1. A real baseline
Before any work starts, the agency should record what the main assistants say about you for a fixed list of questions. Without a baseline, no one can show progress, and reports become stories rather than evidence.
Best PR Agency UK 2026
GEO · AEO · AI searchBest GEO agencies UKUpdated 2026
Best GEO Agencies UK 2026 — and how to be the brand AI recommends
Your next client has just asked ChatGPT who to hire. Were you in the answer?
More buyers now start with ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews instead of ten blue links. If an assistant names three of your competitors and not you, you lose the enquiry before you ever knew it existed. This guide compares the best GEO agencies in the UK, explains what generative engine optimisation really involves, and shows why the brands AI trusts most are the ones respected publications already write about.
- Pay only after your article is live
- ChatGPT, Gemini & AI Overviews
- London-based, clients worldwide
- In PR since 2001
In one minute
What does a GEO agency actually do?
A GEO agency (generative engine optimisation agency) helps your brand appear, and be described accurately, in answers from AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot and Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode. The best GEO agencies in the UK combine three things: content written to answer real questions, technical SEO so AI tools can read your site, and earned coverage in trusted publications that AI systems rely on as evidence.
GEO is not a trick or a new file you upload. Google says the same fundamentals that help pages rank in Search apply to its AI features, and that no special optimisation, AI text file or schema is required (Google Search Central: AI features and your website). What changes is the weight of reputation: AI answers are built from many sources at once, so being named in respected places matters more than ever.
The term comes from academic research. A 2023 paper led by researchers at Princeton University, GEO: Generative Engine Optimization, reported that well-chosen content changes could boost a source’s visibility in generative engine answers by up to 40%.
Quick picks
Which type of GEO partner do you need?
- You need to be cited by AI as an authorityPR-led GEO
- Your website is hard for AI tools to readTechnical SEO-led GEO
- You sell online and need product answersE-commerce GEO
- You are a founder or expertPersonal-brand GEO
- AI repeats something wrong about youReputation-led GEO
- You need all of the aboveIntegrated agency
United Press is a PR-led GEO partner. If PR-led is what you need, ask for a free AI visibility check.
The UK shortlist
Best GEO agencies UK: who the published rankings name most
Almost every “best GEO agency” list on Google is written by an agency that puts itself first. So rather than add one more opinion, we checked eight of those UK lists on page one of google.co.uk and counted which agencies appear across them. An agency named by several competitors is a useful signal; an agency that only appears on its own list is not.
| Agency | Named in (of 8 UK lists checked) | Lists that named it |
|---|---|---|
| Found | 3 | POLARIS, Tenet, AxiomAI |
| Passion Digital | 3 | POLARIS, Passion Digital, AxiomAI |
| The SEO Works | 3 | Digital Landscope, Passion Digital, AxiomAI |
| POLARIS | 3 | POLARIS, Blue Array, Passion Digital |
| Blue Array | 2 | POLARIS, Blue Array |
| Suso Digital | 2 | Blue Array, Passion Digital |
| Impression | 2 | Okapi & Co, AxiomAI |
| Buried | 2 | Tenet, Passion Digital |
| Genie Crawl | 2 | Genie Crawl, Tenet |
| ClickSlice | 2 | Genie Crawl, Tenet |
Method: we searched “best GEO agencies UK” on google.co.uk on 5 October 2026 and counted agency names in the top entries shown for eight UK ranking articles (Digital Landscope, POLARIS, Blue Array, Genie Crawl, Tenet, Okapi & Co, Passion Digital and AxiomAI). Lists may include more agencies than were visible, and several lists rank their own agency first. This is a snapshot, not an endorsement.
What the table tells you: the UK GEO market is young, and most specialists come from SEO. Very few come from PR and media relations, the discipline that earns the independent mentions AI assistants lean on. That gap is where United Press works.
How to judge them
Seven things that separate the best GEO agencies UK buyers can hire from the rest
Rankings tell you who is visible. They do not tell you who will do good work for you. These are the criteria we would use to judge any GEO agency, including our own.
2. Earned authority, not just on-site tweaks
Rewriting your own pages helps, but AI assistants weigh what others say about you. Ask how the agency gets you mentioned in independent publications, reviews and industry sources.
3. Honest about uncertainty
AI systems change often and their ranking logic is not public. A credible agency explains what is known, what is tested and what is still a hypothesis.
4. People-first content
Google’s guidance favours helpful, reliable content written for people. An agency that mass-produces thin AI pages is building on sand.
