- Ask for the method, the report and the contract terms, in that order.
- Any agency promising guaranteed rankings or citations is promising something it does not control.
- Good agencies will tell you what they will not do.
We run an AI SEO agency, so you should read this with that in mind. We wrote it anyway because the market is noisy and a bad hire costs you six months. These are the questions we would ask in your place.
About method
1. What exactly will you change on my site in the first month?
Good answer: a specific list, such as crawl fixes, restructured service pages and markup. Weak answer: “optimise for AI”.
2. What does Google itself say about AI features, and how does that shape your work?
Google documents that no special optimization is required beyond being indexed and eligible for a snippet. An agency that cannot explain this probably sells folklore.
3. How do you decide which pages to write?
Look for research from real buyer questions and Search Console data. Be wary of “we will publish fifty pages a month”.
About measurement
4. How will I know if it is working?
You want a baseline and a repeatable method, for example a fixed set of prompts run monthly with mentions and citations logged. See our audit method for the shape of it.
5. Do you report ranges or single screenshots?
AI answers vary run to run. A screenshot of one good answer proves little.
6. What happens to the data if we part ways?
You should own the reports, the prompt set and access to your analytics accounts.
About proof
7. Can I see a result with the data behind it?
Ask for the market, the time window and the source, such as Search Console. Our own case studies list those. One client in one market is evidence of method, not a forecast for you.
8. Who will actually do the work?
Meeting a senior person in the pitch and a junior one in delivery is common. Ask to meet the people on your account.
About risk
9. Do you buy links, reviews or mentions?
The only acceptable answer is no. Google’s spam policies address link schemes, and bought reviews violate platform rules.
10. Do you create content at scale with AI?
Scaled, thin content is a policy risk. Using AI as a drafting aid with expert review is different from publishing hundreds of near duplicate pages.
About the deal
11. What is the contract length and the notice period?
Monthly with thirty days notice is a fair test of confidence. Twelve month lock ins are a signal.
12. What is not included in the price?
Tools, ad spend, content freelancers and development work are often extra. Get them listed.
These answers should worry you
- Guaranteed rankings or citations
- A secret method they cannot explain
- Bought links or reviews
- No baseline or report sample
- Long lock in with exit fees
These answers are encouraging
- A named list of first month changes
- Reports you can repeat yourself
- Honest limits on what is controllable
- Data you own
- Monthly terms
Our own answers to all twelve are on the AI SEO, GEO and pricing pages. Compare them with anyone else’s.