How do you compare AEO agency proposals side by side?

What outcome will each proposal report?

Ask each seller to name the result, its source, and its limits. A citation is a link to your page or a mention of it as a source. Neither a citation nor a mention is the same as a sale. Put the result your business wants beside the evidence that could support it.

Google has a report for links shown in its AI Overviews and AI Mode. An impression means a link was shown, not that someone clicked or bought. The report may not appear when a site has too few impressions. Ask how a seller will handle missing data and how it will explain gaps. Do not let a blank report become a claim that your site has been penalized.

Microsoft also offers an AI Performance report with citation counts and cited pages. It says the average count of cited pages does not show a page’s rank or role in a particular answer. Ask which platforms and questions a report covers. A count from one place cannot stand in for all AI answers, and a snapshot cannot tell you why a buyer chose you.

Example: Your sales lead wants more qualified inquiries. One bid offers a count of citations, while another offers a report on inquiries as well. Ask both sellers how each figure is gathered and what it can prove. You can then judge whether the reports answer the same business question.

Make room on the sheet for what each measure leaves out. A report on links shown can help you discuss visibility. A record of inquiries can help your team discuss demand. Keep the measures in separate columns. Write down who supplies each figure and where your team can find it.

Use a sample report to test the proposal. Give it to the person who will use it and ask what decision they could make from it. If a label is unclear, request a definition in the bid. If a figure depends on information your team holds, name the person who can provide it.

Put the measure, source, time span and report owner in a shared table. Separate a search report result from an inquiry tracked by your business.

What should go on your comparison sheet?

• Name the outcome and its source for each bid
• List the work covered and the work left to your team
• Name the people who do and approve the work
• Note which AI reports each bid uses, such as Google's or Bing's
• List the assets and account access you keep

What work is included in each bid?

Put each proposed task beside its intended result. Ask for the pages, markets, brands and review steps covered by the fee. Mark what the seller will do and what your team must supply. A short list with clear boundaries can be easier to compare than a long list of broad promises. Ask what is excluded as well as what is included.

For content, ask who will draft, check facts, approve and publish. Ask how a page will help a real buyer make a choice. Google warns that making many pages mainly to sway rankings, without adding value for users, can violate its spam rules. A large page count alone does not tell you whether the work helps your audience.

For site changes, ask for a plain list of what will change and who has the right to approve it. Google tells buyers to ask whether a provider will share all changes made to the site. It also says no special markup or extra AI file is required for its AI features. Ask why any proposed item is needed for your site and what result it is meant to support.

Example: A firm has a main site and local pages for each market. One proposal covers the main site, while another also covers local pages. Have both sellers state their scope in the same terms before you weigh their fees. The lower quote may leave work for your own team.

Build the comparison around work you expect to receive. Give each bid a row for research, writing, review, site changes and reporting where those tasks fit your needs. Mark each row as included, excluded or unclear. Add a column for the person on your side who must take part. Request a written answer for each blank cell.

Look at the handoff between tasks as well as the tasks themselves. A proposal may include a draft but leave fact checks or publishing to your staff. Another may include review but need an expert on your team to supply facts. Describe those duties beside the deliverable so your team can judge the effort involved.

A useful scope names each deliverable and its acceptance rule. For a page, that could mean a draft your subject expert can review, with its sources listed. For advice, it could mean a written set of issues and decisions needed from your team. Record how both sides will approve and price extra work.

Who will do the work and make decisions?

Ask who will be accountable after the sale. You need a named lead, a path for questions and a clear way to resolve a stalled decision. A title by itself does not tell you who will review claims or speak with your team. Ask to meet the people who will own the work and learn what part each person plays.

Your own team matters too. A seller may need access to site data, input from experts, legal review or a person who can publish changes. Ask each bidder to list those needs. Then check whether the right people have time and authority. A bid that assumes your staff will do key tasks should say so before you sign.

Ask how drafts are made and how human reviewers check them. The U.S. Copyright Office says human authorship matters when deciding whether AI output can be protected. For your day-to-day review, ask who checks facts, who fixes errors and who signs off on the final text.

Example: A founder wants outside help but must approve claims about the product. One proposal gives the founder a clear review point. Another leaves approval to an unnamed contact. Ask the second seller to name the owner and set out what happens if a claim needs a change.

Test the working relationship with a real decision your team expects to face. A page may need an expert to check a product claim before it can be approved. Name the person who supplies facts, the person who checks the draft and the person who can approve the text. Ask the seller to fill any open role.

Agree on where a question goes, who can answer it and how an unresolved issue reaches someone with authority. Your comparison sheet can show whether each seller has named those roles. Your own team should name its contact too, so the seller knows where to send requests and completed work.

List the person who does each task, the person who approves it and the contact for questions. Record who takes responsibility for outside help and who receives a handoff if a key person leaves. Keep those names beside the scope. Google also suggests asking how you can expect to communicate with a provider.

