The AI search market just crossed $43 billion and is racing toward $108 billion by 2032 (Coherent Market Insights, 2025). ChatGPT now processes 2 billion queries daily (DemandSage, 2025), while Google's search dominance slipped below 90% for the first time since 2015 (ContentGrip, 2025).

For marketing directors and CMOs, the implications are clear: your visibility strategy needs to evolve beyond traditional SEO. But here's the problem—the generative engine optimization (GEO) agency landscape is fragmented, confusing, and full of conflicting promises.

Some agencies claim research leadership. Others promise integrated marketing ecosystems. A few deliver rapid, technical implementation. But which approach actually drives results for your business?

This article cuts through the marketing positioning to compare three fundamentally different GEO philosophies: First Page Sage (the research pioneer), Single Grain (the integration specialist), and The 66th (the technical implementer). You'll discover how their methodologies differ, what justifies the 10x pricing gaps, and which agency model matches your company's stage and needs.

Why GEO Agency Selection Actually Matters

Traditional SEO takes 6-12 months to show meaningful results (EWR Digital, 2025). That timeline is consistent across most reputable agencies—it's driven by how search algorithms evaluate trust, authority, and content quality over time (SEO.com, 2024).

But GEO operates differently. AI systems like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews don't just rank websites—they synthesize information from multiple sources and generate answers. Your brand either gets cited in those answers or it doesn't exist in that discovery moment.

The challenge? AI Overviews now appear in 13-47% of Google queries, with rates hitting 50%+ for informational searches (Infront Webworks, 2025). And 39% of marketers report traffic declines since AI Overviews launched in May 2024 (ContentGrip, 2025).

This shift has created three distinct agency approaches, each solving different problems for different business types.

Three Philosophies: Research, Integration, and Implementation

Before diving into specifics, understand that these agencies aren't just offering different services—they represent fundamentally different beliefs about how GEO works and what drives results.

First Page Sage built GEO as a discipline through academic-style research. They analyzed over 11,000 commercial queries to reverse-engineer how AI systems make recommendations. Their approach: establish thought leadership, publish proprietary research, and build authority through comprehensive content strategies.

Single Grain positions GEO as one component of integrated growth marketing. They don't just optimize for AI search—they connect it to paid media, attribution modeling, and full-funnel conversion optimization. Their approach: unified visibility across all discovery channels.

The 66th focuses on technical implementation depth. Custom schema audits, founder-led execution, and rapid deployment cycles. Their approach: deep technical work that delivers measurable results in weeks rather than months.

Let's examine how these philosophies translate into actual methodology, pricing, and outcomes.

[IMAGE: Three-column diagram showing each agency's core philosophy with icons: Research (microscope/data), Integration (connected nodes/ecosystem), Implementation (code/gears)]

First Page Sage: The Research Pioneer

Methodology & Approach

First Page Sage pioneered GEO through systematic research. Their team analyzed 11,128 commercial queries across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude to identify how each platform weighs different ranking factors.

Their six-factor model emphasizes:

• List article placement (highest algorithmic weight)

• Database inclusion (Wikipedia, Crunchbase, industry databases)

• Google/Bing authority (traditional SEO foundation)

• Review scores (minimum 3.5 stars to be recommended)

• Reputation signals (awards, accreditations, company size)

• User sentiment (social signals, brand mentions)

The strategy centers on creating authoritative, evergreen content that establishes clients as definitive sources in their industries. Think comprehensive guides, thought leadership articles, and structured comparison content that AI systems naturally want to cite.

Client Profile & Specialization

First Page Sage works with enterprise B2B clients in complex verticals: Salesforce, Logitech, Verifone, NerdWallet. These companies need long-term authority building in technical spaces like SaaS, medtech, manufacturing, and financial services.

Their content approach prioritizes depth over speed. A typical engagement might involve creating 20-30 comprehensive guides over 6-12 months, each targeting specific buyer journey stages and building topical clusters that signal expertise to both search engines and AI platforms.

Pricing Structure

First Page Sage uses tiered pricing reflecting service comprehensiveness:

• Tier 1 ($1,500-3,000/month): Basic list placements, minimal SEO optimization

• Tier 2 ($4,000-7,000/month): Content creation, SEO optimization, ongoing monitoring

• Tier 3 ($8,000-15,000+/month): Comprehensive PR, high-authority list placements, full reputation management

These ranges align with broader market benchmarks, where GEO services typically cost $1,500-10,000 monthly for standard programs, with enterprise reaching $30,000+ (PageTraffic, 2025).

