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RankSmith for Marketing Agencies

AI search optimization is a new, high-value service offering for agencies. RankSmith enables you to deliver measurable results in this emerging channel while differentiating from competitors still focused solely on traditional SEO.

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Why Agencies Need RankSmith

New Revenue Stream

Add AI search monitoring as a premium service offering

Client Retention

Demonstrate ongoing value with clear, measurable metrics

Competitive Differentiation

Offer services most agencies don’t even know about yet

Scalable Delivery

Monitor multiple clients from one dashboard

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Service Offerings for Agencies

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AI Search Monitoring (Entry-Level)

What You Deliver:
  • Monthly AI search visibility reports
  • Prompt performance tracking
  • Competitor comparison analysis
  • Trend identification
Typical Pricing: $500-1,500/month per client Client Value: Visibility into a new channel with minimal commitment

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AI Search Optimization (Mid-Tier)

What You Deliver:
  • Everything in Monitoring plus:
  • Content strategy based on RankSmith insights
  • Prompt optimization recommendations
  • Quarterly optimization plans
  • Authority building guidance
Typical Pricing: $2,000-5,000/month per client Client Value: Active improvement of AI search rankings

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Full AI SEO Management (Premium)

What You Deliver:
  • Everything in Optimization plus:
  • Content creation and optimization
  • Authority building and PR
  • Technical implementation
  • Ongoing A/B testing
  • Executive reporting
Typical Pricing: $5,000-15,000/month per client Client Value: Done-for-you AI search domination

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Setting Up Client Accounts

1

Discovery Phase

Understand client’s business, competitors, and target audience
2

Prompt Strategy

Create 20-40 strategic prompts covering brand, competitors, and category
3

Baseline Report

Document current AI search performance before optimization
4

Competitive Analysis

Show client where competitors appear and they don’t
5

Optimization Roadmap

Present 90-day plan with specific, measurable goals

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Client Reporting Templates

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Monthly Executive Report

Include:
  • Visibility rate trend (% of prompts where mentioned)
  • Average ranking movement
  • Share of voice vs. competitors
  • Top wins and opportunities
  • Content recommendations
  • Next month priorities

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Quarterly Business Review

Include:
  • 90-day performance trends
  • Competitive landscape changes
  • Content performance analysis
  • Authority building progress
  • Strategy adjustments
  • Next quarter roadmap

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Agency Workflow

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Week 1: Monitoring & Analysis

Review all client dashboards, note significant changes
Identify trends, opportunities, threats across clients
Create action items and content briefs
Send weekly updates to clients

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Monthly: Strategic Planning

  • Review full month of data
  • Competitive intelligence analysis
  • Content calendar planning
  • Authority building outreach
  • Client reporting and calls

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Multi-Client Management

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Dashboard Organization

By Industry:
  • SaaS clients
  • E-commerce clients
  • Professional services
  • B2B companies
By Service Tier:
  • Monitoring only
  • Optimization
  • Full management
By Performance:
  • Established (strong AI presence)
  • Growing (improving metrics)
  • Opportunity (low baseline)

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Efficient Prompt Management

Create Prompt Templates: 
Industry Templates:
- SaaS: 20 standard prompts + 10 custom
- E-commerce: 25 product prompts + 15 brand
- Services: 15 reputation + 10 educational

Competitive Templates:
- Top 3 competitors per client
- Category comparison prompts
- Alternative searches

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Scaling Best Practices

  1. Standardize Processes
    • Template onboarding checklists
    • Standard report formats
    • Reusable content frameworks
    • Documented workflows
  2. Leverage Patterns
    • Similar industries share prompt strategies
    • Successful tactics work across clients
    • Competitive insights benefit multiple clients
  3. Team Structure
    • Account strategist (client-facing)
    • Content specialist (optimization)
    • Analyst (reporting and insights)

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Selling AI Search Services

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Discovery Questions

For Prospects:
  • “Do you know if AI engines like ChatGPT mention your brand?”
  • “When someone asks AI for [their product category] recommendations, what happens?”
  • “Have you noticed any of your competitors talking about AI search optimization?”
  • “What percentage of your target audience uses AI assistants?”

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Value Proposition

The Pitch:
“Traditional SEO gets you on Google’s first page. But millions of people never visit Google anymore - they ask ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity instead. If your brand isn’t mentioned when AI engines respond, you’re invisible to this growing audience. We help you dominate AI search.”

