Search & AI
SEO and Generative Engine Optimization.
We're search nerds who genuinely love helping businesses get found. When someone searches for what you do, we make sure you show up. Not through shortcuts, but by understanding your market and building content that earns attention.
Services
Our SEO & GEO services
Local SEO
Attract more customers from your local area by optimizing your online presence for location-based searches.
- Google Business Profile
- Local Citation Building
- On-Page Optimization
- Review Management
- Local Content Marketing
National SEO
Improve your online visibility and attract customers from all corners of the nation through targeted strategies and a focus on broader keyword reach.
- Keyword Research
- Content Optimization
- Technical Audit
- Link Building
- Competitor Analysis
GEO
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), also known as AEO, helps your business show up in AI search results and local maps when customers are actively looking.
- Optimize for AI-powered search results
- AI overview positioning
- AI search citations
- Brand Mentions
- Reporting
Our approach
Search & AI
Sproutbox is a Portland-based SEO and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) agency. We help businesses show up in Google search results, local maps, and increasingly in AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews. Search performance compounds over time, and it multiplies when paired with strong website foundations and consistent content strategy.
Ranking well in Google and getting cited by ChatGPT or Perplexity are two different problems. We've audited dozens of pages that sit in Google's top ten but never appear in AI-generated answers, because they're structured for keywords rather than questions. A regional retail chain we work with grew organic traffic by over 400% after we rebuilt their content architecture around topic authority. That same structural approach is what gets pages cited by AI tools.
Our Process
How we get Search & AI results.
We evaluate your visibility across both traditional search and AI platforms. An SEO audit covering technical health, content gaps, and keyword opportunities, plus a GEO audit testing how you appear in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and Copilot. The two audits almost always reinforce each other. Content gaps in SEO are usually the same gaps that explain weak AI citation.
The content we create is built to answer real questions completely. Not keyword-stuffed, not padded for word count. We write in clear, direct language that a reader would find genuinely useful and that an AI system can extract and attribute accurately. Most content plans include a mix of long-form service and topic pages, Q&A-formatted content, and shorter posts targeting specific questions your customers are already searching for.
Existing content often has more potential than new content. We audit your current pages for structure, schema markup, internal linking, and answer-readiness. A page ranking in position 8 with the right structural changes can move to position 3. We find those opportunities and work through them systematically.
Your monthly report covers traditional SEO metrics, organic traffic, rankings, and conversions, plus a GEO section tracking your AI citation frequency and AI referral sessions. We show you where you're appearing, what queries are driving it, and where the next opportunities are. Search reporting should tell you something you can act on.
Our Team
Meet your search & ai team.
Traditional search and AI search are converging fast. Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT search, and Perplexity are all pulling from the same web. The businesses that win are the ones with the clearest, most authoritative content on the topics their customers care about. Not the most content. The best content for a specific set of questions.
We built our Search & AI practice specifically because most SEO agencies are still optimizing for a results page that looks different than it did two years ago. We track how AI platforms discover and cite content, and we build your strategy around what actually drives visibility today, not what worked in 2020.
You'll work with a team that operates at the real intersection of traditional SEO and AI search, not a team that rebranded their SEO service and added "AI" to the name. We run actual citation tests, track your visibility across the major AI platforms, and build content designed to perform in both environments. Your monthly report shows both: where you rank in traditional search and where you're showing up in AI-generated answers.
Why Sproutbox
What sets us apart.
Search agencies love to promise the moon and report in riddles. We do the opposite. As a Portland-based team, we set realistic expectations, show you the data behind every recommendation, and keep the same specialists on your account as your rankings grow.
You could rank for anything. But do you rank for what your customers are actually searching for? We research real intent, not just popular keywords.
Your site could be faster, more crawlable, and way more search-friendly.
AI can amplify your marketing, but it shouldn't replace strategy or your unique voice. We use AI to work smarter, not to sound like everyone else.
Real SEO takes time. We're honest about that.
We have worked with the Sproutbox team for several years, and I highly recommend them. Turnaround times on projects are quick, and they are responsive to change requests and other communication almost immediately. The entire team has been wonderful to work with as a partner to meet our marketing needs!
Adam Rodakowski
Director · Foster Plus
How long does SEO take to show results?
Typically 3–6 months to see meaningful movement for competitive keywords. Some technical and local SEO improvements can show faster. We will tell you what is realistic for your market before you start paying us.
What's the difference between SEO and GEO?
SEO is about ranking in Google search results. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is about getting cited in AI-generated answers from tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews. They are related but require different content strategies.
Do you do local SEO?
Yes. Google Business Profile optimization, local citations, review strategy, and locally-targeted content. For Portland-area businesses, local SEO is often the fastest path to new leads.
How do you get pages cited by AI tools?
By writing content that directly answers specific questions, structured so AI tools can extract and attribute it clearly. Entity clarity, credibility signals, and consistent brand mentions across the web all matter. We have built a process around this.
Do you guarantee rankings?
No. Anyone who does is misleading you. We can show you what our clients have achieved, explain the strategy we would use for your market, and be transparent about what is realistic.
What is an AI Overview and how does it affect my traffic?
AI Overviews are the AI-generated summaries Google shows at the top of search results. They intercept clicks that would have gone to organic results. The goal of our Search & AI service is to get your content cited inside those answers, not buried below them.
What does schema markup do and why does it matter?
Schema markup is structured data that tells search engines and AI systems exactly what your page is about. It helps Google generate rich results and helps AI tools identify your content as a reliable, citable source. We implement and maintain schema across your site as part of this service.
How is your Search & AI service different from standard SEO?
Standard SEO focuses on rankings in the traditional blue-link results. Our Search & AI service covers that and adds GEO — optimizing to get cited in AI-generated answers on ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and Copilot. It is the same foundation with a broader target.
How do you measure AI citation and visibility?
We run regular manual audits querying AI platforms with terms relevant to your business and log whether you appear. We also track AI referral sessions in GA4. As AI search matures, more measurement tools are becoming available and we incorporate them as they do.
Do you optimize for voice search too?
Yes. Voice search queries are longer and more conversational than typed searches. We structure content to answer those questions directly, which overlaps heavily with AI citation optimization. One content strategy covers both.
From the Blog
Keep reading.
ChatGPT vs. Gemini vs. Perplexity: Which AI Search Engine Should Your Business Care About?
ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity are changing how your customers find businesses — and they don't all work the same way. Here's what each AI search engine actually does, how they decide what to recommend, and what your business needs to do to show up in all of them.
Search & AIThe Future of Search: How GEO Changes Everything
Search isn't evolving—it's being rebuilt from the ground up. AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews are changing how people find answers, and the businesses that adapt now will own the next decade of search visibility. Here's what the future of search actually looks like and how to get ahead of it.
Search & AI2026 Portland Digital Marketing Benchmarks: An Agency Report
Most Portland businesses are running marketing campaigns with no idea whether their results are good, bad, or just average. Sproutbox's 2026 Portland Digital Marketing Benchmarks report gives you real performance targets across paid ads, SEO, social, and email — so you can stop guessing and start measuring against numbers that actually mean something.
Schedule a 30-min call.
Thirty minutes to talk about your business. Where you are, where you want to go, and whether we're the right fit to help you get there.
No pitch deck. No pressure. And no long-term contracts. We'd rather earn your business every step of the way.
