The Best AI Optimization (AIO) Agencies You Can Work With in 2026

AI search has unfathomably changed the way that human beings receive and share information. The advent of AI answers, interactive citations, and conversational search results has led many businesses to reframe the ways they create content to better reflect how AI engines answer questions and verify information.

If you’re in the business of gaining revenue and exposure through search traffic, it’s likely that you’re here because you know that AI-generated search results are the future, and you’re looking for help to maximize your business’ AI potential. Fortunately, we can get you started by introducing you to AI optimization (AIO), a process much like traditional SEO that focuses on increasing your content’s visibility in AI answers.

In this guide, we’ll give you a set of evaluation criteria and expected services to help you find a consulting agency that can start you on the path to effective AI optimization. Not only that, we’ll also give you a list of the best agencies to choose from so that you can hit the ground running and revolutionize your content for AI engines today!

Ranking the Best AIO Agencies

Finding the best AIO agency for you is a complex task, but there are several criteria and red flags you can watch out for when you’re doing your research. Here are some things to watch for when choosing an AIO agency:

Selection Criteria

A good AIO agency has many characteristics that you can spot easily by looking at their service offerings. Firstly, good AIO agencies always provide a demonstrable AI visibility methodology–they don’t just tell you that they make “AI content,” they tell you how they do it and why it works.

A good AIO agency will also have the ability to track AI visibility through key performance indicators (KPIs) such as citations, mentions, share of voice, and prompt coverage, all while having strong technical SEO and on-page capability. Top AIO agencies will create AI-friendly content strategies based on content structure, retrieval standards, and intent coverage.

Like many tech agencies, an effective AIO partner will demonstrate Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) and build up your business’ authority by creating a brand footprint, utilizing PR, and fostering credible links. Good AIO agencies will provide you with examples of their thought leadership and proof of service effectiveness such as case studies, experiments, and frameworks. Finally, they’ll offer you clear deliverables and realistic expectations.

When To Avoid an AIO Agency

Here are some common red flags you might see that indicate a potential AIO isn’t a reliable option:

  • They sell AI tools, not optimization services

  • They push mass AI content output without a retrieval strategy

  • They offer no measurement plan beyond keyword rankings

  • They provide no authority or PR plan to build trust signals

What Services Do Top AIO Agencies Offer?

You might now be thinking, “This is all well and good, but what do AIO services actually offer me?” Here are some of the services a good AIO agency will perform to optimize your content and brand:

AI Search Audit

An AIO agency will perform a search audit to establish a baseline for your current or projected number of citations and mentions, as well as your competitor source overlap. They will look for quick technical blockers and key content gaps that you can exploit for better results.

AI SEO Strategy and Roadmap

An AIO agency will come up with a prioritized plan to improve your AI exposure through technical SEO, content updates, and authority building. They will help you understand the difference between quick wins and compounding initiatives and set you up for both.

On-Page and Technical SEO

AIO agencies will retrofit your content with technical SEO and AIO features like indexation, internal linking, structure, and schema/structured data. They will perform content consolidation and offer you a template strategy to create new content tailored towards appearance in AI answers.

Generative Answer Optimization

When working on your content, AIO agencies will format it for extractability and citation-worthiness so that AI engines latch onto it and view it as reliable. They’ll add in key features that AI engines like, such as FAQ, comparisons, definitions, and evidence sections, making it more likely to attract crawler attention.

AI-Friendly Content Creation and Refresh

AIO agencies will be able to offer you retrieval-focused content briefs, guiding your content creators towards the correct topics and features to enhance your odds of being retrieved by an AI engine. They’ll also offer evolving refresh plans for winning pages and decayed topics so that none of your content goes to waste.

Brand Authority and Digital PR

AIO agencies can help you build brand authority through media placements, expert commentary, and data stories. They help you establish a brand mentions strategy and create a consistent entity footprint so that your business is active and remembered.

Generation and Reputation Signals Reviews

Where appropriate, AIO agencies will keep an eye on external signals that reflect the way customers interact with your industry and competitors. Local and ecommerce trust signals often impact selection criteria, so an AIO agency will track them to continually refresh your content strategy.

Reporting and Measurement

All AIO agencies worth their salt will offer you regular reports on your progress and vital KPIs. Many will give you an AI visibility tracking dashboard and detailed breakdowns of your numbers in regards to traditional SEO KPIs, as well as business outcomes like assisted conversions and lead quality indicators.

Best AIO Agencies in 2026

1. Zupo

Best For

B2B, SaaS, and service businesses that want AIO (AI visibility) plus strong SEO fundamentals, authority-building support, and measurable progress without hype.

Key Services

At Zupo, we offer baseline AI visibility audits and roadmaps, AI-friendly content strategies, technical SEO, and digital PR support.

AIO Strengths

  • AI visibility baselining

  • Prompt research and tracking

  • Content library strategy

  • Citation-oriented optimization

  • Authority signals

Potential Cons

  • Not ideal for basic checklists or short-term tune-ups

  • Consultation-based and more collaborative than execution-only vendors

2. Bastion Agency

Best For

Businesses looking to influence AI answers by strengthening credibility signals through integrated marketing and PR.

Key Services

Bastion offers its clients PR and communications strategies designed to cultivate authority signals that attract AI engines. They can perform digital marketing execution via SEO, content updates, narrative development, and brand storytelling support.

