How to write a GEO and AEO RFP (with a template)

A good GEO and AEO RFP does three things. It tells vendors enough about your business to scope the work, it asks for work and reporting instead of promised AI placements, and it makes every vendor answer in the same format so you can compare the replies. The template below covers all three, and you can copy it section by section.

An RFP (request for proposal) is a document that describes a need and invites vendors to propose how they would meet it and at what price. GEO (generative engine optimization) and AEO (answer engine optimization) are the work of making your business easy for AI answer tools and search features to find, understand and cite. Because the field is new and nobody controls what an AI model says, the wording of a GEO RFP matters more than it does for most marketing services.

Not everyone needs a formal RFP. If you are a small business talking to two or three agencies, a one-page brief built from the same headings will do the job. The structure is what helps, not the paperwork.

When a GEO RFP makes sense

A formal RFP suits organizations that must compare vendors on the record: public bodies, nonprofits with procurement rules, and companies where several departments share the decision. It also helps when the engagement is large or will run for a long time.

It is the wrong tool when you don't yet know what you need. In that case a request for information comes first. Our guide to RFI vs RFP vs RFQ explains which document fits which stage.

eSEOspace has several guides to website RFPs. They are about buying a website, not GEO, but the mechanics carry over. The guide on how to create a website RFP covers the general process of issuing one.

Before you write: five decisions

1. What you are buying. A one-time audit and fix project, ongoing monthly work, or both. The article on GEO retainer vs. one-time project covers the difference.
2. Whether SEO is included. Google says that from its perspective "optimizing for generative AI search is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO." Decide whether the same vendor will handle both, and say so.
3. Which engines matter. List the AI tools and search features your customers use. Vendors can't price measurement without it.
4. Who does the implementation. State whether the vendor will edit your site, or hand recommendations to your developer.
5. Whether you will share a budget. A stated range gets you proposals sized to it. Without one, expect replies that differ so widely in scope that comparing them is hard.

Scope language that works and language that backfires

The fastest way to get weak proposals is to ask for an outcome no vendor controls. Google's page "Do you need an SEO?" says, "No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google," and its guide to optimizing for generative AI says, "Indexing and serving aren't guaranteed." Write the scope around work you can verify.

For more on why guarantees are a warning sign, see our guide to GEO guarantees and red flags.

The GEO and AEO RFP template

Copy the sections below into your own document. Replace anything in square brackets. Delete what doesn't apply, and keep the section numbers so vendors can answer in the same order.

1. About us

• Organization name, website and locations: [details]
• What we sell and who buys it: [two or three sentences]
• Markets and languages we serve: [list]
• Regulated content, if any (health, legal, financial): [details]

2. Why we are issuing this RFP

• The business goal: [for example, more qualified inquiries for a named service]
• What prompted this now: [details]
• What we have already tried: [details]
• What success would look like to us in plain words, understanding that AI answers can't be guaranteed: [details]

3. Current state

• Website platform and who maintains it: [details]
• Number of pages and locations, roughly: [details]
• Accounts we own: Google Search Console, Google Analytics 4, Bing Webmaster Tools, Google Business Profile [yes or no for each]
• Current SEO, content or PR vendors, and whether they stay: [details]
• In-house people available for reviews and approvals: [roles]

4. Scope of work requested

• We are not asking for guaranteed rankings, citations or mentions.
• Baseline: test how [named engines] describe our brand and category, and record the method.
• Audit: crawl access, indexing, business facts, content on priority pages, off-site presence.
• Technical fixes: [vendor implements, or vendor specifies and our developer implements].
• Content: rewrite or create [number] priority pages around direct answers to customer questions.
• Business facts and structured data: make our details consistent on our site and main profiles.
• Off-site: profiles, listings and earned mentions, with any paid placement disclosed to us in advance.
• Measurement and reporting: see section 6.
• Out of scope: [for example, paid advertising, website redesign, social media management].

5. Questions about your method

• Describe your process for the first 90 days.
• Which official platform documentation supports your main recommendations?
• How do you decide which prompts and engines to test, and how many times do you run each prompt?
• How do you earn off-site mentions? Are any placements or reviews paid, and how are they disclosed?
• Do you use AI tools to write content? Who checks facts before publishing?
• Is any work subcontracted? To whom?
• What will you not do, and why?

