--- title: "How to Choose a GEO Agency: 10 Questions to Ask (and When to Skip the Agency)" description: "How to choose a GEO or AI search agency: 10 questions to ask before you hire, red flags to watch for, and when owning your GEO system makes more sense than hiring an agency." url: https://ownyourgeo.com/blog/how-to-choose-a-geo-agency/ --- GEO agencies # How to choose a GEO agency GEO agencies are new and they vary a lot. Ask these ten questions before you sign anything, whether you're talking to Hook Agency, Foxxr, WebFX, LSEO, iPullRank or anyone else. By [Joseph](/about/), founder of Own Your GEO ยท Updated October 13, 2026 ## 10 questions to ask a GEO agency 1. **Which AI engines do you track?** Look for ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Gemini and Perplexity at minimum. Meta AI and Grok are a plus. 2. **Which questions will you track for me, and can I see the list?** They should match the jobs you want, in your service area. 3. **How often do you run them?** Weekly at least. One-off checks prove nothing because AI answers vary. 4. **Do you show a like-for-like comparison?** Adding questions over time inflates totals. Ask to see the same questions on the same engines over time. [Here's how I do it](/methodology/). 5. **Which websites does AI cite for my questions?** A good agency knows where AI looks in your market before it fixes anything. 6. **What exactly will you change each month?** Listings, reviews, content, schema. Get it in writing. 7. **Can I see results for a business like mine?** Ideally in your trade, with screenshots from tools you can check. 8. **Is there an annual contract?** Some require a year, some go month to month. 9. **What do I keep if I leave?** The data, the content, the logins, the dashboard? 10. **Is there a guarantee?** And what does it actually require of you? ## Red flags - Promises of "#1 in ChatGPT" by a date. Nobody controls AI answers. - Results from a single screenshot of one AI answer. - No access to your own data. - A long contract before they've shown you where you stand today. ## When to skip the agency Question 9 is the one that matters most. If the honest answer is "not much," you're renting your visibility. The alternative is to own the system. **Own Your GEO** builds it on your own accounts for $5,000 once (founding price for the first 5 clients, then $10,000), works through 30 days of fixes with you, and hands it off with a [90-day money-back guarantee](/guarantee/). Read [why rent your GEO when you can own it](/blog/rent-vs-own-geo/). ## How the agencies answer, from their own sites - [Foxxr](https://foxxr.com/services/ai-search-optimization/) works month to month with no annual contract. - [Hook Agency](https://hookagency.com/) lists a yearly commitment for its retainers. - [WebFX](https://www.webfx.com/), [LSEO](https://lseo.com/) and [iPullRank](https://ipullrank.com/) price by custom proposal. **About the $5,000 price:** $5,000 is the founding client price, available to the first 5 clients only. Once those 5 spots are filled, the Custom GEO Package goes to its regular price of $10,000. Agency details come from each company's own website, checked October 13, 2026. Pricing and services change, so confirm with them directly. Own Your GEO isn't affiliated with any agency listed. ## More on GEO agencies [Best GEO agencies for contractors: Five agencies compared, and the option to own it instead.](/blog/best-geo-agencies-for-contractors/) [Why rent your GEO when you can own it?: GEO agency vs owning your system, with the 3-year math.](/blog/rent-vs-own-geo/) [How to choose a GEO agency: 10 questions to ask, and when to skip the agency.](/blog/how-to-choose-a-geo-agency/) ## Questions What should I ask a GEO agency before hiring? Ask which AI engines and questions they track, how often, whether they show a like-for-like comparison, which sites AI cites in your market, what they change each month, whether there is an annual contract, what you keep if you leave, and whether there is a guarantee. Can a GEO agency guarantee I will be recommended by ChatGPT? No one controls AI answers, so be wary of guaranteed rankings. A fair guarantee is tied to measured improvement on your tracked questions, like the Own Your GEO 90-day money-back guarantee. ## See what AI says about your company I'll check what ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini, Perplexity, Meta AI and Grok say when homeowners in your area ask who to hire, and show you who they recommend instead of you. It's free. [Book a free AI snapshot call](https://calendly.com/joseph-ownyourgeo/30min)