Before you sign a GEO retainer, know what you are paying to fix

Most UK GEO agencies sell you a retainer. I think you should buy the diagnosis first.

GEO, or generative engine optimisation, is the work of getting your business named and cited when people ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Perplexity for a recommendation. Before you pay anyone to do that work, you need to know why AI engines are not citing you now. That is what OPTIMUM v2.4 is for. It scores your site, shows the evidence behind each score, and gives you a report you can hand to any developer or agency.

This post compares that approach with how UK GEO agencies typically sell. It includes a ready reckoner you can keep, and it says plainly where an agency is the better choice.

How UK GEO agencies sell

UK agencies usually sell a one-off audit, then a monthly retainer. Published UK price guides put the typical retainer at £2,000 to £5,000 a month, with audit or onboarding fees of £1,500 to £5,000 on top. One London guide gives £2,000 to £4,000 for entry-level work and £5,000 to £12,000 or more for advanced programmes.

Few agencies publish prices. In one October 2026 comparison of 20 UK agencies, most said request a quote and a handful showed a monthly fee. The published fees ranged from about £450 to £5,950 a month plus VAT, depending on what they covered. Narrow packages, such as a few tracked prompts or off-site outreach only, sat at the bottom. Broad programmes with content, technical work and PR sat at the top. Minimum terms ran from one month’s notice to twelve months.

These fees buy different work, so they are not like for like. Many agencies also run their own AI tracking tool, so each measures visibility in its own way.

Where agency offers leave gaps

The buyer guides that agencies publish themselves point to the same weak spots, and OPTIMUM is built around them.

• No standard scope. Two fees are not comparable without the scope behind them. OPTIMUM has a published rate card and a defined set of deliverables.
• Each agency measures its own way. A higher visibility score can simply reflect a different sample of questions. OPTIMUM uses one 0 to 10 rubric and a dated Evidence Log, so scores can be compared over time.
• SEO with a new label. Several guides warn that some agencies repackage SEO as GEO. A fixed audit lets you test any proposal against the same standard.
• The audit is commonly a baseline before a retainer. The OPTIMUM report stands alone and can be taken to any supplier.
• Sector depth is uneven. Most agencies work across sectors. OPTIMUM carries frameworks for automotive retail, estate agency, fintech, health tech, accountancy and professional services, and for other industries that rely heavily on website clicks.

The ready reckoner

The table below sets a typical UK GEO agency beside OPTIMUM v2.4, row by row. Keep it, print it, or take it into your next supplier meeting.

	Typical UK GEO agency	OPTIMUM v2.4
Entry offer	Audit or onboarding at £1,500 to £5,000, then a retainer	Audit £700 (£350 introductory), two-hour discovery included
Ongoing work	Retainer, typically £2,000 to £5,000 a month	Advice at £350 a day or £50 an hour. Monthly Citation Watch POA
Price visibility	Most say request a quote	Published rate card, no VAT
Scoring	The agency’s own tracker and metrics	Fixed 0 to 10 rubric. Now Score, Future Score and Delta
Evidence	Reports from the agency’s tracker	Dated Evidence Log behind every score
Who fixes it	The agency	Your developers or agency, using the report as the brief
Third parties	Often bundled into the retainer	Flagged in the report. Caps the Future Score
Compliance	Varies	GDPR and crawler permission checks in every audit
Founder visibility	Varies	Checked in every audit
Sector depth	Mostly cross-sector	Automotive retail, estate agency, fintech, health tech, accountancy, professional services. Other industries heavily reliant on website clicks
Commitment	One month’s notice to twelve months	Fixed-fee audit, then advice by the day if wanted

Agency figures come from published UK GEO price guides, October 2026. OPTIMUM prices come from the State of the Art Digital rate card dated 19 August 2026, with no VAT. POA means price on application.

What OPTIMUM v2.4 gives you

• A low cost of entry. The audit is £700, or £350 introductory for early clients, and includes a two-hour discovery meeting. That is well below the £1,500 to £5,000 agencies charge for an audit or onboarding.
• A fixed score. Every dimension is scored 0 to 10 on one rubric, with a Now Score, a Future Score and the Delta between them.
• Evidence behind every score. A dated Evidence Log shows how each number was reached, so a re-test is like for like.
• Honesty about what you do not control. Where a gain depends on a third party, the Future Score is capped. The report does not promise results nobody can guarantee.
• Compliance and person-level checks. GDPR status, crawler permissions and founder visibility are checked in every audit.
• A brief you can reuse. Buyer guides advise sending every shortlisted agency the same brief. The OPTIMUM report is that brief, with scores to hold each proposal against.
• Advice without a retainer. Day-rate advice is £350 a day or £50 an hour, on a two-hour minimum. Compare that with £2,000 to £5,000 a month.

If you want more, the next steps are priced on application: the Citation-Cluster Sitemap Blueprint, Build Oversight and Certification, and Monthly Citation Watch.

Where agencies are the better choice

To be fair, agencies win on delivery.

• Delivery capacity. Many agencies bundle digital PR, content and technical work. OPTIMUM designs the work. It does not write pages or place coverage at volume.
• Scale and reach. Larger agencies field big teams with multi-language support, which suits multi-market brands.
• Joined-up channels. Some agencies coordinate GEO with paid search and paid social under one plan.
• Continuous tracking. Many run in-house trackers that monitor answers all month. OPTIMUM re-tests on a schedule and relies on consultant time.
• Small, narrow entry packages. Some start at a few hundred pounds a month plus VAT for tightly defined work.

Which option fits which situation

Your situation	Best fit
You do not know why AI engines ignore you and want a plan before spending	OPTIMUM audit
You have developers or an agency but no brief	OPTIMUM audit as the brief
You need content and PR delivered at volume	An agency retainer, scoped using an OPTIMUM audit and judged against its scores
Enterprise, multi-language, or GEO joined to paid media	A larger agency, with an OPTIMUM audit as the baseline
Tight budget and a narrow need	An OPTIMUM-LITE snapshot from £75 introductory, or a small agency entry package

The two work together. OPTIMUM diagnoses and an agency delivers. It should tell you what that team is being paid to fix.

So before you sign a GEO retainer, ask yourself: do you know what you are paying to fix?