The verdict in three sentences
For a funded B2B software company in London, AEO/GEO carries more weight than in most sectors, because buyers build their shortlist by asking AI assistants like ChatGPT ("which expense management tool integrates with Xero for a 300-person UK company?"). SEO remains the measurable source of demo requests, though, and it often supplies the very pages AI assistants cite. The right split depends on your stage and category, and is measured with Search Console and your pipeline on one side and a dated record of AI answers on the other.
Two approaches, two buyer behaviours
An operations lead or finance director evaluating software follows two paths in parallel. They search Google for specific pages (comparisons, integrations, pricing, security), and they ask an AI to summarise the market. Your site has to serve both.
| Dimension | SEO | AEO/GEO |
|---|---|---|
| Queries or questions targeted | "[category] software UK", "[competitor] alternative", "[tool] integration" | "which [category] tools suit a London scale-up subject to UK GDPR?" |
| Time to effect | 3 to 9 months depending on category competition | 2 to 6 months to see answers move, unevenly |
| London market budget (2026 ballpark) | 3,000 to 10,000 GBP a month with a SaaS specialist agency | Diagnostic 3,000 to 8,000 GBP, monitoring 1,500 to 5,000 GBP a month |
| Metrics | Demo requests, trial sign-ups, attributed pipeline | Presence in generated shortlists, accuracy of integrations and certifications cited |
| Risk | High-volume blog content that draws students rather than buyers | AI assistants quoting an old price list or a certification you no longer hold |
| Pages that matter most | Integrations, honest comparisons, pricing, security | The same, plus consistent facts across review sites and press |
These ranges reflect typical London agency quotes and public agency rate pages; they vary with scope and category.
What priority for your stage?
| Situation | Where to invest first | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Seed, new category | Product and integration pages, AEO as a simple record | Few queries exist yet; you first need to exist in the sources |
| Series A or B, established category | SEO 60%, AEO 40% | Google competition is stiff and AI-generated shortlists decide part of the tenders |
| Known brand, moving upmarket | AEO and security pages first | Enterprise buyers check compliance and references before the first call |
| Fintech or product touching financial services | Compliance review before anything goes live | Financial promotions may fall under FCA rules |
| Tight marketing budget | One thing: integration and comparison pages | They serve Google, AI assistants and the sales team at once |
A rule that applies everywhere: security and compliance pages mention SOC 2, ISO 27001 or UK GDPR compliance only if actually held and current. Case studies feature only real customers who have given consent. An investor reading your site during due diligence quickly spots a fragile claim.
Measuring: what reassures a board
On the SEO side, Search Console gives real queries and the pages that earn clicks, but a board expects a link to pipeline: demo requests and opportunities attributed to organic traffic in your CRM, over 6 to 12 months.
On the AEO side, the benchmark is a dated record: a fixed list of 30 to 50 buyer questions (by category, by integration, by company size), put to AI assistants like ChatGPT every month, with answers archived. You track how often your product appears in the lists, how accurate the statements are (integrations, pricing, certifications) and which sources the AI draws on. Without a baseline, no progress can be demonstrated.
Visitor tracking and outbound email fall under UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and PECR, overseen by the ICO; targeting WCAG 2.2 AA also helps meet Equality Act 2010 expectations. This is not legal advice.
What a diagnostic covers
In broad terms: your current Google visibility on category, competitor and integration queries, a record of what AI assistants say today about your product and three to five competitors, a consistency check of your public facts (site, review sites, press releases, profiles) and a reasoned budget split. No serious provider promises a Google ranking or a recommendation by an AI; a good diagnostic says so in writing.
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Mini case study
Illustrative example: Ledgerline, a London maker of accounts reconciliation software, just after a Series A. Chosen budget: 5,000 GBP a month on SEO and 2,000 GBP a month on AEO monitoring, after a 5,000 GBP diagnostic. Cost over 12 months: 5,000 + 12 × 7,000 = 89,000 GBP.
With an average annual contract value of 30,000 GBP, three signed contracts attributable to the site (90,000 GBP of annual recurring revenue) cover the first year's spend. The AEO record will show whether Ledgerline moves, say, from 3 to 14 appearances across 40 questions, without that result being promised.
FAQ
Does AEO matter more for a software company than for a services firm?
Often, yes. Software buyers readily ask AI assistants for comparisons by integration and company size, which leads many vendors to put 30 to 50% of their visibility budget there.
What does an SEO and AEO diagnostic cost in London?
2026 ballpark: 3,000 to 8,000 GBP depending on the number of competitors and questions analysed. At Kolonell, this work is on quote.
Should we publish pricing to be cited by AI assistants?
It is not mandatory, but a clear pricing page, even with a "from" figure, reduces the risk of an AI quoting an outdated number. Many scale-ups show at least 2 or 3 public plans.
How long before an effect on pipeline?
For SEO, allow 3 to 9 months for attributable demo requests. For AEO, answers can shift within 2 to 6 months, but attribution to pipeline remains harder.
How do we stop an AI citing a certification we do not hold?
Publish a dated security page consistent with your review site profiles, then check it in the monthly record of 30 to 50 questions. Correct any inaccurate third-party source as soon as it appears.
Find out how AI assistants describe your firm. We record how AI assistants like ChatGPT present your product against your London competitors, and compare it with your Google visibility. Request a diagnostic quote: reply within 48 hours.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
