The gap most agencies aren't addressing
Most marketing agencies are excellent at what they do — SEO, paid ads, social media. But AI search is a fundamentally different channel that operates on different rules, and most agencies haven't caught up yet.
This isn't a criticism of agencies. AI search optimization is new, the research base is small, and the strategies that work are counterintuitive. But the gap between what most agencies deliver and what AI search requires is real — and it's costing their clients visibility.
Why traditional SEO doesn't cover AI search
The most important difference: the factors that drive Google rankings and the factors that drive AI recommendations are different.
Our research found that domain authority — the metric many SEO agencies use as their primary success measure — has virtually no correlation with AI citations. Zero. A practice with a domain authority of 15 is just as likely to be recommended by AI as one with a domain authority of 60.
What does matter? Website structure, content organization, FAQ sections, schema markup, and information consistency. These are things many SEO agencies work on, but they often optimize them for Google's algorithm rather than for AI extraction.
The domain authority problem
Many agencies sell link-building services to increase domain authority. For Google rankings, this works. For AI recommendations, the data says it doesn't.
If your agency is spending significant budget on link building as your primary strategy, they're optimizing for one channel while leaving another completely unaddressed. A more balanced approach would allocate effort toward the structural and content improvements that AI cares about.
Questions to ask your current agency
These questions will help you understand if your agency is addressing AI search:
- —"Have you studied how AI platforms recommend businesses?" — Not theoretical knowledge, but actual research or data.
- —"What specific changes have you made for AI visibility?" — Look for concrete actions, not vague promises.
- —"How are you measuring AI search performance?" — If they can't measure it, they're not managing it.
- —"What's our current visibility across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews?" — If they don't know, nobody is tracking it.
What to do about it
You don't necessarily need to replace your agency. If they're delivering results on Google, that's still valuable. But you may need to supplement their work with specialized AEO expertise.
The structural changes needed for AI search — website architecture, content reorganization, schema markup, FAQ implementation — can be done alongside existing SEO work. They're complementary, not competitive.
Start by checking your current position: use our free AI Visibility Checker and share the results with your agency. Their response will tell you a lot about whether they understand this channel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I fire my SEO agency?
Probably not. If they're delivering Google ranking results, that's still valuable. But if they claim their SEO work covers AI search without being able to show specific AI optimization strategies, you may need additional, specialized help.
Can one agency handle both SEO and AEO?
In theory, yes. In practice, AEO requires specialized knowledge about how AI models extract and cite information. Most agencies that do both well have a dedicated person or team for AI search strategy.
How do I know if my agency understands AEO?
Ask them to show you their research on AI citation factors. If they cite generic best practices rather than actual data, they may be guessing rather than optimizing with evidence.
Want to see how AI search sees your business?
Get a free AI visibility audit and find out where you stand.