Buyer Guides · 6 MIN
Hiring an AI SEO agency in the UK: 10 questions to ask first
How UK businesses can judge an AI SEO provider: 10 questions to ask, answers that should worry you, how results should be measured, and what Google advises.
To choose an AI SEO provider in the UK, ask how they will measure visibility in AI answers as well as Google rankings, what they will change on your website, which outside sites they will work on, how they report results, and who owns the content and accounts. A good provider shows you a baseline before starting, explains every change in plain English, and never guarantees a position. Google's own advice on hiring SEO help says to walk away from anyone who promises first place.
- AI SEO means being found in Google results and named in AI answers from tools like Google's AI Overviews and ChatGPT.
- Google Trends shows UK search interest in "seo agency" from late August to mid-October 2026 at more than twice its level from mid-October to early December 2025, so more UK businesses are shopping for this help.
- Ask for a measured baseline of what AI assistants say about you today before any work starts.
- Google says there are no special optimizations needed for its AI features, so be wary of "secret AI ranking" methods.
- Make sure you own the content, the analytics and the accounts, whoever does the work.
- Nactore is a technology and growth company that runs AI SEO on websites it can also engineer, for UK and international buyers.
What should an AI SEO provider actually do?
Three kinds of work, and a good program covers all of them:
- Website. Fix crawling, speed and structure so search engines and AI tools can read your pages.
- Content. Pages that answer the questions your buyers ask, with the answer first and real evidence after it.
- Reputation. Accurate listings and mentions on the outside sites that AI answers often draw on, such as directories, review sites and industry publications.
Our plain-English guide to what AI SEO is explains how this relates to GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization).
The 10 questions
| # | Ask | A good answer sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What do AI assistants say about us today? | "Here is a baseline across the main engines for your buyer questions" |
| 2 | Which questions will you track? | A written list of real buyer questions, agreed with you |
| 3 | How do you measure AI visibility? | Asking the real tools on a schedule and recording who gets named |
| 4 | What will you change on our website? | Specific pages and fixes, not "on-page optimization" in general |
| 5 | Can you make the website changes yourselves? | Yes, or a clear plan for who does |
| 6 | Which outside sites will you work on? | Named directories and publications that fit your industry |
| 7 | What will you report, and how often? | A monthly report linking work done to visibility and leads |
| 8 | Who owns the content and accounts? | You do, from day one |
| 9 | How do you handle our data? | A clear answer on UK GDPR and any data processing terms |
| 10 | What will you not promise? | "We will not guarantee a ranking or a mention" |
Google's guide on whether you need an SEO suggests similar questions, including asking for examples of previous work and what results to expect in what timeframe. It also notes a good SEO should ask about what makes your business unique, who your competitors are and how your customers find you.
Answers that should worry you
- "We guarantee page one" or "we guarantee ChatGPT will recommend you." Google's guide says that if someone guarantees first place, find someone else.
- "We have a special relationship with Google" or "an approved AI method." Google warns to be wary of claims that tools are approved by Google Search.
- "We will publish hundreds of AI pages a month." Mass-produced pages can hurt more than help. See programmatic SEO risks in AI search.
- "You do not need to touch your website." If the site is slow or hard to crawl, content cannot fix it.
- No baseline. Without a before measurement, nobody can show what changed.
What does Google say about AI search?
Google's page on AI features and your website says there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and no special optimizations necessary. The same SEO basics apply: meet technical requirements, follow policies, and create helpful, reliable, people-first content.
For ChatGPT, OpenAI's crawler documentation explains that OAI-SearchBot is used for search results and GPTBot for training, and that each is controlled separately in robots.txt. A provider should check these settings on day one.
What about UK-specific points?
- Local intent. If you sell in particular UK cities or regions, your pages and listings should say so clearly, and match how buyers search, such as "in London" or "UK".
- Data protection. If the provider handles personal data from your analytics or forms, UK GDPR applies. The ICO's guidance is the place to check obligations, and your contract should cover data processing.
- Time zones. Ask when you can reach the people doing the work. For providers abroad, see UK time zone overlap with India teams.
How should results be measured?
| Measure | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Share of tracked buyer questions where AI assistants name you | The core AI visibility number |
| Rankings and clicks for those questions in Google Search Console | Classic search still sends most clicks |
| Visits from AI tools in your analytics | Shows answers are sending people to you |
| Enquiries and booked calls from those visits | The number that pays for the work |
Our guide on measuring AI search visibility shows how to set this up.
Frequently asked questions
How much does AI SEO cost in the UK?
Pricing varies widely by scope: how many pages, how much website work, and how much outreach. Compare proposals on what work is included and how it is measured, not only the monthly fee.
How long until we see results?
Technical fixes can be picked up within days or weeks. Content and reputation build over months. A provider should tell you what to expect when, based on your baseline.
Is AI SEO a different service from SEO?
It extends SEO. The foundations are the same, with extra work on direct answers, evidence and outside mentions, and measurement inside the AI tools.
Can a provider outside the UK do this well?
Yes, if they understand your market, measure in UK search results and handle data under UK GDPR. Ask for the same evidence you would ask of a local firm.
Choose evidence over promises
The right provider shows you where you stand, changes specific things, and reports what moved. Nactore runs AI SEO for UK and international businesses as part of building and growing their websites, with a measured baseline before any work starts.
Want a baseline of what AI assistants say about your business? Book a free 30-minute call.
Want to apply this to your business?
Book a free 30-minute call. We will tell you what we would do first.