Traditional SEO focuses on improving rankings in Google’s search results pages.

AI SEO / GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) focuses on ensuring your website:

- Is understood and trusted by AI models

- Is selected as a source for AI-generated answers

- Is structured so AI systems can retrieve your information accurately

- Appears in Google SGE, Gemini, ChatGPT Search, Perplexity and other emerging search platforms

This requires a different content structure, including:

- Featured summaries

- Q&A blocks

- "AI-ready" formatting

- Entity-based optimisation

- Stronger internal linking

- Clear service relationships

Our plans include both traditional SEO and AI/GEO optimisation so your business appears across all modern search platforms.

Priority Pages are the pages we optimise first because they have the highest impact on rankings, visibility, and conversions.

These include:

- Important service pages

- Key suburb or location pages

- High-traffic or high-value pages

- Core pages such as Home or About (where needed)

Each plan includes a set number of Priority Pages for the initial optimisation phase.
This ensures we focus on what will generate the best results within your budget.

Once the initial optimisation of your Priority Pages is complete, the monthly work focuses on:

- Updating and refreshing existing pages

- Expanding content where needed

- Improving internal linking

- Strengthening entity signals

- Responding to changes in Google & AI search platforms

- Creating additional content (Authority & Growth Plans)

- Maintaining schema and technical structure

- Identifying new ranking opportunities

SEO is not a one-time task — ongoing refinement is essential for maintaining and improving your visibility.

Supporting content such as FAQs, Process pages, Trust pages, and Authority articles are important for:

- Building E-E-A-T

- Strengthening your site's topical authority

- Giving AI models more context

- Linking service areas together

- Helping users convert

- Outperforming competitors in crowded markets

Higher-tier plans include more supporting content because these additional assets significantly improve visibility and conversions.

No agency can guarantee specific rankings, especially in AI-generated search environments.

However, we guarantee:

- A clear strategy

- Transparent deliverables

- High-quality optimisation

- Monthly progress reports (from month 4 onwards)

- A strong focus on long-term gains

Our track record shows consistent improvements across clients in competitive and local markets.

SEO and AI Search Optimisation (AEO/GEO) require significant time per page, including:

- Restructuring content for AI readability

- Adding summaries, definitions, and Q&A sections

- Implementing schema

- Improving E-E-A-T

- Updating internal links

- Ensuring AI models correctly classify your service areas

Optimising a fixed number of pages ensures we:

- Stay within your monthly budget of hours

- Deliver high-quality work

- Prioritise the pages that matter most

- Remain transparent about deliverables

This also makes the plans easier to compare with other providers.

Yes.

AI search engines and Google still use backlinks as a key trust and authority signal.

Link building helps:

- Improve rankings

- Strengthen your website’s reputation

- Increase the likelihood of AI platforms selecting your content

- Build long-term authority

Because high-quality links require outreach and content creation, link building is charged separately as an optional add-on.

The timeframe for seeing results varies from client to client because every website starts from a different position. Factors that influence how quickly you will see improvements include:

Your Starting Point

- Whether you have had SEO work completed before

- The quality of any previous optimisation

- The age of your domain (new domains take longer to build authority)

- Your current Domain Authority and backlink profile

- The structure and quality of your existing content

- Technical issues on the site that may slow down progress

Your Competitive Environment

- How competitive your industry is

- How many competitors are actively investing in SEO

- Whether those competitors have strong content and online authority

Your Selected Plan

- The number of Priority Pages being optimised

- Whether monthly content is being produced (Authority & Growth Plans)

- Whether link building is included as an additional investment

Your Internal Processes

- How quickly content is approved

- How fast your developer implements recommended changes

- Whether communication flows smoothly

What the data shows

Only 5.7% of pages rank in the Top 10 within the first year.

Most pages that do reach the first page take between 2–6 months if they have strong optimisation and a realistic level of competition.

The average age of pages ranking in Positions 1–10 is around 2 years old.

Pages that rank in Position 1 are typically about 3 years old and have established authority.

What this means in real-world scenarios

- New websites (or sites with little authority) usually take 6–12 months to reach stable first-page rankings.

- Established websites (with history, authority, and backlinks) may achieve first-page results in 3–6 months.

- Highly competitive industries may require 12+ months of consistent SEO work to break into the first page.

- Well-optimised content can move quickly, sometimes within weeks, but staying on the first page requires ongoing work and authority building.

