Before you hire anyone

Hiring someone to get your shop recommended by AI? Ask these questions first.

Two things matter most: proof from many answers instead of one lucky screenshot, and a deal where you pay for booked customers, not busywork. Here's how to check both.

Updated 14 November 2026

8 questions to ask before you sign anything

Whether they call it AI SEO, GEO or AEO, these questions sort a solid partner from an expensive experiment.

1. Will you show me the same questions asked many times, before and after?

Why it matters: Who gets named first changes from one ask to the next, and with the wording of the question, sometimes within the same hour. Anyone can ask until your shop pops up once, take a screenshot and call it a win. One screenshot proves nothing.

A good answer sounds like: "We ask the same homeowner questions dozens of times, before and after, and show you your share of the answers."

2. Do you promise a #1 spot?

Why it matters: Because the answers move, nobody can honestly promise or sell a #1 spot. When we asked about a leaking water heater in Round Rock, Texas, three assistants picked three different favorites. If an agency guarantees you the top slot, walk away.

A good answer sounds like: "No, and nobody can. What we can do is grow your share of many answers."

3. Which assistants, and which questions?

Why it matters: Homeowners don't type two words anymore. They ask ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini a whole question, like "I need a plumber in Round Rock, TX who can come out Thursday to look at a leaking water heater. Who should I call?" Checking one assistant, or a couple of keywords, misses how people actually hire.

A good answer sounds like: "ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini, with the full questions a homeowner asks when something breaks in your town."

4. Will you build a page for each job and town?

Why it matters: In our Round Rock test, stars didn't decide who got picked: the typical rating was 4.9 for picked plumbers and for never-mentioned ones. Plain facts on the page did. Of the 11 plumbers the assistants picked most, 10 had the town in the page title, 8 said how they charge and 5 showed a dollar price. Among 12 top Maps plumbers the assistants never mentioned, it was 5, 4 and 0. (The full Round Rock numbers.)

A good answer sounds like: "One clear page per job and town, with your service, area, hours and how you charge."

5. Can a customer book me right from that page?

Why it matters: Getting named doesn't pay for truck fuel if the homeowner lands on a vague home page and leaves. When a pipe is dripping, they want to hire someone right now.

A good answer sounds like: "Every page comes with a booking page or a tracked phone line, so they can hire you on the spot."

6. What exactly do I pay for?

Why it matters: Plenty of contracts bill every month for activity, rankings or thick PDF reports. You run a trade business, not a library. You shouldn't pay for reports while the phone stays quiet.

A good answer sounds like: "You pay for new customers who book. Not for reports, not for ranking charts."

7. How will we count the customers you send?

Why it matters: If you pay for results, you both need a clean way to tell which jobs came from their work and which came from your truck wrap or yard signs. Guesswork ruins a good arrangement.

A good answer sounds like: "We count a customer when they book through the page or tracked line we built for you."

8. Can I see where I stand for free first?

Why it matters: You shouldn't have to buy blind. Of 36 agencies the assistants themselves recommend for this work, 12 offer a free AI visibility check up front.

A good answer sounds like: "Yes. We'll check your trade and town for free and show you the numbers before we talk about anything else."

How we answer those same questions