SEO agencies and Sandcastle Labs · Reviewed
SEO agency vs Sandcastle Labs: search changed.
Sandcastle Labs is an AI visibility agency in Denver. We make assistants describe growing companies correctly, through brand and content strategy. SEO agencies optimize for search results. Buyers now ask assistants first, and that is a different job. Search data is still one of our signals, and we fix the technical base so your site is ready for both.
What is the difference between an SEO agency and Sandcastle Labs?
An SEO agency works to rank your pages in a list of results. We work to change what an assistant says about you when a buyer asks. The two share a technical base and differ in the target, the measure and the writing.
| Question | SEO agency | Sandcastle Labs |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Work to rank pages in search results, built over twenty years of practice. | Work to make assistants describe your company correctly, built since assistants began answering buyers. |
| What it aims at | A higher position and more clicks on a list of links. | The sentence an assistant writes about you when a buyer asks. |
| What gets measured | Rankings, impressions, clicks, traffic and conversions from search. | What five assistants say about you, read on a date, next to search data and the tracking tools. |
| What gets fixed | Keywords, titles, links, speed, and pages built to match a query. | Your manifesto and positioning first, then the technical fixes and the pages assistants read. |
| Who writes the pages | It varies by agency. Many hand over a brief or a keyword list. | We write them with your team. |
| How you buy it | Usually a monthly retainer. | A 90-day sprint for $6,500, then monthly or keep the engine. |
| Best when | Search traffic is the goal and your story is already clear. | Buyers ask assistants and the answers about you are wrong, thin or missing. |
The SEO column describes the category in general, not any one firm. Agencies differ, and some are already doing the work on the right. If something here is out of date, write to hello@sandcastlelabs.ai and we will correct it.
How do we use SEO and search data?
As one signal, read next to the others. We do not treat it as the answer, and we do not throw it out.
- Collimer. What five assistants say about your company on the questions your buyers ask, and the pages that would change the answer.
- Search data. Rankings, clicks and queries from your search console and analytics. Assistants that browse the web start from search results, so these numbers show whether a page can be found at all, and which questions buyers already type.
- Tracking tools. Software such as Profound or Peec AI, if you already use it, to watch the numbers move between our reads.
What technical fixes do we make to get a site search-ready?
We find what stops assistants and search engines from reading your site, then fix it with your team. The sprint starts here because a page that cannot be read cannot be cited.
- Access. Crawl rules that let the assistants' crawlers in, working sitemaps, clean redirects and canonical pages.
- Readable pages. Content that is in the page itself, not loaded in later by script, with one clear heading structure.
- Structured data. Markup that states who you are, what you do and the questions you answer, matching the words on the page.
- Entity clarity. One consistent description of your company across your site and the places that describe you, so assistants stop repeating an old one.
- Speed and structure. Fast pages and internal links that make your important pages easy to reach.
Then we re-read the assistants and show what changed. You can see the full sequence on how we measure and verify.
Do I need an SEO agency, Sandcastle Labs, or both?
Does anyone have ten years of experience in GEO?
No. ChatGPT launched in November 2022 and generative engine optimization was named in a 2023 research paper, so the field is under four years old. Ten years of SEO is real experience, but it is a different discipline. An agency claiming ten years of GEO is selling SEO under a newer name.
Should I replace my SEO agency with Sandcastle Labs?
Not necessarily. Good SEO still decides whether your pages can be found, and assistants that browse the web start from search results. What changed is what the pages must say and how they are built. We can work alongside your agency or on your own team, and we will tell you honestly which fits.
Is GEO different from SEO?
The foundation is shared: a site that can be crawled, read and trusted. The target is different. SEO aims for a ranked link. GEO aims for the sentence an assistant writes about you, which depends on how clearly your pages state who you are, what you do and for whom.
Can an SEO agency do GEO work?
Yes, the good ones are learning it, and the technical base is theirs to build. Ask what they measure. If the answer is rankings and traffic only, ask what they read from the assistants themselves, and when they last checked what ChatGPT says about you.
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We make AI describe your company correctly.
Four fields, and we'll email you to find a time. We'll tell you honestly whether we can help, and whether you need us at all. You can read how the sprint works on the work with us page, or see all comparisons.