An SEO agency works to rank your pages in search results. An AEO agency works to get your company named and recommended inside AI answers. The two overlap more than either side sometimes admits. Whether you need a specialist depends on how your buyers research, how strong your SEO already is, and what your current agency actually measures.
What the platforms themselves say
It helps to start from primary sources rather than agency marketing, ours included.
- Google states that there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and no special optimisations are necessary beyond its normal Search guidance. A page needs to be indexed and eligible to show a snippet.
- OpenAI documents that sites which block its OAI-SearchBot crawler will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers. Being reachable by that crawler is a requirement Google's guidance does not cover.
- Perplexity uses its own crawler, PerplexityBot, to surface and link sites in its answers.
- Microsoft (October 2025) describes SEO basics as the foundation for inclusion in AI answers in Bing and Copilot, and recommends clear headings, question-and-answer blocks, lists, tables, structured data and concise, self-contained answers, without hiding key information in tabs, PDFs or images.
Read together: good SEO is the foundation for Google's AI features, and largely for the others. But each AI assistant has its own crawler and sources, and none of them shows a results page you can rank on. That is where the work diverges.
Where the jobs differ
| Typical SEO agency | AEO specialist | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Keyword research and search volume | The questions buyers ask AI assistants, in their own words |
| Main measure | Rankings, organic clicks and traffic | How often you are named, how you are described and which sources are cited, per assistant |
| Off-site work | Link building | Accurate presence on the lists, directories, reviews and publications AI answers cite, linked or not |
| Engines covered | Mainly Google | ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Copilot |
| Content | Pages built around target keywords | Pages built around specific buyer questions and the facts that answer them |
Plenty of SEO agencies now do some or all of the right-hand column. Plenty of agencies calling themselves AEO specialists are SEO agencies with a new page on their site. The label matters less than the method.
When your SEO agency is probably enough
- Most of your buyers search for your product by name or by a short, high-volume phrase.
- Your main AI exposure is Google's AI Overviews, which draw on the same index your SEO agency already works on.
- Your agency already reports on AI answers across several assistants, not just Google.
When a specialist is worth it
- Your buyers ask AI assistants for recommendations before contacting suppliers, which is common in B2B services, professional services and considered purchases.
- Competitors are being named in ChatGPT or Perplexity answers and you are not, even though you rank well on Google.
- AI answers describe your company inaccurately.
- Your current agency cannot tell you where you are named today, per assistant, for your buyers' questions.
Can you use both?
Yes, and many companies do. The arrangement works when responsibilities are clear: the SEO agency keeps the technical foundation and search rankings healthy, and the AEO work focuses on answer content, third-party presence and AI measurement. Agree who changes the site so the two do not undo each other's work.
Questions to put to either kind of agency
- Where are we named today, in which AI assistants, for which questions?
- Which third-party sources do AI answers in our category rely on?
- Will you make changes on our site yourselves, or send recommendations?
- What will the monthly report show, and how will we know it is working?
- Can you show results in AI answers for a current client, not just rankings?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an AEO agency and an SEO agency?
An SEO agency focuses on rankings and organic traffic from search engines, mainly Google. An AEO agency focuses on whether AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and Gemini name and recommend you, and works on answer content, third-party sources and measurement across those assistants.
Do I need special optimisation for Google's AI Overviews?
Google says no special optimisation is needed beyond its normal Search guidance. Other AI assistants use their own crawlers and sources, which is where dedicated AEO work makes the most difference.
Is an AEO agency more expensive than an SEO agency?
Often slightly. 2026 pricing surveys show higher median retainers for AEO/GEO than for SEO. See our guide to what AEO costs in the UK.
References
- Google Search Central: AI features and your website
- Google Search Central Blog: Top ways to ensure your content performs well in Google's AI experiences (May 2025)
- OpenAI: Overview of OpenAI crawlers
- Perplexity: Perplexity crawlers
- Microsoft Advertising: Optimizing your content for inclusion in AI search answers (October 2025)