When First Page Sage Makes Sense

Choose First Page Sage when:

• You're an established enterprise with 6-12 month planning cycles

• Your industry requires deep thought leadership (technical B2B, healthcare, finance)

• You need research-backed methodology for internal stakeholder buy-in

• You value platform-specific strategies (different approaches for ChatGPT vs. Gemini)

• You can invest $8,000-15,000/month for comprehensive coverage

Skip First Page Sage if you need results in under 6 months, you're a startup with limited runway, or you want hands-on founder involvement rather than account management.

Single Grain: The Integration Specialist

Methodology & Approach

Single Grain doesn't position GEO as standalone—they integrate it into what they call "Search Everywhere Optimization" (SEVO). This unified approach combines traditional SEO, GEO, answer engine optimization (AEO), and paid media into a cohesive growth system.

Their methodology emphasizes:

• Cross-channel attribution (tracking how AI visibility influences full customer journey)

• Content transformation (making existing content AI-readable)

• AI-readiness audits (assessing current visibility across platforms)

• Performance tracking (connecting citations to business outcomes)

• Integrated campaigns (SEO + GEO + paid working together)

Unlike agencies focused solely on AI citations, Single Grain asks: "How does your GEO strategy integrate with existing marketing investment? How do we prove ROI across channels?"

Service Breadth

Single Grain operates as full-service digital marketing, not just GEO specialists. Their offering includes technical SEO, content strategy, paid media, CRO, and analytics—with GEO as one integrated component.

This breadth creates advantages for companies needing comprehensive marketing support but can feel like overkill for businesses wanting focused GEO execution.

Pricing & Results

Single Grain's pricing starts around $3,000-5,000/month for basic GEO services, scaling to $10,000-30,000+ for enterprise programs requiring full-service integration.

Their case studies demonstrate integrated impact:

• LS Building Products: 1,124% impression increase, 229% conversion increase in 12 months

• Home technology company: 200 additional AI citations in 30 days, 32% more qualified leads, 8.4% click increase

• Building materials company: 67% organic traffic growth in 6 months

These results combine multiple channels, making it difficult to isolate pure GEO impact—which is precisely their point. They argue that siloed optimization misses how modern customers actually discover and evaluate brands.

When Single Grain Makes Sense

Choose Single Grain when:

• You need full-service marketing, not just GEO

• You value cross-channel attribution and integrated reporting

• You're scaling a growth-stage B2B or ecommerce brand

• You want data-driven frameworks and proprietary analytics

• Your team lacks bandwidth to coordinate multiple agencies

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The 66th: The Technical Implementer

Methodology & Approach

The 66th takes a different path: founder-led technical implementation with rapid deployment cycles. Where other agencies build authority over 6-12 months, The 66th has multiple case studies showing 400-1,500% growth in 1.5-6 months.

Their six-signal model focuses on:

1. Reputation (reviews, press, social proof)

2. Relevance (content alignment with search intent)

3. Authority (backlinks, domain strength, expert signals)

4. Structure (schema markup, technical optimization)

5. Fresh Content (regular publishing, topical authority)

6. Consistency (NAP uniformity, brand mentions)

But the real differentiator is implementation depth. The 66th doesn't use plugin-generated schema—they build custom ChatGPT prompts to audit brand mentions across the web, then implement granular schema markup that goes beyond basic Organization types to include Founder profiles, Service details, and entity relationships.

Proven Results Timeline

The 66th's case studies demonstrate unusually rapid results:

Maple Terroir (Premium maple syrup brand):

• 1,500% organic traffic growth (50 to 800+ monthly visitors) in 6 months

• 650% backlink growth (under 10 to 60+ referring domains)

• 143% revenue increase

• Documented $300+ order directly from ChatGPT—industry-first proof of AI search revenue attribution

Aetherhaus (Vancouver cold plunge studio):

• 434% traffic increase (556 to 2,969 monthly visitors) in 1.5 months

• 558% returning user growth

• 50% revenue increase within 2 weeks

• First-time appearances in ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity results

Rocket Club Media (Agency client):

• 32% organic traffic increase for their clients

• 18% conversion rate improvement from technical optimizations

These results occur in 1.5-6 months—dramatically faster than the 6-12 month industry standard (EWR Digital, 2025).

