets everything up.
Below is a list of the business access a Generative Engine Optimisation agency would request a client to provide:
This allows us to:
Once access is granted, the operational setup is complete.
Before creating anything, we identify: What your audience is actually asking.
Using:
We map 50 - 100 real questions.
Examples:
And typically because of how people search differently in LLM's to Google you might actually see much more long tail.
Examples:
These questions become the foundation of everything, because GEO is not about content volume.
It’s about owning the answers your customers rely on.
There will be 2000 or more questions to answer and the more answers the more chance of citations. AI is just a mirror bouncing back answers.
From that research, we build a structured plan.
Not random content.
A system.
Typically:
Example:
| Cluster | Focus |
| Cost & Pricing | What it costs and why |
| How It Works | Processes explained |
| Comparisons | Alternatives and decisions |
| Problems & Solutions | Pain points addressed |
| Industry Education | Broader authority |
Each blog answers 10 - 15 real questions.
This builds:
Instead of scattered content, you create structured knowledge hubs.
Here’s the reality:
The first month is not about results.
It’s about building the system.
This includes:
At the same time, we start aligning your presence across the internet.
Because GEO is not just about your site.
It’s about consistency everywhere.
This is one of the most overlooked stages.
AI doesn’t just read your website.
It cross-checks:
If your business is described differently across platforms, you don't pass that round of filtering.
When deciding if you are the answer AI is just like a mirror it goes out to the mirror and then if you have the answers that's great but it will look first at the structured layer the website and the schema that'll take 10000 possible companies as the answer to 1000, then it looks at the people and why they are trusted as the authority and now it is down to 100 as noone has founder stories, now it looks at the services, your awards and eventually it end up with 3-5, you just have to be in there to have a chance of being the answer and of course to have written the best answer to match the searchers intent.
So we define the exact wording your business should use everywhere.
This includes:
Your team then applies this across platforms such as:
Usually covering 25–50 listings.
This often takes one day of admin work.
But the impact is huge, because it creates a consistent, trusted digital footprint.
Once the structure is in place, production begins.
Typically:
Each piece is designed to:
This is where your content becomes: a source, not just a page.
Blog posts are the easiest way to answer loads of questions and have the answers in the first layer when AI is filtering, you can have the title as one question every H2 laid out as question and answer 6 or 7 in the FAQ's in the bottom of the blog and then all of that in the schema so 8 blogs is easily 100 - 120 questions architected.
You need to be everywhere.
And the reason this matters commercially is stark: AI search traffic converts at 14.2% compared to Google's 2.8%, that is roughly 5x more valuable per visit. The platforms AI cites are becoming the new gatekeepers of organic visibility, so being present across all of them isn't optional, it's where the revenue is moving.
We don't just write blogs. We build visibility across every surface your buyers use to make decisions and llm's use when giving citations, every source AI pulls from when generating answers.
That means:
It extends to multi-channel publishing:
This reinforces:
PR is really important as one of the filtering layers these llm's do when go to the mirror is decide the bext person and business for the authority and press coverage and quotes in the press helps to make you the obvious answer.
It’s to be: seen, referenced, and trusted which gets you chosen by AI to be cited.
We build a dedicated FAQ page.
Not hidden, clearly accessible.
Its purpose:
We apply structured data (FAQ schema), making it easier for AI to:
This becomes a core authority asset.
We reccomend doing the same for Reviews, press Mentions and Case Studies so that every time the AI goes to the mirror it chooses you and all the schema is there in the first layer of filtering. It's in the structured data and you make that short list to the next layer.
Once running, client time commitment is low.
Most clients spend: 2 - 3 hours per week.
Tasks include:
And the rest is handled by our team.
We track performance continuously.
Monthly:
We don't care about the humans we are building for AI visibility with an AI lens on everything and then we make sure humans can read it to but we do everything for LLM pick up and winning citations so our clients don't end up invisible.
The art here is to be where humans make decisions and for the content to be a funnel for conversion but actually promote our clients to AI first.
Quarterly:
This ensures ongoing growth.
This is the most important question.
Here’s the reality: Before we get into timelines, it’s worth understanding how visibility actually builds.
According to Ahrefs, only 5.7% of pages rank in the top 10 search results within the first year for traditional SEO.
Which tells you something important: authority takes time, and GEO works the same way, but with stronger compounding once visibility starts.
| Timeline | What Happens |
| Months 1–3 | Foundation + content build |
| Months 3–6 | Indexing and recognition |
| Months 6–12 | Traffic, authority, leads |
The key: Results don’t spike. They compound.
This is not a one-time project.
Ongoing work includes:
Because visibility is not something you achieve once. It’s something you maintain.
Working with a GEO agency is not about “doing marketing.”
It’s about aligning:
So AI systems see: a clear, consistent, trustworthy business. And when those citations do come, they convert at 5x the rate of traditional Google traffic.
Because in the AI era, customers don’t browse.
They ask. You Answer
And the businesses that win are the ones that are:
If you’re considering hiring a GEO agency, start with this: Where is your business currently invisible, and what is that costing you?
