GEO and AEO consulting for companies that want to be understood, cited and chosen by AI
The consulting engagement diagnoses how your company is read by Google, answer engines and AIs, shows what is missing for it to be cited, and delivers architecture, structured data and a roadmap for your team or Flowup to execute.
By Guto Bertoncini, founder and lead strategist of FlowupUpdated on 14 min read
5.0 on GoogleSince 2011Proprietary B.I.N.A. Method
Summary
GEO and AEO consulting in seven points
The essentials for anyone who needs to decide quickly. The details, the sources and the frequently asked questions are right below.
- GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the layer of citation in AI-generated answers; AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is the layer of the direct answer.
- The engagement delivers direction: a diagnosis, an intent map, an architecture of citable pages, structured data, guidelines and a roadmap.
- Execution can stay with your team, go to Flowup (see the GEO and AEO pages) or be shared between the two.
- There are four formats, from the Initial Diagnosis to the monthly Retainer, and what each one includes is described below.
- Ranking helps, but it is not enough: only about 38% of the URLs cited in AI Overviews were in the top 10 in March 2026 (Ahrefs).
- Measurement uses the same yardstick from start to finish: a panel of questions put to the AIs, Search Console's generative AI report and leads by source.
- No serious consultancy guarantees citation. The work increases clarity, eligibility and authority, and measures the result month by month.
Definition
What does GEO and AEO consulting do?
It organizes the two AI layers on top of the SEO foundation, so that the company can be understood, trusted and cited.
GEO and AEO consulting diagnoses how the company is understood by search engines, answer engines and AIs, identifies gaps in information and in authority, and organizes pages, content, structured data, internal links and entities to increase clarity, trustworthiness and the chance of citation.
It does not replace SEO: it extends SEO to the new search environment. And it has nothing to do with geolocation or geomarketing: the acronym is the only thing they share.
- GEO
- Generative Engine Optimization: being retrieved, understood and cited in AI-generated answers, such as those of ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and AI Overviews.
- AEO
- Answer Engine Optimization: organizing information to answer questions precisely, from the featured snippet to the voice assistant.
- Foundation
- Technical and content SEO: without crawling, indexing and clarity, there is nothing to cite.
Which to hire
SEO consulting, GEO and AEO consulting or a GEO agency: which to hire
These options show up together in search, but they solve different problems. The question is: does the site not show up, or does it show up without being cited?
| Model | What you hire | When it makes sense |
|---|---|---|
| SEO consulting | Diagnosis, priorities and direction for organic presence: technical SEO, content, architecture and authority. | When the site is not being found yet, or has cannibalization, technical problems or a fragile architecture. |
| GEO and AEO consulting | A diagnosis of how the company is read by AIs, an intent map, an architecture of citable pages, structured data and a roadmap. | When the site already shows up, or is being built, and the company needs to be understood and cited. |
| GEO agency and AEO service | Ongoing execution: citable content, entities, a knowledge base, structured data and monthly measurement. | When the direction exists and the hands to execute it are missing, or when the company prefers direction and execution together. |
Rule of thumb: if the problem is that the site is not being found, start with SEO consulting. If the site shows up but AI does not cite the company, this is the place. The two add up; neither replaces the other.
Formats and pricing
Four formats, with the price defined in a proposal
For international projects, the price is defined in a proposal after the diagnosis. It depends on the site's maturity, the competition, the depth of the information base and the capacity to implement.
| Format | Who it is for | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Diagnosis | To understand where the company stands before hiring a larger project. | A reading of organic and semantic presence, an initial map of entities and intents, an analysis of critical pages, prioritized recommendations and an executive meeting. |
| Strategic Sprint (consulting) | For those who have already decided to act and need strategy, architecture and a plan before investing more. | An in-depth diagnosis, an organic dominance architecture, technical and editorial priorities, a content and intent map and a phased plan. |
| Complete Project: base and implementation | To turn the diagnosis into real structure on the site. | A Semantic Information Base, priority pillar pages and clusters, optimization for answers and AI, technical guidelines and JSON-LD, and follow-up of the initial rollout. |
| Monthly Retainer for ongoing follow-up | To keep the strategy moving once the base is built. | A monthly review of priorities, monitoring of opportunities, editorial and technical guidance, updates to strategic content and a follow-up meeting. |
The entry point is free: the B.I.N.A. Diagnosis shows, in 12 questions, the layer that most limits your presence, with an in-depth diagnosis by email within five business days. The Initial Diagnosis is the first paid format, and its fee can be credited toward a complete Project signed within 15 days of the presentation.
