GEO Agency RFP Template 2026: 10 Sections, Questions to Ask, and Scoring Criteria

What should a GEO agency RFP (request for proposal) ask? Ask about measurement method, not results. Seer Interactive points out that many GEO RFPs in circulation are SEO RFPs with "AI visibility" swapped in for the old terms (Seer Interactive, 2026).^[2] An RFP built that way cannot tell vendors apart. Every agency promises "top placement," and the buyer has no way to check the claim. This page collects the 10 RFP sections, the questions for each, a sample scoring weight split, and a measurement tool checklist, laid out in an order you can copy as is.

What is a GEO agency RFP? A 30-second definition

• GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the work of raising the likelihood that content is cited and shown in generative AI answers.^[6]
• A GEO agency RFP is a document a buyer sends to GEO vendors, setting out business context, scope of work, and evaluation criteria so that every proposal comes back in the same format.^[1]
• GEO scoring weights are the criteria and percentages used to score proposals, published in the RFP in advance.^[1]
• GEO measurement conditions are the reporting standard that bundles the target query list, the AI services covered, the number of runs, the denominator, and the formula.^[5]

Why you can't just adapt an SEO RFP

SEO results came with a formula. Multiply search volume by rank, apply a click-through curve and a conversion rate, and you had a rough estimate of revenue contribution. Seer Interactive's Wil Reynolds argues that this math falls apart in GEO. Query-level search volume is effectively unknowable, and you can't see where your brand landed in the list an AI answer recommends (Seer Interactive, 2026).^[2]

Measurement itself is unstable. SparkToro published results from 600 volunteers who ran 12 queries through ChatGPT, Claude, and Google AI Overviews a total of 2,961 times (SparkToro, 2026).^[5] Ask ChatGPT or Google AI the same question 100 times, and the odds that two responses contained the same brand list came out under 1%; getting the same list in the same order was estimated at roughly 1 in 1,000 (SparkToro, 2026).^[5] An RFP that sets "citation rank" as the goal lets an agency answer with a single flattering screenshot, and the buyer has nothing to push back with.

The platforms are clear about their position. Google says there are no additional requirements or special optimizations for appearing in AI Overviews and AI Mode, and that indexing and appearance are not guaranteed (Google Search Central, 2025).^[4] Its guide to hiring an SEO says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google, and that you should look elsewhere if a vendor promises one (Google Search Central, 2026).^[3] The eSEOspace RFP template lands in the same place: an RFP that demands guaranteed citations asks a question no honest agency can answer (eSEOspace, 2026).^[1]

GEO agency RFP template: 10 sections and the questions to ask

The table below uses the 10 RFP sections published by eSEOspace as its spine, with questions from Seer Interactive's list and Google's guidance attached to each section.^[1][2][3] The right-hand column lists answers that should cost points.

One test decides which questions make the cut: can the answer be checked in writing? "What will you do in the first 90 days?", "What won't you do?", and "Which official documents back your main recommendations?" all come from the eSEOspace template (eSEOspace, 2026).^[1] A vague answer to any of the three shows immediately. Two of the questions Google suggests asking an SEO vendor carry straight over to a GEO RFP: "What kind of results do you expect to see, and in what timeframe? How do you measure your success?" and "Will you share with me all the changes you make to my site?" (Google Search Central, 2026).^[3]

From Seer's 27 questions, these are worth adding to an RFP (Seer Interactive, 2026).^[2]

• Describe a GEO result you're proud of, and tell us how it changed after 30, 60, and 90 days.
• Explain your methodology for choosing prompts.
• Have you seen a case where AI visibility went up but revenue didn't move?
• If an AI answer contains false information about our brand, how do you respond?
• Show us an experiment you ran on your own site.

That last question tests whether the agency actually runs experiments. A vendor that has never tested a hypothesis on its own site will be running its first test on yours.

