The verdict in three sentences
A boutique strategy consultancy in Amsterdam is chosen on partner experience, sector depth and discretion, and those criteria increasingly pass through a question put to an AI assistant like ChatGPT before any call. SEO still matters for the explicit searches of CEOs and operating partners, while AEO/GEO decides whether your firm appears on the short list an AI assistant offers. For a firm of fewer than 30 consultants, a dated diagnostic followed by a mixed budget of EUR 2,000 to 7,000 a month is a realistic 2026 ballpark.
How leaders shortlist a consultancy in 2026
Your buyers are CEOs, boards and operating partners at private equity funds. They no longer just type strategy consultancy Amsterdam into Google: they ask an AI assistant to name firms that know a sector, a transaction or a specific situation.
| Buying moment | Typical question to an AI assistant | Signal that gets a boutique mentioned |
|---|---|---|
| Strategic review announced to the board | Which independent strategy firms in Amsterdam know port logistics? | Precise sector pages, signed publications |
| Commercial due diligence for a fund | Who does fast commercial due diligence for the Dutch mid-market? | Offer described clearly, timing and format |
| New CEO | Firms that support a leader's first 100 days in the Netherlands | Published point of view, identifiable partners |
| Entering a new market | Strategy advice for entering Germany from the Netherlands | Consistent content in English and Dutch |
| Comparison with the large firms | Independent alternatives to the big consultancies in Amsterdam | Explicit positioning on team size and partner involvement |
| Check before a meeting | What is known about this firm and its partners? | Accurate bios, consistent third-party sources |
Case studies must be real and anonymised when the client requires it. If some clients are financial institutions supervised by the AFM, their compliance teams sign off any mention. Forms and analytics fall under the AVG (the GDPR), overseen by the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens. This is not legal advice.
Six budget lines, two logics
| Budget line | Logic | Time to effect | 2026 ballpark in Amsterdam | Measure | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technical and content SEO audit | SEO | 1 to 2 months to deliver | EUR 3,000 to 10,000 | Issues fixed, pages indexed | Audit left in a drawer |
| Monthly SEO retainer | SEO | 4 to 12 months | EUR 2,000 to 7,000 a month | Impressions, qualified enquiries | Generic content with no partner input |
| AEO/GEO diagnostic | AEO/GEO | 3 to 6 weeks | EUR 3,000 to 9,000 | Initial dated record of answers | Read as a promise |
| AEO/GEO monitoring | AEO/GEO | Several months, hard to predict | EUR 1,500 to 6,000 a month | Share of answers naming the firm | No control over answers |
| In-depth piece signed by a partner | Both | 3 to 9 months | EUR 800 to 2,500 per piece | Citations, pick-ups, enquiries | Partner time underestimated |
| Sector media relations | Both | Variable | EUR 2,500 to 8,000 a month | Mentions in recognised media | Coverage unrelated to the thesis |
These ranges reflect typical Dutch agency quotes and public rate pages; they rise when both Dutch and English are covered.
Which priority fits your situation?
| Your situation | Lean towards | First budget line | Watch point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firm founded by former partners of a large consultancy | AEO/GEO then SEO | AEO/GEO diagnostic | AI assistants still tie the partners to their former employer |
| Established firm, partner-led brand | Balance | Signed pieces and a quarterly record | Consistent bios everywhere |
| Mostly financial or supervised clients | Cautious SEO | Audit and approved offer pages | Compliance sign-off on cases |
| Budget under EUR 2,000 a month | Focused SEO | Audit, then two sector pages | Do not spread across five sectors |
| Sector repositioning | SEO and AEO/GEO together | Sector pages and an initial record | Old descriptions linger in answers |
| Name close to another firm | AEO/GEO now | Diagnostic | Confusion repeated in answers |
Measuring without fooling yourself
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SEO shows up in Search Console and the CRM: impressions on sector pages, inbound enquiries, meetings with a partner. AEO/GEO shows up in a dated record of AI answers to the same list of buyer questions, repeated each quarter in Dutch and English: is the firm mentioned, are its partners described correctly, which sources seem to feed the answer. A diagnostic covers those questions, the state of the answers, the consistency of your public sources and where competitors stand, and ends in a budget split. To scope one, request a diagnostic quote.
Kolonell built the website of TR Signing Group, a signing services company in New Jersey: a professional services business where clarity about scope and process underpins trust, much as in consulting.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Keizersgracht Strategy Partners, 12 consultants, sets an annual budget of EUR 48,000. The split: an SEO retainer at EUR 2,500 a month, so EUR 30,000, an AEO/GEO diagnostic at EUR 5,000, four quarterly records at EUR 2,000, so EUR 8,000, and EUR 5,000 for editing partner-signed pieces. Total: 30,000 + 5,000 + 8,000 + 5,000 = EUR 48,000. With an average engagement of EUR 120,000, a single engagement won through this visibility covers the annual budget 2.5 times.
FAQ
Should we drop SEO in favour of AEO/GEO? No, leaders still use Google to check a firm before a meeting. For a boutique, a starting split of around 60% SEO and 40% AEO/GEO is a reasonable basis for discussion.
Can an AI assistant be made to recommend our firm? Nobody can promise that. Presence and accuracy are measured with dated records, usually every 3 months.
What does an AEO/GEO diagnostic cost in Amsterdam? As a 2026 ballpark, EUR 3,000 to 9,000 depending on the number of questions and languages. The Kolonell diagnostic is on quote.
Should we publish in Dutch? If your buyers are CEOs of Dutch companies, yes, at least for sector pages. International funds based in Amsterdam mostly read English, hence the value of both of the 2 languages.
Can we name our clients? Only with their written consent, and anonymised otherwise. An anonymised case with ballpark figures still helps buyers.
Find out how AI assistants describe your firm. We record what AI assistants like ChatGPT say about your firm and partners, in Dutch and English, so you can decide between SEO and AEO/GEO. 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.
