AEO Operators vs a typical SEO agency: which one does your SaaS company need?

What is the difference in goal between AEO Operators and an SEO agency?

An SEO agency measures success in rankings and clicks, while AEO Operators measures success in how often AI tools name and recommend you.

SEO agencies grew up around the list of ten blue links, where the aim is to rank high enough for a buyer to click. That work still matters, but buyers increasingly read an AI summary instead of clicking.

In its analysis of March 2025 browsing activity, Pew Research found that users clicked a traditional search result on 8% of visits with an AI summary, compared with 15% without one.

AEO Operators focuses on the answer itself. When a buyer asks an AI tool which software to choose, we want your product to be in that answer, described accurately, and ideally recommended first.

Sources: Pew Research Center, 2025

How is the day-to-day work different?

SEO work is mostly done on your own website, while AEO work also happens on the review sites, lists and forums that AI tools quote.

A typical SEO agency spends most of its time on keyword research, technical fixes, new content and links back to your site.

AEO Operators also improves your own pages, but much of our work is getting your brand described correctly on the third-party sources that AI tools rely on, such as review sites, comparison articles and community discussions.

• We track the real questions your buyers ask AI tools and record who gets named in each answer.
• We rewrite key pages so they give short, direct answers that AI tools can quote.
• We make sure your product is described in the same way across the sites AI tools trust.

How do the two measure results?

SEO agencies report rankings and traffic, while AEO Operators reports mentions, citations and position inside AI answers.

Traffic alone can hide AI visibility.

Gartner predicted in 2024 that traditional search engine volume would drop 25% by 2026 as people move to AI chatbots, so a traffic chart on its own does not tell you whether AI answers mention your brand.

Each month, AEO Operators reports how often each AI tool mentions you, how often it links to your site and where you appear against named competitors, in plain sentences.

Sources: Gartner, 2024

Do you need both an SEO agency and AEO Operators?

Many SaaS companies benefit from both, because SEO brings visitors from search while AEO gets the brand named in AI answers.

Strong SEO gives AI tools good pages to read, so the two support each other. If your SEO agency already does excellent work, we can work alongside it and focus only on the AI side.

If you have no SEO support yet, start with the basics of a fast, well-structured site, and then add AEO.

Which should you choose?

Choose a typical SEO agency when search traffic is your main goal, and choose AEO Operators when you want buyers to hear your name from AI tools.

• A typical SEO agency is the better fit when you need more organic traffic, technical site fixes or content at scale.
• AEO Operators is the better fit when you are a B2B SaaS company and competitors are being named in AI answers instead of you.
• Ask any agency, including us, to show how AI tools describe your brand today before you sign.

Frequently asked questions about AEO Operators vs a typical SEO agency