How to choose an AI SEO agency in Australia: the questions to ask
Choosing an AI SEO agency comes down to how it measures AI visibility and whether what it sells matches what Google says its AI features need. Here are the questions to ask, and what a good answer sounds like.
Choose an AI SEO agency the way you would choose any SEO agency, then add two checks: how it will measure where you appear in AI answers, and whether what it sells matches what Google says its AI features need. An agency that can show you a baseline before you sign, and explain every tactic against a published source, is worth a closer look.
Australians are asking AI tools about suppliers at scale. Roy Morgan found 58% of Australians aged 14 and over used AI tools in an average four weeks in the March quarter of 2026. The questions below help you compare the agencies offering AI SEO quickly, and on the same terms.
The short answer
Ask for a baseline of your current AI visibility, a first-month plan, the source behind each tactic, named case studies, and reporting that ties work to leads. If an agency can answer all five clearly, keep talking.
What AI SEO should include
Google's guide, AI features and your website, says the best practices for SEO remain relevant to AI Overviews and AI Mode, with no additional requirements. So a credible AI SEO proposal covers the SEO foundations first: research, technical health, content and authority. What makes it AI SEO is the measurement of AI answers on top, and more weight on the brand mentions that research links to AI visibility. Our guide to AI SEO covers each part.
Eight questions to ask any AI SEO agency
1. How will you measure where we appear in AI answers today?
A good answer names the method: the buyer questions that will be tested, which AI tools, and how results are recorded so the same test can be repeated each month. Google counts AI Overviews and AI Mode within Search Console's Performance report, so ask how the agency will use that data too.
2. What will you change on our site in the first month?
Expect specifics: which pages, which technical issues, which content. A first month spent only on onboarding and reports tells you little about how the agency works.
3. Which source supports each tactic you recommend?
This is the question that filters fastest. Google states you don't need new machine-readable files, AI text files or special schema.org structured data to appear in its AI features. An agency that leads with an llms.txt file or AI-only schema should be able to explain why, against that guidance.
4. How do you earn brand mentions and coverage?
Ahrefs studied 75,000 brands and found brand mentions, including on YouTube, correlated with AI visibility far more strongly than backlink counts did. Ask how the agency earns mentions on sites your buyers read, and how it avoids anything that breaks Google's spam policies.
5. Do you report leads and revenue, or only visibility?
Visibility is a means. Ask to see a sample report and check that it connects organic traffic to enquiries or sales, measured against a starting baseline.
6. Who will do the work?
Ask for the names and experience of the people on your account, and how much of the work is done in-house.
7. Can you show named case studies?
Named clients with numbers are verifiable. Anonymous percentages are harder to check, so ask how each figure was measured.
8. What will you tell us if something is not working?
AI search changes quickly. A good agency explains how often it reviews progress, what it will report when results are flat, and how it adjusts the plan.
Claims to check against the source
- Guaranteed placement in ChatGPT or AI Overviews. Google states that even a page meeting every requirement isn't guaranteed to be crawled, indexed or shown.
- A special file or markup that unlocks AI visibility. Google's guide says no new machine-readable files, AI text files or special structured data are needed for its AI features.
- Link packages as the main lever. Ahrefs found link metrics correlated only weakly with AI visibility in its 75,000-brand study.
Comparing proposals side by side
Put each proposal against the same five lines: the baseline it offers, the first-month work, the source behind each tactic, the reporting, and the team. A proposal that answers all five with specifics gives you something concrete to hold the agency to once the work starts.
How we answer these questions
We start with a baseline: your free AI Search Score, your current Google positions and your Search Console data, recorded before any work begins. Our AI SEO services then cover research, technical SEO, answer-first content and digital PR, with monthly reporting tied to leads.
We have run white-hat SEO since 2013 with zero algorithm penalties, generated $650M+ in revenue for clients, and hold a 4.9 out of 5 rating across 180 reviews. We work with businesses Australia-wide, with dedicated pages for AI SEO in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
Put us to the test with a free AI SEO audit.
A senior strategist reviews how your site ranks in Google and how AI tools read it, then hands you a prioritised plan to compare against any other proposal.
Sources
- Google Search Central, AI features and your website (last updated 10 December 2025)
- Ahrefs, Top brand visibility factors in ChatGPT, AI Mode and AI Overviews (12 December 2025)
- Roy Morgan, AI tools usage, March quarter 2026 (Single Source, n=14,646)
Frequently asked questions
What should I look for in an AI SEO agency?
Look for an agency that measures your current AI visibility before you sign, explains each tactic against a published source such as Google's AI features guide, earns brand mentions rather than selling link packages, and reports leads as well as rankings. Named case studies and a white-hat record are good signs.
Which SEO agencies offer AI SEO services in Australia?
Several Australian SEO agencies now offer AI SEO services. Compare them on how they measure AI answers, what they change in the first month, and whether their tactics match Google's guidance. Whitehat Agency runs AI SEO Australia-wide, with a white-hat record since 2013 and a 4.9 out of 5 rating across 180 reviews.
Can an AI SEO agency guarantee results in ChatGPT?
Be cautious of any guarantee. Google states that even a page meeting every requirement isn't guaranteed to be crawled, indexed or shown. A credible agency commits to the work, a measured baseline and regular reporting, rather than to a placement.
How much should AI SEO cost?
It depends on your market, your competitors and how much work your site needs. Ask each agency to set out the work, the investment and the expected return in writing, then compare proposals on the same lines: baseline, first-month work, sources, reporting and team.
