Ask for reasoning, not just results
A polished case study may hide the starting point, other channels, market conditions, or the provider's actual role. Ask the expert to walk through a diagnosis, evidence, rejected alternatives, implementation risks, and how success was measured.
- Request a sanitized deliverable relevant to your scope.
- Ask which recommendation had the greatest downside risk.
- Ask how they verify scanner findings.
- Ask what they would not change without more evidence.
Check alignment with official guidance
Google now specifically recommends evaluating whether AEO or GEO advice aligns with official guidance for generative Search. A provider should distinguish documented platform behavior from inference and reject claims of internal access or guaranteed placement.
- Ask for the source behind major technical claims.
- Check publication dates on fast-changing guidance.
- Challenge special markup or secret-ranking claims.
- Confirm they understand ordinary SEO foundations.
Evaluate access and implementation discipline
Technical expertise includes knowing when not to request administrator access, how to stage a change, what to test, and how to roll it back. A provider who wants full control before understanding the task creates unnecessary risk.
- Begin with read-only access for audits.
- Use named accounts and least privilege.
- Require change notes and validation steps.
- Confirm who approves production deployment.
Test communication before the contract grows
Use a paid diagnostic or bounded project to evaluate clarity, reliability, and judgment. The best technical explanation should be understandable to the person making the decision without hiding uncertainty behind jargon.
- Set one deliverable and review meeting.
- Observe how the expert handles missing data.
- Check whether questions arrive early enough to protect the timeline.
- Confirm the report separates priorities from possibilities.
Official references
- Google: Do you need an SEO?: Google lists questions for vetting SEO providers, including providers selling AEO or GEO services.
- Google: Optimizing for generative AI features: Google explains RAG, query fan-out, measurement, agentic experiences, and why ordinary SEO fundamentals still apply.
FAQ
Should a technical SEO guarantee rankings?
No. Google warns against providers that guarantee first place. Technical work can improve eligibility and quality, but no outside provider controls search results.
Is certification proof of technical SEO skill?
Certification can show study of a platform or course, but it does not replace relevant work, reasoning, references, and implementation discipline.
How should I evaluate a GEO provider?
Ask which providers and metrics they cover, how tests are repeated, what is first-party versus synthetic data, and whether their advice aligns with official search guidance.
Keep the Next Step Small
Use the related guides to confirm what the page needs. Ask for support only when the change reaches code, templates, or server settings you do not want to guess at.
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