Deliverables
What the engagement can deliver
Not every deliverable goes into every scope: the diagnosis defines what is a priority at the site's current stage.
GEO and AEO diagnosis
How the company is understood by search engines, answer engines and AIs, with gaps and priorities.
Intent map
The real searches, questions, comparisons, objections and decisions each page needs to answer.
Page architecture
Pillar pages, clusters and commercial pages that connect education, comparison and conversion.
Internal links
Connections between pages for thematic consistency and the distribution of authority.
Structured data
JSON-LD consistent with the visible content: entities, services, people and questions.
Editorial guidelines
Direct answers, self-contained definitions and citable content, with examples.
Technical eligibility
Crawling, indexing, access for AI crawlers and the conditions for being found.
Implementation roadmap
Order of execution, owners and acceptance criteria, for Flowup or for your team.
Process
How Flowup runs the engagement
The central question is: what do people, search engines and AIs need to understand about this company to consider it a trustworthy source?
Diagnosis
Screening (site, industry, goal, timing and capacity to implement) and a reading of how the company is understood today.
Mapping
Intents, pages and gaps: what is missing, what confuses and what already sustains authority.
Planning
Editorial, technical and commercial architecture, with priorities by impact and a phased roadmap.
Implementation and follow-up
Pages ready to publish, by Flowup or by your team, and monthly follow-up.
How to choose
How to choose a GEO and AEO consultancy: six criteria
The searches that lead to this page ask for an auditable methodology and accountability for numbers. Those are good criteria.
Auditable methodology
The method is public, and every recommendation comes with a reason, evidence and an acceptance criterion.
A fixed measurement yardstick
The same panel of questions, put to the same AIs, before and after, instead of scattered screenshots.
Its own numbers, published
The consultancy applies to itself what it sells. Flowup publishes its own numbers on the GEO page.
No promise of citation
Anyone who guarantees presence in ChatGPT or in an AI Overview is promising something they do not control.
A technical SEO foundation
Without correct crawling, indexing and structured data, there is nothing to cite.
Deliverables you can implement
A roadmap with owners and an order of execution that your team can apply.
Measurement
How to measure whether the consulting worked
The same yardstick from start to finish, with signals from search, from presence in answers and from the business.
Question panel
30 to 60 real funnel questions, put to ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google, recording presence, citation and accuracy.
Generative AI report
Impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode in Search Console, available to all sites since August 31, 2026.
AI referrals
Visits coming from AI assistants and AI search engines, tracked in Analytics.
Leads by source
Contacts by channel, including the source the client reports in the first conversation.
Why now
Clear companies sell better and are easier to cite
Many companies have a good service and a good team but communicate it in fragments, so AI finds no clear base from which to understand the brand.
- 38%of the URLs cited in AI Overviews were also in the organic top 10 in March 2026. In July 2025 it was about 76%.Ahrefs, 2025 and 2026
- 8%of visits with an AI summary end in a click on a traditional result. Without the summary, it is 15%.Pew Research Center, 2025
- 1%of visits with an AI summary end in a click on a link cited inside the summary itself.Pew Research Center, 2025
- 34%of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT, about double the share in 2023. Among adults under 30, it is 58%.Pew Research Center, 2025
The primary sources for these figures are listed at the end of this page, and the guide GEO vs SEO compares the two disciplines. Flowup builds semantic information bases to turn companies into clearer, more trustworthy and more citable sources.
A good fit for
- Companies that sell value, expertise or trust.
