AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is the service through which HITZ gets content into Google snippets, Alice answers, and voice assistant responses. Content is structured so a system can lift an answer without rewriting it, working on page structure and whether a direct answer exists in the text, Schema.org markup, brand entity and the sources that confirm it, and crawler access through robots.txt and llms.txt. Results are measured against a baseline: the questions real customers ask are run through five systems, and the prompt set stays fixed between monthly re-measurements so movement per system stays comparable.
An SEO agency is a company that helps businesses improve their visibility in unpaid, organic Google search results, typically through a mix of technical site fixes, content strategy, and link building rather than paid advertising.
Typically 3 to 6 months for meaningful movement, and 6 to 12 months for competitive keywords. Agencies promising overnight results should raise questions.
SEO agencies specialize specifically in organic search work like content, technical fixes, and link building, while full-service agencies also handle paid ads, social, and other channels. Check each listing's services to see what's actually covered.
Retainers commonly range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per month, depending on scope, industry competitiveness, and agency size. Check individual listings for their specific services.
Many businesses use an agency for specialized technical work like audits or link building while keeping content strategy in-house, so it isn't always an either-or choice.
At minimum, organic traffic and keyword ranking movement over time. Better reporting also ties results to leads or revenue where possible, rather than stopping at traffic and ranking numbers alone.
A 3 to 6 month initial term with a defined review checkpoint is a reasonable middle ground - long enough for real movement to show, without locking you into a long-term commitment before you've seen results.