AEO ROI varies by category. B2B SaaS and professional services typically see 4x to 10x return within 12 months because high-intent buyers use ChatGPT and Perplexity for vendor research. E-commerce and consumer brands see lower direct ROI but meaningful brand-recognition lift. The most concrete ROI measure is share-of-voice in target prompts: each percentage point of SOV correlates with measurable inbound activity.
Each AI citation displaces a Google blue link. Each Google blue link click would have cost X (your CPA times conversion rate). AEO citations capture that traffic value without the click. As AI search volume grows, this displaced value compounds.
For a B2B SaaS with US$50K MRR in inbound, a credible AEO program typically lifts qualified pipeline by 15 to 30 percent within 9 months. Against a US$5K/month retainer, that is 2x to 4x ROI in the first year and compounds further.
Run prompt tracking on your target queries. Establish baseline SOV. Implement AEO program. Measure SOV lift and correlated inbound. The Spacemen Digital AEO retainer includes monitoring as part of every engagement.
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