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Objection Handling

“Is AI search really that important?”
Show data on AI adoption rates, share case studies, demonstrate current invisibility
“Can’t we just do this ourselves?”
Explain complexity, time investment, expertise required, opportunity cost
“How long until we see results?”
Set expectations: 8-12 weeks for meaningful movement, but visibility into gaps is immediate
“This sounds expensive”
Position as early-mover advantage, compare to cost of being invisible, frame as investment vs. expense

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Client Success Stories

Case Study: B2B SaaS Agency Client Situation:
  • Mid-market project management software
  • Losing deals to better-known competitors
  • Traditional SEO maxed out
Strategy:
  • 30 strategic prompts (product, comparisons, use cases)
  • Competitive gap analysis
  • Content optimization roadmap
  • Authority building in tech publications
Results (6 months):
  • Visibility: 12% → 58%
  • Average rank: Not ranked → #4
  • Trial signups attributed to AI: +127 (tracked via survey)
  • Client retention: Renewed for another year
Agency Impact:
  • $4,500/month recurring revenue
  • Client referrals (3 new clients)
  • Case study for new business
  • Upsell to full management tier

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Differentiation from Traditional SEO

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Positioning Statement

Traditional SEO agencies say:
“We’ll get you on Google’s first page”
AI search agencies say:
“We’ll make sure AI engines recommend your brand to millions of users who never visit Google”

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Service Comparison

Traditional SEO

  • Keyword rankings
  • Backlink building
  • Technical optimization
  • Content for search engines

AI Search Optimization

  • Brand mention tracking
  • Authority building
  • Content for AI understanding
  • Competitive positioning
The Complement:
“You need both. Traditional SEO reaches people searching on Google. AI search reaches people asking ChatGPT. Together, you dominate all discovery channels.”

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Pricing Models

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Monthly Retainer

Pros: Predictable revenue, client commitment Cons: Requires ongoing value delivery Typical Structure:
  • $1,500/month: Monitoring + monthly reports
  • $3,500/month: + strategy + content recommendations
  • $7,500/month: + content creation + implementation

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Project-Based

Pros: Higher upfront revenue, defined scope Cons: No recurring revenue Typical Structure:
  • Initial audit + strategy: $5,000-10,000
  • Implementation project: $10,000-25,000
  • Then transition to retainer

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Performance-Based

Pros: Attractive to risk-averse clients Cons: Requires strong baseline, longer timeline Typical Structure:
  • Base fee: $1,000/month
  • Bonuses for:
    • +10% visibility: $500
    • Top 3 ranking: $1,000/month
    • Share of voice increase: $750
Structure:
  • Base retainer: $2,500/month (covers monitoring, reporting, strategy)
  • Project fees: Content creation, authority building
  • Performance bonuses: Major milestones

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Tools & Resources for Agencies

Essential Stack:
  1. RankSmith - AI search monitoring
  2. Traditional SEO tool - Google rankings
  3. Content management - Editorial calendar
  4. Reporting tool - Client dashboards
  5. Project management - Team coordination
Time-Saving Templates:
  • Client onboarding questionnaire
  • Monthly report template
  • Content brief template
  • Competitive analysis framework
  • Case study template

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Common Agency Challenges

Solution: Set expectations upfront, show progress metrics weekly, celebrate small wins, demonstrate competitive gaps
Solution: Start with standardized tiers, adjust based on results, bundle with existing services
Solution: Clear service definitions, change order process, upsell pathways

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Agency Growth Strategies

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Phase 1: Learn & Prove (Months 1-3)

  • Sign 3-5 pilot clients at discounted rates
  • Perfect your delivery process
  • Generate case studies
  • Refine pricing

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Phase 2: Scale Delivery (Months 4-9)

  • Standardize all processes
  • Hire/train team members
  • Build 10-15 client base
  • Establish thought leadership

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Phase 3: Market Leader (Months 10-18)

  • Premium pricing
  • Selective client intake
  • Speaking & content marketing
  • Agency partnerships

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Getting Started as an Agency

1

Set Up RankSmith

Start monitoring your own agency’s AI presence
2

Create Case Study

Optimize your own AI search, document results
3

Develop Offering

Package services into clear tiers with pricing
4

Pitch Existing Clients

Start with clients who trust you
5

Refine & Scale

Learn from first clients, standardize, grow

Start Offering AI Search Services

Get RankSmith for your agency and start monitoring clients
The agencies winning with AI search services started early. There’s still a massive first-mover advantage available for agencies who act now.
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