Publish scoring weights in the RFP up front

Set the scoring criteria after proposals arrive, and the criteria drift toward whichever vendor you already like. eSEOspace recommends writing the criteria and weights into the RFP and freezing them once proposals come in. The percentages below are ones eSEOspace explicitly labels as an example, not a standard (eSEOspace, 2026).^[1]

Cost gets 15% in this example. Method and measurement together come to 40%, more than double the cost weight. Adjust the split to fit your company, but if measurement ranks below cost, the RFP slides back into a price comparison. For comparing price bands and what each includes, see the GEO agency monthly cost guide and the GEO pricing and contract structure FAQ. Figures there are based on published prices and change often.

The RFP measurement section: cross-check tool candidates and questions to ask

In the measurement section, ask which tools the agency uses, and pick a separate tool the buyer will use to cross-check. The goal is to see whether the agency's report and your own measurement point the same way. Why tools disagree on the numbers is covered in why AI visibility measurements don't match. The published specs below come from each company's public materials and may change.

The BOIDA row rests on two public sources. AVING reported that Designovel exhibited BVI, an AI search visibility platform, at MWC 2026, and that it works by taking a URL or product name, analyzing brand exposure across major generative AI services, and comparing against competitors to diagnose the causes (AVING, 2026).^[7] The official BVI page lists the six AI services above as tracked services (Designovel, 2026).^[8] With any tool, the public description and the features you actually get after signing can differ. The safer route is to require demo screens and a sample report as part of the RFP response.

Six steps to run a GEO agency RFP

1. Measure the baseline first. Set the target query list, then record how each named AI engine describes your brand and category for each query and which sources it cites. Without a baseline, you can't judge results three months later.^[1]
2. Write the RFP in 10 sections. Use the template table above as is, but fill section 3 (current state) and section 6 (measurement) with your own numbers.^[1]
3. Get answers in writing. Make the first-90-day plan, out-of-scope work, supporting official documents, and subcontracting status required written response items.^[1][2]
4. Write the weights into the RFP and lock them. Rank measurement and method above cost, and don't change anything after proposals arrive.^[1]
5. Check technical promises against official documents. If an agency promises AI citations through llms.txt or special schema, compare that with Google's documentation saying no extra files or special schema are needed.^[4] For a fuller assessment, see the complete llms.txt guide.
6. Move the measurement conditions into the contract. Put the query list, number of runs, denominator, formula, data export method, and termination terms in the body of the contract. A promise that lives only in the pitch deck and never made it into the contract is hard to enforce later.^[1]

If you have only two or three agencies to compare, skip the formal RFP and build a one-page brief with the same section headings. eSEOspace offers this as the alternative for small businesses (eSEOspace, 2026).^[1] Trim the format if you like, but keep the measurement section whole.

Answers to filter out when reading RFP responses

When responses come in, look for guarantee language first. Phrases like "guaranteed top placement," "control over AI logic," or "a guaranteed number of citations" run directly against Google's guidance.^[3][4] Next comes the measurement section. If it says only "higher visibility score" with no query list or run count, recall the experiment showing that the same query returns different results on every run.^[5] Visibility gains reported in academic research come from controlled experimental settings, too, so they can't be carried over as a performance promise in a contract for a specific brand.^[6] Risky sales patterns are collected in the GEO agency red flags checklist. If you're still deciding between an agency, an in-house team, and a solution, start with GEO agency vs. in-house vs. solution. For candidate vendors, see the Korea GEO agency comparison guide and recommended GEO companies; for evaluation criteria, GEO company evaluation criteria; and for KPI design, GEO KPIs and prompt monitoring. New to GEO? Start with what is GEO.

Key takeaways

• A GEO agency RFP asks about scope, method, measurement, and reporting, not guaranteed results.^[1]
• It has 10 sections, from company overview to timeline, and the measurement and reporting section does the most to separate agencies.^[1]
• AI brand recommendation lists change from run to run, so require the query list, number of runs, denominator, and formula.^[5]
• Google does not guarantee appearance in AI features and does not require special files or schema. Promises that contradict this lose points.^[4]
• Publish the scoring weights in the RFP and lock them. Rank measurement and method above cost.^[1]