5. Technical fundamentals
Pages must be crawlable, indexed and clear in plain text. Agencies should check robots rules, internal links and page experience, because Google lists these as fundamentals for its AI features too.
6. Reputation awareness
If AI repeats a complaint, an old story or a mistake, the agency should know how to correct sources and outweigh them, not ignore them.
7. Clear commercial terms
You should know exactly what you are paying for and when. Ask what is delivered each month, and what happens if nothing goes live.
And one more: chemistry
GEO works best when the agency understands your sector and can tell your story well. Meet the people who will do the work, not just the sales team.
Where to start
Our guide on how to choose a PR agency in the UK covers the same questions from the PR side.
Where United Press fits
The PR-led GEO agency: we get you written about where AI looks
AI assistants rarely trust a brand because its own website says it is the best. They trust what independent, respected sources say. United Press has placed clients in respected publications since 2001, and that is the core of our GEO work: earning accurate, citable coverage in titles that AI tools and Google already treat as reliable.
- Coverage AI can citeFeatures, interviews and expert commentary in national, business and specialist publications, written to answer the questions your buyers ask.
- Clear facts about who you areConsistent descriptions of your company, people and services across your site, profiles and coverage, so assistants describe you correctly.
- Answer-first contentPages built around real questions, with short, quotable answers, figures and sources, the format generative engines pick up most easily.
- Before-and-after testingWe record what ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews say about you before we start, then test again after each placement.
You pay only after your article is live.
No retainers paid in hope, and nothing charged before publication. You see the published article first, then you pay. Read more about our GEO agency service, or ask for your free AI visibility check.
Why AI picks some brands
Four signals the best GEO agencies work on
No one outside the AI companies knows exactly how each assistant chooses its sources, and anyone who claims to is guessing. But research and Google’s own guidance point to four signals that consistently help.
Independent mentions
Being named in trusted publications, reviews and industry sources. AI answers combine many sources, so brands that appear across several of them are easier to recommend.
Quotable answers
Clear, direct answers with facts, figures and sources. The Princeton-led GEO study found adding citations, quotations and statistics improved visibility in generative answers.
Readable, indexed pages
Google says a page must be indexed and eligible for a snippet to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. Technical SEO still matters.
Consistent facts
The same name, services, people and location everywhere. Mixed signals make assistants hedge, or confuse you with someone else.
Sources: Google Search Central; Aggarwal et al., GEO: Generative Engine Optimization (KDD 2024). For Google’s wider advice on people-first content, see creating helpful, reliable content.
One brand, many assistants
How the main AI assistants find and show their sources
Each assistant gathers and presents information a little differently, which is why the best GEO agencies test them separately instead of treating “AI” as one channel.
Google AI Overviews and AI ModeBuilt into Google Search. Google says the same SEO best practices apply, that they may run several related searches at once (“query fan-out”) to build a response, and that they show supporting links to websites.
ChatGPTAnswers from what it learned in training and, when it searches the web, from current pages it can read. Answers that search the web can include links to sources.
PerplexityPositions itself as an answer engine and shows numbered source links alongside most answers, which makes the publications it draws on easy to see.
Microsoft CopilotUses Microsoft’s Bing search to ground many answers, so how your brand appears on Bing matters as well as on Google.
GeminiGoogle’s assistant, which can draw on Google Search for current information. Consistent facts about your brand across the web help it describe you correctly.
What they shareAll of them prefer information that is clear, consistent and supported by trusted, independent sources. That is the common ground GEO builds on.
Each provider updates its products often; we re-test answers every month rather than relying on how they behaved last year.
What buyers need
What your business needs from a GEO agency, by type
People hire a GEO agency for very different reasons. Before you compare agencies, be clear about the outcome you need. These are the briefs we hear most, and what matters most in each.
B2B and SaaS companies
Buyers ask AI to shortlist suppliers before they ever contact sales. You need to appear in “best” and “alternatives to” answers, backed by coverage in business and trade titles.
Look for: trade press access, comparison content, analyst-style data
E-commerce and consumer brands
Shoppers ask for recommendations by need, budget and occasion. Product information, reviews and gift-guide coverage feed those answers.
Look for: product data skills, consumer press, review strategy
Professional services
Law firms, accountants, clinics and consultants are judged on trust. AI answers lean on expert commentary, credentials and independent mentions.
Look for: thought leadership placements, entity consistency
Founders and executives
Investors, partners and journalists now ask AI who you are. A thin or outdated footprint lets a single old story define you.
