AEO Services Deliverables: What You Should Get Monthly
Understanding what monthly deliverables to expect from your AEO agency prevents misaligned expectations and helps evaluate whether you're receiving fair value. This guide details what should arrive in your inbox each month, what quality looks like, and how to hold agencies accountable for consistent delivery.
Monthly Report Components
Every AEO engagement should include monthly reporting that tracks progress and demonstrates value.
Essential monthly report elements:
| Component |
What It Shows |
Why It Matters |
| Citation tracking |
Where you appeared in AI responses |
Core visibility metric |
| Platform coverage |
ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews status |
Multi-platform performance |
| Competitive comparison |
Your share vs. competitors |
Relative positioning |
| Content performance |
Which pages drove citations |
Optimization priorities |
| Recommendations |
Next month's priorities |
Forward momentum |
Reports missing any of these elements indicate incomplete monitoring or reporting shortcuts.
What Quality Reports Look Like
Not all reports deliver equal value. Quality indicators separate thorough reporting from surface-level summaries.
Strong report characteristics:
- Specific numbers: "14 citations across ChatGPT and Perplexity" not "improved visibility"
- Platform breakdown: Results separated by AI system, not aggregated
- Trend data: Month-over-month comparisons showing direction
- Citation context: What queries triggered citations, not just counts
- Actionable insights: Specific recommendations, not generic advice
Weak report indicators:
- Vague language without specific metrics
- Screenshots without analysis
- Identical recommendations month after month
- No competitive context
- Delivery delays beyond the agreed schedule
Monthly Optimization Work
Beyond reporting, monthly retainers should include active optimization work.
Standard monthly optimization deliverables:
| Tier Level |
Typical Monthly Optimizations |
| Starter ($2K-$5K) |
3-5 pages optimized, basic schema updates |
| Growth ($5K-$10K) |
6-10 pages, technical fixes, FAQ additions |
| Enterprise ($10K+) |
15+ pages, custom implementations, content creation |
What "page optimization" should include:
- Answer-first content restructuring
- Schema markup implementation or updates
- Heading hierarchy improvements
- FAQ or structured content additions
- Internal linking adjustments
Ask your agency to itemize which pages were touched each month. Vague claims of "ongoing optimization" without specifics suggest limited actual work.
Communication Expectations
Regular communication beyond reports maintains alignment and allows course correction.
Reasonable communication cadence by tier:
| Tier |
Meeting Frequency |
Response Time |
| Starter |
Monthly call (30-60 min) |
24-48 business hours |
| Growth |
Bi-weekly calls |
24 business hours |
| Enterprise |
Weekly calls |
Same-day response |
Meeting content should include:
- Review of recent performance
- Discussion of completed work
- Upcoming priorities and approval
- Strategy questions and adjustments
- Issue identification and resolution
Meetings that only review reports waste time. Quality agencies come prepared with recommendations and seek input on priorities.
What to Expect by Month
Deliverables should follow a progression as the engagement matures.
Month 1 deliverables:
- Initial audit completed
- Baseline metrics documented
- Strategy and roadmap delivered
- Priority pages identified
- Technical review findings
Months 2-3 deliverables:
- First round of optimizations complete
- Schema markup implemented
- Initial citation tracking established
- First substantive report delivered
- Baseline competitive analysis
Months 4-6 deliverables:
- Regular optimization cadence established
- Measurable citation improvements
- Refined strategy based on results
- Expanded content coverage
- Authority building activities initiated
Months 7-12 deliverables:
- Sustained citation growth
- Competitive positioning improvements
- Advanced optimization techniques
- Strategic expansion opportunities
- ROI documentation
Agencies that can't show progress against these milestones may lack the expertise or resources to deliver results.
Holding Agencies Accountable
Use deliverable expectations to maintain accountability.
Monthly accountability checkpoints:
- Did the report arrive on time? - Consistent delays indicate resource problems
- Does the report contain specifics? - Vague reporting suggests measurement gaps
- Were promised optimizations completed? - Request page-by-page confirmation
- Were recommendations actionable? - Generic advice indicates phoned-in work
- Did communication meet expectations? - Missed meetings signal deprioritization
When to raise concerns:
- Two consecutive months of missed deliverables
- Reports lacking specificity despite requests
- No visible progress after 90 days
- Declining responsiveness to communications
- Inability to explain work completed
Red Flags in Monthly Delivery
Certain patterns indicate service quality problems.
Warning signs:
- Report recycling: Nearly identical reports month after month
- Metric inflation: Focusing on vanity metrics rather than citations
- Deflection: Blaming AI platforms for lack of results without evidence
- Scope creep excuses: Claiming work is "in progress" indefinitely
- Communication avoidance: Rescheduled meetings, delayed responses
Appropriate responses:
- Document concerns in writing
- Request specific explanations
- Ask for itemized work logs
- Compare against contractual commitments
- Consider contract review if patterns persist
Getting More from Monthly Deliverables
Maximize value from monthly work through active engagement.
Client responsibilities:
- Provide timely feedback on reports
- Approve recommendations promptly
- Attend scheduled meetings
- Share internal changes affecting AEO
- Communicate priority shifts
Questions to ask in monthly reviews:
- "What specific pages were optimized this month?"
- "Which optimizations drove the most citation improvements?"
- "What's different about this month's strategy?"
- "Where do competitors have advantages we should address?"
- "What would you do differently with more resources?"
Engaged clients typically receive better service than passive ones.
Documenting Delivery Over Time
Keep records to evaluate long-term agency performance.
Track monthly:
- Report delivery dates
- Citation counts by platform
- Pages optimized (with specifics)
- Meeting attendance
- Recommendation implementation
Quarterly, assess:
- Overall citation trend
- Deliverable consistency
- Communication quality
- ROI trajectory
- Continued fit
Documentation provides evidence for contract renewals, expansions, or difficult conversations about underperformance.
Key Takeaways
Know what monthly deliverables to expect and hold agencies accountable:
- Reports should include specifics - Citation counts, platform breakdowns, trends, and actionable recommendations
- Optimization work should be itemized - Specific pages touched, specific changes made
- Communication cadence should match tier - Monthly calls minimum, more frequent at higher tiers
- Progress should follow a trajectory - Month 1 audits, Month 2-3 first results, Month 4+ sustained improvement
- Hold agencies accountable - Document delivery, raise concerns early, compare against commitments
Understanding what should arrive in your inbox each month helps distinguish agencies delivering value from those collecting retainers without corresponding work.
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