How to Package & Sell GEO Services: The Agency Playbook
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) services should be packaged as a premium "Brand Entity Management" solution, distinct from traditional SEO, with pricing models ranging from $2,500 to $15,000+ per month for comprehensive retainers. Unlike SEO, which sells clicks and traffic, GEO sells brand authority, answer inclusion, and share of voice within AI platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity. Successful agencies are pivoting from "ranking" guarantees to delivering "AI readiness" through tiered packages that include technical entity audits, advanced schema engineering, and answer-first content creation.
What is the difference between selling SEO and GEO?
Selling SEO is about promising visibility on a list of links; selling GEO is about promising to be the single source of truth for an answer engine.
In the traditional SEO model, agencies are often commoditized, competing on price to deliver "10 blog posts" or "5 backlinks." GEO flips this dynamic by requiring a higher level of technical sophistication—specifically in Knowledge Graph optimization and Structured Data engineering. Clients are not paying for volume; they are paying for the technical assurance that their brand is machine-readable and cited by AI.
SEO vs. GEO: Service Model Shift
Core Metric
Organic Traffic, Keyword Rankings
Share of Model (SoM), Citation Frequency
Deliverable
Blog Posts, Backlinks, On-page SEO
Entity Optimization, llms.txt, Schema Validation
Value Prop
"We get you to #1 on Google."
"We teach AI models who you are."
Client Fear
"I'm losing traffic to competitors."
"AI is stealing my traffic (Zero-Click)."
Pricing
Hours-based or Volume-based
Value-based or Tiered Retainer
Key Insight: Position GEO as "Digital PR for Machines." Just as PR agencies charge a premium for reputation management, GEO agencies charge for managing the brand's reputation within the "black box" of AI models [1, 2].
How to structure GEO service packages?
The most effective way to package GEO services is through a three-tier model: The Audit (Entry), The Foundation (Setup), and The Authority (Retainer).
This structure allows you to capture clients at different stages of awareness while ensuring you have the resources to deliver deep technical work.
Tier 1: The AI Readiness Audit (One-Time Project)
Price Range: $1,500 – $5,000
Goal: Diagnose why the brand is invisible to AI and establish a baseline.
Deliverables:
Entity Presence Check: Is the brand in Google's Knowledge Graph?
AI Visibility Scorecard: How often does ChatGPT/Perplexity cite the brand for core queries?
Technical Gap Analysis: Review of
robots.txt(blocking AI bots?), schema errors, and site structure.Competitor AI Snapshot: Who is the AI citing instead of you?
Tier 2: The Technical Foundation (Setup Phase)
Price Range: $3,000 – $8,000 (Project Fee)
Goal: Build the infrastructure required for AI communication.
Deliverables:
Advanced Schema Implementation:
Organization,Product,FAQ, andAboutschema with proper nesting.llms.txtDeployment: Creating a dedicated sitemap for AI crawlers [3].Entity Home Optimization: Rewriting the "About Us" page to serve as a definitive source of truth for the Knowledge Graph.
Content Formatting Overhaul: Restructuring top 10 pages into "Answer-First" formats (lists, tables, direct answers).
Tier 3: The Authority Retainer (Ongoing)
Price Range: $2,500 – $10,000+ / month
Goal: Maintain and expand Share of Model (SoM).
Deliverables:
New "Answer-First" Content: 2-4 high-value pieces per month designed for citation.
Brand Mention Building: Digital PR campaigns specifically targeting sources that feed LLMs (e.g., Wikipedia, Crunchbase, authoritative news).
Monthly AI Monitoring: Tracking citation rates and sentiment across major AI models.
Schema Maintenance: Updating structured data as new features/products launch.
What is the best pricing model for GEO services?
Value-based tiered pricing is the superior model for GEO, as it decouples revenue from hours and focuses on the high-leverage outcome of AI visibility.
