Should You Handle AI Visibility Yourself, Hire a Generic Marketing Agency, or Work With an AEO Specialist?
There are three real paths to getting your business recommended when customers ask ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, or Perplexity who to hire: do it yourself, hire a marketing agency that offers AEO as one of many services, or work with someone who does AEO and AI tool setup as their entire focus. Here's an honest look at all three.
The Three Options, Compared
| Do It Yourself | Generic Marketing Agency | Intermix Media Group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | $0 cash, real time cost | Typically $1,500–$5,000+/month for a bundled retainer | $1,499 one-time setup |
| Monthly cost | $0 | Bundled into the retainer above | $599/month |
| AEO-specific expertise | You're learning it as you go | Often one service among many (ads, social, content, SEO) | The entire focus of the engagement |
| Technical work (schema, crawlability, GBP) | Falls entirely on you | Varies widely by agency | Included in setup |
| Who does the work | You | Account manager routes to a team | Direct, one person, hands-on |
| Best fit for | Technically comfortable owners with time to learn it | Businesses that already need a full marketing partner (ads, social, content) alongside AEO | Owners who want AI visibility specifically, without paying for services they don't need |
Doing It Yourself
This is a real option, not a strawman. The playbook and tools behind AEO (schema markup, Google Business Profile optimization, monthly visibility tracking) are documented and learnable. The tradeoff is time: someone has to actually do the technical audit, write the schema, keep the Google Business Profile current, and check monthly whether ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity are naming your business. If you have the time and the technical comfort, DIY genuinely works.
Hiring a Generic Marketing Agency
Most marketing agencies still sell traditional SEO, paid ads, and social media management, with AEO added as a line item, if it's offered at all. That can be the right call if you already need a full marketing partner and want AEO bundled in with everything else. The tradeoff: you're often paying for breadth (ads management, content calendars, social posting) even if AI visibility is the only piece you actually need, and AEO expertise varies a lot from agency to agency since it's a newer specialty most weren't built around.
Working With Intermix Media Group
AEO and AI tool setup are the entire practice, not a line item added onto a broader retainer. $1,499 one-time setup, then $599/month, with no bundled services you didn't ask for. You work directly with the person doing the work, not an account manager routing requests to a larger team.
Which Is Right for You?
| If you... | Best fit |
|---|---|
| Have the time and technical comfort to learn schema, GBP, and AI-visibility tracking yourself | Do It Yourself |
| Already need a full marketing partner for ads, social, and content, with AEO as one more piece | A Generic Marketing Agency |
| Want to be found when customers ask AI for a recommendation, without paying for services you don't need | Intermix Media Group |
