Generative engine optimization pricing ranges from $500 per month for a solo freelancer to $30,000+ for an enterprise agency retainer. That is a wide spread, and most of the "pricing guides" online give you ranges so broad they are useless.
This guide is different. We publish AY Rank's actual pricing, share what competitors charge where their data is public, and walk through a real ROI calculation so you can decide whether GEO is worth the spend for your business.
By the end, you will know exactly what GEO costs at each level, what you get for that money, and how to calculate your expected return.
What Does GEO Optimization Pricing Look Like in 2026?
The market for GEO services has matured fast. In 2024, only a handful of agencies offered dedicated generative engine optimization. By mid-2026, Digital Elevator reports that most mid-market AEO/GEO retainers run between $2,000 and $8,000 per month, while enterprise engagements reach $15,000 to $30,000+ (Source: Digital Elevator, 2026).
Here is a realistic breakdown based on our research across 40+ agencies and freelancers:
| Provider Type | Monthly Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Solo freelancer | $500 to $2,000 | FAQ restructuring, basic schema markup, one platform focus |
| Productized service | $1,000 to $2,500 | Template-based optimization, limited customization |
| Boutique agency | $2,000 to $5,000 | Multi-platform strategy, content optimization, entity work |
| Mid-market agency | $3,000 to $8,000 | Full GEO program with monitoring, content sprints, and PR |
| Enterprise agency | $10,000 to $30,000+ | Dedicated teams, custom research, 20+ pieces monthly |
The sweet spot for most B2B companies with 50 to 500 pages sits between $2,000 and $5,000 per month. That buys a real strategy, not just a schema paste job.
How Does AY Rank Price Its GEO Services?
We believe in transparent pricing. Too many agencies hide behind "contact us for a custom quote" because their pricing depends on how much they think you can pay. Here are our three tiers:
Starter: $1,700/month
Built for businesses testing GEO for the first time. You get a baseline AI visibility audit, schema markup for your top 10 pages, FAQ optimization, and monthly citation tracking across ChatGPT and Perplexity. This tier works well for local businesses and early-stage SaaS companies.
Growth: $2,500/month
Our most popular tier. Everything in Starter, plus ongoing content optimization (8 pages per month), entity-building through structured data and digital PR, and multi-platform monitoring across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. Best for B2B companies with existing content that needs to be restructured for AI citation.
Authority: $3,500/month
For businesses that want to own their category in AI search. Includes 15+ pages optimized per month, proactive content SEO strategy built around AI query patterns, competitive citation analysis, and quarterly strategy reviews. We also handle technical implementation of advanced schema types (HowTo, FAQ, Product, Article) across your full site.
How Do Other GEO Agencies Price Their Services?
Comparing agency pricing is tricky because most do not publish rates. Here is what we found from publicly available data and industry reports:
| Agency/Provider | Starting Price | Known For |
|---|---|---|
| AY Rank | $1,700/mo | GEO-focused, transparent pricing, one client per category |
| First Page Sage | $3,000/mo+ | Data-driven SEO, published cost benchmarks |
| WebFX | $1,500/mo+ | Full-service digital, broad GEO/AI search offerings |
| Directive | $5,000/mo+ | B2B SaaS focus, performance marketing plus GEO |
| Boutique specialists | $2,000 to $5,000/mo | Varies by niche and scope |
| Enterprise agencies | $10,000 to $30,000+/mo | Full teams, custom research, high-volume content |
WebFX reports GEO costs ranging from $1,500 to $50,000+ per month across all service levels (Source: WebFX, 2026). First Page Sage publishes detailed cost breakdowns showing enterprise GEO programs averaging $7,500 to $15,000 monthly for mid-market companies (Source: First Page Sage, 2026).
The real question is not "which agency is cheapest?" but "which agency delivers the best citation growth per dollar spent?"
What Factors Drive GEO Pricing Up or Down?
Not every business needs the same level of GEO investment. Here are the seven factors that most affect what you will pay:
1. Number of pages to optimize
A 20-page SaaS site costs less to optimize than an e-commerce store with 5,000 product pages. Most agencies price partly on content volume.
2. Current technical foundation
If your site already has clean schema markup, fast load times, and crawlable architecture, the technical setup cost drops significantly. Sites with no structured data need more upfront work.
3. Number of AI platforms targeted
Focusing on ChatGPT alone is simpler (and cheaper) than optimizing for ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, and Claude simultaneously. Each platform has different ranking signals.
