Paid $7,200 to a GEO agency. Month 6 postmortem.

I want to write this up while the sting is still fresh enough to be useful.

$1,200/mo for 6 months. Here's the complete list of what they delivered:

• llms.txt file (templated, 180 words, could have done it in 45 minutes)
• Schema markup audit (Google doc with 14 recommendations, all standard stuff)
• 2 comparison pages (decent, I'll give them that)
• Monthly 'AI Visibility Score' report from their proprietary tool, which they could never explain how it was calculated
• 3 press release syndications on services my dog could find on Google

Actual citation movement after 6 months: ChatGPT went from 0/20 tracked queries to 2/20. Perplexity from 3/20 to 6/20. The Perplexity movement might be the comparison pages, honestly.

What I've done myself in the 6 weeks since ending the contract:

• G2 review push campaign to existing customers (9 new reviews in 5 weeks)
• 3 Reddit answers in niche subs where my buyers actually hang out
• Rewrote pricing page to static HTML (was JS-rendered, classic mistake)

Resulting movement in those 6 weeks alone: ChatGPT 2/20 → 5/20. Perplexity 6/20 → 11/20.

The agency wasn't scammy, they just weren't doing the unsexy stuff that actually moves numbers. Red flag in hindsight: they never once asked me to go get G2 reviews.

Anyone need the 'what to actually ask before hiring a GEO agency' checklist? I have opinions now.