How will you review the work?

Compare what each seller will deliver for your team to review. A useful proposal names the work, the person responsible and the evidence that will be available. Put those details beside the result your team wants to see.

Ask when your team will see drafts, reports and proposed site changes. Check whether your experts have enough time to review the work and whether they can approve it. A proposal should make clear what happens when a decision needs more input.

Example: Your team needs a legal review before a site change. One bid names the pages and the person who will send them for review. Another mentions site work but does not say what your team will receive. Ask for the missing details before you compare the bids.

Use the same review needs for each proposal. If your team needs source material with a draft, say so. If a report needs to explain how figures were collected, ask each seller to show what that explanation will include. The answers help your team judge whether it can use the work.

Look at the time between a change and the review of its effects. A report made soon after a change may not show its full effect. Ask the seller to explain what the report can show and what remains uncertain at the review date.

Google says some changes may take effect in a few hours, while others can take several months. Its SEO Starter Guide suggests waiting a few weeks to assess whether work helped in Google Search results. This is guidance for assessment, not a promise of an AEO result.

What will you own and keep at the end?

Ask for a list of every asset you expect to keep. That can include finished pages, drafts, reports and records of changes. Ask whether you own each item or only have a license to use it. A license is permission to use work on stated terms. Check whether that permission continues after the deal ends.

Put ownership and use rights in the signed agreement. U.S. copyright law has specific rules for transfers, and a payment alone should not be treated as a full answer to who owns a work. Also ask what rights apply to material supplied by others and to text made with AI.

Keep control of the accounts that hold your business data. At the hiring stage, Google advises giving read access rather than write access. Decide what access is needed for the agreed work and who on your team can grant and remove it.

Example: A seller builds a report from your site data and delivers new page copy. Ask if you can keep the report and edit the copy after the contract ends. Also ask who holds the account and how your team will regain access if the seller leaves.

Make an asset list while you compare the bids. For each item, record who creates it, where it is kept, who can edit it and what the agreement says you can do with it after the work ends. Include material supplied by your team as well as work produced under the deal. Ask what permission comes with material from another source.

Plan the handoff in a form your team can use. A file name alone may not tell you whether your staff can edit the work or find its source material. State the format you need and the person who will receive it. For an account, record who holds the relevant role and who can update access.

A useful exit plan names the files, formats, rights and handoff owner. It also lists account access to remove and any verification tokens to address. Google notes that an owner whose token remains can verify ownership again. Keep the handoff list with your account permissions record. Google’s Search Console permissions guide explains the owner and user roles.

How do you choose when the bids do not match?

Send the same questions to every seller and record the replies in one place. Ask for gaps to be filled in writing. Then compare the work your team needs with what each bid actually covers. A fee is useful only when you know what it buys, what it leaves out and what your staff must do.

Ask for proof that fits your need. Google suggests asking about past work, expected results and how success is measured. A case study can show what happened in one setting, but ask what was measured, when it was measured and what role the seller played. Ask whether the result is representative. A single result does not establish what your business will see.

Example: A startup needs help choosing what to do first. A larger firm needs reviews across brands and markets. Both can use the same comparison sheet, but they may choose different scopes. Each should check the work, the people and the rights before signing.

For the fee, ask each seller to separate the base work from optional work and outside costs. If the scope is open, ask how extra work is approved and whether a spending cap can be agreed. If the scope is fixed, ask what counts as a completed deliverable. These questions help you compare the commitment without assuming a market rate.

Month-to-month suits a buyer testing fit, and an annual term makes sense when it buys a firm scope and clear exit terms. If you need a defined piece of advice, compare a consultant’s hourly or project fee with the work in an agency bid. If you lead a startup, choose a scope your budget can support and ask what work your team will handle.

If a seller promises a top Google rank, ask for the claim in writing and reconsider the bid. Google's own hiring guide says a first-place ranking cannot be guaranteed. Also question any claim that a special file or secret access is required for Google AI features. Ask for a source and an explanation tied to your site.

Use the same labels for every proposal. Mark a response as clear when the bid names the work and its owner, or unclear when the answer leaves a decision to be made later. Add a note explaining each mark. Show your team why a proposal fits its needs.

Discuss tradeoffs with the people who will live with them. A proposal that relies on your expert for review needs that expert’s time. Put those needs beside the fee and ask your team whether it can support the work. If the answer is no, request a revised scope before making the choice.

Keep written answers with the proposal your team reviews. If the bid changes, update the comparison so that a later version is judged with the right answers. Mark any item that must be settled in the agreement. This record gives decision makers a shared view of the work, people and rights.

Once the bids are aligned, record your choice and the reason. Note the gaps the seller agreed to close before signing, then share the final scope with the people who approve, publish and pay for the work. Put the review date on the same record.