Agency is trying to sell us Generative Engine Optimization, what exactly is it and do we actually need it?

I love how agencies invent a new acronym every couple of years just to bill clients. Yesterday they were selling voice search optimization as a separate line item. Today they are doing the exact same thing with AI. If your content is solid and your tech setup is clean, AI will find and cite you anyway. A separate package is just budget padding, pure and simple.

The actual technical backbone here comes down to structured data markup and clarity of content. AI bots struggle to summarize dense, flowery paragraphs. If you add tables, bullet points, clear stats, and JSON-LD schema, the bot scrapes the content easily. You don't need a separate GEO team for this, just a technical content manager who knows what they're doing.

We got a similar pitch in Berlin. They asked for 1,200 EUR a month, and we gave them a three-month trial. At the end of the three months, the only report they delivered was asking an AI tool 20 questions and taking screenshots. It did zero for our site traffic, canceled the contract immediately.

Did you ask the agency this: 'What concrete KPI will you report success on?' If they can't provide clear analytics data like organic clicks, impressions, or referral traffic, you won't be able to audit what you're paying for. Have you asked to see their reporting templates?

i wouldn't rush into it at all tbh. i mean most agencies in the market don't actually know how these systems pick their sources right now either, they're just running trial and error. you're in packaging your clients are looking at technical specs anyway... put your spec sheets on the site properly and let time take care of the rest.

we sell b2b software in frankfurt, got fed the exact same story. all the agency did was add a faq section to our pages. your in-house content writer can knock that out in two weeks, totally not worth the extra budget.

Sit down with the agency and tell them straight up: 'We're not buying a separate package for GEO, roll schema improvements and technical FAQ blocks into the existing SEO scope.' If they agree, keep going; if not, shop around for another agency.

I'm a small business, let me explain from my side. If you get three different answers on a topic, the question was asked wrong.

Of course, it varies if your situation is different.

Let's separate the concepts, they're getting mixed up. Any comment made without a control group is just a guess.

Of course it varies if your situation is different.

The most overlooked point about generative engine optimization meaning is this: Solutions that work at a small scale collapse when you grow; I learned this late.

Speed is a threshold issue; if you're already fast making it faster changes nothing. Of course, it varies if your situation is different.

i have a question don't want to go off-topic though but updating an existing page yields faster results than creating a new one.

if you have questions write them; I'll answer as best I can.

This is exactly what we experienced. Internal linking is the cheapest and most neglected task.

If you have questions, write them; I'll answer as best I can.

It's rare to find an explanation this clear.

We got stuck at the same point for a while. Speed is a threshold issue; if you're already fast, making it faster changes nothing.

Of course, it varies if your situation is different.

I can't fully agree with this. A page with low traffic might be reaching the right people. Look at where sales come from.

Any comment made without a control group is just a guess. Proven by experience.

My questions are cleared up thanks. tbh when you try to change everything at once, nothing settles.

Mistakes made on the generative engine optimization meaning side are usually reversible but expensive. That's all, sorry if I went on too long.

Noted, thanks. Don't hesitate to ask; those who don't ask always pay more.

Any unwritten clause becomes a point of disagreement later, as both sides remember it differently. If I were you, I'd go this route.

I'm a small business, let me explain from my side. Don't trust anyone who gives guarantees; there are no guarantees in this business.

If you post the result here, it will help others too.