Technical SEO
Indexing, speed, mobile, site structure and structured data. We fix whatever stops search engines reading your site.
SEO for Google and AI search
Before It Was Cool is a marketing agency doing SEO and GEO for businesses across Slovakia: technical SEO, content and visibility in Google, ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. Your customers search Google and ask AI assistants. We get your site ready for both, then show you in numbers what changed.
30 minutes, online, no obligation.
SEO for your website
Google and AI assistants need the same things: a site they can read, clear content, and a good reputation beyond your own website. So we do SEO and GEO (optimisation for AI search) together, starting with the basics.
Keywords and content
What Slovak customers actually type, including searches without diacritics, rather than your English keywords translated. We improve the pages you have and write new ones where there is demand.
Local SEO
If you serve a particular city or region: your Google Business Profile, consistent company details and reviews. In our home town we work as a marketing agency in Nitra.
Link building and mentions
From relevant Slovak sites and media with real readers. We don't buy link packages from low-quality sites.
Measurement and reporting
Search Console, plus analytics that only runs after cookie consent. A plain-English report every month.
Each service in detail
- GEO optimisation
GEO (generative engine optimisation), sometimes called AI SEO, is the work of making sure AI assistants know your business, recommend it and describe it correctly when customers ask them about services or products like yours.
- SEO audit
An SEO audit is a detailed check of your website: what stops search engines and AI services reading it, which searches it answers and what it is missing.
- Local SEO
Local SEO is optimising for searches with local intent, such as ‘hairdresser Nitra’ or ‘plumber Trnava’.
Free marketing diagnostic
Not sure where to start? Pick what we should look at and send us your web address. We'll email you a short written report on what would help your marketing most.
What you get
- a short report by email, in plain English
- priorities ranked by impact
- no fee and no obligation
Put your web address in the message field of the form. The diagnostic is prepared by whichever Before It Was Cool founder owns your area. It is not a detailed audit, which is part of paid work, and after the diagnostic you are under no obligation to go further.
GEO: visibility in AI answers
GEO (generative engine optimisation), sometimes called AI SEO, is the work of making sure AI assistants know your business and describe it correctly. Nobody can guarantee a citation. What you can improve is what AI finds about you. Details on our GEO optimisation page.
- 01
Find out what AI says about you
We put your customers' questions to ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google, repeatedly.
- 02
Open your site to AI
We check that your site doesn't block AI crawlers and can be read without JavaScript.
- 03
Make your company details consistent
On your site, in structured data and on profiles elsewhere. We add an llms.txt file too, although its effect is not yet proven.
- 04
Write content that can be cited
Clear answers, specific facts and sources.
- 05
Earn mentions beyond your site
Reviews, business directories and trade media, which AI answers often draw on.
When AI search matters less
For local searches ("hairdresser Nitra") and ready-to-buy searches ("winter tyres price"), classic SEO, your Google Business Profile and paid ads do more. In that case we won't push GEO.
How we use AI in our SEO work
AI saves us time sorting keywords, crawling large sites, testing questions in AI assistants and drafting outlines and meta descriptions. People make the decisions: a person reviews and edits every output before it goes live. We don't put personal data or confidential company information into AI tools without your consent.
Want AI doing real work inside your business? See AI agents for business.
What we do not guarantee
A specific position on Google
Google decides the order, and it changes.
Citations in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or AI Overviews
Answers vary by question, by user and by day.
A date for results
That depends on your competitors, the state of your site and how quickly changes go live.
What you can count on: a clear plan, work you can see, and an honest review, including when something isn't working.
How to choose an SEO agency: ask what it guarantees (nobody can guarantee rankings or AI citations), whether access and data will be in your name, whether you get the scope and price in writing before work starts, and who will actually do the work. At Before It Was Cool, all four answers are on this page.
How we work together
- 01
Intro call
30 minutes, online.
- 02
Audit and plan
Priorities ranked by impact and effort.
