Is AEO just SEO with a new name?

Largely. Google says there are no extra requirements to appear in its AI Overviews or AI Mode beyond the usual ones for search. What’s new is letting the AI tools’ crawlers in, answering exact questions, and checking what the answers say.

Can I do it myself for free?

Much of it. Google Search Console is free, the robots.txt check takes a minute, and you can ask ChatGPT yourself every month. What you pay for is the time and knowing what to change.

Why is an agency so much more than a tool?

A tool only reports. An agency does the work: the audit, the fixes and new pages every month, with people on it.

What does AI Search Watch include?

We set up the website you already have so ChatGPT and Google can read it, register it with Google and Bing, label your business details and ask ChatGPT what it says about you, with reports at 30 and 60 days. 14 days free. $0 today, card on file. Then $199 a month. Cancel anytime in one click from your status page.

Guides · updated 2 November 2026

What does AI search optimization cost?

AI search optimization, or AEO, costs $0 if you do it yourself, $29 to $495 a month for a tool that tracks what AI answers say about you, and $1,800 to $4,200 a month for an agency’s small-business tier, usually for at least three months.

Our AI Search Watch is $199 a month after 14 days free, done for you on the website you already have. Here is the table, what the money buys, and what to ask before you pay anyone.

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The table

What AI search optimization costs a month, by who does it
The option	Who does it	Every month	What you get
Do it yourself	You do, a few hours a month	$0 for Google Search Console, which is free	Everything, if you have the time: the steps in our guide
An AI-visibility tracking tool	Software you log in to	$29 to $495	A report of what AI answers say about you. It doesn’t change your site
An AEO agency, small-business tier	An agency team	$1,800 to $4,200, usually for at least 3 months	Reporting, a technical audit and a few pages a month
Luziq AI Search Watch	We do, on the website you already have	$199, after 14 days free. Cancel anytime	The set-up, then reports at 30 and 60 days of what ChatGPT says. Included in Full Care on a Luziq website

The tool range is the cheapest and dearest plans on two AI-visibility trackers’ price pages; the agency range is the small-business tier in one agency’s study of 1,146 AEO price quotes, where the median retainer across all tiers was $6,850 a month. All read on 2 November 2026. Prices change, so ask for the monthly price and the minimum term in writing. Sources: two AI-visibility trackers’ price pages (1, 2); one agency’s study of 1,146 AEO price quotes; Google: About Search Console.

What you pay for

The set-up, mostly once. Letting AI search into your site, adding it to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, labelling your business details and writing pages that answer the questions people ask.
The checking, every month. Asking AI tools what they say about you and who they name instead. This is what the tracking tools sell, and all they do: they don’t change your site.
Pages and listings, ongoing. New pages, directory listings and reviews. This is where an agency’s hours go: in the study, its small-business tier covered reporting, a technical audit and a few pages a month. one agency’s study of 1,146 AEO price quotes

Ask before you pay

What will you change on my site, and by when? A report alone doesn’t move anything.
What is the minimum term? Three months was typical for the small-business tier in the study. one agency’s study of 1,146 AEO price quotes
What will you report, and how often? Ask for the questions they will put to ChatGPT, in writing.
Do you promise a spot in ChatGPT? Walk away if they do. ChatGPT builds every answer fresh: in BrightLocal’s study, its answers to the same question asked again shared only 23% of their businesses, on average. BrightLocal: 200k local AI searches

Questions

Is AEO just SEO with a new name?: Largely. Google says there are no extra requirements to appear in its AI Overviews or AI Mode beyond the usual ones for search. What’s new is letting the AI tools’ crawlers in, answering exact questions, and checking what the answers say.
Can I do it myself for free?: Much of it. Google Search Console is free, the robots.txt check takes a minute, and you can ask ChatGPT yourself every month. What you pay for is the time and knowing what to change.
Why is an agency so much more than a tool?: A tool only reports. An agency does the work: the audit, the fixes and new pages every month, with people on it.
What does AI Search Watch include?: We set up the website you already have so ChatGPT and Google can read it, register it with Google and Bing, label your business details and ask ChatGPT what it says about you, with reports at 30 and 60 days. 14 days free. $0 today, card on file. Then $199 a month. Cancel anytime in one click from your status page.

Start

AI Search Watch: we do this for the website you already have. 14 days free. $0 today, card on file. Then $199 a month. Cancel anytime in one click from your status page.