6. Measurement and reporting

• List the reports you will provide and how often.
• State which data comes from our own accounts (Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, GA4) and which comes from third-party tools.
• Name any third-party AI visibility tool you use, who pays for it and who keeps the data if we part ways.
• Provide one sample report with client details removed.
• Explain how you separate the effect of your work from other marketing activity, and where you can't.

7. Team and experience

• Who will do the work, and who is our day-to-day contact?
• Relevant experience in our industry and market.
• Two or three references we may contact.
• Examples of previous work. State clearly what you did and what the client did.

8. Pricing

• Price the scope in section 4 using this format: one-time fees, monthly fees, and any costs billed separately (tools, content, PR distribution).
• If pricing is based on hours, state the monthly hours included, how hours are tracked and reported, and what happens to unused hours.
• State the total cost for the first [6 or 12] months.
• List anything that would change the price.

9. Terms we expect to discuss

• Initial term, renewal and how either side ends the agreement.
• Ownership of content, structured data, prompt lists, reports and tracking data.
• Ownership of accounts and return of access on exit.
• Whether any results are promised, and how performance language is worded.
• Confidentiality, and whether you may name us as a client.

10. Timeline and how to respond

• RFP issued: [date]. Contact for questions: [name and email]
• Questions due: [date]. Answers shared with all vendors: [date]
• Proposals due: [date], sent to [email] as [format], no longer than [number] pages, answering sections 4 to 9 in order under our section numbers
• Shortlist interviews: [dates]
• Decision: [date]. Planned start: [date]
• How proposals will be scored: [your criteria and weights, from the table in the next section]

Evaluation criteria

Include your criteria in the RFP. The weights below are an example, not a standard. Change them to match what matters to you, and keep them fixed once proposals arrive.

Score each criterion on the same scale, multiply by the weight and add the results. Our guide on how to compare GEO proposals side by side walks through the scoring and how to put different pricing models on equal terms. For rubric design in general, the website-focused guide to RFP evaluation criteria and scoring applies here too.

Contract points to raise in the RFP

This section is general information, not legal advice. Have your own attorney review any agreement before you sign.

Raising terms in the RFP saves time, because a vendor whose standard contract can't meet your needs finds out early. The points that matter most for GEO work are these:

• Accounts and data. Who owns the analytics, Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools accounts, and who keeps the prompt list and tracking history at the end.
• Ownership of work. Who owns pages, structured data and reports the vendor creates, and when ownership passes to you.
• Performance language. Whether anything is promised. A statement that rankings and AI citations are not guaranteed is consistent with Google's own position.
• Compliance. Who is responsible for following search engine policies and advertising rules on reviews and endorsements. Google's hiring advice says, "Ultimately, you are responsible for the actions of any companies you hire."
• Term and exit. How long the agreement runs, how it renews and what you receive when it ends.

How to run the process

1. Send it to a short list. A handful of well-chosen vendors gives you better proposals than a mass mailing, and you can read them all.
2. Take questions in writing. Share every answer with every vendor so nobody works from different information.
3. Give read-only access if you offer any. Google's advice is to "only grant read access to Search Console" at the audit stage.
4. Score independently, then compare. Have each reviewer score alone before the group discusses.
5. Interview the shortlist. Meet the people who would do the work. Our list of questions to ask a GEO agency gives you an agenda.

Common mistakes in GEO RFPs

• Asking for outcomes nobody controls. You will get the boldest promise, not the best vendor.
• Leaving the engines unnamed. "AI search" means different products to different vendors, and each is measured differently.
• Letting vendors choose the pricing format. You end up comparing a monthly plan with a project fee and a tool subscription.
• Skipping the current state. A vendor who doesn't know your platform or who maintains it can't price implementation.
• Treating a tool demo as a method. A dashboard shows visibility. It doesn't tell you what work will be done. Google also cautions that no third-party tool has access to its internal ranking or AI systems.

Conclusion

A GEO and AEO RFP works when it describes your situation honestly, asks for verifiable work instead of promised placements, and forces every vendor into the same format for scope, measurement and price. Publish your criteria, keep the weights fixed and meet the people who would do the work. If you would like a view of your current AI visibility to inform the scope, eSEOspace offers a free GEO audit. More guides are in our GEO and AEO Guide.

Frequently asked questions