Let's address the elephant in the room: you want to know what AEO actually costs, and most articles on this topic give you frustratingly vague answers. We're going to be specific. Here are real numbers — what businesses actually pay, what you get at each price point, and how to calculate whether the investment makes sense for your specific situation.
What Are the Actual Pricing Ranges for AEO?
DIY AEO costs $0-200/month in tools. Freelancer-assisted AEO runs $500-1,500/month. Full-service agency AEO ranges from $1,500-5,000/month. Enterprise and multi-location AEO starts at $5,000+/month. Most small businesses find the sweet spot at $750-2,000/month.
The AEO market is still maturing, which means pricing varies widely. Here's what we're seeing across the industry in 2025:
- <strong>DIY ($0-200/month):</strong> You do the research, create the content, implement schema markup, and monitor results yourself. Tool costs might include schema generators ($0-50/month), AI monitoring tools ($50-150/month), and content optimization software ($0-100/month).
- <strong>Freelancer/Consultant ($500-1,500/month):</strong> A specialist handles strategy and technical implementation while you handle content creation and review management. Good for businesses with some marketing capacity but lacking AEO-specific technical expertise.
- <strong>Full-Service Agency ($1,500-5,000/month):</strong> Comprehensive management including schema markup, content strategy and creation, citation management, review optimization guidance, AI visibility monitoring across all platforms, and monthly reporting.
- <strong>Enterprise/Multi-Location ($5,000+/month):</strong> Multiple locations, complex service areas, competitive industries, and advanced competitive intelligence. Includes dedicated account management and custom AI visibility dashboards.
These ranges reflect monthly retainer costs. Many agencies also offer one-time audit and setup packages ranging from $1,000-5,000 that cover the initial technical foundation, with lower ongoing maintenance costs afterward.
Should I DIY or Hire an Agency for AEO?
DIY works for business owners with 5-10 hours weekly to dedicate and basic technical skills. Hire professional help if schema markup confuses you, your time is better spent on billable work, you're in a competitive market, or you need results faster than self-learning allows.
This isn't an all-or-nothing decision. The smartest approach for most small businesses is a hybrid model — professional help for technical foundations, DIY for ongoing content and review management.
Here's a realistic breakdown of what you can handle yourself versus what typically requires expertise:
- <strong>DIY-friendly:</strong> Google Business Profile optimization, writing FAQ content, responding to reviews, basic blog content creation, maintaining consistent business information across directories
- <strong>Needs expertise:</strong> Schema markup implementation (especially complex nested schemas), technical site audits, competitive AI signal analysis, cross-platform optimization strategy, advanced structured data testing and debugging
- <strong>Hybrid approach works well:</strong> Professional initial setup and strategy ($1,000-3,000 one-time), then DIY execution with quarterly professional check-ins ($300-500/quarter)
The real question is the value of your time. If you bill $200/hour as an attorney and AEO takes 10 hours/month to DIY, that's $2,000 in opportunity cost — more than hiring a professional. A plumber billing $150/hour faces the same math. We cover this decision in depth in our guide on whether you can do AEO yourself.
What Should AEO Services Include?
Quality AEO services should include: AI visibility audit, schema markup implementation, citation audit and management, content strategy and creation, review optimization guidance, cross-platform AI monitoring, monthly performance reporting, and ongoing strategy adjustments based on AI model updates.
Not all AEO services are created equal. Before signing any contract, make sure these core deliverables are included:
- <strong>Initial AI Visibility Audit:</strong> A comprehensive baseline assessment of your current visibility across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, and AI Overviews. This should include competitive analysis showing who AI currently recommends instead of you.
- <strong>Schema Markup Implementation:</strong> LocalBusiness, Service, FAQ, Review, and other relevant schema types properly deployed and validated. This is technical work that forms the foundation of AI visibility.
- <strong>Citation Audit and Management:</strong> Identification and correction of NAP inconsistencies across all major directories, plus ongoing monitoring for new inconsistencies.
- <strong>Content Strategy and Creation:</strong> At minimum, a content calendar aligned with AI-priority topics. Better agencies include content creation — at least 4-8 optimized pieces per month.
- <strong>AI Visibility Monitoring:</strong> Regular testing of your AI presence across platforms with documented results showing improvement over time.
- <strong>Monthly Reporting:</strong> Clear, understandable reports showing what was done, what changed, and what's planned next. If you can't understand the report, the agency isn't communicating well.
Red Flags in AEO Pricing
Be wary of agencies that guarantee specific AI placements (no one can guarantee what ChatGPT will say), charge setup fees over $5,000 without clear deliverables, lock you into 12+ month contracts, or can't explain exactly what they'll do each month. AEO is new enough that some agencies are repackaging basic SEO and calling it AEO.
How Do I Calculate AEO Return on Investment?
Calculate AEO ROI by multiplying your average customer lifetime value by the number of additional customers AI visibility generates monthly, then subtract your AEO investment. Even one additional customer per month from AI recommendations delivers positive ROI for most service businesses.
Let's run real numbers for a local service business:
Example: HVAC company
Average job value: $3,500. Average customer lifetime value (including repeat service, maintenance contracts): $8,000. AEO investment: $2,000/month.
If AEO generates just one additional customer per month from AI recommendations, that's $8,000 in lifetime value against $2,000 in AEO cost — a 4:1 return. Two additional customers per month makes it 8:1.
Example: Personal injury attorney
Average case value: $15,000-50,000. AEO investment: $3,000/month ($36,000/year). One additional case per quarter from AI visibility: $15,000-50,000 minimum. Annual ROI: positive even in the most conservative scenario.
Example: Med spa
Average new client first-year value: $2,500. AEO investment: $1,500/month. Two additional clients per month from AI discovery: $5,000/month revenue against $1,500 cost. ROI: positive within month one.
The math is straightforward: if your customer value exceeds your monthly AEO cost, you only need one additional AI-sourced customer per month to break even. Everything above that is profit.
What Should My AEO Budget Be?
Allocate 15-25% of your total digital marketing budget to AEO. For businesses spending $5,000-10,000/month on marketing, that's $750-2,500 on AEO. Start with a one-time audit and foundation setup, then transition to monthly optimization at a level your cash flow supports.
Here's our honest recommendation for different business stages:
- <strong>Just starting out / tight budget:</strong> DIY the basics using our free guides. Optimize your GBP, write FAQ content, and manually test AI visibility monthly. When revenue allows, invest in a professional schema markup setup ($500-1,500 one-time). Total: $0-200/month.
- <strong>Established business / moderate budget:</strong> Professional AI visibility audit ($500-1,500 one-time), schema markup implementation ($500-1,500 one-time), then ongoing content and monitoring at $750-1,500/month. This is the sweet spot for most small businesses.
- <strong>Growth-focused / competitive market:</strong> Full-service AEO at $2,000-4,000/month including content creation, aggressive review optimization, competitive monitoring, and multi-platform strategy. Appropriate when you're competing against well-funded competitors.
- <strong>Multi-location business:</strong> Enterprise approach at $3,000-7,000+/month covering all locations, centralized strategy with local execution, and advanced reporting. The per-location cost drops significantly at scale.
Whatever your budget, the most important thing is to start now. AI search adoption is accelerating, and the businesses building AI visibility today are creating competitive advantages that will be exponentially harder to overcome in 12 months. Understand the timeline to expect, set a budget you can sustain for at least 6 months, and commit to consistent effort.
Frequently Asked Questions
The First Answer Team
AEO Specialists at First Answer
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