The GEO Vendor Selection Problem

You're shortlisting GEO vendors. Everyone says they drive visibility inside ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. Nobody shows you what "visibility" means in your first month—or what it costs to get there.

Most vendor conversations dead-end in roadmaps, case study PDFs, and "we're working on that." You need a framework to separate vendors who ship today from vendors who sell tomorrow.

Vendors without first-month proof are asking you to fund their R&D. Don't.

This scorecard forces clarity. Use it to shortlist. Demand answers.

What to Score on the Scorecard

1. Week-One Deliverables

Ask each vendor: "What do we have in hand on day 7?" Not a dashboard login. Not a strategy deck. Tangible output: optimized content snapshots, citation flow analysis, generative engine ranking baselines, or schema audits.

If they can't name a Week 1 deliverable, move on.

2. Pricing Transparency

Avoid "let's schedule a call" pricing. Demand one of these models:

  • Fixed project fee (e.g., $8K for baseline audit + 90-day optimization sprint).
  • Per-keyword retainer (e.g., $500/mo per target keyword in ChatGPT rankings).
  • Performance-gated (e.g., you pay only when citations hit a threshold).

If they won't commit to one, they're hedging. Bad signal.

3. Month-One Success Metrics

The vendor should define what "success" looks like by day 30 in your contract. Examples:

  • Citations appearing in 5+ generative engine responses (measurable via prompt tracking).
  • 5-15 target keywords mapped to your content in Claude / Perplexity results.
  • Baseline GEO traffic to your site (from logged AI-tool referrals, if available).
  • Content gaps identified and prioritized (owned doc, ready for execution).

If they dodge specificity, they're selling hope.

Red Flags During Vendor Calls

"We'll optimize your content for LLMs" — too vague. Ask: which LLMs? which prompt patterns? which ranking signals?

"Rankings take 60–90 days" — true for Google. Generative engines move faster. If they're not showing traction in 14–21 days with prompt testing, their process is untested.

"Our AI will do all the work" — GEO is not fully automated yet. Expect vendor + your team collaboration (content, schema, domain strategy). If they promise hands-off, they don't understand the space.

"We have case studies" — ask to speak to a client currently 30 days into the engagement, not six months in. Early proof is harder to fake.

The Pricing Conversation You Need to Have

Most GEO vendors are bootstrapping pricing from SEO playbooks ($3K–$10K/mo retainers). That model doesn't fit GEO because:

  • GEO moves faster (results in weeks, not months).
  • Scope is tighter (content, schema, domain signals — not site architecture overhauls).
  • Testing is cheaper (prompts, not crawls).

Demand a pricing model that reflects velocity. If a vendor quotes you $15K/mo for GEO, push back. If they can't justify it with week-one proof and month-one KPIs, they're pricing for risk absorption, not results.

Who Should Use This Scorecard

Marketing leaders, product teams, and growth operators shortlisting between 2–4 GEO vendors. If you're solo-evaluating one vendor, you've already lost leverage. Use this scorecard to demand rigor from multiple candidates.

Work with us on this

Modulus ships GEO work in a model built for proof, not promises. In week one, you get a generative engine baseline audit: which of your target keywords currently surface your content in ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, and what content gaps are blocking you. We map the signals. We show you the baseline.

By month one, you have citations appearing in live AI responses, priority content recommendations delivered, and schema corrections deployed. You own the roadmap. We execute the playbook. Pricing is fixed-project or per-keyword retainer — your choice. No "call to discuss."

This is for B2B teams chasing visibility inside generative engines, not SEO spillover. If your board is asking "why aren't we in Claude?" or your product team needs traffic from AI-native tools, this is for you.

Ready to stop evaluating and start proving? Explore Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and book a 20-minute proof call. We'll show you the week-one deliverable, pricing structure, and 30-day success markers for your business.