AI SEO is no longer optional — it’s a prominent part of the search experience.
So, if you’re not super familiar with how to optimize for AI search, you may be looking for help from an agency. But before you sign the dotted line, it’s important to know what AI SEO agency red flags to look out for.
What are red flags when looking at AI search optimization agencies?
To ensure you hire the best AI SEO agency, here are some red flags you’ll want to avoid:
1. Guarantees of visibility
A big red flag for AI SEO agencies is if they’re guaranteeing they can get you visibility in search results. Just like you can’t guarantee rankings with SEO, you can’t guarantee visibility with AI SEO.
AI search results constantly change. You can appear in them for one searcher and not for the next. They’re constantly shifting and changing, which means you can’t make guarantees about visibility.
So, if an agency is saying they can guarantee your visibility in AI search results or guarantee results fast, you’ll want to think twice about working with them.
2. Using incorrect terminology
Another big AI SEO agency red flag is if they use incorrect terminology when talking about AI SEO.
Okay, so what exactly does that mean?
If you’re looking into an AI SEO agency and they’re not talking about things like boosting brand visibility, earning citations, or targeting prompts, that’s a red flag. A good AI SEO agency will mention all of those things when talking about AI search because they’re key components of the strategy.
Now, if instead your agency is talking about getting the top spot in AI Overviews, targeting keywords, and earning clicks, that’s a sign of a bad agency. Chasing clicks and top spots isn’t the primary goal of AI SEO — it’s a goal of traditional SEO.
If an agency is talking about these things when pitching AI SEO services, you’ll want to look at a different agency instead.
3. Secret or vague methods
With AI search being the up-and-coming strategy, a lot of people are pouring time and effort into figuring out what works. Because of this, some agencies try to keep their AI methods a “secret” because they want a competitive edge.
Realistically, it’s a red flag for an AI SEO agency.
If your agency isn’t willing to be direct and clear with you about the methods they’re using to help with AI search visibility, it means they either don’t have a legitimate strategy or they’re using sketchy tactics.
A good agency will tell you what they’re doing and will use legitimate tactics to help you improve your AI search performance.
4. Generic, one-size-fits-all approach
Just like with SEO, having a generic one-size-fits-all AI SEO strategy won’t work. If you’re looking at agencies and they offer a blanket strategy to help you perform better in AI search results, you’ll likely want to avoid them.
You need a custom strategy for your business because the approach to AI search looks different for different industries. Some industries are seeing greater impacts from AI search than others, which means that they need a more aggressive approach to their AI search optimization.
If you’re working with an agency that doesn’t tailor based on your industry and your business, you’re going to get a generic strategy that really won’t help you increase visibility in AI search engines.
5. No proper software to track AI search performance
A huge AI SEO agency red flag is if they don’t have the right software to track your AI search performance. As I mentioned earlier, AI search focuses on different things than traditional SEO. So, as a result, your agency should be tracking different metrics than they would with traditional SEO.
That’s why it’s important to make sure the agencies you’re looking at have proper AI search tracking software in place. It can be an in-house tool or one of the bigger tools on the market. Regardless of which it is, it should have the ability to help you track things like visibility, competitor visibility, and prompt performance.
6. No focus on building authority
Another big AI SEO agency red flag to look out for is if the agency isn’t focused on building brand authority. One of the biggest key differentiators between traditional SEO and AI SEO is that AI SEO relies heavily on building brand recognition and authority to help you earn citations in AI Overviews and LLMs.
As a result, one of your agency’s key focus areas should be on building your brand authority through tactics like:
- Helping you earn more reviews
- Helping you get mentioned on third-party sites
- Using tactics like guest blogging
- Building reputable backlinks
The goal is to build your trust and authority across the web so that AI engines see you as a reputable source to cite. If your AI agency isn’t making any mentions of it, you may want to look elsewhere for AI SEO strategy support.
7. They don’t have proof of AI SEO work they’ve done
The last AI SEO agency red flag to look for regards proof of performance. Even though AI SEO is a newer strategy, agencies should be able to show you some kind of results that they’ve driven for businesses similar to yours.
Keep in mind that agencies may not have case studies published online, but they should have numbers they can share with you that show they can drive results for their current clients.
If an agency can’t produce the numbers, it signals a red flag.
FAQs on red flags in AI SEO agencies
Got more questions about AI SEO agency red flags? We have answers.
What are common scams with AI search optimization services?
While most providers of AI SEO services are legit, there are always scams with new services like these.
- Promises to generate quality content, only to publish mass-produced, general, AI-generated content search engines don’t want
- Claiming to have a “secret algorithm” to get in AI results
- Claiming SEO is dead (it’s not) and AI SEO is the only thing you can do now
- Offering much lower prices than others to try and be “competitive” (but realistically, the services aren’t good)
What are the biggest mistakes businesses make when hiring an AI SEO agency?
When you’re hiring an AI SEO agency, avoid these mistakes:
- Hiring an agency that doesn’t have proof of results with AI SEO
- Partnering with an agency that has significantly cheaper packages than similar competitors (you’re not going to see good results)
- Not asking about their approach to AI search and what they do
- Hiring an agency that doesn’t create high-value content, but instead, thin content
- Choosing an agency that doesn’t have clear reporting
How can I tell if an agency just says they do AI SEO but doesn’t actually do it?
A good way to figure out if an agency actually does AI SEO vs. just saying they do is to ask them how they would approach things for your company.
So, for example, if an agency says “We track AI citations,” ask them how they would go about doing that for your business. If they can’t explain what that process looks like or gives you a vague answer like “We just track where you appear,” you’ll want to avoid them.
A good agency will explain their methodology clearly — an even better agency will demostrate (when possible) what it looks like.
Skip the red flag AI SEO agencies — go with a trusted partner
With AI SEO being the new strategy, there are a lot of red flag agencies popping up that you need to watch out for. But, if you would rather skip the hassle and go straight to a trusted AI SEO agency, check out WebFX (the team behind SEO.com).
We offer AI SEO services backed by a team with 25+ years of experience in search. Explore our AI SEO case studies for a heavy equipment dealer and mower manufacturer to see how we’re already helping businesses grow through AI search!
Ready to make the next move? Connect with us today to see how we can help you own AI search!
Beat Your Competitors Tomorrow
Be where your customers are and your competitors aren’t- AI search results. See how with OmniSEO®!
Beat Your Competitors Tomorrow
Be where your customers are and your competitors aren’t- AI search results. See how with OmniSEO®!
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