How do you check a GEO expert's claims before paying?

Ask for a concrete deliverable, verifiable example and measurement method. Unsupported citation guarantees or unclear scope warrant further questions. Missing robots.txt, schema or an AI mention alone does not prove that a specialist is fake.

Published 2026-09-04 Updated 2026-09-07 SeoScore

Separate a promise from a deliverable

Improving AI visibility is not yet a scope of work. Ask which pages will change and how completion will be verified. A technical fix can be checked; a future assistant's source selection remains outside the provider's control.

Verify a results example

An example should identify the problem, date, change and follow-up check. For citation claims, ask for the prompt set, languages and system used. Ask about questions where the website was not mentioned as well.

An audit score, search position and business enquiry are different measures. The example should establish which one changed.

What a provider's website shows

It lets you evaluate the copy and public offer. Restricting a training bot may be a deliberate choice, however, and missing structured data does not by itself mean content is inaccessible to AI.

Not every heading needs to be a question. What matters is whether the page clearly addresses a real need. An AI mention is not a certificate of competence either.

When to ask for clarification

A specific citation or top position is guaranteed without measurement conditions.
A result has no date or comparable baseline.
An extra file is sold as a mandatory route into every AI system.
Responsibility for implementation and paid deliverables is unclear.

These checks help evaluate claims, not label people. Assess the clarity of the answers and evidence provided.

Prepare for the conversation

A GEO audit can provide initial technical findings. Add target queries and the business goal. See the GEO optimization page for the kinds of work that may follow.