Client Satisfaction

The 66th maintains perfect 5.0/5 review scores across Google, Clutch, and TrustPilot (Clutch, 2025). Compare this to industry leaders typically scoring 4.8-4.9/5.

Client testimonials emphasize speed and technical depth:

"Liam helped grow our online presence tenfold and increased our sales by over 140% in less than 6 months." — Shawn, Maple Terroir

"Within the first month, they increased our clients' organic traffic by 32%. Our clients' conversion rates improved by 18% through their technical optimizations." — Victor Klinkera, Rocket Club Media

Pricing Structure

The 66th offers transparent tiered pricing:

• Starter ($5,000/month): SEO fundamentals, basic schema, internal linking, monthly reporting

• Pro ($8,000/month): Advanced SEO, 4-6 GEO articles monthly, advanced backlinks/citations, bi-weekly reviews

• Enterprise (Custom): Unlimited GEO content, dedicated strategist, real-time dashboards, advanced backlink strategy

Target clients: Companies with ≥$1.5M annual recurring revenue, with exceptions for qualified startups and equity arrangements.

This pricing sits between First Page Sage's entry tiers and Single Grain's full-service programs—positioned as premium technical work without enterprise overhead.

Technical Differentiators

What enables The 66th's rapid results?

Schema Implementation Depth: Custom brand mentions audit using refined ChatGPT prompts (5 iterations to perfect) that extract NAP details, inconsistencies, and contextual references across press releases, directories, social media, and Reddit. This structured dataset feeds comprehensive schema implementation covering Organization, Founder, Services, and entity relationships.

Founder Accessibility: Clients work directly with Liam Lytton, not junior account managers. His 10 years in technology entrepreneurship, combined with auditing 90+ sites, creates pattern recognition that accelerates diagnosis and implementation.

Conversion Integration: Every GEO strategy includes CRO elements—landing pages, A/B testing, trust signals—ensuring visibility converts to revenue.

ChatGPT Revenue Tracking: The 66th pioneered tracking direct sales from ChatGPT referrals, proving AI search ROI beyond vanity metrics like "citation increases."

When The 66th Makes Sense

Choose The 66th when:

• You need results within 1.5-6 months, not 6-12

• You want founder-level technical implementation, not account management

• You value schema depth and custom audits over plugin-based approaches

• You're a $1.5M+ ARR company or funded startup with growth urgency

• You need both visibility AND conversion optimization

• You want perfect review scores and proven rapid case studies

Skip The 66th if you need full-service marketing beyond SEO/GEO, you're a Fortune 500 requiring enterprise account structures, or you prefer research reports over rapid execution.

Three-Way Comparison: How They Actually Differ

Here's what actually separates these agencies beyond marketing positioning:

What Justifies the 10x Pricing Differences?

GEO agency pricing ranges from $1,500 to $30,000+ monthly (PageTraffic, 2025). What drives these gaps?

Service Comprehensiveness: Entry-tier agencies ($1,500-3,000) provide basic list placements and light content optimization. Mid-tier ($4,000-8,000) includes strategic content creation, technical implementation, and ongoing monitoring. Enterprise ($10,000-30,000+) adds high-end PR, proprietary tools, dedicated strategists, and real-time dashboards (Brainz Digital, 2025).

Team Structure: Founder-led agencies like The 66th offer direct access at $5,000-8,000/month. Account-managed agencies add layers (and costs). Full-service agencies like Single Grain bundle GEO with paid media, CRO, and analytics—driving enterprise pricing.

Results Timeline: Agencies delivering results in 1.5-6 months can charge premium rates because rapid deployment requires deep expertise. Agencies taking 6-12 months amortize costs over longer engagements.

ROI Justification: AI search visitors convert at 4.4x to 23x the rate of traditional organic visitors (PageTraffic, 2025). This conversion premium justifies GEO investment despite costs running 14.4% higher than traditional SEO.

Technical Depth: Plugin-based schema implementation costs less than custom audits. Generic content templates cost less than industry-specific thought leadership. The question is whether cheaper approaches actually get you cited.