4. Content creation vs. content optimization
Restructuring existing content for AI citation costs less than creating new content from scratch. If you have a strong blog with 100+ posts, an agency can optimize what exists. Starting from zero means higher content production costs.
5. Industry competitiveness
Highly competitive verticals like fintech, legal, and healthcare require more aggressive entity-building, more frequent content updates, and deeper competitive analysis. Expect to pay 20 to 40% more in these spaces.
6. Reporting and monitoring depth
Basic monthly reports cost less than real-time citation tracking dashboards with competitive benchmarking. Advanced monitoring tools add $200 to $500 per month to agency overhead, which gets passed along.
7. Contract length
Many agencies offer 10 to 15% discounts for 6-month or 12-month commitments. Month-to-month flexibility costs more per month but gives you an exit if results do not materialize.
The biggest cost driver is scope, not agency prestige. A focused 20-page GEO program at a boutique agency will often outperform a bloated enterprise retainer that spreads effort across hundreds of pages without clear priorities.
How Do You Calculate ROI on GEO Spending?
The most common pushback on GEO pricing is "how do I know it is worth it?" Here is a framework we use with clients.
The GEO ROI formula
Monthly GEO ROI = (AI-referred revenue per month - monthly GEO cost) / monthly GEO cost x 100
Let us walk through a real example.
Scenario: B2B SaaS company, $15,000 ACV (annual contract value)
- Monthly GEO spend: $2,500 (AY Rank Growth tier)
- AI-referred website visits after 6 months: 1,200/month
- Conversion rate from AI traffic: 4.2% (industry data shows AI-referred visitors convert at 2 to 5x higher rates than organic)
- Monthly conversions from AI traffic: 50 leads
- Lead-to-customer rate: 8%
- New customers per month from AI: 4
- Monthly revenue from AI-referred customers: $5,000 (4 customers x $15,000 ACV / 12 months)
- Monthly ROI: ($5,000 - $2,500) / $2,500 = 100%
That 100% monthly ROI means payback within 60 days, with returns compounding as AI citation volume grows. After 12 months, most clients see 3x to 5x returns on their GEO investment.
What if you are an e-commerce brand?
The math shifts. Average order values are lower, but volume is higher:
- Monthly GEO spend: $3,500
- AI-referred visits: 3,000/month
- Conversion rate: 3.5%
- Average order value: $85
- Monthly AI-referred revenue: $8,925
- Monthly ROI: ($8,925 - $3,500) / $3,500 = 155%
For e-commerce businesses, GEO becomes profitable faster because product recommendations in AI answers drive immediate purchase intent.
Should You Hire a Freelancer or an Agency for GEO?
This depends on your budget, internal resources, and how seriously you treat AI search as a growth channel.
| Factor | Freelancer ($500-$2K/mo) | Boutique Agency ($2-5K/mo) | Enterprise Agency ($10K+/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms covered | 1 to 2 | 3 to 4 | All major platforms |
| Content output | 2 to 4 pages/month | 8 to 15 pages/month | 20+ pages/month |
| Strategy depth | Tactical, task-based | Full strategy with roadmap | Multi-channel, integrated |
| Reporting | Monthly spreadsheet | Dashboard with tracking | Real-time with benchmarking |
| Schema expertise | Basic FAQ, Article | Advanced multi-type | Enterprise-scale implementation |
| Risk | Single point of failure | Small team redundancy | Full team with backups |
| Best for | Testing GEO viability | Growing AI visibility | Dominating a category |
Freelancers make sense when you want to test whether GEO moves the needle before committing a larger budget. The risk: most freelancers specialize in one or two schema types and one AI platform. They rarely have access to citation tracking tools.
Boutique agencies (like AY Rank) work best for companies that have validated GEO as a channel and want systematic, multi-platform execution. You get a dedicated strategist, technical implementation, and monitoring without the overhead of an enterprise contract.
Enterprise agencies are for businesses with $1M+ marketing budgets where AI search is a board-level priority. The premium pays for team depth, custom tooling, and integration with your broader marketing stack.
What Are the Hidden Costs of GEO Most Guides Do Not Mention?
The sticker price is only part of the story. Watch for these costs that can inflate your actual spend by 30 to 50%:
Content production overhead. Most agencies optimize existing content but charge extra for net-new content creation. If your site has thin content, expect an additional $1,000 to $3,000 per month for content writing.
Tool and platform fees. Citation tracking tools like Otterly, Profound, or custom monitoring setups cost $100 to $500 per month. Some agencies bundle these; others pass the cost through.
