The verdict in three sentences
For an executive search firm in Miami, classic SEO still captures the candidates and HR leaders who type a query into Google, while AEO/GEO (being described accurately by AI assistants like ChatGPT) increasingly shapes the shortlist a board member or CEO builds before calling anyone. The right split depends on where you stand: a young boutique first needs a solid factual site and a few search pages, while a firm whose name already circulates gains more from correcting how AI assistants summarize its practice areas. The two are measured differently, Search Console and qualified inquiries on one side, a dated record of AI answers to the same questions on the other, and no serious provider promises either a ranking or a recommendation.
What each channel targets for a Miami firm
Miami has its own shape: Latin American regional headquarters in Brickell, family offices that arrived after 2020, fintech, luxury hospitality, healthcare, and steady demand for executives fluent in English and Spanish. Your two audiences search differently. A candidate types 'executive search firm Miami CFO' or 'retained search Latin America regional president' into Google. A board chair is more likely to ask an AI assistant: 'Which executive search firms in Miami place bilingual CFOs for Latin American subsidiaries?'
| Criterion | SEO (Google) | AEO/GEO (AI assistants like ChatGPT) |
|---|---|---|
| Main audience | Candidates, HR leaders, talent heads | Board members, CEOs, founders, family offices |
| Typical queries | 'executive search Miami healthcare', 'CFO recruiter Brickell' | 'Who recruits bilingual CEOs for hospitality in Florida?' |
| Time to first effect | 4 to 9 months on niche queries | 2 to 6 months to see answers shift, highly variable |
| Market budget (2026 ballpark) | $2,500 to $7,000 a month on retainer | Audit $3,000 to $10,000, follow-up $2,000 to $6,000 a month |
| Metrics | Impressions, clicks, mandate inquiries, CVs received | Share of answers naming the firm, accuracy, cited sources |
| Main risk | Lots of candidate traffic, few mandates | Young market, measurements still unstable |
| What the site must contain | Practice area pages, live roles, sector insights | Consistent facts: partners, sectors, offices, process |
These budgets are prudent ranges drawn from typical agency quotes for professional services firms in the US. They vary widely with firm size and the number of practice areas covered.
Where to invest first: decision by situation
| Your situation | Priority | Why | Indicative split |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boutique under 2 years old | SEO and a factual site | AI assistants have too little public information about you | 80% SEO, 20% AEO |
| Established firm, known name | AEO/GEO | You are named, but often with outdated practice areas | 40% SEO, 60% AEO |
| Confidential mandates, little publishable content | Careful AEO/GEO | Few pages possible, every public fact counts | 30% SEO, 70% AEO |
| Budget under $3,000 a month | One priority only | Spreading thin produces nothing measurable | 100% on the weaker channel |
| Opening a Latin America practice | SEO in Spanish and English | Candidates search in their own language | 70% SEO, 30% AEO |
| Name confused with another firm | AEO/GEO | AI assistants blend the two entities | 20% SEO, 80% AEO |
Both channels share a common base: accurate partner bios, practice pages that state plainly which roles and sectors you cover, and a clean candidate page. On that last point, the US has no single federal privacy law; ask counsel which rules apply depending on where your candidates live, for example the CCPA/CPRA if you process California candidates. In any case the CV form should ask only for what is needed and state a retention period. Accessibility matters too: ADA Title III suits regularly target websites, and aiming for WCAG 2.2 AA is a reasonable precaution. Candidate emails fall under CAN-SPAM. This is not legal advice.
How to measure each channel
SEO is measured with established tools. Search Console shows queries, impressions and clicks; your CRM or ATS must tie inbound inquiries to their source. The figure a partner cares about is the number of mandate conversations that start on the site, not visit volume.
AEO/GEO is measured with a dated record: a fixed list of 20 to 30 questions, phrased the way your clients would ask them, put to the same AI assistants at regular intervals, with every answer archived. You track the share of answers naming the firm, the accuracy of what is said (sectors, partners, Miami address) and the sources mentioned.
| Metric | Channel | Review cadence | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandate inquiries via the site | SEO | Monthly | Fewer than 2 per quarter after 9 months |
| Impressions on practice queries | SEO | Monthly | Flat for 3 months |
| Qualified CVs received | SEO | Monthly | Volume up, relevance down |
| Share of AI answers naming the firm | AEO/GEO | Monthly | No mention across 30 questions |
| Accuracy of facts cited | AEO/GEO | Quarterly | Departed partner or dropped practice still mentioned |
| Sources cited by AI assistants | AEO/GEO | Quarterly | Stale directories cited instead of you |
What a diagnostic covers
A serious diagnostic starts from what exists: an inventory of public information about the firm (site, professional profiles, directories, press), consistency of facts from one source to the next, quality of practice pages and bios, structured data, the state of the candidate page, a baseline record of AI answers to a list of questions, and a Search Console starting point. It ends with a costed recommendation on the split, not an automatic subscription. At Kolonell this work is on quote.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Harbor Point Partners, a four-partner retained search boutique in Brickell, spends $60,000 a year on visibility. The chosen split: 12 months of SEO at $3,000 ($36,000), an AEO/GEO audit at $8,000, then 8 months of follow-up at $2,000 ($16,000), so $36,000 + $8,000 + $16,000 = $60,000. In this business, a retained fee is often around one third of first-year cash compensation: for a $300,000 role, roughly $100,000. A single extra mandate per year therefore covers the spend 1.67 times. The calculation says nothing about the odds of winning that mandate; that is exactly what monthly measurement should clarify.
FAQ
Should we stop SEO to fund AEO/GEO?
Rarely. Candidates and many HR leaders still go through Google, and AI assistants draw partly on the same public pages. For most firms a rebalance to 60/40 or 70/30 is enough.
How long before we see an effect?
Allow 4 to 9 months for SEO on niche Miami queries. For AEO/GEO, answers can shift within 2 to 6 months, but month to month variability remains high.
Can we publish our placements to feed AI assistants?
Only with written consent from the clients and candidates involved, which is rare in confidential search. Pages describing the types of roles and sectors covered, without names, often work better.
What minimum budget makes sense?
Below $2,500 a month, pick a single channel. A one-off audit between $3,000 and $10,000 (2026 ballpark) can be enough to decide.
Can a provider guarantee ChatGPT will recommend us?
No. AI answers vary with the question and over time; an honest provider commits to a scope of work and a measurement record, never to a recommendation.
Find out how AI assistants describe your firm. A diagnostic compares your presence on Google and in AI answers, then costs out the right split for your Miami search firm. 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.
