Agency Toolkit
AEO Pricing Calculator for Agencies
Work out what to charge clients for AI search optimization, and what you keep. Enter your real cost per client. Everything runs in your browser, nothing is sent anywhere.
Your target margin
Your cost per client, per month
| Tier | Platform cost | Time & overhead | Charge client | You keep / mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
SMB 1-2 engines, ~5-10 articles/mo | $ | $ | $1,997 | $1,398/mo |
Mid-Market 3 engines, ~20 articles + Reddit | $ | $ | $4,663 | $3,264/mo |
Enterprise 5 engines, 40 articles + YouTube | $ | $ | $9,997 | $6,998/mo |
Platform cost is what your AEO platform charges you per client (prefilled with public Loudmink rates; partners pay less). Time & overhead is your account management, strategy, and review hours costed out. Edit any number; prices update live.
Formula: client price = total cost ÷ (1 − margin), where total cost = platform + your time & overhead. Margin is gross, before agency-wide fixed costs. Use it to sanity-check a quote, not as a guaranteed outcome.
How to price AEO services
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) should be priced as a specialized, value-based service, not an hourly engagement. The market is still setting norms, which gives agencies room. As a starting frame, SMB retainers run $1,500 to $3,000/mo, mid-market $3,000 to $8,000/mo, and enterprise $8,000 to $15,000+/mo. What you actually charge should come from your cost per client and target margin, which is what the calculator above works out.
The three cost layers behind every retainer
Total cost per client has three parts: the platform subscription, your content and execution time, and account management. A platform that creates content and runs multi-client management folds the first two into one predictable fee, which is what makes margins above 50% realistic. Price the retainer off the full cost, then sanity-check the margin, never off the platform fee alone.
Why AEO is a retainer, not a project
AI search results change over time, so presence has to be maintained. A one-time engagement gets undone as engines update their sources, which is exactly why recurring delivery is the model and why clients retain. That is the difference that justifies an ongoing fee.
Also in the toolkit
White-label AI visibility audit template
The client-facing deliverable to hand a prospect after the pitch. Rebrand it with your colours and logo, fill it from a Loudmink scan, and send it as a PDF.
Download the audit templateRun it under your own brand
The Loudmink agency partner program gives you white-label monitoring, content, and reporting per client, with volume pricing that leaves the margin above.
See the partner program