Quick Summary: Hook Agency is the best overall pick among answer engine optimization agencies for home service contractors because its AEO package tracks 25+ ChatGPT prompts across about 30 trades it already serves. CoatingsSEO is the stronger choice for concrete, coating, and flooring contractors who want AEO priced on its own.
Hook Agency: best for multi-trade home service companies above $2M that want AEO bundled with local SEO.
CoatingsSEO: best for concrete and coating contractors that want standalone AEO from $1,000 a month.
Scorpion: best for larger firms that want paid placement inside ChatGPT alongside ads and SEO.
MarketKeep: best for small contractors that want AI optimization included in a low-cost SEO plan.
Answer engine optimization agencies are hard to compare because each one defines AEO differently. Some track ChatGPT prompts, some buy ad placements inside ChatGPT, and some simply rename existing SEO work.
That confusion makes it easy to pay for the wrong thing. The four agencies below show the range, from defined prompt tracking to paid AI ads, so a contractor can match the method to the goal.
Four Answer Engine Optimization Agencies Compared
Each entry explains what the agency means by AEO, how it measures results and what it costs.
1. Hook Agency
Focus: Minneapolis agency serving home service trades only, with AEO sold inside a local SEO package.
What AEO means here: Optimizing so homeowners see the client when they ask ChatGPT or AI Overviews who to hire.
Measurement: Tracks 25+ ChatGPT prompts plus profile visibility and reports on them monthly.
Trades served: About 30, with roofing, HVAC, and plumbing as its core verticals.
Local SEO: Maps SEO with weekly profile posts and review responses.
Pricing: Local SEO plus AEO from $3,750 a month.
Terms: Yearly commitment, with businesses under $1M screened out.
Hook has narrowed to home services since 2021 and claims $240M+ in revenue driven for 200+ contractors. ReportGarden shows 4.9 stars from 173 reviews. Its own team-size and founding figures vary across its pages, and most of its published wins come from roofing and HVAC.
Best for: Established home service companies with several trades that want AEO measured against a fixed list of ChatGPT prompts.
2. CoatingsSEO
Focus: Answer engine optimization and SEO for concrete, coating, flooring, foundation, and paving contractors.
What AEO means here: Content and schema built so ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews can cite the contractor as an answer.
Measurement: The company says it reports on lead volume and cost per lead, and it hasn’t published a prompt-tracking count.
Trades served: Concrete coatings, epoxy and flooring first, with pages for concrete contractors, foundation repair, and paving.
Local SEO: Profile categories, posts, photos, and citation cleanup in its SEO retainer.
Pricing: AEO from $1,000 a month as a standalone service.
Terms: Month-to-month, starting with a free audit.
Concrete trades are a narrow focus, which makes the agency a poor fit for HVAC or plumbing firms but a close match for coating and flatwork contractors. Its free tools include a Google Business Profile audit and a review link generator. The company is young and has no third-party review profile yet.
Best for: Concrete and coating contractors that want AEO without buying a full marketing bundle or signing for a year.
3. Scorpion
Focus: Marketing technology and services for home service, legal, and franchise businesses, sold as a bundle called RevenueMAX.
What AEO means here: Paid ChatGPT Ads that place businesses inside ChatGPT, rather than organic AI visibility.
Measurement: A Scorpion Platform dashboard, with the client keeping its GA4 account.
Trades served: Many home service verticals, including a flooring page without flooring results.
Local SEO: Sold as Ranking AI, which analyzes over 40,000 data points to prioritize work, per DestinationCRM.
Pricing: Not published.
Terms: SEO and technology typically need a 12-month contract, while ads are usually month-to-month.
Founded in 2001, Scorpion is the largest company here and claims 20,000+ businesses served. Reviews are split: G2 shows 4.5 from 60 reviews, while Clutch shows 3.5 from 12, with complaints about lead quality and billing. Sites run on its own CMS, so leaving means a rebuild.
Best for: Larger home service firms that want paid AI placement and a full ad stack from one vendor.
4. MarketKeep
Focus: Small Maryland agency offering SEO, web design, and Google Ads to small businesses.
What AEO means here: “AI optimization” as one of four SEO areas, built on local, on-page, and question-led content.
Measurement: No AI tracking is described, with monthly site audits on all plans.
Trades served: Flooring contractors and concrete contractors, among other small businesses.
Local SEO: Monthly profile work and citations on Bing Places, Apple Maps, and others.
Pricing: SEO from $450 a month, including AI optimization.
Terms: Month-to-month.
Founder Patrick Kurowski writes concrete contractor guides that discuss how contractors appear in ChatGPT and Gemini. The guides analyze non-client data, and Clutch lists a two-to-nine-person team with no reviews yet.
Best for: Small contractors that want basic AI-readiness folded into an affordable SEO plan.
How to Choose an AEO Agency for Your Trade
Start by deciding which kind of AEO you actually want.
Organic or paid: Decide between earning AI mentions and paying for ChatGPT ad placement.
Prompt list: Ask for the exact prompts the agency will track for your trade and city.
Trade match: Check that the agency has worked with your trade, not only adjacent ones.
Bundling: Compare standalone AEO prices with AEO bundled into larger packages.
Exit terms: Check contract length before committing to a new kind of service.
Answer Engine Optimization FAQ
Home service owners ask these questions most when evaluating AEO.
What is the difference between AEO and SEO?
SEO aims to rank pages in Google’s results, while AEO aims to get a business named or cited inside AI answers. Much of the groundwork overlaps, including service pages, reviews, schema, and consistent business details.
Are ChatGPT Ads the same as answer engine optimization?
No. Scorpion’s ChatGPT Ads are paid placements, while Hook Agency and CoatingsSEO work on earning organic mentions in AI answers.
How do I know if AEO is working?
Track a fixed list of prompts for your service and city and check monthly who gets named. Hook Agency reports on 25+ prompts, and you can run your own checks in ChatGPT for free.
Picking an AEO Approach That Fits Your Business
Answer engine optimization agencies split into three camps: tracked organic AEO (Hook Agency), standalone trade-specific AEO (CoatingsSEO), and paid AI placement or bundled AI-readiness (Scorpion, MarketKeep). Decide if you want measurement, specialization or paid reach first, then ask each agency to show the prompts it would target for your business.