GUIDE · CHOOSING HELP
Tool, agency
or someone in between?
The right kind of help depends on one question: who will actually make the changes on your website. Tools report, agencies implement at agency prices, and freelancers and managed plans sit in between.
THE QUESTION THAT DECIDES IT
Who makes
the change?
Search and AI visibility improve when the website changes: clearer service pages, corrected business facts, fixed technical problems. A report that lists those changes does not make them. Before comparing prices, decide whether you, a staff member or the provider will do the work each month.
THE OPTIONS
What each one gives you.
Prices below were read from each vendor’s own page on October 10, 2026. They change, so check the page before deciding.
- 01
A tracking tool. Software that monitors rankings and AI answers and suggests fixes. You or your staff make the changes. For example, Semrush lists its AI Visibility Toolkit at $99 per month on its knowledge base, and Ahrefs lists its Lite plan at $129 per month with Brand Radar AI from $199 per month on its pricing page. Best when someone in-house has time to act on the data.
- 02
A freelancer. One person who can implement. Quality, availability and reporting vary widely. Ask for dated examples of changes they made and who covers when they are unavailable.
- 03
An agency. A team that plans and implements, usually with a minimum term. For example, WebFX states its AI SEO pricing starts at $3,000 per month with a six-month commitment on its pricing page. Best for larger budgets and several services or locations.
- 04
An in-house hire. Someone on your team. The most control and the highest fixed cost, and one person rarely covers content, technical work and measurement equally well.
- 05
A managed subscription. A fixed monthly amount of implementation. Tendou US is one: Steady at US$99 per month covers one agreed work item a month, made and verified on your site; Accelerator at US$199 covers up to five. It suits a single-location business that needs changes made rather than more reports.
QUESTIONS TO ASK ANY PROVIDER
Before you sign.
- 01
What will change on my website this month? A named page or fix, not “ongoing optimization”.
- 02
How will I see it was done? A link to the live change and the date it went live.
- 03
How are Google and AI results reported? Separately, with dated screenshots of AI answers and a note when a check could not be completed.
- 04
What is not included? Link buying, guaranteed rankings and invented reviews should all be a no.
- 05
Who owns the accounts? You should. See giving a provider access while keeping ownership.
BE WARY OF
Very cheap promises
and guarantees.
A low monthly price is fine when the scope is small and stated. It is not fine when it promises rankings, a set number of AI citations, or bulk links. Search engines and AI platforms decide what they show; a provider can only control the work it does and how honestly it reports it.
PUBLISHED CLIENT RECORDS
Evidence from other markets.
Tendou has published dated client records from separate Singapore and Malaysia engagements. They are not outcomes of a Tendou US subscription and not a forecast for your business. Each record keeps its own question, platform, date and limits.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Choosing help.
Is an SEO tool enough for a small business?
It can be, if someone on your team has time each month to make the changes the tool suggests. A tool reports and recommends; it does not edit your website.
Why do agency prices vary so much?
They cover different amounts of work: content, technical changes, outreach, reporting and the size of the team. Compare what is delivered each month, not the headline price.
What does Tendou US do that a tool does not?
It makes the agreed change on your website, verifies it live and records the result in your dashboard. It does not replace a full agency for large, multi-location campaigns.
WHERE THIS FITS
Start with your website.
Enter your website above. Tendou US checks the service closest to your revenue first, so you can judge whether a managed plan, a tool or an agency fits.
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Published October 10, 2026 by Brayden Tan, Tendou US. This guide is general information for US small businesses, not a forecast, and no ranking, AI citation or enquiry volume is guaranteed.