In this article 4
Short answer
A serious GEO proposal states in writing which questions will be measured and how they were chosen, on which platforms, how many observations on how many dates, which competitors, what you receive (with original answers and sources), which changes will be made to your website and who approves them, when it will be measured again, what is guaranteed and what is not, and the total price with taxes, timing and cancellation terms. If half of that is missing, it is not a proposal.
The checklist
| It must include | Why |
|---|---|
| Specific questions and where they came from | Without questions there is no measurement; with your brand in the questions there is no discovery |
| Platforms, market and language | Each combination is a separate measurement |
| Number of observations and of dates | One date describes a day; two start to describe stability |
| Competitors | Without them you cannot tell whether the problem is yours or the whole category’s |
| Deliverables with original answers and sources | A score with no rows cannot be audited |
| Changes to your website, with your approval | Nobody should touch your website before you have seen the change |
| A new measurement with the same questions | It is the only way to see what changed |
| What is guaranteed (scope, delivery) and what is not (mentions, positions, traffic, sales) | The honest thing is to state both |
| Total price, taxes, timing, cancellation | The basics |
| Who publishes external actions, and under which identity | So you do not end up with fake profiles in your name |
The ten questions
- Can I see the original answer, the date and the source behind each figure?
- How do you choose the questions, and how do you keep my brand out of them?
- How many times do you measure, and how do you show what changes?
- Do you separate mention, recommendation and citation?
- What does each metric mean, and what is its denominator?
- What depends on me and what depends on third parties?
- How do you handle errors and platform changes?
- Can I export my data and take it with me?
- What do you not guarantee?
- Do you buy reviews, mentions or links?
Red flags
- “We will rank you in ChatGPT in 30 days.”
- “We guarantee you will appear in the recommendations.”
- “Our proprietary algorithm calculates your score.” (Without showing the data.)
- “We train the AI on your content.”
- “You need a special file for AI.” (Google says it is not needed; see what llms.txt is.)
- “You only pay if you appear.” (Ask how it is measured and who decides.)
- A six- or twelve-month minimum term in the first proposal.
- Client examples with no name, no date and no data.
How to decide in a week
Measure it yourself first, with six questions. Ask two agencies for their smallest diagnosis, with a closed scope and price. Compare deliverables, not presentations. Choose the one that lets you make decisions without depending on them: it is the best sign that you can keep working with them.