The Agency Playbook: How to Package, Price, and Sell AI Visibility Services

Your clients are starting to ask the question. They see a competitor’s brand mentioned in a Google AI Overview or recommended by ChatGPT and the email hits your inbox: “Why aren’t we there?” Traditional SEO reports, once the bedrock of your value proposition, are no longer enough to answer that question. The landscape of search has fundamentally changed, and with it, a massive opportunity has emerged for your agency.

This guide is a mini-business plan for agency directors. It provides a clear, step-by-step playbook on how to create, package, price, and sell a new, high-margin AI Visibility service offering. You'll learn how to leverage Searchify's platform and optional full-service fulfillment to launch this new revenue stream quickly, without the operational overhead of building a new department.

The Market Opportunity: Why AI Visibility is Your Next High-Margin Service

The conversation around search is no longer just about ranking number one; it's about being the answer. When AI models synthesize information to respond to a user's query, they are selective. They choose sources they perceive as authoritative, clear, and trustworthy. This practice, known as AI Visibility or Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), is the discipline of ensuring a brand is understood and recommended by AI models.

While your clients are feeling the pressure, most agencies are still trying to figure out how to respond. A survey of SEO professionals found that 92% have received client inquiries about AI optimization, yet only 23% of agencies currently offer formal AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) services [1]. This creates a significant service gap—a gap your agency can fill.

The revenue potential is substantial. Agencies that have already entered this space are successfully charging retainers of $2,500 to $7,500 per month for these services. By adding AI Visibility to your offerings, you’re not just future-proofing your agency; you’re creating a new, scalable, and highly profitable revenue stream that directly addresses your clients' most pressing new challenge.

Packaging Your Service: From One-Time Audits to Monthly Retainers

The most effective way to introduce a new service is with a “land and expand” strategy. You start with a low-risk, high-value offer to get your foot in the door, and then expand the relationship into a long-term, recurring revenue engagement. For AI Visibility, this strategy is a perfect fit.

The 'Land': The AI Visibility Audit

Your initial offer should be a one-time AI Visibility Audit. This is a project-based engagement where you analyze a client's current presence in AI-generated answers, benchmark them against key competitors, and deliver a strategic roadmap for improvement. This audit serves as a powerful diagnostic tool that demonstrates the problem and showcases your expertise. The process involves simulating realistic customer questions, analyzing the sources AI models trust, and identifying the technical and content-based gaps holding your client back, much like the process outlined in our DIY AI Visibility Audit guide.

The 'Expand': The Monthly AI Visibility Retainer

Once you've established the need with the audit, the natural upsell is a monthly AI Visibility Retainer. This ongoing service moves from diagnosis to treatment, focusing on execution and continuous improvement. A comprehensive retainer package should include:

• AI Conversation Monitoring: Continuously tracking how the client's brand, products, and competitors appear across AI models like ChatGPT and Google AI Overview.
• Actionable Recommendations: Using a platform like Searchify to generate a prioritized list of technical and content-based actions needed to improve visibility.
• Content & Technical Execution: Creating targeted content and implementing technical website fixes designed to close visibility gaps.
• Performance Reporting: Delivering clear, data-driven reports that show progress in AI mentions, share of voice, and sentiment over time.

This model allows your agency to own the high-level strategy and the client relationship, while offloading the complex, time-consuming execution to a dedicated platform and service.

Pricing Your Service: A Model for Healthy Margins

Pricing for AI Visibility services should be based on value, not hours. The impact of being the top recommended brand in an AI-generated answer for a high-intent query is immense. According to professional services experts, value-based pricing focuses on the perceived value a client receives, which is a far more effective model than simply tracking time and materials [2].

A simple pricing framework to consider:

• One-Time Audit: Price this as a fixed project fee. This fee should reflect the value of the strategic roadmap and competitive intelligence you are providing.
• Monthly Retainers: Structure these in tiers. A 'Basic' tier might include monitoring and reporting, while a 'Growth' tier would include the full scope of monitoring, strategy, and fulfillment (content creation and technical fixes).

