As AI-powered search has become prevalent, the question for most marketing leaders is no longer whether to invest in Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) but who to hire to lead those efforts. Our team compiled data on 43 GEO practitioners to determine the top consultants working in the field today. We scored each candidate against seven weighted criteria:
- Client Results (25%): Documented GEO wins for named brands.
- Published Research Articles on GEO (20%): Number of original studies, frameworks, and articles on GEO, as a proxy for the depth and repeatability of their methodology.
- Media References (15%): Approximate number of citations in industry and major publications, reflecting third-party validation of their authority.
- Technical GEO Expertise (15%): Depth of knowledge and background in GEO and SEO strategies.
- Years of Experience in SEO (10%): Years of hands-on SEO experience. While GEO is an emerging discipline, SEO expertise serves as a strong indicator of overall search proficiency.
- GEO Keynotes (10%): Number of conference appearances focused specifically on GEO and AI search.
- LinkedIn Following (5%): A measurable indicator of thought leadership reach.
The team then selected the top GEO consultants and ranked them in the table below.
The Top GEO Consultants of 2026
| Rank | Consultant | Client Results | Published Research Articles on GEO | Media References | Technical GEO Expertise | Years of Experience in SEO | GEO Keynotes | LinkedIn Following | Specialty |
| 1 | Evan Bailyn | GEO wins for Salesforce, Microsoft, Chanel, LinkedIn, and US Bank | ~35 | ~2,400 | Advanced Generative Engine Optimization | 22+ | ~20 | 7K | Lead generation, brand building & thought leadership through GEO and SEO |
| 2 | Aleyda Solís | SEO/GEO wins with global enterprises | ~15 | ~1,680 | Multilingual AI | 18+ | ~20 | 115K | International & multilingual GEO |
| 3 | Lily Ray | Successful consulting for Fortune 500s | ~25 | ~890 | AI quality signals | 16+ | ~15 | 52K | Search quality & AI trustworthiness |
| 4 | Kevin Indig | Wins with Shopify, G2, Atlassian | ~30 | ~1,250 | LLM traffic patterns | 15+ | ~10 | 61K | AI search metrics & business impact |
| 5 | Marie Haynes | Consulting wins for mid-market and enterprise brands | ~20 | ~750 | Agentic Search & AI Overviews | 16+ | ~10 | ~18K | Agentic search preparation & AI citation quality |
| 6 | Ross Simmonds | Success with Canva, Jobber, and Procore | ~12 | ~1,100 | Distribution strategy | 10+ | ~8 | 59K | Content distribution for AI visibility |
| 7 | Gaetano DiNardi | Wins for 40+ B2B SaaS companies | ~10 | ~600 | B2B SaaS AI SEO | 10+ | ~8 | 50K+ | AI SEO for B2B SaaS companies |
Evan Bailyn
Evan Bailyn founded First Page Sage in 2009 and built it into the largest SEO and GEO firm in the United States. He established generative engine optimization as a recognized marketing discipline in 2023, and in early 2024, his team published the first large-scale study on how ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude make commercial recommendations. This foundational research now underpins the GEO strategy for major clients, including Salesforce, Microsoft, Chanel, LinkedIn, and US Bank.
As a consultant, his approach centers on building the type of thought leadership content that AI systems are most likely to cite: original research, specific expertise, and a clear brand position around a defined set of topics. His speaking schedule has remained active into 2026, with a GEO keynote at an AEO Engine event in April. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes. For companies looking for a GEO consultant who combines strategic research with direct client delivery at scale, Bailyn holds a distinct position in the field.