- B2B businesses, premium services, clinics, professional firms and industrial companies.
- Industry associations and complex e-commerce operations.
- Brands that have already published a lot, but without an authority architecture.
- Operations that want to balance paid media with building organic presence.
Not the right time yet
- When the company is only looking for the lowest price.
- When it wants to test AI without touching the site, the content or the strategy.
- When it expects a guarantee of ranking, traffic or citation.
- When no one can approve and implement the recommendations.
The engagement is led by Guto Bertoncini, who since 2011 has run projects that integrate SEO, GEO, AEO, structured data, WordPress and brand for companies in Brazil and abroad, and who writes the technical guides on GEO, AEO and structured data on this site.
Verifiable signals, not promises: Flowup Agency Ltda., Brazilian company registration number (CNPJ) 14.360.608/0001-31, founded in 2011 and headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil; a public method, the B.I.N.A. Method; an open knowledge base, the Official AI Knowledge Base (in Portuguese); formats and scope published on this page, with the price set out in a written proposal; service in Portuguese, English and Spanish.
Next step
Is your company clear enough to be cited?
The B.I.N.A. Diagnosis shows, in 12 questions, the layer that most limits your presence on Google and in the AIs.
FreeInstant resultNo commitment
Take the B.I.N.A. DiagnosisBeyond the results, I would highlight the clarity of the strategy, the organization of the work and the long-term vision Guto brought to the project.
Read the case study
We have been Flowup's partners for more than 10 years and, over that time, our trust has only grown stronger. The service is excellent and the commitment to our requests is total. The team understands our needs, meets deadlines and delivers consistent quality.
Read the case study
I am glad to record my satisfaction in working with Flowup. A positive experience: an attentive team, quick service, quality deliveries and care in every detail of the website. I was pleased with the final result and recommend their services with confidence.
Read the case study
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about GEO and AEO consulting
The questions that come up most often in search and in sales conversations.
Is your question not here? The B.I.N.A. Diagnosis answers with your company's data.
Take the B.I.N.A. DiagnosisWhat is GEO consulting?
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) consulting is the service that prepares a company to be retrieved, understood and cited in the answers of ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, AI Overviews and AI Mode: it diagnoses how the brand is read today, maps the audience's questions, designs the architecture of citable pages, defines the structured data and delivers a roadmap. It has nothing to do with geolocation.
What is the difference between GEO and AEO consulting and SEO consulting?
SEO consulting directs the foundation: technical SEO, content, architecture and authority, so that the site can be found. GEO and AEO consulting starts from that foundation and works on the answer layer and the citation layer. One does not replace the other; many companies hire both in sequence.
What is the difference between GEO consulting and a GEO agency?
Consulting diagnoses, prioritizes and designs: it is direction, delivered as a diagnosis, an architecture and a roadmap with acceptance criteria. A GEO agency executes the citation layer continuously: citable content, entities, a knowledge base, structured data and monthly measurement.
How do I hire GEO consulting for my company?
The simplest path is to start with the free B.I.N.A. Diagnosis, which points to the layer that most limits your presence. With it, Flowup proposes the right format (Initial Diagnosis, strategic Sprint, complete Project or monthly Retainer), with scope and price in writing.
What criteria should I evaluate when hiring a GEO and AEO consultancy?
An auditable methodology, a fixed measurement yardstick, its own published numbers, no promise of citation, command of the technical SEO foundation and deliverables your team can implement.
How much does GEO and AEO consulting cost?
It depends on the format and the scope. There are four formats: Initial Diagnosis, strategic Sprint, complete Project (base and implementation) and monthly Retainer. For international projects, the price is defined in a proposal after the diagnosis, and it depends on the site's maturity, the competition and the capacity to implement.
Is GEO consulting suitable for small businesses and SaaS companies?
It is, when the company depends on trust and on explanation to sell. For smaller operations, the best start is the free B.I.N.A. Diagnosis and, after that, the Initial Diagnosis, which concentrates the investment on the pages and answers with the greatest impact.