The real beauty of this model is the margin opportunity. By leveraging a platform like Searchify, your cost basis is predictable and manageable. For example, you can build your service packages on top of Searchify's platform tiers. When you add the optional full-service fulfillment, your agency's primary cost becomes a fraction of the retainer you charge the client. This allows you to deliver powerful results and maintain healthy, scalable profit margins without the high overhead of an in-house team.

The Sales Pitch: How to Get Your First Client in 30 Days

The easiest and most cost-effective sale is an upsell to an existing client. Research shows it can be four times cheaper to upsell an existing customer than to acquire a new one [3]. Identify a current client who is innovative, trusts your strategic guidance, and would benefit most from improved AI visibility.

Your secret weapon for this conversation is Searchify's free AI Visibility One-Pager. Instead of a cold pitch, you can approach your client with immediate value. Frame the conversation like this:

"Hi [Client Name], we're always looking for new ways to keep you ahead of the curve. We ran a complimentary analysis of your brand's presence in AI search and found some interesting opportunities we think are worth discussing. Do you have 15 minutes next week to walk through it?"

During the meeting, use the one-pager to visually demonstrate where they stand today. Then, build a compelling business case for them by using the framework from our guide on calculating the ROI of AI search optimization. Show them the potential revenue loss from traffic displacement and the projected return from a proactive AI visibility strategy. This data-driven approach transforms the conversation from a sales pitch into a strategic consultation.

Fulfillment: The 'Easy Button' for Delivering Results

Here lies the biggest hurdle for most agencies: execution. Even with a clear strategy, implementing the necessary changes requires specialized skills and significant time—resources that both your agency and your clients lack. This is the 'AI Visibility Execution Gap'.

Building an in-house team to close this gap is a massive undertaking, involving high salaries, new software costs, and a steep learning curve. This is where a fulfillment partner becomes invaluable. Outsourcing can reduce operational costs and provide immediate access to skilled professionals, allowing you to focus on your core business [4].

Searchify is designed to be your agency's silent fulfillment engine. The platform's Action Center provides the data-driven recommendations, and our optional full-service add-on acts as your execution team. This service handles:

• Technical Website Fixes: Implementing schema markup, improving site speed, and resolving other technical issues that impact how AI models crawl and understand your client's site.
• Targeted Content Creation: Developing and publishing high-quality, authoritative content designed to answer specific user questions and build trust with AI.
• Authority Building: Securing strategic brand mentions and citations on reputable third-party sites to signal expertise and credibility.

With this model, your agency maintains full control over strategy and client communication. You are the trusted advisor; Searchify is your powerful, behind-the-scenes execution partner, ensuring you can deliver on your promises without the operational headache. It's the ideal partnership model for growth.

Your 30-Day Launch Plan Checklist

• Days 1-7: Define Your Service. Finalize your audit and retainer packages. Determine your pricing tiers and what's included in each. Download our 'AI Visibility Service Package Builder' checklist to guide you.
• Days 8-14: Identify Target Clients. Review your current client roster and select 3-5 businesses that are forward-thinking and would be most receptive to a new, innovative marketing channel.
• Days 15-21: Generate Your First Report. Choose your top prospect and run a free AI Visibility One-Pager for their brand using Searchify. This will be your door-opener.
• Days 22-30: Pitch the Service. Schedule a meeting with your prospect. Present the one-pager as a conversation starter and walk them through the business case for your new AI Visibility service.

Launch Your AI Visibility Service Today

You now have the complete playbook to launch a new, high-margin service that your clients need to stay competitive. The shift to AI-driven search is happening now, and the agencies that move first will secure a significant advantage.

Don't let your competitors beat you to it. Take the first, simplest step today. Generate a free AI visibility one-pager for your first potential client to kickstart your new service offering and demonstrate immediate, undeniable value.

Get Your Free Client One-Pager Now