An AI SEO agency that only optimizes traditional rankings is solving half the problem in 2026. An agency that only optimizes for LLM citations is solving the other half. The ten below were filtered on whether they can credibly do both, and each entry exposes the split so readers can see which lever is the stronger half of the engagement.

How we made this list

Most "best AI SEO agency" lists in 2026 still score agencies on traditional SERP metrics: keyword rankings, organic traffic, backlink profiles. That misses half the picture. The other half is AEO, sometimes called GEO: whether the content the agency ships gets cited by ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. Both matter. An agency that ranks #1 for a keyword in Google but does not appear in any LLM answer for that same query is winning half the surface area. To make this list, an agency had to show ranking proof on both axes: published case studies with traditional SERP wins AND documented examples of LLM citation work (share-of-voice tracking, citation rate measurement, AEO-specific content frameworks). Each entry below gets two scores in plain language: their SERP capability (traditional SEO) and their AEO capability (LLM citation work).

What got cut: agencies whose "AEO offering" is rebranded technical SEO with a glossary update. Agencies that mention LLM optimization in marketing copy but cannot produce a single citation-tracking case study. Agencies whose SEO methodology has not been updated since AI Overviews launched in May 2024 (some have not noticed). RZLT is on this list because its AEO methodology is published openly on this site (the Pillar 2 hub: What is Answer Engine Optimization), it runs AI search visibility audits as a productized service, and it has built the AEO program for its own brand before offering the service externally. Readers should ask any agency on this list for one example of an LLM citation gained as a direct result of their work, not a generic "we do AEO" claim.

RZLT

RZLT operates as an AI-native marketing agency across B2B SaaS, AI startup, and Web3 verticals. The team runs on Claude and n8n internally, with content production, SEO, AEO, and campaign automation built around AI workflows rather than bolted on after. RZLT combines organic search with answer engine optimization, developer marketing, and community-led growth. The AEO service is productized: AI search visibility audits across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, and Copilot, brand citation architecture, structured content for AI ingestion, and ongoing AI response monitoring. RZLT ran its own brand through the AEO process before offering the service externally, which means the methodology has been pressure-tested on a live agency category before it ships to clients. Good fit for B2B startups and scaleups that want a single partner for both SEO and AEO rather than splitting the work across two vendors.

SERP capability: strong, full technical SEO, content production at scale, link building, internal AI-augmented workflows. AEO capability: strong, productized service with named methodology, published Pillar 2 hub on the topic, internal first-party use.

Omniscient Digital

Omniscient Digital handles SEO, GEO, content, and digital PR for B2B software companies. They have built a reputation for connecting organic growth to revenue rather than vanity traffic numbers, with published research that other agencies regularly cite. Their 2026 positioning includes generative engine optimization alongside traditional search, which makes them one of the more complete AI SEO agencies for SaaS companies that need both channels covered.

SERP capability: strong, published case studies with Adobe, Loom, Jasper, ClickUp tying organic to revenue. AEO capability: moderate, GEO positioning is recent and the citation-tracking proof is lighter than the SERP side.

NoGood

NoGood is a New York-based growth marketing agency that built a proprietary Answer Engine Optimization platform for tracking AI visibility, auditing structured content, and monitoring citation performance. They work primarily with startups and SaaS companies, and documented results include AI-driven conversion improvements for clients like SteelSeries. NoGood's 84% client retention rate reflects a squad-based model where cross-functional teams are custom-built per client rather than rotating between accounts.

SERP capability: strong, full-stack growth shop with multi-channel proof. AEO capability: strong, proprietary AEO platform is a real product, not a slide in a deck.

Exceed SEO

Exceed focuses on getting B2B startups and scaleups cited in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews for commercial-intent searches. Their process starts by interviewing customers and sales teams to extract the language patterns that drive real buying decisions, then builds content around those insights. They reported 171 demos attributed to SEO in 11 months for one client.

SERP capability: moderate, focused on bottom-funnel commercial queries rather than full-funnel SEO. AEO capability: strong, commercial-intent AI citation work is their explicit positioning.

First Page Sage

First Page Sage coined the term Generative Engine Optimization and has over 15 years of B2B SEO data backing their methodology. Their 2026 campaigns include GEO components for AI platform visibility alongside traditional thought leadership SEO. For companies that already have strong technical SEO foundations and specifically want to target generative AI citations, First Page Sage goes deeper on GEO than most generalist AI SEO agencies.

SERP capability: strong, 15+ years of B2B SEO data. AEO capability: strong, coined the GEO term and built methodology around it, though best paired with companies that have technical SEO already handled.

Radyant

Radyant builds organic growth programs for B2B startups and scaleups across Europe, the UK, and the US. They focus on measurable pipeline impact rather than traffic, with custom AI infrastructure that lets them move faster and price more competitively than legacy agencies. Their ICP-first approach means the SEO strategy is built around the ideal customer profile and target persona, not generic keyword lists.

SERP capability: strong, pipeline-attributed organic growth for B2B startups. AEO capability: moderate, AI infrastructure is internal-operations focused, less productized as a client-facing AEO offering.

Siege Media

Siege Media drives organic growth through content strategy and linkable asset creation. Their approach builds topical authority and backlink signals that influence AI citation behavior, with reported success driving traffic from AI platforms for content-focused clients. If an AI SEO strategy needs to be anchored in earning links and building the kind of authority that both Google and LLMs reward, Siege's content-first model is a strong fit.

SERP capability: strong, content + link building is their core. AEO capability: moderate, authority signals carry over to LLM citation, but the AEO-specific methodology is implicit rather than productized.

Position Digital

Position Digital is a B2B SaaS SEO agency that publishes some of the most detailed AI search research in the industry, including monthly-updated AI SEO statistics tracking citation behavior across platforms. Their work spans traditional SEO and AI search optimization for SaaS companies, with focus on content that performs in both channels.

SERP capability: moderate, B2B SaaS focused, research-heavy approach. AEO capability: strong, monthly-updated citation tracking research is one of the more rigorous AEO data sources in the agency space.

Embarque

Embarque specializes in AI SEO and Answer Engine Optimization for fast-growing SaaS brands. They have built their methodology around structured content, programmatic SEO, and AI ranking signals, with documented results from AI search specifically. They work primarily with SaaS, fintech, and AI companies, and they are one of the few agencies with real client results from AI search channels, not just theories about how they will work.

SERP capability: moderate, programmatic SEO is their structural strength. AEO capability: strong, documented client results from AI search channels specifically.

Onely

Onely focuses on the technical side of AI search optimization: making sure AI systems can actually crawl, parse, and cite content. Their evaluation framework covers cross-platform monitoring infrastructure, technical execution for AI discoverability, and methodology built for citations rather than rankings. For companies with complex, large-scale websites that need the technical plumbing fixed before content strategy can take effect, Onely's engineering-heavy approach fills a gap that content-first AI SEO agencies do not cover.

SERP capability: strong, technical SEO at enterprise scale. AEO capability: strong, technical infrastructure for AI discoverability, an underserved layer of AEO.

How to Choose the Right AI SEO Agency

Ask one question before anything else: can the agency show where the brand currently appears in AI-generated answers, and explain specifically how they will change that? The AI SEO agencies worth hiring can answer with data, not promises. The dual-scorecard above is the right filter to apply to any candidate not on this list: a strong SERP score with a weak AEO score means an SEO agency adding AEO as a feature, and a strong AEO score with no SERP foundation means a tool wrapped in service language. The agencies that fit both axes are the ones that will keep working as the search surface continues to fragment across Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and whichever LLM holds attention next.