Why it varies so much

- Ranking time depends on:

- Your domain age

- Your Domain Authority / Page Authority

- Whether your site has been optimised before

- The quality of your existing content

- Your backlink profile

- The competitiveness of your industry and keywords

- Whether SEO recommendations are implemented quickly

- How much content & optimisation is included in your selected plan

Typical expectations we set for clients

- Early movement: 4–8 weeks after implementation

- Meaningful improvements: 3–6 months

- Stable first-page rankings: 6–12 months (varies by competition)

- Highly competitive markets: 12 months or longer

SEO & AI Search Optimisation are long-term strategies. Consistency, content quality, and clear communication are essential to achieving sustainable results.

We charge a flat monthly fee, and each plan includes a set number of hours.

Within those hours, we focus on the activities that will deliver the highest impact based on your current scenario.

Every project is different.

Your “Priorities” may include service pages, location pages, re-structuring your website, supporting content, or addressing technical issues.
Our role is to determine the best use of your monthly SEO budget.

All plans follow two phases:

Phase 1: Initial Foundation (Priority Pages)

The first stage of your project focuses on creating or rebuilding a strong foundation for SEO and AI-driven search visibility.

This includes:

- Keyword research and mapping

- Optimisation of your Priority Pages

- Technical review and fixes

- Content restructuring

- E-E-A-T improvements

- Schema and internal linking setup

- AI SEO / GEO formatting (summaries, Q&A blocks, entity signals)

- Recommendations for menu structure and site layout

- Competitor analysis

- Each plan includes a set number of Priority Pages (10, 15 or 20 depending on your plan).
- These are the pages that will have the greatest commercial impact and deliver the fastest results.

Phase 2: Ongoing Monthly SEO Work

Once the Priority Pages are complete, we move into the ongoing phase. Each month we:

Update and improve a set number of pages (2–3, 4, or 6+ depending on your plan)

- Strengthen internal linking

- Improve entity relationships for AI search

- Monitor rankings and performance across Google, SGE, Gemini, Perplexity and ChatGPT Search

- Create supporting content (Authority & Growth Plans)

- Respond to algorithm and AI search changes

- Build new opportunities into your strategy

- SEO and AI Search Optimisation require continual refinement, especially as Google and AI models shift how they interpret content.

How It Works for a New Website (No Existing SEO)

This outline applies when a website needs a full SEO strategy from the start:

Months 1–4 (Foundation Stage)

- Research, content creation and initial optimisation

- Priority Pages are completed during this period

- Technical fixes and essential setup

- Site structure and keyword mapping

- Approvals and revisions

- Most clients complete this stage in 3–4 months; however, we can expedite to 2 months if required.

Minimum Commitment

- There is a 4-month minimum because the bulk of the strategy work is completed upfront but paid for over the first four months.

- After Month 4

- Your account moves into the ongoing monthly optimisation phase, where the long-term improvements happen.

How It Works for an Existing Website With Decent Rank

If you have an established website, the process is slightly different.

Our process includes:

- Reviewing your SEO questionnaire

- Assessing your current ranking and site structure

- Identifying keywords to add, maintain and improve

- Defining target services and locations (based on your selected plan)

- Competitor and opportunity research

- Expanding keyword lists and mapping

- Recommending menu or structural changes (if required)

- Providing an implementation document for your developer

- Creating, improving and optimising content

- Beginning on-page SEO and AI SEO / GEO strategies

We focus first on the changes that will have the fastest impact before moving into the ongoing monthly cycle.

Why the Process Is Structured This Way

- SEO is a long-term strategy

- Good optimisation requires sequencing and prioritisation

- AI search platforms require updated structures and signals

- Not all pages need to be done at once — but Priority Pages must come first

- The initial setup ensures your site can perform long-term

- Ongoing work ensures you stay ahead of competitors and algorithm updates

- Consistency, approvals and communication are essential to achieving the strongest results.

There is no long term contract but there is an initial minimum commitment of 4 months. This is because a lot of the important strategy work is

done in the first 2-3 months but is paid for over 4 months.

Most SEO agencies either:

- Do not implement on the client’s website

- Or charge separately for implementation

We follow the same model.

We can:

- Brief your developer to implement changes

- Or implement changes ourselves if your platform allows access

- Or quote separately for implementation if required

Implementation is not included in the monthly SEO hours unless agreed otherwise, as it can consume a large portion of the SEO budget.

iformat Pty Ltd is our original agency and was set up in 2004.

Marketing 4 Tradies is a website iformat owns and manages. It was set up with the express purpose of reaching tradies all around Australia but it is iformat Pty Ltd that provides all services.