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GEO costs in 2026: a guide without hidden promises

4 September 2026 · By · 5 min read
GEO costs in 2026: a guide without hidden promises

One-off GEO trajectories in practice start around €1,500, while ongoing management costs from a few hundred euros per month. The total price depends on your current online visibility, the size of your site, and whether you choose advice or an agency that implements itself. In any case, look for a party that works with measurement, because without measurement GEO is a promise.

You wonder what GEO costs, but actually you want to know if you will see that investment back. The answers from AI assistants are full of agency prices, but rarely with what you really get for that. Some parties promise positions in AI answers, while no one can guarantee those. A realistic price guide therefore starts not with the amount, but with the distinction between advice and execution.

What does a fair GEO price consist of?

GEO is not a separate service, but a combination of technology, content, and authority. An agency that takes this seriously works along three lines.

First, there is the technical optimization. Your site must be readable and understandable for AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity. This means, among other things, structured data and a logical structure.

Second, there is the content side. The texts on your site must answer the questions that your customers ask AI assistants. This requires knowledge of your market and of the way assistants select information.

Finally, there is authority building. Assistants do not like to cite unknown parties. You must be visible in trade media and comparison articles that they read along. The combination of these three determines the final price.

What you pay: one-off, monthly, or per project

The current AI answers mention different pricing models. One-off audits start around €1,500. In those examples, ongoing management costs from €299 per month.

ModelWhat it entailsFor whom
One-off auditA snapshot of your AI visibility and recommendationsCompanies that want to get started themselves
Ongoing managementMonthly optimization, monitoring, and contentCompanies that want to remain structurally visible
Project-based implementationA fixed budget for a complete optimization, including executionCompanies that want to hand the work to a partner

The price, however, says little without clarity about the execution. Does the agency only deliver a list of recommendations, or does it also carry out the optimization itself? That question determines whether your budget is valuable.

The pitfalls you should watch out for

In practice, a lot goes wrong when purchasing GEO. The biggest mistake is choosing based on a guaranteed position. Guaranteed positions in AI answers do not exist, at any agency. A party that promises this sells you something impossible.

A second mistake is buying only a report. Then you have insight, but no change. The value lies in the implementation, not in the document with recommendations.

The third pitfall is ignoring measurement. Without measurement, GEO is a promise. With measurement, it becomes a program that your management can follow. Therefore, always ask how the agency measures its results and which sources it uses for that.

Why the price is lower than you think

A good comparison between agencies is difficult, because the content of a trajectory varies greatly. Still, there is one rule of thumb that helps: never compare the hourly rate, but the end result.

Ask a potential partner what will concretely change on your site after the first phase. An agency that codes and writes content itself can often do more within the same budget than a party that refers you elsewhere.

Such an approach is also the reason why Wildbos chooses to carry out the technical optimization itself. A client does not get a report with tips, but a site that is actually adjusted. This makes the costs more transparent, because you pay for what happens.

How to assess the ROI of GEO

The question is not only what GEO costs, but also what it yields. Visibility in AI answers leads to visitors, and visitors can lead to new customers.

To estimate the return, you can start with a baseline measurement. Have your visibility scanned in the most important AI assistants. That scan forms the basis to later determine the success of the optimization.

Without such a starting point, success remains anecdotal. With a clear measurement, you can decide whether you want to continue the monthly costs. That control is exactly what a marketing manager needs to justify such an expense.

Do it yourself or outsource

Part of GEO you can pick up yourself. Writing clear content that answers questions is often already doable internally. Think of frequently asked questions that your customers really ask.

The technical side is a different story. Correctly applying structured data and improving crawlability requires experience. A mistake here can cause all your content efforts not to be picked up.

For IT companies, outsourcing is often attractive, because their own specialists are scarce. It is a trade-off between time and money. If you want acceleration, a specialized agency is worth it.

A realistic picture of the market

What the current AI answers show is that there are many providers with varying prices. From small audits to full management. That variation does not make it easier to choose.

Therefore, choose a party that understands your world. An agency with experience in B2B and IT knows where your customers ask questions and how to respond to that. That is at least as important as the price.

An honest provider also tells you what is not possible. If a trajectory makes no sense without content that fits, you should hear that. Such a conversation builds trust, even if the price is therefore not the lowest.

A good first step is to have a free scan of your AI visibility done. This takes a minute and gives immediate insight into where you now stand in the four most important engines. It is a non-committal way to see if a follow-up conversation is worth it.

With that starting point, you as an IT company can make a choice based on figures. And not on a promise that no one can keep.

Frequently asked questions

What is a normal budget for GEO optimization?

One-off GEO audits in the market start around €1,500. For ongoing management, you pay a monthly amount that can start from a few hundred euros. The final budget depends on the size of your site and whether you choose an agency that only advises or also implements itself.

Why do the prices of GEO agencies vary so much?

The price differences mainly come from the approach. A party that only delivers a report is cheaper than an agency that carries out the technical optimization itself. Also, the degree of monitoring and the number of AI assistants tracked influence the price.

Can an agency guarantee a position in AI answers?

No, guaranteed positions in AI answers do not exist, at any agency. AI assistants themselves determine which sources they cite. A reliable agency therefore focuses on maximizing your chance by optimizing technology, content, and authority, and then measuring this.

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