97%
of the businesses AI assistants picked were named from their own site
Picked by Agents probe, 96 picks across 16 local categories in Dallas and Phoenix, September 2026
85%
of local advertisers show no price or no online booking
Picked by Agents live sample, 122 advertisers in Dallas and Phoenix, September 2026
45%
of consumers have used AI tools for local business recommendations, up from 6%
BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey, February 2026, n=1,002 opt-in panel
What each of us actually does
Hook Agency says it works with 200+ contractors, mostly roofing, HVAC and plumbing companies doing $3M to $15M. Its pricing page lists Local SEO from $2,800 a month, AEO at $4,000 a month on its own or $2,000 added to SEO, PPC from $2,000, Meta ads from $3,000 and websites from $12,000. Its AEO is described as optimizing your site to show up as the best answer for the questions your customers ask. It asks for a yearly commitment and says it measures success in calls, leads and booked jobs. It also says, fairly, that you should not be the cheapest and neither are they.
Picked by Agents does not run ads, build websites or sell SEO. We run your customers' real questions, like "my AC is out in 75034, who can come today", through the assistants they use, against the businesses that beat you. We read why the assistant passed and fix what you own. Your price, your availability, your service area in text, a booking path an agent can finish, a Google profile that agrees with your site. Named is $2,997 a month and Picked is $4,997, both month to month.
Where the two approaches part
- 01
Traffic and leads vs picks
An agency like Hook grows the channels that send you calls. We measure one moment, whether the assistant names you when a customer asks, and we report picks and passes with the assistant's own reasons.
- 02
Content vs the deciding fact
For a local buying question the assistant is looking for a price, an opening and a way to act. In our live sample only 32% of local sites showed a price and 25% booked online. Publishing that fact moves the pick more than another page about the topic.
- 03
A yearly commitment vs a guarantee
Hook asks for a year and its pages do not state a guarantee. We are month to month, and if you are not named by the assistants in 90 days we work free until you are.
- 04
One vendor for everything vs one job
Hook can be your whole marketing department. We are a specialist that sits beside whoever runs your SEO and ads, including Hook.
What we would fix first for a contractor
In our probes the assistants named a business from its own site 97% of the time. The fixes are rarely big. A diagnostic fee in plain text. The ZIP codes you serve on one page. Same day availability stated where the assistant reads it. Hours and phone that match your Google profile. A scheduler an agent can complete without calling.
We make those changes ourselves and re-run the same questions every month, so you see the pick move or not move in the assistant's own words.
When Hook Agency is the better choice
If you want one agency to run your SEO, Google Ads, Local Service Ads, Meta ads and a new website, with AI search folded in, Hook is built for that and it knows your trade. We do not do most of that list. If what you want is to be the name an assistant gives when a homeowner asks who to call, and a guarantee tied to exactly that, we are.
Using both
Plenty of owners will keep an agency for traffic and ads. Our work lands on your own pages and profile, so it helps whatever else is pointed at them. We ask for no exclusivity and we share every change we make with your other vendors.
Hook Agency vs Picked by Agents
| Hook Agency | Picked by Agents | |
|---|---|---|
| AI search price | AEO $4,000 a month, or $2,000 added to $2,800 SEO | Named $2,997 a month, Picked $4,997 |
| Terms | Yearly commitment | Month to month |
| Guarantee | None stated on their pages | Named by the assistants in 90 days or we work free |
| What is measured | Calls, leads and booked jobs | Picks and passes with reasons, plus three separate numbers for new business |
| Scope | SEO, AEO, PPC, Meta ads, websites | The facts, profile and booking path that decide the pick |
| Built for | Roofing, HVAC and plumbing, $3M to $15M | Local businesses with a big ticket and an owner who decides |
Questions we get asked
- Is Picked by Agents cheaper than Hook Agency?
- Not as a rule. Hook's AEO is $2,000 a month on top of $2,800 SEO, or $4,000 alone. Named is $2,997 and Picked is $4,997. The difference is scope and the guarantee, not price.
- Does Hook already do what you do?
- Hook sells AEO and says it optimizes your site to be the best answer. We cannot speak to what is inside their program beyond their pages. What we can say is how we work. Real customer questions, the assistant's reasons, fixes we make ourselves, and a guarantee on being named.
- Can we keep Hook and add you?
- Yes. We have no exclusivity and no objection to your other vendors. We will send them every change so nothing collides.
- Do you promise more jobs?
- No. We guarantee being named, never revenue. We report the AI referrals we observed, the customers who said an assistant sent them, and our estimate of new business, each separately.
- Where do your numbers about Hook Agency come from?
- Their public pricing page and home page, read in September 2026. The 97% and 85% figures are our own probe and live sample from the same month. If Hook changes its pricing, tell us and we will correct this page.
See who the assistants name when your customers ask.
The report is free, and it is the same run we use to measure the guarantee. If Hook is the better fit for what you need, we will say so.
Or write to Greg at greg@gregmiller.ai.