Alternatives for AI Search and GEO Work in the Mountain West
If you are a Mountain West company (Denver, Boulder, Salt Lake City, Boise, Phoenix, Las Vegas) looking at alternatives to a large PR-led B2B agency such as Walker Sands for AI search work, you have three realistic options: a GEO specialist, a local SEO or content agency that has added AI search, or a PR firm that focuses on earned media. Location matters less than it used to, because GEO work happens on your site and in the sources AI engines read, and results are measured on a list of prompts, not in meetings. What matters is a written prompt list, a measured baseline, crawler-access fixes, answer pages and reporting you can check in your own Search Console and Bing data. Ask for overlap with Mountain Time working hours rather than a local office.
Why teams look for an alternative
Large B2B marketing and PR agencies, Walker Sands among them, sell AI search work as part of a wider package of PR, content and demand generation. That suits some companies. Others want a narrower scope, a smaller monthly fee, or a team that works only on how ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews describe them.
Mountain West companies often add one more wish: a partner whose working day lines up with theirs. That is a reasonable request, and it is easier to meet than finding an agency with a local office.
Three types of alternative
- GEO specialist. Works only on AI answers: prompt research, crawler access, answer pages, citations and tracking. Narrow scope, usually faster to start. Weaker if you also need classic PR.
- SEO or content agency with an AI search offer. Often local, already knows technical SEO. Ask how much of the work is new: a renamed SEO retainer is not GEO.
- PR firm focused on earned media. Coverage in trusted publications is one of the sources AI engines quote. Useful as a partner to a GEO team, but it does not fix crawler access or your own pages.
| Type | Best for | Ask them |
|---|---|---|
| GEO specialist | Companies that want AI answers as the single focus | Show me a baseline on my prompts before we sign |
| SEO or content agency with AI search | Teams that also need classic SEO | What do you do for AI answers that you did not do for Google before? |
| PR firm, earned media | Brands that need coverage in trusted publications | Which of your placements are cited in AI answers today? |
Does the agency need to be in the Mountain West?
Not for the work itself. GEO happens on your website, in your robots.txt and firewall settings, in the pages AI engines cite, and in a tracked list of prompts. None of that needs a meeting room in Denver or Boise.
Two things do depend on place. First, your prompts should include the regional wording your buyers use, for example "in Colorado", "Salt Lake City" or "Phoenix area", if you sell locally. Second, the team should be reachable during your working day. Agree overlap hours in writing. Remember that most of Arizona stays on standard time all year, so its overlap with other Mountain Time states shifts in summer.
A shortlist checklist
- They write a prompt list with you, in your buyers' words, before work starts.
- They measure a baseline on that list across several AI engines and repeated runs.
- They check that AI crawlers (OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User, PerplexityBot, Claude-SearchBot, Googlebot, Bingbot) can read your site, including through your firewall.
- They publish or fix answer pages on the questions your buyers ask.
- Their reports can be checked against your own Search Console Generative AI report and Bing Webmaster data.
- They do not guarantee a position inside an AI answer. Answers change between sessions.
Where to start
Before any call, find out where you stand. Run the free AI crawler check on the Suggesting.ai home page, then ask each agency on your shortlist to show you, on the same prompts, which brands AI engines name today instead of you. The agency that answers that question with real screenshots and a clear plan is the one worth a second meeting.
Frequently asked questions
What are alternatives to Walker Sands for AI search and GEO work in the Mountain West?
The main alternatives are a GEO specialist, an SEO or content agency that has added AI search work, or a PR firm focused on earned media. For GEO, choose on method (prompt list, baseline, crawler access, answer pages, verifiable reporting) and working-hour overlap with Mountain Time, not on office location.
Is a Denver or Salt Lake City agency better for GEO?
Only if you also want in-person meetings. The work happens on your site and in the sources AI engines read, so a remote team with the right method and good hour overlap can do the same job.
Can a PR agency handle GEO on its own?
Partly. Earned media is one source AI engines quote, but a PR firm usually does not fix crawler access, write answer pages or track prompts. Many companies pair PR with a GEO specialist.
How do I check an agency's AI search results?
Compare its reports with your own Google Search Console Generative AI report and Bing Webmaster Tools data, and re-run a few agreed prompts yourself.
Want AI to suggest your brand instead of a competitor?
See which brands AI engines name instead of you: Suggesting.ai's free audit tests your buyers' prompts and checks AI crawler access, delivered in 48 hours.