- 03
Delivery
By us or with your developer. You approve the copy.
- 04
Reporting
Every month: what changed and what comes next.
What does SEO cost? What drives the price
Work starts from €250 and our hourly rate is €100. Every site is different, so we price by scope. The price depends on:
- the size of your site (pages or products)
- its technical health and platform
- how many languages and markets
- competition in your sector
- how much new content is needed
- a one-off audit or ongoing work
You get the scope and price in writing before any work starts.
We work in one of two ways: a one-off audit with a plan, or ongoing work month by month. Access and data are in your name from day one, so if we stop working together, everything stays with you.
Always included
- written scope and price up front
- access and data in your name
- a plain-English monthly report
- human review of anything AI worked on
Never included
- paid articles in the media (if we recommend them, you approve them first and pay separately)
- building a new website or online shop (a separate service: website design)
- a guarantee of rankings or AI citations
SEO and AI search: common questions
How much does SEO cost?
It depends on the size and state of your site, your competitors, the number of languages and how much content is needed. We send the scope and price in writing after the intro call. You pay for agreed work, not for ranking promises.
Do you do a free SEO audit?
Yes, as part of our free marketing diagnostic. You pick what we look at, such as your website, SEO and AI search, and we email you a short written report with priorities ranked by impact. It's free and commits you to nothing. A detailed audit and plan are part of paid work.
How soon will I see results?
We won't promise a date. Technical fixes usually show first; content and your site's authority build over months. Every report shows what has changed.
Can you guarantee first place on Google, or a mention in ChatGPT?
No. The platforms decide rankings and AI answers, and both change. Anyone guaranteeing a position is promising something they don't control.
What is GEO, and do I need it?
Optimisation for answers in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or AI Overviews. It builds on SEO rather than replacing it. After the audit we tell you whether it's worth it for you.
We're an international company in Slovakia. Can we work in English?
Yes. We talk and report in English, and research and write for Slovak searchers in Slovak.
How do we get into AI answers such as ChatGPT or Google AI Overviews?
GEO at Before It Was Cool has five steps: we find out what AI says about you today, open your site to AI crawlers, make your company details consistent on and off your site, write content with clear answers and facts, and earn mentions in reviews, directories and media. We measure visibility by putting your customers' questions to ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google, repeatedly. Nobody can guarantee a citation. What you can improve is what AI finds about you.
What do you need from us to start SEO?
For SEO at Before It Was Cool we need access to Google Search Console and your analytics (or we set them up in your name), access to your website's CMS or a contact for your developer, and a few lines on what you sell, to whom and where. You approve every text before it goes live, so allow time for review.
How do you measure SEO results, and what is in the monthly report?
We measure SEO in Google Search Console (impressions, clicks and positions for the queries that matter to you) and in analytics that only runs after cookie consent. For GEO we add repeated testing of questions in AI assistants. Every month Before It Was Cool sends you a plain-English report: what we did, what changed and what we propose next.
Who will work on our SEO?
SEO and AI search at Before It Was Cool is led by Maria, co-founder of the agency. She has worked in SEO since 2020, including SEO in Australia for brands such as Hyundai Australia and Bond University. You talk to her directly, with no sales team in between.
From the blog
All articles-
Google Business Profile: How to Create, Verify and Get Reviews
Who can have a Google Business Profile, how to create and verify it, what to fill in, how to get reviews and what gets profiles suspended.
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How Much Does SEO Cost in Slovakia?
What SEO costs in Slovakia according to public price lists, what drives the price, what a monthly fee covers, how long results take and how to compare offers.
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What Is Local SEO, and How Do You Get on Google Maps?
What local SEO is, how Google ranks local results, what local optimisation includes, who it suits and how to measure the results.
See how Google and AI see you
In the intro call we look at your site and tell you where we see the biggest opportunity.
30 minutes, online, no obligation. We work across Slovakia, online and in person by arrangement.