How-to guide
How do I choose an SEO or AEO agency in Malaysia?
By Pali (Wan Muhamad Fadzli), product builder, Penang.
Last updated
Choose an SEO or AEO agency in Malaysia by asking for dated, measured results on sites like yours, checking that reports lead with enquiries and AI answer tracking, and keeping every account in your name. Walk away from ranking guarantees and paid links. With Pali, setup is RM 2,000 once, then RM 1,200 or RM 2,400 a month.
What are the steps?
- 01Write down the searches that bring buyersList the services, places and questions your customers search for, in English and Bahasa Malaysia, so every agency answers the same brief.
- 02Ask for dated, measured resultsAsk each agency for reports on real sites that show a baseline date, Search Console clicks and whether AI assistants name the business, not screenshots of a single ranking.
- 03Check how AI answers are coveredAsk which buying questions they track in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, how often, and what they change when the business is not named.
- 04Confirm ownership and accessMake sure Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Google Business Profile, the domain and every page written stay in your name, with the agency added as a user.
- 05Compare proposals line by linePut setup, monthly work, content, local SEO, reporting, minimum term and exit terms side by side instead of comparing only the monthly fee.
- 06Start with an audit you keepPay for a short audit first and judge the agency on how clearly it explains your gaps before you commit to a monthly plan.
What should an SEO agency show you before you sign?
Proof you can check. A good agency can show what its work did on real sites, from a dated starting point, in numbers you could verify yourself in Google Search Console.
| Evidence | What to verify | Useful follow-up question |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly reports on real sites | A baseline date and the same measures every month | Which month did little move, and why? |
| Search Console figures | Clicks, impressions and position, not one keyword screenshot | Which queries brought enquiries? |
| AI answer tracking | The buying questions asked and whether the business was named | Which engines name the client now? |
| Pages they wrote | Answer-first pages that are live and indexed | Which page brings the most enquiries? |
| Who does the work | A named person accountable for your account | Who writes my report each month? |
Our own search results reports follow this format: one dated baseline, then the same Google and AI answer measures every month, including the months where little moved.
Which red flags should make you walk away?
- A guaranteed page one position or a guaranteed number of visitors
- Bought links, link packages or private blog networks, which break Google spam policies and can sink a site
- Reports that show only keyword positions and never enquiries or calls
- Google Search Console, Analytics or Business Profile set up in the agency’s name
- A long lock-in with no exit terms, or pages that stay with the agency when you leave
- No answer to how the business shows up in ChatGPT, Gemini or Google AI Overviews
- Fake reviews or review swaps offered as part of local SEO
One of these on its own is a reason to ask harder questions. Two or more is a reason to keep looking.
What should an AEO or GEO agency do that a classic SEO agency does not?
AI answers quote pages that state facts plainly and cite businesses the web agrees on. That needs work most classic SEO packages do not include.
| Work | Classic SEO package | AEO and GEO work |
|---|---|---|
| Page structure | Keywords in titles and text | A 40 to 60 word answer at the top, question headings, real tables and FAQ |
| Structured data | Basic or none | Organization, Service, FAQ and breadcrumb schema on every key page |
| Machine files | Sitemap only | Sitemap plus an llms.txt and a clear AI crawler decision in robots.txt |
| Brand entity | Not covered | One business description, word for word, on the site and every profile |
| Off-site work | Link building | Earned mentions in directories, forums and press the engines already trust |
| Reporting | Rankings and traffic | Enquiries first, then Search Console, then who AI answers name |
For the background, read what SEO, AEO and GEO mean and how businesses get named in ChatGPT and AI Overviews.
What should you ask in the first call?
- Which searches and buying questions would you target for my business, and why each one?
- How do you measure whether ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews name us?
- What do you need from me each month, and who on my side answers questions?
- Which accounts will be in my name, and what do I keep if I stop?
- What happens in the first 90 days, and what will I be able to check at the end?
- Do you work in Bahasa Malaysia as well as English, with separate pages for each?
- How do you handle Google Business Profile, directories and reviews for a Malaysian business?
Ask every agency the same questions. Vague answers are easier to spot side by side.
How should you compare SEO proposals and prices in Malaysia?
Line by line, not by the monthly fee alone. Two proposals with the same price can cover very different work.
- Setup: what is done once, and is a paid audit credited to it?
- Monthly work: refreshes, technical fixes, new pages and local SEO, listed separately
- Content: how many pages a month, in which languages, and who approves them
- Reporting: what the report leads with, and whether AI answers are tracked
- Term: the minimum period and how you leave
- Extras: anything billed on top, such as ads, tools or translation
Pali publishes its prices: a RM 200 search audit, credited to the RM 2,000 setup, then Search Care at RM 1,200 or Search Growth at RM 2,400 a month, with a 3-month minimum. No SST is charged. See the SEO cost guide for what moves the price.
How do you start?
Price the plan you need in the calculator, or check how your site looks to AI search first with the free AI visibility checker. Then compare what you get on the SEO, AEO and GEO service page. Planning a new site or app first? Start with the Discovery Sprint.