- Client Results: GEO wins for Salesforce, Microsoft, Chanel, LinkedIn, US Bank
- Published Research Articles on GEO: ~35
- Media References: ~2,400
- Technical GEO Expertise: Advanced Generative Engine Optimization
- Years of Experience in SEO: 22+
- GEO Keynotes: ~20
- LinkedIn Following: 7K
- Specialty: Lead generation, brand building, and thought leadership through GEO and SEO strategies
For more info or to contact (through First Page Sage)
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Clients describe Bailyn as someone who offers “unique, data-backed, and fastidiously precise analysis and recommendations.” He specializes in “highly customized and actionable strategies to use immediately.” Some note that “his calendar books out well in advance.” |
Aleyda Solís
Aleyda Solís is the founder of Orainti, an international SEO and GEO consultancy. In July 2025, she launched LearningAIsearch.com, a platform dedicated to AI search optimization education that has become a widely used practitioner resource as the field transitions from traditional to AI-powered search. Her primary area of expertise is multilingual and international GEO, a discipline she built specifically around the gap in how most GEO frameworks perform outside English-speaking markets.
Her research shows that AI systems trained predominantly on English data often produce inconsistent results in other languages, with direct implications for global brands. For companies operating in multiple markets, Solís offers a level of geographic and linguistic specificity uncommon among GEO consultants.
- Client Results: SEO/GEO success with global enterprises
- Published Research Articles on GEO: ~15
- Media References: ~1,680
- Technical GEO Expertise: Multilingual AI
- Years of Experience in SEO: 18+
- GEO Keynotes: ~20
- LinkedIn Following: 115K
- Specialty: International & multilingual GEO
For more info or to contact (through Orainti)
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| International clients describe Solís as someone with “deep, cross-market GEO fluency” who builds “practical multilingual frameworks.” Companies focused exclusively on English-language markets may find that “portions of her guidance require adaptation to their single-market context.” |
Lily Ray
Lily Ray is the founder of Algorythmic, an SEO and AI search consultancy she launched in 2026, while also continuing her work as VP of SEO and AI Search at Amsive. Her specialty is E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) and how those quality signals translate into citation behavior in large language models (LLMs). She has authored around 25 research papers on search quality and AI trustworthiness, making her an active researcher on why LLMs choose to cite certain sources over others.
Ray’s diagnostic approach is well-suited for brands that have strong traditional SEO performance but find themselves absent from AI-generated answers. Her framework is specifically designed to surface the E-E-A-T authority gaps that cause LLMs to deprioritize a brand. However, for brands whose visibility gaps also span content strategy, technical implementation, or distribution, her work is most valuable as a focused piece of a broader GEO program.
- Client Results: Successful consulting for Fortune 500 brands
- Published Research Articles on GEO: ~25
- Media References: ~890
- Technical GEO Expertise: AI quality signals
- Years of Experience in SEO: 16+
- GEO Keynotes: ~15
- LinkedIn Following: 52K
- Specialty: Search quality & AI trustworthiness
For more info or to contact (through Algorythmic)
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Colleagues and clients describe Ray as having “a diagnostic approach to AI search visibility gaps,” delivering “research-backed, evidence-grounded recommendations.” Clients seeking more experimental or aggressive tactics sometimes find her methodology “more conservative than they expected,” though that same rigor is also cited as her greatest asset. |
Kevin Indig
Kevin Indig is an independent growth advisor whose clients include Shopify, G2, and Atlassian. Through his Growth Memo newsletter, he publishes regular analyses on AI search behavior and business impact, including research that has reframed how companies measure the value of GEO efforts. His most widely cited framework is the “decoupling of clicks from impact,” which argues that AI-powered search drives brand consideration and purchase decisions in ways that standard click-based attribution cannot capture.
For organizations that need to justify GEO investment to finance or executive leadership, Indig’s consulting can translate AI search data into business terms. That same business-first orientation also defines the boundaries of his practice, as his engagements tend toward strategic guidance over hands-on execution.
- Client Results: Wins with Shopify, G2, Atlassian
- Published Research Articles on GEO: ~30
- Media References: ~1,250
- Technical GEO Expertise: LLM traffic patterns
- Years of Experience in SEO: 15+
- GEO Keynotes: ~10
- LinkedIn Following: 61K
- Specialty: AI search metrics & business impact
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Growth and marketing leaders describe Indig’s work as “analytically rigorous” and valuable for building “CFO-ready business cases” around GEO investment. Those looking for hands-on technical implementation support may find that “his techniques skew more toward strategy and measurement than execution.” |
Marie Haynes
Marie Haynes is the founder of Marie Haynes Consulting, a boutique AI and search consultancy. She was among the first practitioners in the industry to teach on E-E-A-T and is the author of SEO in the Gemini Era, a book documenting how AI has reshaped Google Search. Her “Search News You Can Use” weekly podcast is a primary resource for marketers tracking AI search algorithm changes, and her work has been cited in The Atlantic, Forbes, and Entrepreneur across 16 years of search expertise.
