AI Office · Daniel (Strategy) × Marcus (CFO)

Cited — Productised SEO + AEO Retainer for SG SMEs

Get a Singapore SME's website to rank on Google AND get cited by AI (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews). Fixed tiers, fixed scope, recurring monthly — delivered by Nick + the AI Office.

The call: Build it — as a productised retainer, not consulting. It's on the North Star (trust + local SG context + AI-search depth), monetises assets Nick already owns (Nick SEO Engine + AI Office), and throws off recurring cash to fund the IMDA bet. What kills it isn't demand — it's churn before results land and delivery drowning a solo founder. Run it lean. → See the numbers →

01 · Executive summary

What it is

A monthly retainer with a dual-score, answer-first content engine: monthly SEO + AI-Search-Readiness scoring, GEO-native articles with auto FAQ/schema, llms.txt + AI-crawler setup, technical & on-page fixes, local SEO, and a plain-English monthly report on both Google rank and AI citation. The Nick SEO Engine makes delivery fast, consistent and cheap — the moat.

02 · Problem & customer

Who it's for

SME owners can't tell if their SEO works, fear going invisible as buyers shift to AI answers, and can't afford S$3k+ agencies.

ICP: SG SMEs with a transactional site and real margin per customer — clinics, aesthetic/dental, law/accounting, B2B services, premium e-commerce, education. 10–50 pax, owner-decided, already spending on Google/Meta. Avoid price-shoppers and no-website businesses.

03 · Business model — tiers

Fixed tiers, fixed scope, monthly

Tier	S$/mo	Scope	For
Starter	600	Dual-score · 2 GEO articles + FAQ schema · llms.txt + AI-crawler setup · report	Micro-SMEs
Growth ⭐	1,200	+ 4 articles · on-page fixes · schema · Google Business Profile/local · quarterly call	Core tier
Authority	2,400	+ 8 articles · technical SEO · competitor + AI-citation monitoring · light PR/links · monthly call	Category leaders

One-time onboarding/audit S$600. Blended ARPU ≈ S$1,260/client/mo at a 30/50/20 mix. Verified SG band: SME SEO retainers run S$500–3,000/mo; the AEO angle justifies a small premium. Annual prepay (1 month free) locks past the slow-results window.

04 · Go-to-market

The wedge & the motion

Wedge = a free, instant AI-Search-Readiness audit ("you score 22/100 for AI search — here's the fix"). First 10 clients from Nick's network + Seen Joo/Radiform-type prospects.

Engine = Nick's 2hr/day faceless content showing real before/after scores → inbound audits → fixed-tier close (audit → 20-min Loom → close, no bespoke quoting). Later: white-label for web designers who lack AEO.

05 · Competition

Why it wins

SG SEO agencies (S$1.5–3k+): no AEO story, opaque reporting.
Cheap S$500 shops: churn-and-burn, low trust.
DIY / do-nothing: the real default — beaten by the audit shock + done-for-you.
Edge: the Engine + AEO measurement + honest brand. A 12–24mo head start.

06 · Operations

Delivery (make-or-break)

Solo + AI Office, productised loop: auto scoring → SEO-Engine content → human QA/edit → publish + schema → templated report.

Binding constraint = Nick's edit/QA time. Solo ceiling ≈ 15 clients; freelance editor from client #9. Beyond ~15 it's an agency with payroll.

07 · Milestones

Next 12–18 months

M0–3 Finalise tiers + audit funnel; 3–5 founding clients (incl. Seen Joo/Radiform) at a testimonial discount.
M4–6 10 clients; first rank + AI-citation wins; bring in freelance editor.
M7–12 20+ clients if scaling — or deliberately cap at ~12–15 as a lean cash engine.
M12–18 Decide: lean cash engine (fund IMDA) vs. agency / SaaS-assisted offer.

08 · Risks & honest unknowns

What could kill it

Churn — SEO results lag 4–6mo; SMEs quit early. The #1 killer. Mitigate: fast AI-readiness wins, annual prepay, monthly proof.
Delivery overload vs the 2hr/day cap → scatter risk. Mitigate: scope caps, early VA, hard client ceiling.
Scatter tax — competes with the IMDA bet. Run lean; don't let it become a full agency.
Quality risk — AI + cheap freelance content can degrade → churn. The hidden failure link.
Platform risk — Google/AI ranking + citation logic shifts; AEO is young.

📊 Open The Numbers →