AIO Strengths

  • Excellent for integrated campaigns

  • Collaborative strategies involving both PR and marketing

  • Improves brand trust and rankings

Potential Cons

  • Not as ideal for technical SEO or prompt-level testing

3. Sterling Sky

Best For

Local and multi-location with a reliance on Google Business Profile performance and local pack visibility.

Key Services

Sterling Sky offers local SEO audits and creates AIO strategies tailored to your niche. They offer Google Business Profile optimization support, local SERP analysis, and issue diagnosis tied to key factors like location intent, proximity signals, and GBP hygiene.

AIO Strengths

  • Extensive local SEO expertise

  • Ideal for local visibility

Potential Cons

  • Less ideal for enterprise content programs

  • Less-suited to broad B2B strategies

4. Fire & Spark

Best For

Healthcare and digital health businesses looking to create high-trust content that will send strong quality signals to AI engines.

Key Services

Fire & Spark offers healthcare-oriented strategies aiming at long-term gains, enhanced trust, and credibility. They can create and scale up accurate, quality content that performs on multiple outcome metrics.

AIO Strengths

  • Ideal AIO agency for healthcare and digital health businesses

  • Focus on credibility and patient-friendly content

Potential Cons

  • Industries other than healthcare may find their specialized services less useful

5. Seer Interactive

Best For

Businesses seeking experimental, analytics-heavy SEO with measurement discipline based on research-backed business signals.

Key Services

Seer Interactive specializes in enterprise SEO consulting, using analytics and measurement frameworks to provide cross-channel insight.

AIO Strengths

  • Enterprise orientation

  • Rigorous analytics 

  • Structured testing

Potential Cons

  • Heavy focus with increased complexity

  • Not ideal for fast execution

6. Siege Media

Best For

Businesses engaged in content marketing and digital PR that need links and citations through the distribution of strong content.

Key Services

Siege Media prioritizes an SEO-forward strategy for content production and utilizes digital PR support to cultivate authority signals. Their content systems maintain content quality during scale-up efforts.

AIO Strengths

  • Ideal for content-focused AIO strategies

  • Excellent distribution support

  • Excellent knowledge of how to create ideal AI reference material

Potential Cons

  • Less of a technical-first partner and more content-focused

7. Wiideman Consulting Group

Best For

Multi-location franchises and brands in need of a local search strategy with structure and scalability for content tied to local stores, service areas, or franchises.

Key Services

Wiideman Consulting Group has the ability to create multi-location SEO strategies for large franchises. They specialize in local visibility improvement planning and architecture guidance.

AIO Strengths

  • Ideal for companies that deal with multi-location complexity, such as franchises and location-based brands

Potential Cons

  • Less ideal for B2B AIO

8. Noble Studios

Best For

Destination-style businesses involved in travel, tourism, and experiences that are looking for creative, storytelling-driven AIO with measurable outcomes.

Key Services

Noble Studios offers research-backed, specialized SEO and execution that fits modern discovery channels in the destination-style category. Their creative, digital performance marketing support can attract customers and visitors through AIO geared towards travel and tourism.

AIO Strengths

  • Ideal for tourism and hospitality businesses

  • Dual focus on creative content and AIO KPI outcomes

Potential Cons

  • Less ideal for technical B2B SaaS organizations

9. 9Sail

Best For

Law firms and businesses in the legal field in need of long-term AIO and legal-specific SEO strategies.

Key Services

9Sail specializes in AIO services geared towards law firms and other legal verticals. They offer trend-based research that connects clients with users who frequently engage with AI and maximize website performance with complete AIO-based overhauls.

AIO Strengths

  • Ideal for legal firms and law offices

  • Strategizes continuous optimization plans for ongoing AIO

Potential Cons

  • Less ideal for businesses outside of the legal vertical

10. Holland Adhaus

Best For

B2B businesses with a priority focus on improving Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and website fit for AI retrieval.

Key Services

Holland Adhaus is based in Cincinnati and offers a wide range of basic AIO services, including customizable AEO audits, scorecards, and actionable insights. They offer a focus on content, schema, and snippets tailored to major LLMs like SERP, SGE and ChatGPT.

AIO Strengths

  • Clear pricing

  • Focused directives and definitions

  • Free website audits

Potential Cons

  • Less technical-SEO heavy

  • More elaborate tiers are expensive

How To Get the Most Out of Your AIO Agency

Improving your AIO is a give-and-take process. Your chosen agency is going to do a lot for you, but there are always ways that you can enhance the process.

Here are a few tips on how you can get the most out of your partnership with an AIO agency:

  • Define Clear AI Visibility Goals: Work with your agency to establish clear and agreed-upon visibility KPIs and pipeline metrics so that you both know exactly what’s expected.

  • Align With Your Audience Behavior: Research where your buyers search (i.e., Google, AI assistants, industry sites) and work with your agency to strategize in those verticals.

  • Support Content Development: Consult SMEs, establish proof points, and use your content to draw in original data that can enhance your product details.

  • Stay Agile With Feedback Loops: Communicate with your agency frequently and try out new strategies. Test, learn, and iterate monthly to keep ahead of trends and capitalize on them.

  • Maintain Traditional SEO Foundations: Technical health and information architecture still matter. Your agency should have expert knowledge of traditional SEO in addition to AIO.

Start Your AIO Journey Today!

AIO winners become the trusted sources AI systems rely on! To make the most of your optimization process, choose an agency with measurement, authority strategy, and execution depth. A partner like Zupo is your best bet to get your content up-to-date so that you can meet the age of AI head-on!

Jason KhooComment