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FIELD NOTE 11 · Working with me · AEO & GEO

How much does AI search optimization cost?

AEO and GEO pricing ranges widely by scope. A grounded look at what businesses are actually paying in 2026, and what changes the number.

WORKING WITH ME · AEO & GEO  |  JUL 13, 2026  |  6 MIN READ

AI search optimization pricing varies widely by scope, but most published 2026 estimates converge on a similar range: entry-level engagements start around €1,500 per month, mid-market programs typically run €3,000 to €8,000 per month, and enterprise-scale engagements reach €15,000 to €30,000 or more. A standalone AEO or GEO audit, without an ongoing retainer, commonly costs €1,000 to €5,000 as a one-time fee across multiple published sources.

What actually changes the price

The number moves based on a few concrete factors, not the agency's branding:

Number of platforms covered. Optimizing for Google AI Overviews alone is a narrower scope than building visibility across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Copilot simultaneously, and pricing scales with how many platforms are actively monitored and targeted.
Content volume and page count. More pages needing restructuring or new content means more production hours, regardless of the specific pricing model used.
Off-site authority and monitoring work. Programs that include ongoing prompt auditing, competitive citation tracking, and digital PR for third-party mentions cost meaningfully more than on-page structure work alone.
Whether it's bundled with existing SEO. Many agencies price AEO and GEO as a 20 to 40% premium layered onto an existing SEO retainer, rather than as a fully separate line item, on the logic that the underlying technical and content work overlaps significantly.

A useful warning sign

Multiple independent pricing guides flag the same pattern: offers below roughly €1,500 a month claiming full AEO scope are usually a relabeled traditional SEO retainer without a genuine AI-specific methodology, cross-platform monitoring, or citation-focused deliverables. That doesn't mean cheap engagements are worthless, but it's worth checking specifically what's included before assuming "AEO" in the name means AI-specific work is actually happening.

Tools versus services

Separate from agency or consultant fees, AI visibility monitoring tools themselves run roughly €20 to €500 a month depending on the platform and scope, a real ongoing cost worth budgeting for even in a mostly in-house or freelance-led approach, since manual prompt testing alone doesn't scale well past a handful of tracked queries.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The questions people actually ask.

What's a realistic starting budget for AI search optimization?
Based on multiple 2026 pricing guides, a focused, mid-market engagement typically runs €3,000 to €8,000 per month, with smaller or narrower-scope engagements starting closer to €1,500 per month and enterprise programs running considerably higher.
Is a one-time audit worth doing before committing to an ongoing retainer?
Often, yes. A standalone AEO or GEO audit commonly costs €1,000 to €5,000 and can establish a genuine baseline, where a brand currently stands across AI platforms, before committing to a larger recurring spend.
Why do AEO and GEO cost more than equivalent traditional SEO work?
Several pricing guides attribute the premium to added cross-platform tracking, since a brand needs to be tested separately across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews rather than tracked on one search engine, plus the additional content volume many programs require.
Is it cheaper to build AI search optimization capability in-house instead of hiring an agency?
It can be, particularly for a business with an existing content team, but it depends on internal capacity. In-house teams still need investment in monitoring tools and specific AEO/GEO knowledge that differs meaningfully from traditional SEO practice, so the cost shifts rather than disappears.

RELATED SERVICES

This is part of AI Search & SEO. For how to think about whether to bring in outside help at all, see do you need an SEO agency or an AEO specialist.

Want a straightforward, no-pressure read on what a realistic scope of work would look like for your business? Get in touch.

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