The verdict in three sentences
For a yacht brokerage and charter company based in London, SEO remains the channel that captures precise searches (length, destination, season), while AEO/GEO, visibility in the answers of AI assistants like ChatGPT, increasingly matters at the stage where a client or their adviser draws up a first shortlist of brokers. With a limited budget, most established houses should keep SEO as the foundation and devote 20 to 30% of the effort to a diagnostic and a dated record of AI answers. The two are measured differently, and no honest provider promises a ranking or a recommendation.
Two levers, two logics
An owner who wants to sell, a family office looking for a 50-metre Mediterranean charter in July, a captain advising their owner: their Google searches are technical, their questions to AI assistants are more open ("which London brokers handle yachts over 40 metres in central agency?").
| Criterion | SEO (Google) | AEO/GEO (AI assistants like ChatGPT) |
|---|---|---|
| What it targets | Precise queries: "40m motor yacht charter Croatia July" | Open questions: "which London brokers handle superyacht charters in the Bahamas?" |
| Time to effect | 4 to 12 months depending on competition | Variable, often 2 to 6 months after public sources are corrected |
| Market budget (2026 ballpark) | GBP 1,500 to 5,000 a month | Diagnostic GBP 2,000 to 6,000, tracking GBP 1,500 to 4,000 a month |
| Metrics | Positions, Search Console clicks, charter and sale enquiries | Share of answers citing the company, accuracy, sources cited |
| Risks | Listings duplicated from shared platforms, outdated seasonal pages | Contradictory information, fleet misdescribed, membership wrongly displayed |
| What it requires from the site | Pages by destination, by size, by central agency yacht | Consistent facts everywhere, precise "about" pages, third-party mentions |
A sector-specific point: only present yachts the company actually has the right to market, distinguishing central agency from open listings, and display charter rates the way the trade quotes them, per week plus expenses (APA). Membership of MYBA or IYBA should only be mentioned if actually held. These details serve Google as much as AI assistants, which readily pick up clear facts.
Where to invest depending on your situation
| Situation | Recommended priority | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New company, little brand awareness | SEO first, on niches (destination + size) | AI assistants rarely cite a brand without third-party mentions |
| Established brand, covered by yachting press | SEO + AEO/GEO in parallel | Third-party sources exist, they need to be consistent |
| Large central agency fleet | SEO on yacht pages, AEO on identity | Yacht pages capture demand, identity feeds AI assistants |
| Regulated content (finance, tax) | Caution on both, review | A financial promotion may fall under the FCA |
| Limited budget (under GBP 2,000 a month) | Local SEO and key pages, quarterly AI record | A quarterly record costs little and flags errors |
| Mostly international clientele | English content first, other languages by market | Queries and questions are often in English |
On UK compliance: the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 govern client data, supervised by the ICO; PECR applies to cookies and marketing emails; any yacht finance promotion may fall under FCA rules. VAT rules on charters vary by cruising country: stay general on your site and refer to the contract. Aiming for WCAG 2.2 AA is consistent with the Equality Act 2010. This is not legal advice.
How results are measured
| Indicator | Lever | Frequency | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clicks and impressions per destination page | SEO | Monthly | Search Console |
| Qualified charter enquiries (dates, size, budget) | SEO and AEO | Monthly | Forms, CRM |
| Incoming sale mandates | SEO and AEO | Quarterly | CRM |
| Share of AI answers citing the company | AEO/GEO | Monthly or quarterly | Dated record on a fixed question panel |
| Accuracy of answers (fleet, address, membership) | AEO/GEO | Quarterly | Same record |
| Stated source "an AI assistant mentioned you" | AEO/GEO | Ongoing | Question in the enquiry form |
A serious diagnostic covers, in broad terms: the technical and editorial state of the site, the queries where you already appear, a first dated record of AI answers on 20 to 30 questions, the consistency of public information and a recommended budget split.
Mini case study
*Illustrative example, fictional company.* Thameside Yachting, a six-person London broker, has GBP 30,000 a year for visibility. It chooses a 70/30 split: GBP 21,000 for SEO, GBP 9,000 for AEO/GEO (diagnostic and quarterly records). These amounts are external market assumptions, not Kolonell prices.
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External market assumptions: an average charter of GBP 150,000 a week excluding APA, with a brokerage commission of 15%, so GBP 22,500 per charter. Threshold: 30,000 ÷ 22,500 = 1.33, so 2 additional charters a year cover the investment. The first AI record showed the company cited in 2 answers out of 25 (8%); it will track that figure every quarter rather than expect an immediate jump.
FAQ
Do we have to choose between SEO and AEO/GEO?
Rarely: for an established house, SEO remains the foundation and AEO/GEO a complement, often 20 to 30% of the effort. A new company is better off starting with SEO.
How much does an AEO/GEO diagnostic cost in London?
As a 2026 ballpark, between GBP 2,000 and 6,000 for a one-off diagnostic. Monthly tracking usually sits between GBP 1,500 and 4,000.
How do we know whether AI assistants mention our company?
By asking a fixed panel of 20 to 30 questions on the same dates and recording the answers. You track the share of answers citing the company and the accuracy of the facts.
Should we display charter rates?
Yes, in the customary "per week plus APA" form, with a realistic range per yacht. A page without prices loses a good share of qualified enquiries, which often filter on a weekly budget.
Can we highlight MYBA membership?
Only if it is actually held, using the organisation's exact name. A wrong mention, once picked up by an AI assistant, becomes hard to correct.
Find out how AI assistants describe your firm. We compare your presence on Google and in AI answers to decide where to invest, and Kolonell prices this work on quote. 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.