Look for: personal PR, interviews, profile pieces. See personal PR
Local and multi-site businesses
“Near me” questions draw on Business Profiles, reviews and local press. Consistent details across every listing matter.
Look for: local SEO, regional press, review management
Brands AI gets wrong
Sometimes an assistant repeats an old complaint or confuses you with another company. The fix is correcting and outweighing the sources behind the answer.
Look for: reputation skills. See online reputation management
The questions that decide sales
What your buyers are asking AI right now
GEO starts with the real questions people type or say. These are the kinds of prompts we track for clients. If your brand is missing from the answers, you are missing from the shortlist.
| Sector | Example questions buyers ask AI assistants | What gets you included |
|---|---|---|
| B2B software | “Best [category] software for UK mid-sized firms” · “Alternatives to [competitor]” | Comparison coverage, analyst-style data, trade press |
| Professional services | “Top employment law firms in Manchester” · “Is [firm] any good?” | Expert commentary, directory listings, reviews |
| Consumer brands | “Best sustainable trainers under £100” · “Gift ideas for a new dad” | Gift guides, product reviews, consumer press |
| Healthcare and clinics | “Best private clinic for [treatment] in London” | Accurate clinic information, expert features, reviews |
| Founders and executives | “Who is [name]?” · “Is [founder] trustworthy?” | Interviews, profiles, consistent biographies |
| Agencies and consultancies | “Best GEO agencies UK” · “Who can help with AI search?” | Rankings, case studies, independent mentions |
Examples are illustrative. In a real campaign, we build your question list from your sales conversations, Search Console data and what customers tell you.
Clearing up the jargon
GEO vs SEO vs AEO vs digital PR: what is the difference?
You will see these terms used as if they mean the same thing. They overlap, but each has a different job. The best GEO agencies in the UK are honest about which parts they do well.
| Discipline | Main goal | Where it shows up | What it relies on |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEO | Rank pages in search results | Google and Bing results pages | Technical health, relevant content, links |
| GEO | Be included and described well in AI-generated answers | ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, AI Overviews and AI Mode | Indexed content, trusted mentions, clear facts |
| AEO | Give direct answers to specific questions | Featured snippets, voice assistants, AI answers | Question-led structure, short factual answers, FAQs |
| Digital PR | Earn coverage and links in respected publications | News sites, trade titles, magazines, and then AI answers that cite them | Stories, data, expert commentary, media relationships |
GEO works best when all four pull in the same direction. Read our guides to what generative engine optimisation is, AI SEO and digital PR.
Before you sign
Ten questions to ask any GEO agency
Use these in your first call. A good agency will answer every one clearly. A weak one will change the subject.
- How will you measure AI visibility?Ask which assistants, which questions and how often they test.
- What did AI say about us before you started?A baseline is essential. Without it, no one can prove progress.
- Where will our brand be mentioned?Ask for named publications and examples, not vague “high-authority sites”.
- Is coverage earned or sponsored?Both can help, but you should know which is which and how each is labelled.
- Who writes the content?AI-generated filler at scale can breach Google’s spam policies. Ask how quality is checked.
- How do you handle wrong AI answers?Correcting sources should be part of the plan, not an extra.
- What will you change on our website?Expect structure, answers and technical fixes, not just new blog posts.
- How long until we see change?Honest agencies talk in months and milestones, not days.
- What do you need from us?Experts, data and quick sign-off speed results up.
- How do we pay?Know exactly what you pay for and when. At United Press, you pay only once your article is live.
Red flags to walk away from
- “We guarantee you will be number one in ChatGPT.” No one controls AI answers.
- “An llms.txt file will get you into AI answers.” Google says you do not need new machine-readable files, AI text files or special markup for its AI features.
- Hundreds of AI-written pages published quickly, which risks Google’s scaled content policies.
- Paid links presented as earned coverage, or unlabelled sponsored posts.
Avoid wasted budget
Six GEO mistakes we see every month
Most brands that struggle with AI visibility are not doing too little. They are doing the wrong things, often because someone sold them a shortcut.
If you already work with an agency, use this list as a quick health check. If you are about to hire one, ask how they avoid each of these.
- Only optimising your own website. On-site changes help, but assistants weigh independent sources heavily. Without coverage elsewhere, there is little for them to cite.
- Publishing AI-written content at scale. Large volumes of thin, generated pages risk Google’s spam policies and rarely earn trust from people or AI.
- Chasing one assistant. Buyers use several. Testing only ChatGPT misses AI Overviews, Perplexity and Copilot.