Because GEO involves complex technical work (like JSON-LD coding) and high-level strategy, hourly billing often underprices the value delivered. Agencies should adopt a "Productized Service" model where deliverables are fixed, but the strategic value is high.
Pricing Tiers Example
Starter ($2,500/mo): Ideal for local businesses. Focuses on maintaining local schema and basic AI visibility for brand terms.
Growth ($5,000/mo): Ideal for SMBs. Includes active content optimization, competitor displacement strategies, and broader entity building.
Enterprise ($10,000+/mo): For large brands. Includes custom Knowledge Graph construction, crisis management for AI hallucinations, and cross-platform dominance (Google SGE + ChatGPT + Perplexity).
Pro Tip: You can also offer a "Hybrid Model" where you charge a base retainer plus a performance bonus for achieving specific "Share of Answer" milestones [4, 5].
How to pitch GEO to skeptical clients?
Use the "Bridge Framework" to pitch GEO: Acknowledge the pain of traffic loss (The Problem), then pivot to the necessity of becoming the source AI relies on (The Solution).
Clients are terrified of "Zero-Click" searches. Your pitch should not deny this reality but offer the only viable solution.
The "Bridge" Pitch Script
"Mr. Client, you've noticed that organic traffic is dipping even though rankings are stable. That's because AI is answering the user's question directly on the search page.
The bad news: We can't force people to click if they already have the answer. The good news: We can control what answer they see.
Our GEO package ensures that when Google or ChatGPT answers a question about your industry, your brand is the source they cite. We don't just optimize for clicks anymore; we optimize for influence and authority. If you aren't the source, your competitor will be."
Key Selling Points
Future-Proofing: "SEO fixes today; GEO secures tomorrow."
Brand Control: "Do you want AI hallucinating facts about your product, or do you want to feed it the truth?"
Efficiency: "One optimized piece of content can feed Google, Bing, ChatGPT, and Apple Intelligence simultaneously."
Conclusion
The shift to Generative Engine Optimization represents the biggest opportunity for agency growth in a decade. By packaging services around entity management, technical schema, and answer-first content, agencies can move away from the commoditized "content mill" model and position themselves as strategic technical partners. The first step is always the audit—show the client their "AI blind spots," and the retainer sells itself.
FAQs
What should be included in a GEO audit?
A GEO audit should include an analysis of the brand's Knowledge Graph presence, a technical review of robots.txt and schema markup, and a "Share of Model" assessment to see how often and accurately AI models cite the brand.
How do I price GEO services if I'm new to it?
Start with a project-based AI Readiness Audit priced between $1,000 and $2,500. This lowers the barrier to entry for the client while allowing you to demonstrate expertise and upsell into a monthly retainer.
Can I sell GEO as an add-on to SEO?
Yes, GEO can be an "AI Visibility" add-on. However, it is often more profitable to package it as a distinct, premium service tier ("SEO + AI Future-Proofing") to differentiate it from standard maintenance work.
What are the main deliverables for a GEO retainer?
Key deliverables include monthly "Answer-First" content creation, continuous schema validation and updates, off-page entity building (citations), and reporting on AI visibility metrics.
How do I measure the ROI of GEO services?
ROI is measured by Share of Model (SoM) (how often you are cited), Brand Sentiment in AI answers, and Qualified Traffic (users who click through from AI answers tend to have higher intent).
Do I need a developer to sell GEO services?
While helpful, you don't strictly need a developer if you use platforms like DECA that automate the technical schema generation and llms.txt creation. However, a strong understanding of technical SEO is required.
Is GEO only for large enterprises?
No, local businesses also benefit from GEO, particularly for "near me" queries where AI assistants (like Siri or Google Assistant) rely on structured data to provide recommendations.
References
What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)? | Search Engine Land
The Agency Owner's Guide to Selling AI Search Optimization | E2M Solutions
How to Price Generative AI Products | Medium
AI SEO Agency Service and Pricing | Passionfruit
How to Sell SEO in an AI-Optimized Era | AIO.com
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