The verdict in three sentences
For a licensed fintech or digital asset firm in Melbourne, SEO remains the channel that captures active searches (platform comparisons, fees, custody), while AEO/GEO works on how AI assistants like ChatGPT describe your firm when a treasurer or a sophisticated user asks them. In a sector this regulated, the first investment is the consistency of regulatory information shown everywhere: licence references exactly as held, risk warnings, no promise of returns. Measurement differs: Search Console and leads for one, a dated record of AI answers to the same questions for the other.
What your buyers now ask AI assistants
A corporate finance director looking for a custody provider, or a sophisticated investor comparing crypto platforms, no longer stops at a Google search. They ask an AI assistant: “Which digital asset platforms registered in Australia offer institutional custody?”, “Does this Melbourne company hold an AFS licence?”, “What are this platform's AUD conversion fees?”. The answer names a few firms, summarises facts and sometimes points to sources.
Whether your firm shows up depends on factors that are fairly easy to grasp: pages that answer those questions clearly, identical information on your site, your public profiles and the trade press, and facts that can be checked. An assistant that finds three different versions of your regulatory status tends to stay vague, or to repeat an old source.
SEO or AEO/GEO: the comparison for your sector
| Criterion | SEO | AEO/GEO |
|---|---|---|
| What it targets | Google positions on queries such as “crypto custody Australia” | Being mentioned and described accurately in answers from AI assistants like ChatGPT |
| Usual time to effect | 4 to 12 months | Variable, often 2 to 6 months after sources are corrected, with no certainty |
| Market budget, 2026 ballpark | USD 2,000 to 5,200 a month (about AUD 3,000 to 8,000) | Diagnostic USD 1,300 to 3,900, ongoing work USD 2,000 to 5,900 a month |
| Metrics | Impressions, clicks, demo or account opening requests | Share of answers naming the firm, accuracy of the facts cited |
| Main risk | Promotional content judged non-compliant | An assistant repeating outdated regulatory information |
| Dependency | Google's algorithm | The public sources AI assistants rely on |
Budget basis: typical agency quotes and public agency rate pages, AUD amounts converted to USD approximately.
Where to invest, by situation
| Situation | Suggested priority | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Young firm, licence granted less than a year ago | SEO on brand and compliance pages, then AEO | AI assistants rely on sources that do not exist yet |
| Established brand, often quoted in the press | AEO/GEO first | Assistants already know you, the issue is accuracy |
| Recent change of licence or registration | Fix public sources, on both channels | Outdated information can circulate for a long time |
| Institutional B2B offer only | AEO/GEO on due diligence questions | Buyers ask long, precise questions |
| Limited budget, under USD 3,000 a month | Focused SEO on 10 to 15 pages, one-off AEO diagnostic | Useful coverage without spreading resources thin |
| Highly regulated content (derivatives, yield) | Compliance review before any action | Regulatory risk outweighs the visibility gain |
The sector is among the most regulated anywhere: in Australia, ASIC oversees financial services and AUSTRAC keeps the register of digital currency exchange providers, and your international clients will also compare you with firms under other regimes. Stay factual: the licence reference as held, risk warnings, no promise of returns. The Australian Consumer Law covers misleading claims and the Privacy Act 1988 covers the data collected in your account opening or demo forms. This is not legal advice.
How to measure, and what a diagnostic covers
SEO is measured with familiar tools: Search Console for impressions and clicks, your CRM for qualified requests. AEO/GEO is measured differently: the same questions are put, on fixed dates, to AI assistants like ChatGPT, and the answers are recorded. A serious record covers 20 to 40 buyer questions, repeated monthly, with the date, the exact wording, the firms named and the accuracy of the facts about you.
In broad terms, a diagnostic covers the list of questions your buyers ask, the current state of the answers, the gaps between what assistants say and your actual status, the public sources involved and the site pages that need clarifying. It ends with costed priorities, not a promise of being recommended: no AI assistant commits to its answers.
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Mini case study
Illustrative example: Laneway Custody, a digital asset custody firm in Melbourne with an annual marketing budget of USD 60,000. The head of marketing splits it: an AEO diagnostic at USD 3,000, then 70% of the remainder on SEO and 30% on AEO tracking. The maths: 60,000 minus 3,000 = USD 57,000; SEO USD 39,900, or USD 3,325 a month; AEO USD 17,100, or USD 1,425 a month. The record covers 30 questions a month, so 360 answers logged over the year. At month 6, she compares the number of accurate answers about her licence before and after, and adjusts the split.
FAQ
Does AEO/GEO replace SEO for a fintech?
No: the two complement each other, and AI assistants draw part of their answers from well-ranked pages. For most firms, putting 60 to 80% on SEO in year one remains sensible.
How much does an AI visibility diagnostic cost in Melbourne?
As a 2026 ballpark, USD 1,300 to 3,900 (about AUD 2,000 to 6,000) depending on the number of questions and markets covered. At Kolonell, this work is on quote.
Can anyone guarantee that an AI assistant will recommend our platform?
No, nobody honestly can. What can be done is to improve the accuracy and consistency of the information available, then measure the effect on a record of 20 to 40 questions.
What if an AI assistant cites an old licence?
Fix the public sources first: your site, your profiles, old press releases. The monthly record then shows whether the correction is picked up, often within a few weeks to a few months.
Which metrics should we show the board?
For SEO: demo and account opening requests from organic search. For AEO: the share of answers naming the firm and the accuracy rate of the facts, for example 22 accurate answers out of 30.
Find out how AI assistants describe your firm. We record what AI assistants like ChatGPT say about your firm on your buyers' questions and cost the priorities. 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.
