Doug vs hiring an AI SEO agency to get recommended by ChatGPT
Doug does the weekly groundwork an AI SEO or GEO agency charges a retainer for, from $49 a month, but he doesn't build links or run PR. Published price guides put local GEO retainers around $1,500 to $3,000 a month, and a good agency earns that with strategy, links and PR that software can't do. Doug checks how you show up on Google, Maps, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini every week, publishes service and area pages, keeps your Google profile accurate, replies to reviews, flags listings to claim, and books the customers that work brings in.
Updated
| Doug | AI SEO / GEO agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical price | From $49 a month; done for you: talk to us | Often $1,500 to $3,000 a month for a local business |
| Checks how you show up | Every week: Google, Maps, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini | Usually a monthly report |
| Service and area pages | Publishes to your site or WordPress | Writes them, often on a schedule |
| Google profile | Keeps hours, services and details right | Usually included |
| Reviews | Replies, and asks happy customers for new ones | Varies by agency |
| Backlinks, PR, outreach | No | Often the core of the work |
| Custom strategy and a person to call | Done for you tier only | Yes |
| Answers and books the customers who arrive | Yes, 24/7 with deposits | No |
| Best for | Local businesses that want steady weekly work done | Businesses that need strategy, links and PR |
What are AI SEO and GEO agencies selling?
A new kind of agency promises to get your business recommended when someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity for a plumber, a dentist or a lawyer. They call it GEO, AEO or AI SEO. Published price guides put a local business retainer around $1,500 to $3,000 a month, and more in competitive markets.
Underneath the new name, most of the work is familiar. Make sure your site answers the questions people ask. Make sure your facts match everywhere. Get more good reviews. Get mentioned by sites the assistants trust. None of that is fake, and a good agency is worth hiring for the parts that need a person.
What does an agency do that Doug doesn't?
Be clear about this before you decide. Doug does not do these things:
- Build backlinks or run outreach to other sites.
- Get you press coverage or local news mentions.
- Write a custom strategy for a competitive market, or sit in a meeting and explain it.
- Redesign your brand or run your ads.
What does Doug do every week?
Most of what moves a local business in AI answers is steady, boring upkeep. That is the part Doug does every week.
- Checks how you show up on Google, Maps, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini for the questions your customers ask.
- Publishes pages for the services you offer and the towns you cover, to a Doug-run site or your WordPress site. If your site is hard to change, he can publish to services.yourcompany.com.
- Keeps your Google profile accurate: hours, services, service area.
- Replies to reviews and asks happy customers for new ones.
- Flags directory listings you should claim and facts that disagree across the web, like an old phone number on one listing.
- Sends a short weekly report of what he checked and what he fixed.
Who answers the customers the agency brings in?
Getting found is half the job. When the customer lands on your site at 9pm, someone still has to answer. Doug does both. He answers from your own material, books the job with a deposit through Stripe, and hands off to your team when it matters. He can also list you inside ChatGPT, Claude and Muse, so an assistant that recommends you can book you in the same conversation.
An agency can bring you traffic. It usually can't answer that traffic at night. Doug does, and the questions he hears tell him which pages to write next.
What should you ask an agency before you sign?
If you do talk to an agency, ask these before you sign:
- What exactly will you do each month, and what will I see in the report?
- Which assistants and searches do you check, and how often?
- Who owns the pages you publish and the listings you claim if we part ways?
- What do you do that software can't, and what does that part cost on its own?
What if you want people to do it for you?
Some owners don't want another dashboard. For them we have a done for you tier. Our team sets Doug up with you, works his list every week, handles what needs a person, and can rebuild your site so Doug keeps it current. You get a short report on how many customers came in. The price depends on what you need, so talk to us.
A reasonable path for most local businesses: start with Doug, let him run for a couple of months, and see what the weekly reports show. If you still need links, PR or a strategy for a tough market, hire an agency for that part and let Doug keep the upkeep going.
Questions
- Can Doug guarantee I'll be recommended by ChatGPT?
- No, and nobody honest can. Doug does the work that gives an assistant good reasons to pick you, checks every week whether you show up, and tells you what changed.
- How much does an AI SEO or GEO agency cost?
- Published price guides put local business retainers around $1,500 to $3,000 a month, with larger or competitive accounts paying more. Ask exactly what gets done each month before you sign. Doug starts at $49 a month for the weekly upkeep.
- Does Doug build backlinks?
- No. He publishes pages to your own site, keeps your Google profile right, handles reviews, and flags listings to claim. Links and PR are where an agency still earns its fee.
- What does the done for you tier cost?
- It depends on your business and what you need done, so we price it when we talk. Self-serve Doug starts at $49 a month.
- Can I use Doug alongside my current SEO agency?
- Yes. Doug answers and books the customers your agency brings in, and his weekly report gives you and the agency the same picture of how you show up.