At Tenacious AI Marketing, we help you identify that gap and build a system that turns visibility into revenue.
How long does it take to onboard with a GEO agency?
Most onboarding takes around one hour. In that session we let you know what we need access to. We'll talk about what is expected of you, what we need from you in order to help you, what you can expect from us, how the processes work. the aim is that there are no suprises and everyone knows expectations.
What access do I need to provide when hiring a GEO agency?
You'll typically need to provide access to your website or CMS, blog editor, Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn company page, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and any PR platforms you use. We also request brand assets like logos, fonts, and tone of voice guidelines. Most clients have everything handed over within the first week. We use these to publish content, monitor performance, and manage your visibility across every platform AI pulls from.
How many hours per week does GEO require from me?
Without Youtube 2 hours per week once the system is running. That time goes on approving blog drafts and reviewing social posts. If YouTube is part of your package then its 4 to 5 hours as filming video content is part of your package. Everything else such as research, writing, publishing, distribution, reporting, schema, listings, publishing, managament, reporting and iteration etc is handled by the agency. The model only works if the time commitment is realistic, so we keep it low deliberately.
How is GEO different from SEO?
SEO optimises your website to rank on Google. GEO optimises your entire digital presence to be cited by AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Mode, and Claude. Many businesses rank page one on Google and are completely invisible to AI because the two systems work differently. Google reads pages. AI builds a picture of your business from across the internet including your website, your social content, your listings, your reviews, your schema, your authority signals. If that picture is unclear or inconsistent, you don't get recommended. GEO aligns all of it so AI sees a clear, trustworthy, citeable business. It filters almost like how you filter your data using data platforms going from millions of possible entities for the answer to just 3-5 and the question is are you in those 3-5?
Why do I need to be on Reddit and YouTube for AI visibility?
YouTube now accounts for 39.2% of all social citations by AI platforms and Reddit accounts for 20.3%. On Perplexity specifically, 46.5% of all citations come from Reddit. These are not vanity channels, they are primary sources that AI pulls from when generating answers. YouTube's combination of transcripts, descriptions, and structured metadata makes it uniquely parseable by LLMs. Reddit's discussion threads carry weight because AI treats authentic community conversation as a trust signal. If your competitors have content on these platforms and you don't, AI is citing them instead of you.
How long before I see results from GEO?
Months one to three are foundation, content creation, website structure, listings alignment, and authority building. Months three to six are where indexing and recognition begin. Months six to twelve are where traffic, authority, and inbound leads start compounding. Results don't spike, they compound. Only 5.7% of pages rank in the top 10 within the first year for traditional SEO, and GEO follows a similar trajectory but with stronger compounding once citations begin. The commercial payoff is significant: AI search traffic converts at 14.2% compared to Google's 2.8%, making every citation roughly five times more valuable than a traditional search click.
What does a GEO agency actually produce each month?
A typical monthly output includes eight structured blog posts answering real buyer questions, twelve LinkedIn posts, twelve Google Business Profile posts, twelve Instagram and Facebook posts, media rich assets like carousels and infographics, video editing, schema markup, internal linking, and ongoing listings management. Every piece of content is built with an AI lens, structured to be cited, not just read. The blog posts alone can architect 100 to 120 questions across titles, H2 headings, FAQ sections, and schema, which gives AI multiple entry points to find and cite your answers.
Why do business listings and directories matter for AI visibility?
AI cross-checks your business across listings, directories, social profiles, and review platforms before deciding whether to cite you. If your business is described differently across platforms, different service descriptions, inconsistent categories, mismatched bios then you fail that filtering layer. We define the exact wording your business should use everywhere and apply it across 25 to 50 listings including Google Business Profile, Apple Business Connect, LinkedIn, Trustpilot, Yelp, Crunchbase, and relevant industry directories. It usually takes one day of admin work but the impact is significant because it creates the consistent, trusted digital footprint AI needs to recommend you.
Can I do GEO myself or do I need an agency?
You can do elements of GEO yourself if you have the time, the tools, and the understanding of how AI systems filter and cite content. The challenge is that GEO is not one activity, it is a system. Anyone can take the view to produce content using AI and it will be much cheaper but the problem is that it is the jknow how and the strategy that really matters. It requires content production, schema implementation, listings management, social distribution, authority building, prompt tracking, and ongoing iteration across multiple platforms simultaneously. Most businesses that try to do it internally either lack the volume to compete or the technical understanding of how AI selects citations. An agency brings the system, the tools, the production capacity, and the strategy to make it work consistently. This is a first mover opportunity so there is a race to be the most dominant.
What does a GEO agency cost?
Pricing varies by scope, but a comprehensive GEO programme typically starts from around £1,350 per month for consistent visibility across all key channels, rising to as high as £5,000 - £6000 per month or more for packages that include YouTube support, Reddit strategy, PR, rewriting product schema and strategic growth sessions. Full YouTube management packages with complete channel setup, content planning, editing, and reporting. The right question is not what it costs but what invisibility is costing you, typically what brands stand to lose is 7 or 8 figures actually mnaking it a very shrewd investment.
