The verdict in three sentences
A commodity trading house in Amsterdam does not win business through Google, but its counterparties, trade finance banks, NGOs and future traders all check the firm online before they engage, and more of them now start with AI assistants like ChatGPT. For most houses the first euro should go to accuracy and compliance content that serves both channels, then SEO for recruiting and brand queries, then AEO/GEO for the questions where assistants describe the firm, with market budgets of roughly EUR 2,000 to 9,000 per month per channel (2026 ballpark). Measure SEO with Search Console and applications, measure AEO/GEO with a dated record of the answers to the same questions, and judge both on accuracy before volume.
Who is actually looking you up
Product marketing is almost absent in physical trading. The audiences are institutional, and each one searches differently.
| Audience | What they look for | Where they mostly look | What a weak footprint costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counterparties and suppliers | Legal entity, offices, ownership, sanctions and KYC stance | Google brand search, AI assistants | Slower onboarding, extra questions |
| Trade finance banks | Governance, compliance framework, audited reporting as published | Google, the firm's own reports | Longer credit review |
| NGOs and journalists | Responsible sourcing policy, ESG reporting as actually published | AI assistants, Google, NGO databases | Narratives written by others |
| Regulators and auditors | Entity facts, published policies | Direct navigation | Little SEO effect, high reputational stakes |
| Graduate and experienced traders | Culture, desks, trainee programmes, Amsterdam office | Google, AI assistants, job boards | Higher recruiter fees |
| Logistics and service partners | Contacts, locations, commodities covered | Missed approaches |
The common point: what is said about the firm must be correct and consistent across the site, registries, annual reports and press. Never publish volumes, counterparties or market shares you cannot document.
SEO and AEO/GEO side by side for a trading house
| Dimension | SEO | AEO/GEO |
|---|---|---|
| Main target | Brand, recruiting and policy queries in English and Dutch ("commodity trader graduate programme Amsterdam", "[firm] sanctions policy") | Descriptive questions to AI assistants ("Which agricultural trading houses are based in Amsterdam?", "Does [firm] publish a responsible sourcing policy?") |
| Time to effect | 2 to 4 months for brand and careers pages, 6 to 9 for broader topics | 4 to 12 weeks for corrections, 3 to 9 months for wider inclusion |
| Market budget (2026 ballpark) | EUR 2,500 to 9,000 per month | EUR 2,000 to 8,000 per month, often a project first |
| Metrics | Impressions and clicks on brand and careers pages, applications, contact requests | Share of answers naming the firm, accuracy, sources cited |
| Main risk | Publishing content that compliance cannot stand behind | Paying for "visibility" with no baseline or accuracy check |
Data protection frames both channels: the GDPR (AVG in Dutch) applies to every form and applicant database, overseen by the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, and firms carrying out regulated financial activities also deal with the AFM. Have counsel review policy pages and recruiting forms. This is not legal advice.
Four situations, four different first moves
| Situation | First move | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Newly established desk or office in Amsterdam | Entity facts and careers pages, Dutch and English | Banks and recruits need basic, verifiable facts first |
| Established house with a long history | AEO/GEO record, then corrections | Assistants often repeat outdated facts (old headquarters, retired executives) |
| Under NGO or media scrutiny | Policy and reporting pages, both channels | Published documents give assistants something factual to cite |
| Limited budget, under EUR 3,000 per month | Quarterly AI answer record plus careers SEO | Recruiting savings are the most measurable return |
What counts as a result
For SEO, results are concrete: Search Console data on brand and careers queries, direct applications, and contact requests from counterparties, tagged in your CRM or ATS. Rankings for generic commodity terms matter little and nobody can guarantee them.
For AEO/GEO, results come from a dated record: 25 to 40 questions reflecting your audiences, asked monthly in English and Dutch, answers archived. Track how often the firm is named where it should be, how many answers contain factual errors (headquarters, ownership, commodities, policies), and which sources assistants rely on. A falling error count is often the first and most valuable signal for a trading house.
What a diagnostic covers
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A diagnostic answers, before any retainer: what each audience finds today on Google and in AI answers, which facts are wrong or contradictory across site, registries and reports, which pages are missing (policies, offices, careers), and how to split budget between the two channels for 12 months. Typical agency quotes put such work at EUR 2,000 to 7,000 as a one-off on the 2026 market. At Kolonell it is priced on quote, scoped on your entities, languages and audiences.
Mini case study
Illustrative example, fictional firm. Noordkade Commodities, a 60-person agricultural trading house in Amsterdam, budgets EUR 3,000 per month for both channels, so EUR 36,000 a year. It used to pay recruiters about 25% of a first-year salary of EUR 60,000, so EUR 15,000 per hire. If clearer careers pages and accurate AI answers bring three hires a year through direct applications, the saving is EUR 45,000, above the annual spend. On the AI side, Noordkade tracks 30 questions in two languages, 60 answers a month: answers with factual errors fall from 14 to 3 over five months, mostly an old office address and a superseded sourcing policy.
FAQ
Does a trading house really need SEO?
Mainly for brand, policy and careers queries, which drive applications and reassure counterparties. A focused effort of EUR 2,500 to 4,000 per month is often enough for a mid-sized house.
What do AI assistants get wrong about trading firms?
Typical errors are outdated headquarters, former executives, merged entities and old policies. A first record of 30 to 40 questions usually surfaces several such errors, which are the priority.
Should content be in Dutch as well as English?
English carries most trading and recruiting searches, but Dutch matters for local recruits, authorities and press. A bilingual set of 10 to 20 key pages covers most needs.
Can we publish our sanctions and KYC approach?
Many houses publish a summary of their compliance framework, which helps banks and assistants describe the firm accurately. The wording must be approved by your compliance team and counsel before it goes live.
How soon can we judge the investment?
Allow 6 months for SEO and 3 to 6 months for AEO/GEO corrections to show in the record. Judging after 30 days usually measures noise.
Find out how AI assistants describe your firm. We record what assistants and Google show counterparties, banks and recruits about your house on 25 to 40 real questions, in English and Dutch. 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.