- Ignoring what AI already says. An old complaint or wrong fact will keep appearing until its sources are corrected or outweighed.
- Inconsistent company details. Different names, addresses or service descriptions across the web make assistants hedge or mix you up with others.
- Measuring the wrong thing. Rankings alone do not show AI visibility. Track mentions, accuracy and enquiries.
Facing a reputation issue in AI answers? Our online reputation management services work alongside GEO.
Publications AI trusts
Where your brand needs to appear for AI to notice it
AI assistants build answers from sources they consider reliable, and long-established publications with strong authority are among the most visible. A single feature in the right title can change both your Google results and what assistants say about you.
These are some of the titles in our current partner inventory, with Moz Domain Authority (DA) and Ahrefs Domain Rating (DR). We match publications to your audience and story rather than chasing the biggest number, and we tell you the label and link type of every placement before you decide.
Want to see the full picture? Our guide on how to rank in AI search explains how coverage, content and technical SEO fit together, and our SEO PR services show how placements support rankings.
| Publication | Why it helps GEO | DA | DR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Insider | Widely read business title for founders, tech and finance stories | 94 | 92 |
| Yahoo Finance, AP News & Benzinga | Syndicated business news that spreads one announcement across trusted sites | 94 | 92 |
| The Independent | National UK news brand with broad topical coverage | 94 | 91 |
| The Sun (UK) | Mass consumer reach for consumer and lifestyle brands | 94 | 89 |
| Evening Standard | London business and lifestyle audience | 93 | 89 |
| The Times | Leadership, professional trust and expert commentary | 92 | 91 |
| Entrepreneur (UK) | Founder stories and business growth | 92 | 91 |
| IB Times UK | Finance, fintech and business | 90 | 82 |
| Investing.com UK | Investor and financial audiences | 90 | 89 |
| talkSPORT | Sport, fitness and consumer brands | 88 | 79 |
| New Statesman | Policy, public affairs and thought leadership | 83 | 84 |
| Female First | Lifestyle, beauty and wellbeing | 78 | 72 |
| Mark Meets | Interviews and personal profiles for founders and experts | 64 | 78 |
| London Loves Business | London business owners and executives | 59 | 72 |
DA and DR from our partner inventory at the time of writing. Scores change over time. Placements may be editorial or sponsored depending on the publication; we disclose this before you choose.
What happens when you hire us
Your first 90 days of PR-led GEO
GEO is not a one-off fix. AI answers shift as new sources appear, so the work follows a clear rhythm: understand, build, then strengthen.
Days 1–30
See what AI sees
- Baseline test of the questions your buyers ask across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and AI Overviews
- Audit of your website, profiles and existing coverage
- List of wrong, missing or outdated facts
- Story and publication plan, agreed with you
Days 31–60
Earn and build
- First features, interviews or expert comments go live in chosen publications
- Answer-first pages and FAQs on your site
- Consistent company and people facts across profiles
- Corrections requested where sources are wrong
Days 61–90
Test and strengthen
- Re-test the same questions and compare answers
- Further placements where gaps remain
- Report on mentions, citations and enquiries
- Plan for the next quarter
Timings depend on publication schedules and how quickly you can sign off stories. See how long PR takes to work for realistic expectations.
Proving it works
How to measure GEO without guessing
If an agency cannot show you progress, you are paying for hope. These are the measures we use and recommend.
Share of AI answersHow often your brand appears when a fixed set of buyer questions is asked across the main assistants, tested on the same dates each month.
Accuracy of descriptionsWhether assistants describe your services, location and people correctly, and whether old or wrong claims have gone.
Citations and sourcesWhich pages and publications assistants link to or mention when they talk about you.
Search Console dataGoogle says traffic from AI Overviews and AI Mode is included in the Search Console Performance report, under the Web search type.
AI referral trafficVisits from assistants such as ChatGPT and Perplexity, tracked as referral sources in your analytics.
Enquiries and branded searchThe outcome that matters: more people searching for you by name and more qualified enquiries.
More on measurement in our guides to PR measurement and how to measure PR success.
Budget
How much does a GEO agency cost in the UK?
GEO pricing in the UK varies widely, because agencies sell very different things under the same name. A technical audit, a content programme and a media campaign are priced in completely different ways. Before comparing quotes, check what is actually included.
The main things that drive cost are:
- How many questions and assistants are tracked and tested each month.
- How much content is written or rewritten on your site.
- Which publications you want to appear in, and how many placements.
- How competitive your market is in AI answers today.
- Whether reputation issues need fixing first.