What deliverables can the engagement include?
A GEO and AEO diagnosis, an intent map, page architecture, an internal linking strategy, structured data, editorial guidelines, a technical eligibility audit and an implementation roadmap. The diagnosis defines what goes into each scope.
How long does it take to see progress?
In the projects published as case studies, the first signs appeared between 60 and 90 days after implementation began, in long-tail queries. Consolidating authority on a topic usually takes 6 to 12 months. The pace depends on the site's technical state, the competition and the speed of implementation.
How do you measure whether the consulting worked?
With the same yardstick from start to finish: a panel of 30 to 60 real funnel questions put to the AIs, recording presence, citation and accuracy; impressions in the AI features, from the Search Console report; traffic coming from AIs; and leads by source, including the source reported by the client.
Does Flowup execute, or does it only guide the in-house team?
Both. The engagement delivers the diagnosis, the architecture and the roadmap; implementation can stay with your team, go to Flowup or be shared, as defined in the scope. When Flowup executes, the work moves on to the GEO and AEO services or to the monthly Retainer.
Does GEO and AEO consulting guarantee an appearance in ChatGPT or in an AI Overview?
No. No serious consultancy should guarantee a citation or a position in AI answers. The work increases clarity, eligibility and authority, and measures the result month by month, but what gets displayed depends on each platform's systems, which change frequently.
Is the Initial Diagnosis paid? Can the fee be credited?
Yes, the Initial Diagnosis is paid, because it is technical work with its own deliverable and an executive meeting. The fee can be credited toward a complete Project signed within 15 days of the presentation. Before it, the B.I.N.A. Diagnosis is free.
Does Flowup work with companies outside Brazil?
Yes. Flowup is based in São Paulo, Brazil, and serves companies in Brazil, the United States, Canada and worldwide, remotely, with video meetings and shared documents, in Portuguese, English and Spanish.
How do I get started?
With the free B.I.N.A. Diagnosis: 12 questions, an instant result and an in-depth diagnosis by email within five business days. From there, Flowup proposes the work format in writing.
Transparency
Sources and references
This page prioritizes official sources and studies with a stated methodology, checked on October 2, 2026. The consulting formats are the ones published by Flowup.
- Update: 38% of AI Overview Citations Pull From The Top 10, Ahrefs (March 2, 2026): 37.9% of the URLs cited in AI Overviews were in the top 10, against about 76% in July 2025, with a change of method between the studies.
- 76% of AI Overview Citations Pull From the Top 10, Ahrefs (July 21, 2025): the starting point of the comparison.
- Google users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears in the results, Pew Research Center (July 22, 2025): clicks in 8% of visits with an AI summary against 15% without one; 1% on links inside the summary; 900 U.S. adults, March 2025.
- 34% of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT, about double the share in 2023, Pew Research Center (June 25, 2025): 34% of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT; 58% of adults under 30; 5,123 U.S. adults, February 24 to March 2, 2025.
- Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search, Google Search Central (updated July 10, 2026): no AI files, special markup or special schema needed; llms.txt neither helps nor harms in Search; structured data remains useful for rich results.
- AI features and your website, Google Search Central: no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode; SEO best practices remain relevant.
- Generative AI performance report (Search), Search Console Help: impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode, rolled out to all sites on August 31, 2026.
- GEO: Generative Engine Optimization, Aggarwal et al., KDD 2024: up to 40% more visibility in generative engine responses, in a controlled experiment.
- Overview of OpenAI Crawlers, OpenAI: OAI-SearchBot surfaces websites in ChatGPT search; sites that opt out of it are not shown in search answers.
How to cite this page
Flowup Agency. GEO and AEO consulting for companies that want to be understood, cited and chosen by AI. Guto Bertoncini, updated on . flowup.agency/en/geo-aeo-consulting/
Start with the B.I.N.A. Diagnosis
A free reading of how your company is understood today by Google and by the AIs, with the layer that most limits its growth.
5.0 on Google · Since 2011 · Case studies with stated sources