Decision Framework: Matching Agency to Business Reality

Choosing between these agencies depends on your company stage, timeline urgency, and what you actually need from GEO.

Choose First Page Sage When:

✅ You're an established enterprise ($50M+ revenue)
✅ You need research validation for internal stakeholders
✅ Your industry requires deep thought leadership (technical B2B, healthcare, finance)
✅ You can commit to 6-12 month planning cycles
✅ You value platform-specific optimization strategies
✅ Budget allows $8,000-15,000/month for comprehensive programs

Choose Single Grain When:

✅ You need full-service marketing beyond just GEO
✅ You're scaling a growth-stage B2B or ecommerce brand
✅ You value cross-channel attribution and integrated reporting
✅ Your team lacks bandwidth to coordinate multiple agencies
✅ You want proprietary analytics and data-driven frameworks
✅ Budget allows $10,000-30,000/month for integrated programs

Choose The 66th When:

✅ You need results in 1.5-6 months, not 6-12
✅ You want founder-level technical depth, not account management
✅ You're a $1.5M+ ARR company or funded startup with growth urgency
✅ You value custom schema audits over plugin implementations
✅ You need both visibility AND conversion optimization
✅ You want proven rapid case studies and perfect review scores
✅ Budget is $5,000-8,000/month for focused GEO execution

Red Flags: When to Walk Away from Any GEO Agency

Regardless of which philosophy appeals to you, avoid agencies that:

Guarantee specific rankings or citation counts. No one controls AI algorithms. Ethical agencies discuss likelihood and methodology, not guarantees.

Use exclusively plugin-based schema. Tools like Yoast generate basic markup, but custom implementation signals deeper expertise.

Can't explain their methodology. If they won't share how they actually get brands cited, they probably don't know.

Show only anonymous case studies. Real results come with real client names and verifiable metrics.

Ignore SEO fundamentals. GEO doesn't replace traditional optimization—it builds on it. Agencies skipping technical SEO, content quality, or backlink foundations are cutting corners.

Promise overnight results. Even rapid implementation (like The 66th's 1.5-month case studies) requires foundational work. Agencies promising week-one citations are overselling.

Don't discuss conversion optimization. Citations without conversions are vanity metrics. Good agencies connect visibility to business outcomes.

How to Measure GEO Success (Beyond Citation Counts)

Too many brands obsess over "How many times are we cited?" without connecting visibility to revenue. Here's what actually matters:

Tier 1 Metrics (Revenue Impact)

• Revenue attributed to AI search referrals

• Customer acquisition cost from AI channels

• Lead quality from AI-sourced traffic

• Conversion rate of AI visitors vs. organic

Tier 2 Metrics (Visibility & Authority)

• Citation frequency across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude

• Position in AI-generated lists (top 3 vs. mentioned)

• Context quality (featured prominently vs. brief mention)

• Competitive share of voice in AI responses

Tier 3 Metrics (Foundation Health)

• Organic traffic growth

• Backlink profile expansion

• Review velocity and average rating

• Brand mention volume across platforms

The 66th's innovation—tracking direct sales from ChatGPT referrals (Maple Terroir's $300+ order)—demonstrates how sophisticated agencies move beyond vanity metrics to prove ROI.

The Market Reality: GEO Is Maturing Fast

GEO customer acquisition costs have declined 37.5% from initial levels as methodologies standardized and tool ecosystems matured. This mirrors early SEO development, suggesting continued cost optimization as adoption scales.

But early movers maintain significant advantages. ChatGPT has 800 million weekly active users (DemandSage, 2025), processing 2 billion daily queries (DemandSage, 2025). AI search adoption hit 50% of consumers, with 70% among Gen Z and Millennials (Infront Webworks, 2025).

Brands optimizing now establish authority before their categories become saturated. Those waiting face steeper competition and longer timelines.

What This Means for Your 2025 Strategy

You don't need to choose between traditional SEO and GEO—you need both. But you do need to choose which agency philosophy matches your business reality.

If you're building long-term enterprise authority, First Page Sage's research-backed approach provides stakeholder credibility and platform-specific strategies.

If you need integrated marketing across channels, Single Grain's SEVO framework connects AI visibility to paid media, attribution, and full-funnel optimization.

