How to choose an AI search agency in Texas without getting ripped off
“AI search optimization”, “GEO” and “AEO” are new labels, and new labels attract people selling fog. Here is how a small business can tell real work from a rebranded retainer.
Short answer: hire someone who will test your visibility before and after, put every deliverable in writing, keep you on short or month-to-month terms, leave every account in your name, and refuse to guarantee results. Most good AI search work is thorough local SEO, so judge them on that first.
Red flags
- A guarantee. “We’ll get you recommended by ChatGPT” or “first page in 30 days”. Nobody controls these answers.
- Secret methods. Proprietary prompts, magic “AI codes”, or paid placement in an assistant’s recommendations. Where assistants show ads, they are labeled and separate from the answer.
- Long lock-in. Twelve-month contracts for a small local business, with vague monthly “optimization”.
- They keep your accounts. Your domain, website, Google Business Profile or analytics set up in their name.
- No baseline. They cannot show you what ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity say about you today.
- AI only, nothing else. Ignoring your Google Business Profile, reviews and website. AI assistants lean on exactly those.
Questions to ask before you sign
- What do ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity say about my business today, and who do they name instead?
- What exactly will you change, on which pages and accounts, and by when?
- How will you measure whether it worked, and will you show me when it did not?
- Who owns the website, the Google profile and the listings if we part ways?
- What does it cost, in total, and what is the shortest commitment?
- Who actually does the work — the person I am talking to, or someone else?
What it should cost
Prices vary widely, so compare on what is delivered, not the label. Ask for the total cost in writing, the shortest commitment, and exactly what you get each month. A one-time fix with a clear scope is often a better start for a single-location business than an open-ended retainer. Whatever the price, you should be able to see it before the sales call.
What a trustworthy proposal includes
- A written baseline: your AI answers and Google positions today
- A list of deliverables you could tick off
- Month-to-month terms, or a fixed price for fixed work
- Every account and file in your name
- A re-test on the same questions, with the results shared even if they are flat
We are an AI search agency in Roanoke, Texas, so judge this guide accordingly. We wrote it the way we would want a friend to hire anyone, including us. Our prices are on the pricing page, and the free AI Visibility Score gives you the baseline to hold any agency to.
Common questions
Is GEO just SEO with a new name?
Largely, for a small business. The work that gets you onto Google, a readable site, a complete Google profile, consistent listings and real reviews, is most of what gets you into AI answers. The genuinely new part is testing the assistants themselves.
Should I hire a Texas agency or a national one?
For a local business, someone who knows your area and will name your towns properly has an edge. More important than location is whether they will show you a baseline, put deliverables in writing, and keep you on short terms.
How long before I see results?
Google Business Profile and website fixes can show within weeks. AI answers vary by assistant; in our tests Perplexity tends to change first and ChatGPT last.
What is a fair contract length?
Month to month for ongoing work, or a fixed price for a fixed job. Twelve months can make sense for large companies with a lot of content to produce, but rarely for a single-location business.