FAQ · EVL PPL

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Frequently asked questions.

Plain English about AI-native SEO, generative engine optimization, and what we actually do for service businesses. If your question isn't here, email hello@evlppl.com.

  1. 01

    What's the difference between SEO and GEO?

    SEO is the work of ranking your business on Google's traditional search results page. GEO — Generative Engine Optimization — is the work of getting your business cited or named by AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. Both matter in 2026. Most businesses need both.

  2. 02

    Do I really need to worry about AI search yet?

    If you serve customers who research online before buying, yes. AI search is being used for product and service discovery by tens of millions of people every day, and the share is growing every month. Waiting two years means catching up to competitors who started today.

  3. 03

    How does ChatGPT decide which businesses to recommend?

    It synthesizes information from across the internet — your website, reviews, third-party citations, Reddit threads, YouTube videos, news mentions, business directories — and recommends the businesses with the clearest, most consistent, most positively-cited presence for the specific question being asked.

  4. 04

    Can I optimize for AI search myself?

    Yes, partially. The 'what you can do this week' actions in our journal playbook are all DIY: clean up your Google Business Profile, write FAQ pages on your site, get more reviews, post helpfully on Reddit, record a few short videos. Where an agency adds value is in scale, ongoing maintenance, original content production, link building, and citation tracking across multiple AI platforms.

  5. 05

    How long until I see results?

    Early movement in 6 to 12 weeks. Meaningful results in 3 to 6 months. Strong visibility in 6 to 12 months. Like traditional SEO, GEO compounds over time. Anyone promising you results next month is either lying or doesn’t understand the field.

  6. 06

    Will my business show up in Google's AI Overviews?

    If you do the work — clarity of identity, trust signals at scale, answer-shaped content, presence in the right communities — yes. Google AI Overviews pull from much of the same source material as standalone AI tools, plus Google's own ranking signals.

  7. 07

    What's the most common mistake businesses make?

    Treating their website like a brochure instead of an answer system. Most websites describe services in marketing language. AI tools want clear, structured answers to real customer questions. The businesses that rewrite for clarity and specificity get cited; the ones that don't, don't.

  8. 08

    Can AI search hurt my business?

    Only if the information about you online is incorrect, inconsistent, or absent. AI tools repeat what they read. Bad reviews left unanswered, wrong addresses on directories, inconsistent service descriptions — the AI repeats all of it. Cleaning up your inputs is essential.

  9. 09

    Is GEO expensive?

    The DIY version is free time. Agency-managed GEO ranges from a few hundred to several thousand dollars a month depending on scope. EVL PPL is $499/month — flat. The right benchmark isn't the price; it's the cost per customer it produces compared to alternatives.

  10. 10

    What should I look for in an agency that says they do GEO?

    Three things. One: do they actually track AI citations across multiple platforms (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini), or do they just talk about it? Two: do they explain things in language you actually understand? Three: do they care about the metric that matters — whether your phone is ringing more — or are they hiding behind vanity reports?

  11. 11

    What does EVL PPL actually do for me each month?

    Four buckets of work, every month, ongoing. (1) Clarity: tightening your website copy, schema markup, and Google Business Profile so AI tools know exactly what you do, where, and for whom. (2) Trust signals: review acquisition, NAP consistency across directories, third-party citations and mentions. (3) Answer-shaped content: original FAQ pages, location pages, and explainer pages tuned to the questions your customers ask. (4) Community presence: helpful, non-spammy participation in Reddit, niche forums, and YouTube where AI tools actually read. We also track your citation rate weekly across the four major AI search tools and report the number, not vague rankings.

  12. 12

    Why one client per industry per city?

    Because if we work with two competing plumbers in Vernon, every action that helps one of them works against the other. Exclusivity isn't a marketing gimmick. It's the only way an agency can do GEO work honestly: when the seat is yours, every relationship we build, every link we earn, every directory we get listed in, every Reddit thread we participate in, all of it is a moat for you. We'd rather have one paying plumber per city than three competing ones.

  13. 13

    Can I cancel?

    Three-month minimum, then month-to-month with 30 days notice. We don’t lock you into long contracts because GEO work either produces real outcomes or it doesn’t. If we’re not earning the relationship after 90 days, you should walk.

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