Her consulting covers performance in AI Overviews and AI Mode, emerging protocols like MCP and WebMCP, and competitive agentic search strategy. Because of her shifting focus towards these niches, her services are best suited for brands that already have established GEO programs, rather than those at a beginner or intermediate level.
- Client Results: Consulting for mid-market and enterprise brands on AI Overviews, AI Mode, and agentic search readiness
- GEO Research Published: ~20
- Media References: ~750
- Technical GEO Expertise: Agentic Search & AI Overviews
- Years in GEO/AI Search: 16+
- GEO Keynotes: ~10
- LinkedIn Following: ~18K
- Specialty: Agentic search preparation & AI citation quality
For more info or to contact (through Marie Haynes Consulting)
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Peers described Haynes as someone “leading the hunt for answers about Google’s search algorithms,” and clients describe her as keeping them “ahead of the curve.” Some note her consulting is “most valuable for brands that have already addressed foundational GEO gaps.” |
Ross Simmonds
Ross Simmonds is the founder and CEO of Foundation Marketing, a content marketing and GEO agency. His “Create Once, Distribute Forever” philosophy explains that the breadth of a brand’s content distribution directly determines whether AI systems encounter and cite that content in the first place, and he has built a consulting practice around that premise. Though he hasn’t been in the field as long as the other consultants on this list, he’s demonstrated the success of his model with clients including Canva, Jobber, and Procore.
He is also an active speaker on GEO topics at marketing conferences and produces ongoing content that keeps his audience up to date on AI search and citation behavior. His work occupies a specific and well-developed corner of the GEO landscape: when distribution is the primary gap, he is a strong specialist. When it isn’t, his practice is best used as one piece of a broader program.
- Client Results: Success with Canva, Jobber, Procore
- Published Research Articles on GEO: ~12
- Media References: ~1,100
- Technical GEO Expertise: Distribution strategy
- Years of Experience in SEO: 10+
- GEO Keynotes: ~8
- LinkedIn Following: 59K
- Specialty: Content distribution for AI visibility
For more info or to contact (through Foundation Marketing)
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Clients describe Simmonds as bringing “practical playbooks” that connect “content reach to AI citation rates.” Some note that his practice places more emphasis on “distribution strategy rather than on technical GEO or expert content creation.” |
Gaetano DiNardi
Gaetano DiNardi is the principal consultant at Marketing Advice, a hands-on B2B SaaS growth advisory practice. He has worked with more than 50 SaaS companies, including Cognism, Aura, Gong, Demandbase, and Kustomer on AI SEO and inbound growth strategy. His framework on “dark search” (AI-driven discovery that influences purchase decisions without appearing in standard analytics dashboards) has become a widely cited concept among B2B marketers navigating GEO attribution.
DiNardi’s consulting is built for SaaS companies transitioning from traditional search-led content marketing to AI search visibility. This means that his GEO practice is best understood as an extension of a strong B2B SEO foundation rather than a GEO-native methodology, and is most applicable where the two disciplines closely overlap.
- Client Results: GEO/SEO wins for Cognism, Aura, Gong, Demandbase, Kustomer, and 40+ B2B SaaS companies
- GEO Research Published: ~10
- Media References: ~600
- Technical GEO Expertise: B2B SaaS AI SEO
- Years in GEO/AI Search: 10+
- GEO Keynotes: ~8
- LinkedIn Following: 50K+
- Specialty: AI SEO for B2B SaaS companies
For more info or to contact (through Marketing Advice)
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Clients describe DiNardi as “the real deal” who “gets in the weeds”. However, some suggest that “his methods are somewhat limited to B2B SaaS,” and “might be harder to adapt” to other sectors. |
