By Tushar Patel, Lead SEO & Data Analyst at BulletProof · Updated October 7, 2026
12 questions to ask a real estate SEO and AEO agency before you sign
Every agency demo sounds good. These twelve questions show you, in about twenty minutes, which agency will do the weekly work that gets you named on Google and in AI answers, and which one is selling a pitch.
Before you sign with a real estate SEO or AEO agency, ask twelve questions in three groups. Scope: which outcomes they own in writing, whether they run your Google Business Profile and reviews every week, and whether they fix your name, address and phone across the whole web. Proof: which named agents they have helped, how they track what ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google say about you, what they will do in the first 90 days, and what they cannot guarantee. Fit: how seller calls get followed up, whether you must replace your website, whether they work with a competitor in your market, and what happens to your URLs and data if you leave. Ask every agency the same twelve, including us, and compare the answers side by side.
The checklist
All twelve on one screen
Print this, or keep it open on the call. Get the answers to 1 and 12 in writing.
Questions 1 to 4: Scope
What they actually do every week
Most disappointments start here: the agent thought something was included and it was not.
Which outcomes are you responsible for, in writing?
Traffic, rankings, map-pack spots, AI mentions and seller calls are different results. Vague scope is how a year passes with nothing to point at.
Good answer: A short list of measured outcomes and the monthly work behind each one.
Red flag: “We'll grow your online presence.”
Do you work on my Google Business Profile every week?
The profile drives the map pack, and Google's AI Overviews read straight from it. Many SEO agencies only touch the website.
Good answer: Weekly posts, photos, Q&A, categories and service areas, done for you and reported.
Red flag: “That's on your side” or “one-time setup.”
How do you get me more Google reviews, and who answers them?
Recent, detailed reviews with replies are what sellers read first and what AI answers quote back.
Good answer: A repeatable ask after every closing and a reply to every review.
Red flag: Reviews are not mentioned at all.
Do you fix my name, address and phone across the whole web?
When your details disagree across Google, Zillow, Realtor.com and directories, engines cannot verify you and recommend someone they can.
Good answer: An audit of every listing, then fixes on all of them, not only Google.
Red flag: Only the website and the Google listing are in scope.
Questions 5 to 8: Proof
How they prove it is working
Ask for evidence you can check, and for honesty about what nobody can promise.
Which real agents now get found on Google or in AI answers because of you?
Every agency has screenshots. Named agents in named markets are harder to fake.
Good answer: Names, markets, start dates and what changed, with permission to check.
Red flag: Only anonymous graphs or “our clients are confidential.”
How do you track what ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google say about me?
AI answers are a separate result from rankings. If nobody checks them, nobody knows whether the work is landing.
Good answer: A repeatable check of the questions sellers ask in your market, reported on a schedule.
Red flag: Only a keyword-ranking report.
What will you change in the first 90 days?
The answer should come from an audit of your profile, reviews, listings and site, not a fixed article quota.
Good answer: A dated plan: fix the foundation, build what engines read, then earn outside mentions.
Red flag: “Four blogs a month” before they have looked at anything.
What can you not guarantee?
Nobody controls Google or the AI engines. Promises of a ranking or a ChatGPT mention by a date are sales lines.
Good answer: They guarantee the work and the reporting, and say plainly that rankings are earned.
Red flag: “Page one in 30 days, guaranteed.”
Questions 9 to 12: Fit
Whether it fits your business
The right agency for a team buying ads is the wrong one for a listing agent who wants sellers to call.
When a seller finds me, what turns that call into a listing?
Visibility that lands in a voicemail is wasted. Follow-up decides whether a search becomes a signed listing.
Good answer: A CRM, follow-up workflows and someone who helps you run them.
Red flag: “Lead handling is up to you.”
Do I have to replace my current website?
Some sites can take schema and market content; closed platforms cannot. Either answer can be right, if they explain it.
Good answer: A reasoned keep-or-replace answer after they look at your site.
Red flag: A new site is required before they have seen yours.
Do you work with a direct competitor in my market?
AI answers name two or three agents per question. Your agency should not be building two of them.
Good answer: A defined market and an exclusivity policy you can read.
Red flag: “We don't limit clients” with no market definition.
What happens to my URLs, content and data if I switch or leave?
A sloppy move can break pages that already rank, and saved searches that turn into errors cost leads.
Good answer: Main page URLs kept, broken links pointed somewhere useful, your content and contacts exportable.
Red flag: No written answer on URLs, content or contact data.
Ask us too
How BulletProof answers the same questions
We publish our answers so you can hold us to them. Put any other agency's answers in the right-hand column.
Straight answers
Questions agents ask about hiring an SEO or AEO agency
Tushar Patel, Lead SEO & Data Analyst at BulletProof. Tushar leads SEO and data at BulletProof, which helps real estate agents get found and chosen on Google and AI search so sellers call them directly. Established 2022, trusted by 1,000+ agents. Willow Park, Texas.
Agents, Realtors and small teams about to hire, renew or replace an SEO, AEO or website company, who want to know what they are paying for before they sign.
Ask us all twelve
Book a demo and bring this list. Or run the free audit first and see what Google and AI say about you today.
BulletProof publishes this guide and sells the service it describes; we are telling you that plainly. Plan terms are as of October 2026. ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google are trademarks of their respective owners; BulletProof Real Estate Agent is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. REALTOR® is a registered trademark of the National Association of REALTORS®; BulletProof Real Estate Agent is not affiliated with or endorsed by NAR.
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