What AI Search Optimization Costs for Contractors (2026)

The short answer

Among agencies that publish prices for home-service businesses, AI search optimization (GEO) runs from $249 to $4,000 a month as of October 2026. The price depends mostly on whether it's bundled with SEO, how much off-site work is included, and the size of the agency. Ask what's included before comparing numbers.

Homeowners now ask ChatGPT and Google's AI which roofer, HVAC company or plumber to call, and the answer usually names two or three businesses. Getting your company into that answer is called AI search optimization, GEO, AEO or LLM SEO. Here's what agencies charge for it, based on prices they publish themselves.

Published prices, side by side

Prices as published on each agency's own site, checked October 14, 2026. Full disclosure: InfuseAI, which wrote this article, is one of them.

Agency	Published price	AI search included?
Footbridge Media	$249/mo, no contract	Answer engine and generative engine optimization listed in its contractor program
InfuseAI Agency	$500, $1,000 or $1,300/mo plus setup	Yes, in every plan, with monthly AI-visibility reporting
HVAC Foundry	$2,500/mo, month-to-month (HVAC only)	Yes, GEO and a monthly AI-visibility report included
WebFX	SEO from $2,900/mo	Offers AI search optimization; price for it not published separately
Hook Agency	AEO $4,000/mo, or $2,000 added to SEO	Sold as AEO, alone or as an add-on

RYNO Strategic Solutions, Scorpion, First Page Sage, and Roofing and Plumbing Webmasters also sell AI search services to trades businesses but don't publish a monthly price. Scorpion says it typically requires a 12-month contract for SEO. See the full comparisons for roofing, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, general contractors and home services overall.

What drives the price

Bundled or add-on. Some agencies include AI search in their SEO plan; others charge for it separately. A low SEO price plus an AI add-on can cost more than a bundled plan.
Off-site work. AI assistants trust businesses that directories, reviews and industry lists describe consistently. Plans that include listings, review growth and outreach cost more than on-site fixes alone, and usually matter more.
Content volume. Answer-first pages for every service and every town you serve take time to write and keep current.
Agency size. Large agencies with their own software tend to charge more. Smaller specialists often cost less but have less capacity.

What should be included

Whatever you pay, the work should cover the gaps AI actually stumbles on. In our October 2026 audit of 268 home-service websites, only 1.1% blocked AI crawlers, but 27.6% never described the business in structured data and 83.6% had no marked-up answers an assistant could quote. So look for:

A starting report showing where ChatGPT, Google's AI and Perplexity name you today, for the questions your customers ask.
LocalBusiness and Service schema with your exact name, phone and service area.
Answer-first pages for each service and service area.
Google Business Profile, listings and review work.
The same AI questions re-checked every month, so you can see the trend.

Red flags

Guaranteed AI placement. No agency controls what ChatGPT says. Even HVAC Foundry, which sells this service, says plainly that no one can honestly guarantee it.
No measurement. If they can't show you the AI answers before and after, you can't tell whether it's working.
Long contracts with no exit. Ask about the term up front. Several agencies, including ours, work month-to-month.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does AI search optimization cost for a contractor?

Among agencies that publish prices for home-service businesses, AI search optimization (GEO) runs from $249 to $4,000 a month as of October 2026. Footbridge Media's contractor program is $249 a month, InfuseAI's plans are $500 to $1,300 a month plus setup, HVAC Foundry's HVAC retainer is $2,500 a month with GEO included, WebFX lists SEO from $2,900 a month, and Hook Agency lists AEO at $4,000 a month, or $2,000 added to its SEO package.

Is AI search optimization a separate cost from SEO?

It depends on the agency. Some include it in their SEO plan (InfuseAI and HVAC Foundry do), while others sell it as an add-on (Hook Agency charges $2,000 a month on top of SEO, or $4,000 on its own). Ask whether AI visibility tracking and off-site work are included before comparing prices.

Can an agency guarantee my business will be recommended by ChatGPT?

No. AI answers change from one question to the next, and no agency controls them. A good agency shows you where you appear today, explains what it will change, and measures the results every month. Treat any guarantee of AI placement as a warning sign.

What can a contractor do for free before hiring anyone?

Check that your website shows real text without JavaScript and doesn't block AI crawlers, add LocalBusiness schema with your exact name, phone and service area, write short answer-first pages for each service, keep your Google Business Profile complete, and ask happy customers for reviews. Then ask ChatGPT the questions your customers ask and note who it names.

Sources: Footbridge Media, HVAC Foundry pricing, HVAC Foundry GEO, WebFX pricing, Hook Agency pricing, Scorpion, InfuseAI pricing. All checked October 14, 2026.