Developer time for schema implementation. If your technical SEO foundation needs work (broken schema, slow page speed, crawl issues), you may need dev resources alongside your GEO agency. Budget $500 to $2,000 for initial technical fixes.
Ongoing content refresh costs. AI models favor fresh, recently-updated content. Plan for quarterly content audits and updates. This is either included in your retainer or billed at $100 to $200 per page.
Competitive monitoring. Watching what competitors do in AI search is essential but time-consuming. Advanced competitive intelligence adds $300 to $800 monthly to most agency retainers.
How Long Before GEO Starts Paying for Itself?
Timeline expectations are critical for budgeting. Based on our client data across 40+ engagements:
- Weeks 1 to 4: Technical audit, schema implementation, content gap analysis. No visible citation changes yet.
- Months 2 to 3: First citations appear in ChatGPT and Perplexity for long-tail queries. AI crawlers index your optimized content.
- Months 3 to 6: Citation volume grows 40 to 70% as entity signals strengthen. You start seeing measurable AI-referred traffic.
- Months 6 to 12: Compounding returns. Your brand becomes a recognized entity in AI knowledge bases. Citation rates stabilize at 2 to 5x pre-optimization levels.
Most clients hit breakeven between month 3 and month 5. The clients who see fastest returns typically have strong existing content, clear entity positioning, and a willingness to implement technical changes quickly.
Our own client data shows a 73% average increase in AI citations within the first 6 months, with AI SEO programs generating measurable revenue impact by month 4 in most cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does GEO cost per month?
GEO optimization pricing ranges from $500 to $30,000+ per month. Solo freelancers charge $500 to $2,000 for basic optimization. Boutique agencies like AY Rank charge $1,700 to $3,500 for multi-platform programs. Enterprise agencies charge $10,000 to $30,000+ for full-scale category domination programs.
Is GEO worth the investment for small businesses?
Yes, if your customers search for solutions in AI engines. A $1,700/month Starter program can generate 3x to 5x returns within 6 to 12 months for businesses with $5,000+ average deal sizes. For businesses with lower transaction values, focus on local SEO with AI visibility as a more cost-effective entry point.
What is included in a typical GEO retainer?
A mid-range GEO retainer ($2,000 to $5,000/month) typically includes an initial AI visibility audit, schema markup implementation, content optimization for 8 to 15 pages per month, citation tracking across 2 to 4 AI platforms, monthly reporting, and ongoing strategy adjustments. Premium tiers add content creation, competitive analysis, and digital PR for entity building.
How long does it take to see ROI from GEO?
Most businesses see first citations within 2 to 3 months and measurable ROI between months 3 and 5. Full compounding returns typically appear at the 6-month mark, where citation volume stabilizes at 2 to 5x pre-optimization levels. Businesses with strong existing content and clean technical foundations see results faster.
Should I choose a freelancer or an agency for GEO?
Choose a freelancer ($500 to $2,000/month) if you want to test GEO viability with minimal commitment. Choose a boutique agency ($2,000 to $5,000/month) if you have validated the channel and want systematic multi-platform execution. Choose an enterprise agency ($10,000+/month) only if AI search is a board-level strategic priority with a $1M+ marketing budget behind it.
What hidden costs should I watch for with GEO pricing?
The five most common hidden costs are: content production for thin pages ($1,000 to $3,000/month extra), citation tracking tools ($100 to $500/month), developer time for technical fixes ($500 to $2,000 upfront), quarterly content refreshes ($100 to $200 per page), and competitive monitoring ($300 to $800/month). Ask your agency upfront what is included versus billed separately.
How does GEO pricing compare to traditional SEO pricing?
Traditional SEO retainers from reputable agencies run $2,000 to $10,000 per month, which is similar to GEO pricing. The difference is that GEO is newer, so early adopters face less competition for AI citations than they do for Google rankings. In our experience, GEO delivers faster time-to-results (3 to 5 months vs. 6 to 12 months for traditional SEO) because the AI search space is less saturated.
Can I do GEO optimization myself instead of hiring an agency?
You can handle basic GEO tasks in-house: adding FAQ schema, restructuring content into extractable snippets, and monitoring your brand in AI answers. DIY tools cost $10 to $500 per month. The challenge is that effective GEO requires understanding how each AI platform's retrieval system works, which changes frequently. Most companies find that the strategic layer, the part where you decide what to optimize and how to position your entity, is where agency expertise pays for itself. Check out our GEO optimization methodology for a breakdown of what goes into a professional program.
Sources: WebFX, 2026, Digital Elevator, 2026, First Page Sage, 2026, Sight AI, 2026
