The verdict in three sentences
For a boutique strategy consultancy in Chicago, SEO captures executives searching Google for a specific topic, while AEO/GEO targets the answers that AI assistants like ChatGPT give when a CEO or an operating partner asks whom to hire. Both rest on the same foundations (factual pages, identifiable partners, credible mentions), yet their timelines, budgets and metrics differ. The right split depends on your situation, and it is checked against dated indicators, never against a promised ranking or recommendation.
Two approaches, two ways of being found
Buyers of strategy work in Chicago (CEOs of Midwest manufacturers, boards, operating partners at mid-market funds) choose on partner experience, sector depth, published thought leadership and discretion. They now come in through two doors.
| Criterion | SEO (Google) | AEO/GEO (AI assistants like ChatGPT) |
|---|---|---|
| Target | Pages ranking for specific queries | Mention and description of the firm in an answer |
| Example search | “pricing strategy consultant manufacturing Chicago” | “Which independent firms in Chicago help a $300 million manufacturer rethink pricing?” |
| Time to effect | 4 to 9 months | 3 to 6 months to read a trend |
| Market budget (2026 ballpark) | $2,500 to $8,000 a month | $1,500 to $6,000 a month |
| Core assets | Expertise pages, articles, technical setup | Consistent facts, bios, third-party mentions |
| Measurement | Search Console, inbound leads | Dated record of answers to the same questions |
| Main risk | Traffic with no buying intent | An inaccurate description of the firm |
The two budgets do not always add up: a well-built expertise page serves both channels. That is why a shared diagnostic usually comes before the split.
Where to put the first dollar, by situation
| Your situation | Priority | Indicative SEO / AEO split |
|---|---|---|
| Firm under 2 years old, founded by partners from a large consultancy | Consistent facts and bios first, so AI assistants describe the firm correctly | 40 / 60 |
| Established brand, clients mostly through referrals | Check what AI assistants say when a referred prospect looks you up | 30 / 70 |
| Partners who publish a lot (sector analysis, op-eds) | SEO on the topics, then pickup by AI assistants | 60 / 40 |
| Clients in sensitive sectors (healthcare, financial services) and strict NDAs | Generic, approved content, no case study that is not anonymized | 50 / 50 |
| Budget under $3,000 a month | One foundations workstream, measured | Diagnostic, then 70 / 30 |
| Very narrow specialty (e.g. strategy for Midwest food and agriculture) | Niche pages, low competition on Google | 70 / 30 |
These splits are starting points, to be adjusted after three months of measurement.
How to measure each approach
| What you measure | SEO | AEO/GEO | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility | Impressions and positions in Search Console | Share of answers mentioning the firm, across 30 to 50 fixed questions | Monthly |
| Quality | Buyer-intent queries vs student queries | Accuracy of the description (sectors, client size, partners) | Monthly |
| Inquiries | Forms and calls from search | Prospects who mention an AI assistant in the first call | Quarterly |
| Business | Attributed signed engagements | Attributed signed engagements | Twice a year |
| Brand | Searches for the firm's name | Change in branded searches after mentions | Quarterly |
The dated record is the core of AEO: the same questions, asked on the same dates, answers archived. Without it, no report proves anything.
What a diagnostic covers
In broad terms: a snapshot of what Google and AI assistants say about the firm today, the consistency of its public information (site, profiles, directories, press), the quality of its expertise pages, gaps against two or three comparable firms and a proposed budget split. In the Chicago market, such a diagnostic runs $3,000 to $10,000 (2026 ballpark). Published case studies must stay real and anonymized in line with your confidentiality commitments; forms follow applicable privacy law, since the US has no single federal privacy statute, and an accessibility target of WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 AA limits exposure to ADA website suits. This is not legal advice.
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Mini case study
Illustrative example: Larkspur Strategy Group, six partners in the West Loop, pricing and operations strategy for Midwest manufacturers. Annual visibility budget: $60,000. The partners publish a lot, so the split is 60 / 40: $36,000 on SEO and $24,000 on AEO/GEO. An average engagement is worth $250,000, so one extra engagement a year equals 4.2 times the spend (250,000 / 60,000). Rule set up front: at month six, if the firm appears in fewer than 8 of 40 answers and fewer than 3 qualified inquiries come from search, the split gets revisited.
FAQ
Should we stop SEO to invest in AI assistants?
No: AI assistants partly draw on the same content as Google. Most firms keep 30 to 70% of the budget on SEO depending on their situation.
What does AEO work cost in Chicago?
Typical agency quotes run $1,500 to $6,000 a month in 2026, depending on the number of sectors covered. Kolonell's work is priced on quote after a diagnostic.
Can anyone guarantee that ChatGPT will recommend our firm?
No serious provider can promise that. What can be measured, across 30 to 50 fixed questions, is the share of answers that mention the firm and how accurate they are.
Our case studies are confidential: is that a blocker?
No, real anonymized cases (sector, size, challenge, qualitative outcome) are often enough. Three to five such cases per practice already give both channels something to work with.
How long before we judge results?
Allow 3 to 6 months for an AEO trend and 4 to 9 months for SEO. A twice-yearly review of signed engagements remains the deciding indicator.
Find out how AI assistants describe your firm. A shared SEO and AEO diagnostic shows what Google and AI assistants say about your consultancy and proposes a costed split of your budget. 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.
