The verdict in three sentences
For an international tax and fiduciary firm in Geneva, SEO captures very specific searches ("transfer pricing Geneva", "trust administration Geneva"), while AEO/GEO targets the answers AI assistants like ChatGPT give to an entrepreneur preparing a relocation or a group restructuring. For an established firm, most budgets seen in the Geneva market sit around CHF 2,000 to 6,000 a month per lever, and the right split depends on your reputation, your regulated content and your time horizon. The two are measured separately: Search Console and qualified enquiries on one side, a dated record of AI answers to the same questions on the other.
Two levers, two logics: the comparison
Your clients, families relocating, founders selling a company, groups reviewing their substance, ask pointed questions. Some still go through Google; a growing share goes through conversational assistants that summarise an answer and name a few firms. The table compares the two levers for your business, as a 2026 ballpark drawn from typical quotes by agencies in French-speaking Switzerland.
| Criterion | SEO | AEO/GEO |
|---|---|---|
| What it targets | Google positions for specific queries | Accurate mentions of the firm in AI answers |
| Example queries | "fiduciary Geneva holding company", "CRS reporting Switzerland" | "Which Geneva firm helps a family relocating from France?" |
| Time to effect | 4 to 9 months on competitive queries | 3 to 6 months, highly variable depending on third-party sources |
| Market budget | CHF 2,000 to 6,000 per month | CHF 2,000 to 6,000 per month, diagnostic CHF 3,000 to 8,000 |
| Metrics | Impressions, clicks, qualified enquiries | Share of answers naming the firm, accuracy |
| Main risk | Generic content attracting the merely curious | The firm or its licences described wrongly |
No serious provider promises a ranking, nor a recommendation by an AI assistant. What you fund are accurate, useful and consistent pages that both channels draw on.
Where to invest, depending on your situation
The right trade-off differs for a fiduciary with twenty years behind it and for a boutique founded last year by two former partners of a large network.
| Situation | Suggested priority | Why | Indicative split |
|---|---|---|---|
| New firm, little reputation | SEO first | AI assistants rely on third-party sources that are still scarce | 70% SEO, 30% AEO |
| Established brand, frequent press mentions | Stronger AEO/GEO | Sources exist; they need correcting and aligning | 40% SEO, 60% AEO |
| Trust or asset management activity requiring a licence | Both, with compliance review | An error on the firm's status is costly | 50 / 50 |
| Mostly English and German-speaking clients | Multilingual AEO/GEO | Questions arrive in several languages | 40% SEO, 60% AEO |
| Budget under CHF 2,500 per month | Targeted SEO, light AI measurement | A few solid pages beat spreading thin | 80% SEO, 20% measurement |
| Launching a new practice (transfer pricing, say) | SEO on the dedicated page | Create the material AI assistants can later draw on | 70% SEO, 30% AEO |
In every case, content should stay general explanation. A serious firm does not present aggressive planning and promises no tax outcome; it describes topics (lump-sum taxation, substance, automatic exchange of information) and invites a conversation. Depending on the activity, specific licences apply, for example the FINMA authorisation required for trustees under the Financial Institutions Act; state precisely those you hold. On data, your forms fall under the revised Federal Act on Data Protection, in force since 1 September 2023 and supervised by the FDPIC, and under the GDPR if you target EU residents. This is not legal advice.
How to measure, lever by lever
The classic trap is judging AEO with SEO tools, or the reverse. Each lever has its own metrics and reading frequency.
| Metric | Lever | Tool or method | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impressions and clicks per practice page | SEO | Google Search Console | Monthly |
| Qualified contact enquiries | SEO and AEO | Form with a question on the source | Monthly |
| Share of answers naming the firm | AEO | Dated record of answers to the same questions | Monthly |
| Accuracy (partners, licences, jurisdictions) | AEO | Review of the same record | Monthly |
| Competitors named instead of you | AEO | Dated record | Quarterly |
| Signed engagements from the website | Both | Firm CRM | Quarterly |
With a few dozen qualified enquiries a year, month-to-month swings mean nothing. Read trends over two quarters.
What a diagnostic covers
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A serious diagnostic reviews the existing position before any commitment: practice and jurisdiction pages, consistency between website, directories and partner profiles, coverage in French, English and German, queries already visible in Search Console, and a first record of AI answers to about thirty client questions. It ends with a recommended budget split, not a catalogue of services. Kolonell carries out this work on quote.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: "Fiduciaire Rhône & Associés", six partners, serving families and international SMEs. The firm has CHF 48,000 a year. An established brand with little English presence, it chooses 60% SEO and 40% AEO: CHF 28,800 for SEO (CHF 2,400 a month) and CHF 19,200 for AEO (CHF 1,600 a month). It tracks 30 questions in French and English, so 60 answers recorded each month and 720 over the year, read alongside qualified enquiries from Search Console and the CRM.
FAQ
SEO or AEO: which to choose on a limited budget?
Below roughly CHF 2,500 a month, most firms gain by concentrating on a few solid practice pages. Light measurement of AI answers, a few hundred francs a month, is enough to follow the trend.
How long before results show?
For SEO, expect 4 to 9 months on competitive Geneva queries. For AEO, 3 to 6 months is a first horizon, since everything depends on third-party sources.
Can AEO be measured as precisely as SEO?
Not with the same granularity, but a dated record of 30 to 50 questions asked each month gives a solid base. It tracks the share of answers naming the firm and the accuracy of what is said.
Does our tax content carry a particular risk?
Yes, if a page suggests a certain outcome or aggressive planning. General, dated content reviewed by a partner limits that risk, and AI assistants draw better on factual information.
What budget should we plan for a diagnostic?
In the Swiss market, a diagnostic covering SEO and AEO usually costs CHF 3,000 to 8,000 depending on languages and practices. At Kolonell it is priced on quote.
Find out how AI assistants describe your firm. We compare your visibility on Google and in the answers of AI assistants like ChatGPT, then propose a budget split suited to your 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.