Our guide to how much PR costs in the UK covers typical budgets for media placements.
The United Press model
Pay only after your article is live
Many agencies charge a monthly retainer whether or not anything is published. We work differently. We agree the publication and the story with you, the article goes live, and only then do you pay.
That means you can see exactly what you are buying: the publication, the headline, the link and how it reads, before any money changes hands.
An honest fit check
When United Press is the right GEO partner, and when it is not
We are a strong fit if you
- Want AI assistants to describe you as a credible, independent choice
- Have a story, expertise or data worth publishing
- Need coverage in respected UK or international publications
- Are a founder, expert or business whose name is searched before a deal
- Want to see results before you pay
- Have an old story or wrong answer you need to outweigh
Another agency may suit you better if you
- Need a full technical rebuild of a large website or product catalogue
- Want paid search or social advertising management
- Only need hundreds of product descriptions rewritten
- Want someone to promise a fixed position in ChatGPT, which no honest agency can do
In those cases, the SEO-led agencies in the shortlist above may be a better place to start, and we are happy to work alongside your SEO team on the PR side.
Clients come to us from the UK and from every country whose audiences search in English. Our team is based at Brook’s Mews, Bond Street, London.
Questions buyers ask
Best GEO agencies UK: frequently asked questions
Which are the best GEO agencies in the UK?
Across eight UK “best GEO agency” lists we checked on google.co.uk in October 2026, the agencies named most often were Found, Passion Digital, The SEO Works and POLARIS, followed by Blue Array, Suso Digital, Impression, Buried, Genie Crawl and ClickSlice. The best choice depends on whether you need technical SEO, content, or PR-led coverage that AI assistants cite.
What is a GEO agency?
A GEO agency, or generative engine optimisation agency, helps brands appear and be described accurately in answers from AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot and Google’s AI Overviews.
Has GEO replaced SEO?
No. Google says the same SEO fundamentals apply to its AI features, and a page must be indexed and eligible for a snippet to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. GEO builds on SEO by adding answer-first content and trusted third-party mentions.
Which is better, SEO or GEO?
You need both. SEO gets your pages found and indexed. GEO helps AI assistants choose and describe your brand when they answer questions. Treating them as rivals usually means neither works as well.
Can any agency guarantee I will appear in ChatGPT?
No. No one outside the AI companies controls their answers. A good agency improves the sources AI relies on and measures the change over time, rather than promising a fixed position.
Do I need an llms.txt file for AI search?
Not for Google. Google says you do not need new machine-readable files, AI text files or special markup to appear in its AI features. Clear, helpful content and trusted mentions matter more.
How long does GEO take to work?
Most brands should expect a baseline in the first month and measurable change over two to three months as new coverage and content are published and picked up. Competitive markets take longer.
Why does PR matter for GEO?
AI answers are built from many sources at once. Brands that respected, independent publications write about are easier for assistants to find, trust and recommend than brands that only describe themselves on their own websites.
How much does a GEO agency cost in the UK?
It varies with the number of questions tracked, the content needed and the publications involved. At United Press you pay for media placements only after your article is live, so you see exactly what you are buying first.
What is the difference between GEO and AEO?
AEO, answer engine optimisation, focuses on giving direct answers to specific questions, for snippets and voice search. GEO is broader: it covers how AI assistants combine many sources and describe your brand. Most strong strategies use both.
Can GEO fix what AI says about my company?
Often, yes, over time. No one can edit an AI model directly, but correcting inaccurate sources and publishing accurate, authoritative coverage changes what assistants have to work from. See our AI PR agency page for how we approach it.
Do you work with businesses outside the UK?
Yes. The UK is our home market, and we work with clients from every country, placing coverage in UK and international publications that AI assistants read.
Be the name AI says first
Somewhere today, a buyer is asking AI who to trust. Make sure the answer is you.
You have worked hard to build something good. The quality is there. The clients who know you would recommend you without hesitation. But the next client may never meet them. They will ask an assistant, read three names, and choose one of those.
It is not fair that a competitor with louder coverage gets the recommendation you deserve. But it is fixable. When respected publications write about you, AI has something real to say.
Imagine asking ChatGPT about your industry next quarter and seeing your own name in the answer.
Tell us your business and the questions your buyers ask on the short form. We will send you a free AI visibility check showing what the main assistants say about you today, and a plan to change it. You pay for placements only once your article is live.
Get My Free AI Visibility Check →
United Press · Brook’s Mews, Bond Street, London W1K 4HA · 07447 882377 · In PR since 2001 · Clients in the UK and every country