How to Compare Search Engine Marketing Companies for AI Search Readiness

Search engine marketing companies all pitch similar results, but few are actually built for a search landscape dominated by AI Overviews. Read almost any proposal and you’ll see the same phrases: proven results, data driven, full transparency. In my experience, none of that tells you what you actually need to know, which is whether the team behind those slides understands how search itself has changed in the last two years.

AndMine is a Melbourne based digital agency working as a search engine marketing agency for Australian businesses. This piece sets out a practical way to compare proposals from different providers, with a specific focus on whether they’re actually prepared for a search landscape where AI Overviews, not just the traditional ten blue links, decide a lot of what gets seen.

Why “Proven Results” Isn’t Enough Anymore

Every search engine marketing agency can point to a graph showing rankings improved or traffic grew. In my opinion, that used to be a reasonable filter. It isn’t anymore, because the mechanics of visibility have shifted underneath those same graphs.

A campaign built entirely around traditional ranking factors can still show improvement on paper while losing real visibility, because a growing share of searches now get answered inside an AI Overview before the user ever scrolls to the organic results or the ad block. A provider quoting last year’s ranking wins without mentioning how those keywords perform in an AI Overview environment is showing you an incomplete picture, whether or not that’s intentional.

What to Actually Ask a Search Engine Marketing Company

A few direct questions tend to separate providers who’ve adapted from providers still running the same playbook they used in 2022.

Ask how they audit whether your target keywords currently trigger an AI Overview, and how often they check this. Ask what changes in their content and schema recommendations specifically to improve the odds of being cited inside an AI generated answer, not just ranking below it. Ask how they report on visibility when a keyword still ranks well but delivers noticeably fewer clicks because of what’s now sitting above it. Ask for a recent, specific example of a client whose visibility they protected or improved once AI Overviews started appearing on their core terms.

I’ve found that a provider who answers these with real specifics, not general reassurances, is usually the one who’s actually done the work. A vague answer to any of these is worth following up on directly before signing anything.

Search Engine Marketing Companies: Ask About Their GEO Playbook

GEO, meaning generative engine optimization, is the practice of structuring content so it’s more likely to be cited or summarized accurately inside an AI generated answer. Not every search engine marketing company has genuinely built this into their process yet, even if the term appears somewhere on their website.

A real GEO playbook usually includes a few concrete elements: clear, extractable answers early in a page rather than buried under marketing copy, structured data that helps an AI system understand what a business actually does and where, and content written to directly answer the specific questions your audience is asking rather than written primarily to satisfy a keyword count. A provider who can walk you through how they apply these three things to your industry, with an actual example, is demonstrating something a slide deck full of testimonials can’t.

Comparing Proposals Side by Side

A useful exercise when reviewing multiple proposals is building a simple comparison across a few categories rather than judging on price and reported past results alone.

Look at how each proposal describes measuring success. If it’s entirely rankings and traditional click through rate, that’s a signal the provider hasn’t fully adjusted their reporting to reflect what’s actually happening on the page. Look at whether they mention AI Overviews or generative search at all, unprompted, in their proposal. If you have to ask about it before they bring it up, that tells you something about how central it is to their actual process versus how central it is to their sales pitch.

Look also at how transparent the pricing structure is relative to the work involved. A provider charging a premium specifically for GEO strategy should be able to explain what that premium buys beyond what a standard SEM retainer already includes.

Where This Gets Confusing for Business Owners

In my experience, most business owners aren’t trying to become search marketing experts themselves. They just want to know their money is being spent well. The problem is that “AI search ready” has become a marketing phrase almost as fast as “full management” did, which means the label alone tells you very little.

The more reliable approach is treating the questions above as a genuine filter rather than a formality. A provider who welcomes them and answers specifically is generally confident in their process. A provider who seems irritated by the questions, or answers only in general marketing language, is telling you something too, even if it’s not stated directly.

What Good Looks Like Six Months In

A search engine marketing agency that’s genuinely prepared for this environment should be able to show you, within a couple of quarters, specific evidence of adaptation: keywords where they identified an AI Overview appearing and adjusted content or bidding accordingly, a documented change in how they report visibility beyond simple ranking position, and at least one concrete example of content updated specifically to improve citation odds inside a generative answer.

If none of that exists after six months of a retainer relationship, it’s a reasonable moment to ask directly why, rather than assuming it’s simply not relevant to your industry yet.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “AI search readiness” actually mean for an SEM agency?

It means the agency actively tracks whether your keywords trigger AI Overviews, adjusts strategy and reporting accordingly, and applies GEO principles to your content, rather than relying solely on traditional ranking and click through metrics.

Is GEO the same thing as SEO?

They overlap but aren’t identical. SEO focuses on ranking in traditional search results. GEO focuses specifically on being cited or summarised accurately inside AI generated answers, which involves some different content and structuring choices.

How do I know if a provider is genuinely doing GEO work or just using the term?

Ask for a specific, recent example: a page they restructured, a schema change they made, or a keyword where they tracked AI Overview appearance and adjusted strategy. A generic answer without specifics is a warning sign.

Should I switch providers if mine hasn’t mentioned AI Overviews at all?

Not necessarily immediately, but it’s worth raising directly and seeing how they respond. Their answer will tell you whether this is genuinely on their radar or something they haven’t yet incorporated into their process.

The Bottom Line

Search engine marketing companies are easy to compare on price and past results, and much harder to compare on genuine AI search readiness, mainly because the marketing language has caught up faster than the actual practice in a lot of cases. Asking specific, pointed questions about AI Overviews and GEO strategy, and expecting specific answers in return, is the most reliable way to tell which providers have genuinely adapted.

If you’d like a second opinion on a proposal you’ve received, or want a clear look at how your current provider is handling AI search visibility, get in touch with AndMine for a straightforward conversation.