The verdict in three sentences
An executive search firm in Melbourne serves two audiences with opposite habits: candidates still search Google for mandates and recruiters by sector, while board chairs and CEOs increasingly ask AI assistants like ChatGPT for a shortlist of firms with a given practice and seniority. The right split depends on which audience feeds your revenue today and on how accurately assistants already describe your partners and practices. Melbourne agencies typically quote AUD 2,000 to 7,000 a month for SEO (about USD 1,300 to 4,600) and AUD 4,000 to 12,000 for an AI visibility audit (about USD 2,600 to 7,800), as 2026 ballparks.
Two audiences, two search habits
Retained search in Melbourne leans on financial services, superannuation, health and aged care, education, infrastructure and the not-for-profit sector. A chair looking for a new CEO rarely clicks on a sponsored link; a senior candidate between roles searches widely.
| Who is searching | Typical Google query | Typical question to an assistant |
|---|---|---|
| Board chair of a super fund | "executive search superannuation Melbourne" | "Which Melbourne search firms place CEOs and CIOs in superannuation?" |
| HR director at a university | "higher education executive recruitment Victoria" | "Who recruits vice-chancellors and deans in Australia?" |
| CEO of a health provider | "healthcare executive search Melbourne" | "Which firms have a dedicated health and aged care practice in Melbourne?" |
| Not-for-profit board | "NFP CEO recruitment Melbourne" | "Which search firms work with Australian charities on CEO roles?" |
| Senior candidate, CFO level | "CFO roles Melbourne executive search" | "How do I get on the radar of Melbourne headhunters?" |
| Interim executive | "interim executive Melbourne" | "Which firms place interim COOs in Victoria?" |
| Infrastructure company | "infrastructure executive search Australia" | "Who has placed directors in major transport projects?" |
The client queries matter most for revenue, and they are precisely the ones migrating to assistants. Candidate queries remain heavily Google-based, and they feed your talent pool.
What each channel costs and what it returns
| Channel | 2026 Melbourne ballpark | Time to effect | What you can count | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEO on practice pages | AUD 2,000 to 7,000 a month (about USD 1,300 to 4,600) | 4 to 9 months | Search Console clicks, client enquiries | Traffic from junior candidates you cannot serve |
| SEO on candidate pages | Often included above | 3 to 6 months | CV submissions, applications | Collecting more personal data than needed |
| AEO/GEO audit | AUD 4,000 to 12,000 (about USD 2,600 to 7,800) | 4 to 8 weeks to deliver | Baseline share of answers, factual errors | Treating one snapshot as a trend |
| AEO/GEO ongoing work | On quote, wide market range | 2 to 6 months | Share of answers naming the firm, accuracy | Assistants keeping departed partners on record |
| Partner thought leadership | AUD 1,500 to 5,000 a month (about USD 1,000 to 3,300) | 6 to 12 months | Mentions in media and reports | Content that says nothing specific |
Australian Consumer Law prohibits misleading or deceptive conduct: placement claims, sector coverage and partner credentials on your site must be accurate, and never name clients or placements without consent. Candidate data falls under the Privacy Act 1988 for most firms of your size (the small business exemption has exceptions and depends on turnover), so collect the minimum and state how long CVs are kept. This is not legal advice.
A decision grid for managing partners
| Your situation | Suggested split SEO / AEO/GEO | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Boutique launched in the last two years | 70 / 30 | Assistants know little about you; build factual pages and Google presence first |
| Established firm, board-level mandates | 35 / 65 | Chairs and CEOs ask assistants; accuracy of partner bios decides |
| Firm with a regulated-sector practice (super, health) | 50 / 50 with review | Sector claims must be exact on both channels |
| Strong candidate brand, weaker client brand | 30 / 70 | Rebalance towards client questions |
| Budget under USD 8,000 a year | Diagnostic first, then factual pages | The same fixes help both channels |
| Partners recently joined or left | 40 / 60 | Assistants lag on team changes for months |
These percentages are working hypotheses, not rules. The diagnostic should confirm them with your own data.
Measuring without fooling yourself
On the SEO side, Search Console shows impressions and clicks per query; tie them to client enquiries and qualified CVs in your CRM, not to raw visits. Positions fluctuate, and no serious provider promises a ranking.
On the AEO/GEO side, the only honest measure is a dated record: a fixed list of 20 to 40 client and candidate questions, asked to assistants at regular intervals, every answer stored with its date. You then track the share of answers naming the firm, the accuracy of what is said about practices and partners, and the sources the assistant relies on. A single screenshot proves nothing; a series over six months does.
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A diagnostic usually covers your Google visibility on practice and candidate queries, the clarity of practice and partner pages, a baseline record of assistant answers, inconsistencies with third-party profiles, and candidate data handling in forms. Kolonell scopes this on quote.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: "Yarra Board Partners", a fictional eight-partner search firm in Melbourne, budgets AUD 48,000 a year, about USD 31,000. Its baseline shows the firm named in 6 of 40 assistant answers, 15 percent, with two answers listing a partner who left in 2025. It allocates 35 percent to SEO, AUD 16,800, and 65 percent to AEO/GEO, AUD 31,200. Check: 16,800 + 31,200 = 48,000. If one additional board mandate at a typical fee of AUD 90,000 traces back to these channels within a year, the budget is covered almost twice.
FAQ
Do boards really ask AI assistants which search firms to call?
More and more use them for a first shortlist, alongside peer referrals. A record of 20 to 40 client questions shows whether your firm appears in those answers.
Should candidate SEO still get budget?
Yes, if senior candidates feed your mandates. Practice-specific candidate pages often bring results within 3 to 6 months.
What does an AI visibility audit cost in Melbourne?
Roughly AUD 4,000 to 12,000, about USD 2,600 to 7,800, as a 2026 ballpark. Ongoing work is priced separately.
Can we list recent placements to look credible?
Only with client and candidate consent, and accurately. Many firms prefer describing 5 to 10 mandate types per practice without names.
How long do assistants take to drop a departed partner?
Often 2 to 6 months after your site and third-party profiles are updated. The dated record shows when it actually happens.
Find out how AI assistants describe your firm. A diagnostic tells you where boards and candidates find you, what assistants get wrong about your partners and which channel deserves the next dollar. 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.
