GEO CertificationGEO Agency Credentials

A verification credential. GeoAI Optimization verifies the agency's business identity, website ownership, business information and a client reference, and the agency passes a 30-question baseline online GEO assessment. It confirms who the agency is and its baseline GEO readiness. It does not rank agencies or imply that one performs better than another.

A deeper capability credential. On top of everything in Verified, the agency submits two structured case studies, methodology and deliverable evidence, two client references, passes an advanced assessment (50 questions plus 3 written scenarios marked by an assessor) and has an interview. It is assessed against the GEO Agency Standard v1.0.

Verified primarily confirms who the agency is and that its business and professional information can be verified. Certified assesses whether the agency has demonstrated the required GEO capability through evidence and assessment. Verified is not an inferior credential, and Certified is not a guarantee of business performance.

To confirm that the agency is a real, operating business with the identity it claims. Clients rely on the registry for this, so the identity behind each credential must be checked.

One official document showing business identity, such as a business registration document, certificate of incorporation or business licence. Redact what we do not need. We never ask for passwords, bank details, full tax returns, private client databases, confidential contracts or employee records.

A reviewer checks each document, against a public register where one exists, and records the outcome, the source used and any expiry date. Documents are stored privately, outside public web folders, and are only accessible to you and the certification team. They are never published.

You add client contacts and confirm you are authorised to share them. A reviewer emails each referee a short request explaining who asked and why. Referees confirm only the relationship, timeframe, services and engagement, or decline. References are never published. An unanswered request is recorded as no response and is not treated as negative evidence; you can add another reference.

A timed assessment taken in your account. Questions are drawn from a question bank mapped to the GEO-10 Framework, in multiple-choice, multiple-select and scenario formats, and question and answer order is shuffled. Verified Agency: 30 questions in 45 minutes. Certified Agency and Certified Professional: 50 questions plus 3 written scenarios in 90 minutes. The pass mark is 70%, and written answers must be marked satisfactory. Time is enforced on our server. The assessment is not remotely proctored during the founding period.

No credential is issued. You see your result by exam domain (correct answers are not published, to keep the bank fair). Each application includes two attempts; after both, you can apply again.

Yes, once within the same application, after a short waiting period (7 days for Verified Agency, 14 days for Certified Agency).

No. The fee covers the application, verification and assessment process. A credential is awarded only when the applicable requirements are met and the Certification Decision Authority decides to award it. Refunds follow the certification terms.

12 months from the issue date. The registry shows the status at all times.

We email reminders 60, 30 and 7 days before expiry and on the day. Renewal is a new application with a renewal fee, a renewed assessment and a new certification decision. Nothing is extended automatically. If renewed, the credential keeps its ID with a new validity period.

Yes. Every credential has a public record at /verify/{ID}, reachable from the badge, the QR code on the certificate and the registry search. The registry is the source of truth; a badge image alone is not proof.

Yes, while the credential is active, using the embed code from your account. The badge must link to your registry record. See the badge terms and brand guidelines.

No. No credential guarantees rankings, recommendations, mentions, citations, traffic, leads or revenue in any AI system or search engine.

No. It is a professional credential run by GeoAI Optimization against its own published framework. It is not issued, approved or accredited by any government body.

No. The GEO Standard is not an ISO standard and the programme is not accredited by an accreditation body.

No. GeoAI Optimization is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google, OpenAI or any other AI provider.

No. Purchasing consulting, training, audits, software, white-label or partnership services does not influence certification eligibility, assessment results or certification decisions. The system enforces separation of duties: whoever reviews or assesses an application cannot decide it.