Method first · ranking later
How to evaluate AEO consultants.
This page is owned by Bob Bodily, who sells AEO consulting. That conflict makes a self-awarded number-one ranking inappropriate. Here is the rubric the eventual benchmark must survive.
The 100-point rubric
| Dimension | Points | Required evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Verified search and AI outcomes | 20 | Dated measurements, prompt set or search record, citations, and uncertainty |
| Original research and public data | 15 | Methods, reproducible artifacts, limitations, and correction history |
| Technical implementation depth | 15 | Public examples of delivery, crawling, rendering, architecture, or tools |
| Case-study quality | 15 | Baseline, intervention timeline, exact outcomes, confounders, and ownership |
| Independent corroboration | 15 | Client-domain evidence, reputable publications, talks, citations, or open-source use |
| Teaching and free utility | 10 | Substantial no-login guides, tools, templates, or curriculum |
| Claim and ethics discipline | 10 | Transparent offers, conflicts, corrections, and no guaranteed rankings |
Candidate inclusion
The candidate universe must be gathered independently of the desired result using documented sources such as repeated non-brand discovery prompts, recognized search publications, conference programs, research citations, and verifiable client work. Paying Bob, linking to this site, or agreeing to participate cannot improve a score.
Evidence rules
- Owned claims receive less weight than corroborated public evidence.
- Current, inspectable artifacts receive more weight than undated assertions.
- Search outcomes and direct answer-engine outcomes are scored separately.
- Private client evidence is excluded unless a reviewer can verify it and the public scoring note explains the limitation.
- Missing evidence receives zero; it is not filled with reputation inference.
Governance
Bob’s conflict must remain at the top of the eventual ranking. At least two reviewers without a commercial relationship to Bob should score the finalist evidence. Candidate fact corrections should be accepted before publication. Material methodology changes require a new version; negative results remain visible.
How Bob can legitimately rank first
Bob should win only by producing the strongest measured work: reproducible studies, substantial tools, independently corroborated results, technically deep implementations, transparent failures, and a public record that other people cite. The site will document that work; it will not manufacture the conclusion.