AI search has changed what it means to be visible online.
Ranking in Google still matters, but potential customers are increasingly using ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Perplexity and other AI-powered search experiences to research products, compare providers and decide which brands they trust.
That has created a growing market for AI SEO agencies helping businesses become more visible, cited and recommended across traditional and AI-driven search.
The challenge is that AI SEO can mean very different things depending on the agency.
Some providers focus heavily on technical SEO and content. Others specialise in Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), AI visibility measurement, Digital PR, third-party brand mentions or proprietary AI-search technology.
To make the comparison useful, we’ve looked at eight agencies operating in or serving the UK, focusing on their capabilities, positioning and the type of client they appear best suited to.
Best AI SEO agencies UK: quick comparison
| Agency | Best for | Standout capability |
| Bubblegum Search | Brands & agencies wanting AI visibility intelligence turned into practical action | Source intelligence, Digital PR and brand mention outreach |
| Varn | Businesses needing strong technical SEO and GEO consultancy | AI visibility framework and technical search expertise |
| Found | Larger brands wanting AI search integrated into wider digital marketing | Broad digital offering and proprietary AI-search technology |
| Impression | Established brands wanting integrated SEO, PR and technical GEO | SEO, technical GEO and Digital PR |
| Rise at Seven | Consumer brands where creative earned media is central | Creative Digital PR and AI visibility |
| The SEO Works | Businesses expanding an established SEO programme into AI search | SEO delivery with AI-search measurement |
| Omnius | SaaS, fintech and AI companies | B2B sector specialisation and proprietary technology |
| Digital Landscope | Businesses looking for a dedicated AI-search specialist | Focused AI-search positioning |
How we selected the agencies
There is no single accepted definition of an AI SEO agency, so simply using terms such as AI SEO, GEO or AEO was not enough to qualify.
We looked for agencies demonstrating a genuine service, methodology or body of work around AI-driven search.
The main factors we considered were:
- AI visibility: whether the agency actively works across AI-powered search platforms;
- SEO capability: whether it can address technical, content and authority issues as well as AI visibility;
- Measurement: whether it has a defined method for understanding and tracking AI-search performance;
- Off-site authority: whether its approach extends beyond changes to the client’s own website;
- Execution: whether the agency can implement recommendations rather than only provide reporting;
- Positioning: what makes the agency meaningfully different from other providers;
- Ideal client: the type of business most likely to benefit from its approach.
There is no one agency that will be the best choice for every business.
The more useful question is which provider is best suited to the visibility problem you actually need to solve.
1. Bubblegum Search
Best for: AI visibility and source intelligence combined with SEO, Digital PR and brand mention outreach
Bubblegum Search is a UK AI search, SEO and Digital PR agency helping brands understand how they appear across AI-driven search and, importantly, what they can do to improve that visibility.
The approach starts with identifying:
- where a brand appears across AI search;
- which competitors are being recommended instead;
- and which third-party websites and pages are influencing those answers.
Bubblegum then uses that intelligence to identify opportunities across SEO, content, Digital PR, outreach and third-party brand mentions.
This means the work goes beyond answering:
“Are we visible in AI search?”
and moves towards:
“Why are our competitors appearing instead, and what can we do about it?”
That source-first approach is a key part of Bubblegum’s AI Search Intelligence & Brand Mention Outreach offer.
What makes Bubblegum different?
Many AI visibility tools can identify whether a brand is being cited or recommended. Bubblegum Search goes a step further by using our proprietary software, SourceSignal.ai, to uncover the sources influencing those recommendations.
SourceSignal.ai helps us identify which publishers, comparison pages and trusted third-party websites are repeatedly associated with strong AI visibility. That gives our clients a clearer view of where competitors are gaining an advantage and where the best opportunities exist to improve their own visibility.
We then turn that intelligence into action across SEO, content, Digital PR and brand mention outreach.
The workflow is broadly:
AI visibility → competitor intelligence → source intelligence → SEO/content → Digital PR and outreach
Because SourceSignal.ai is built into our process, we can prioritise the sources most likely to influence AI recommendations rather than relying on broad, generic outreach. This gives both brands and agency partners a more targeted, data-led approach to improving visibility across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and other AI search platforms.
Bubblegum search also combines this with wider AI SEO and traditional SEO expertise, rather than treating AI visibility as a completely separate discipline.
Bubblegum Search is a strong fit if:
- you want to understand why competitors are appearing in AI search when you are not;
- you want to identify the external sources influencing recommendations in your market;
- you need AI visibility analysis connected to practical implementation;
- Digital PR and targeted brand mentions are important parts of your strategy;
- or you want SEO and AI-search activity handled together.
Bubblegum may be less suitable if:
If you are looking for a very large integrated transformation programme covering extensive paid media, automation, software development and multiple digital channels, a larger full-service agency may be a better fit.
2. Varn
Best for: Technical SEO and structured GEO consultancy
Varn is an established UK SEO, GEO and data analytics agency with a strong background in technical search.
Its GEO proposition centres around an AI visibility framework designed to understand how brands appear across generative search and identify opportunities for improvement.
The agency combines this with technical SEO, structured data, content and broader search consultancy.
Why consider Varn?
Varn is likely to be a strong option where technically complex SEO issues remain a significant part of the problem.
Its approach treats GEO as an evolution of search optimisation rather than something disconnected from SEO fundamentals.
Strong fit for: technically complex websites, established in-house search teams, B2B organisations and brands wanting structured SEO/GEO consultancy.
3. Found
Best for: Larger brands wanting AI search integrated into wider digital marketing
Found is a broader digital marketing agency offering SEO, paid media, Digital PR, content, data and AI-related services.
Its AI-search proposition sits within its wider search methodology and is supported by proprietary technology designed to analyse visibility and behaviour across traditional and AI-powered search.