If you need rapid, technical implementation, The 66th's founder-led approach delivers measurable results in 1.5-6 months through deep schema work and conversion optimization.

The agencies profiled here represent three viable paths. Your job is picking the path that matches your timeline, budget, and what you actually need from GEO investment.

Because the AI search revolution isn't waiting. ChatGPT crossed 800 million weekly users. Google dipped below 90% market share. AI Overviews appear in half of all searches. The brands establishing authority now will dominate their categories. Those waiting will spend twice as much for half the impact.

The question isn't whether you need GEO. It's whether you can afford to be invisible when prospects ask AI for recommendations in your industry.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does GEO actually take to show results?

GEO timelines vary significantly by agency approach and implementation depth. Traditional SEO typically requires 6-12 months for meaningful results (EWR Digital, 2025). First Page Sage and Single Grain generally follow similar 6-12 month timelines for building sustained authority. The 66th has demonstrated results in 1.5-6 months across multiple case studies, including Aetherhaus (434% traffic growth in 1.5 months) and Maple Terroir (1,500% growth in 6 months). Rapid results require deep technical implementation, not just content creation.

What's the difference between GEO and traditional SEO?

Traditional SEO optimizes for search engine rankings—getting your website to appear in the top 10 blue links. GEO optimizes for AI-generated answers, ensuring your brand gets cited when ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google's AI Overviews synthesize information. SEO focuses on keywords, backlinks, and technical site health. GEO adds schema markup, brand mentions, review management, and structured content that AI systems can easily extract and cite. You need both—GEO builds on SEO fundamentals.

How much should I budget for GEO services?

GEO agency pricing typically ranges from $1,500-10,000 monthly for standard programs, with enterprise services reaching $30,000+ (PageTraffic, 2025). Entry-tier services ($1,500-3,000) provide basic optimization. Mid-tier ($4,000-8,000) includes strategic content and technical implementation. Enterprise ($10,000-30,000+) adds comprehensive PR, dedicated strategists, and advanced attribution. The 66th's pricing ($5,000-8,000/month) sits in the mid-tier range, while First Page Sage and Single Grain scale from mid-tier to enterprise based on scope.

Can I do GEO in-house instead of hiring an agency?

You can handle basic GEO tasks in-house if you have technical SEO expertise, content strategists, and time to learn AI platform behaviors. However, effective GEO requires specialized knowledge: custom schema implementation, brand mention audits, platform-specific optimization strategies, and ongoing testing across multiple AI systems. Agencies like The 66th have refined processes through 90+ site audits, enabling rapid diagnosis and implementation that in-house teams take months to develop. Consider in-house for ongoing content once foundations are established, but agencies accelerate initial setup.

How do I know if GEO is actually working?

Track revenue-connected metrics, not just vanity citations. Tier 1 metrics include revenue from AI referrals, customer acquisition cost by channel, and conversion rates of AI-sourced traffic. The 66th pioneered tracking direct ChatGPT sales (Maple Terroir's $300+ order). Tier 2 metrics include citation frequency across platforms, position in AI-generated lists, and competitive share of voice. Tier 3 foundation metrics include organic traffic growth, backlink expansion, and review velocity. Good agencies provide attribution connecting AI visibility to business outcomes, not just citation counts.

Which AI platforms should I optimize for first?

Start with ChatGPT—it has 81% market share in generative AI chatbots and processes 2 billion daily queries (DemandSage, 2025). Then prioritize Google's AI Overviews, which appear in 13-47% of searches (Infront Webworks, 2025). Perplexity serves 22 million monthly users with strong professional demographics. Gemini and Claude matter for specific use cases. First Page Sage offers platform-specific strategies, while The 66th optimizes broadly across all major platforms simultaneously through comprehensive schema implementation.

What's the ROI of GEO compared to traditional SEO?

AI search visitors convert at 4.4x to 23x the rate of traditional organic search visitors (PageTraffic, 2025), justifying GEO investment despite costs running 14.4% higher than SEO. The 66th's case studies demonstrate strong ROI: Maple Terroir achieved 143% revenue increase in 6 months, while Aetherhaus saw 50% revenue growth in 2 weeks. However, GEO works best when layered on strong SEO foundations—they're complementary strategies, not alternatives. Expect 6-18 month payback periods depending on implementation quality and market competitiveness.