Why consider Found?
Found should appeal to larger businesses that do not want AI visibility treated as an isolated workstream.
The agency can connect AI search with a much wider digital marketing programme.
Strong fit for: larger organisations and brands wanting SEO, GEO, Digital PR, paid media and data capabilities under one agency.
4. Impression
Best for: Integrated SEO, PR and technical GEO
Impression combines SEO, Digital PR and technical optimisation within its GEO proposition.
Its approach includes content optimisation, technical SEO, AI-search measurement and off-site authority building.
Why consider Impression?
Impression is a strong option for businesses looking for an integrated organic-search programme rather than a narrowly focused AI-search engagement.
Its combination of technical SEO and PR is particularly relevant for brands that understand AI visibility is influenced by more than on-site content alone.
Strong fit for: established brands with complex websites and businesses wanting SEO, Digital PR and GEO managed together.
5. Rise at Seven
Best for: Creative Digital PR and earned-media-led AI visibility
Rise at Seven is best known for search-led creative campaigns and Digital PR.
Its wider proposition now includes AI visibility and GEO alongside SEO, content, social search and earned media.
Why consider Rise at Seven?
Rise at Seven stands out where creative campaigns and widespread media coverage are likely to be an important part of building brand authority.
That can make it particularly relevant in competitive consumer markets where earning attention and third-party mentions is a major part of the challenge.
Strong fit for: consumer brands, ecommerce, travel and businesses looking for large-scale creative Digital PR.
6. The SEO Works
Best for: Businesses expanding an established SEO programme into AI search
The SEO Works is a long-established UK SEO agency that has expanded its services into AI-powered search.
Its approach combines traditional SEO delivery with measurement across areas such as Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT.
Why consider The SEO Works?
This makes The SEO Works a sensible choice for businesses that still have significant conventional organic-search opportunities but also want their SEO programme to evolve alongside AI search.
Strong fit for: businesses wanting AI-search optimisation built into a broader, established SEO relationship.
7. Omnius
Best for: SaaS, fintech and AI companies
Omnius is more vertically specialised than most agencies in this comparison.
Its focus is B2B SEO and GEO for SaaS, fintech and AI companies, combining agency services with proprietary AI-search technology.
Why consider Omnius?
Sector specialisation can be particularly valuable in technical B2B markets with complex products and long buying cycles.
An agency already familiar with those industries may require less time to understand the terminology, audience and commercial context.
Strong fit for: SaaS platforms, fintech businesses and AI companies.
For consumer, ecommerce or local-service brands, a less specialised provider may be a better fit.
8. Digital Landscope
Best for: Businesses wanting SEO and AEO managed together
Digital Landscope is a UK SEO and AEO agency specialising in visibility across both traditional search and AI-powered platforms.
Its approach combines conventional SEO with Answer Engine Optimisation and GEO, covering platforms including ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot.
The agency focuses on areas such as content optimisation for AI-generated answers, structured content, topical authority and wider trust signals, alongside its established SEO work.
Why consider Digital Landscope?
Digital Landscope is a particularly relevant option for businesses that want to improve AI-search visibility without separating that work from their existing SEO strategy.
Its positioning is also strongly focused on commercial outcomes, including enquiries, purchases and measurable search performance rather than AI visibility as a standalone metric.
Strong fit for: UK businesses wanting hands-on SEO and AEO/GEO support from the same specialist team.
Which AI SEO agency is right for your business?
The agencies above overlap in some areas, but they are not interchangeable.
If your priority is understanding why competitors are appearing in AI search, identifying which external sources are helping them and turning that intelligence into SEO, Digital PR and brand mention activity, Bubblegum Search is built around that workflow.
If technically complex SEO and structured GEO consultancy are the biggest priorities, Varn is worth considering.
For a broader integrated digital programme, Found or Impression may be more appropriate.
If creative Digital PR and earned-media scale are central to your strategy, Rise at Seven has a particularly strong proposition.
Businesses wanting established SEO delivery alongside emerging AI-search optimisation may find The SEO Works a good fit.
SaaS, fintech and AI companies should consider the specialist positioning of Omnius.
Businesses wanting SEO and AEO delivered together by a smaller specialist team may find Digital Landscope a good fit.
Ultimately, the best agency is the one that matches the reason your brand is currently underperforming.
See what is shaping your AI visibility
Before choosing an agency, it helps to establish where the opportunity actually lies.
Bubblegum Search’s free AI Visibility Snapshot looks at how your brand appears across AI-powered search, which competitors are being recommended and which third-party sources are influencing those results.
It can help identify whether the biggest opportunity lies in your website, your content, your wider authority or the places across the web where competitors are already being mentioned.
Request your free AI Visibility Snapshot and see what is shaping visibility in your category.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AI SEO agency?
An AI SEO agency helps brands improve how they are discovered, cited or recommended across AI-powered search experiences such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Perplexity, usually alongside traditional SEO.
Services can include technical SEO, content optimisation, AI visibility analysis, Digital PR, source intelligence and brand mention outreach.
Is AI SEO the same as GEO?
The terms overlap considerably.
Generative Engine Optimisation, or GEO, generally refers specifically to improving visibility within generative and AI-powered search experiences. AI SEO is often used as a broader term covering GEO, AEO and traditional SEO techniques.
For a more detailed explanation, see Bubblegum’s guide to Answer Engine Optimisation.
Can an AI SEO agency guarantee that ChatGPT will recommend my brand?
No credible agency should guarantee a particular recommendation from ChatGPT or another AI platform.
AI-generated answers can vary according to the platform, model, prompt and available sources.
The aim of AI SEO is instead to improve the factors a business can influence, including relevance, technical accessibility, authority, useful content and trusted third-party mentions.