Persipica vs DIY GEO

Monitoring tools tell you what. Diagnosis tells you why, and what to change first.

This page is an honest comparison. DIY monitoring using tools like Profound and Goodie AI is the right answer for some teams. Expert diagnosis is the right answer for others. The decision depends on whether your primary need is data or a roadmap.

DIY approach

Profound + Goodie AI

SaaS monitoring tools that track brand mentions across AI platforms in real time. Best when: your team has a dedicated GEO analyst who can interpret citation data and translate it into content decisions. Insufficient when: you're at 0% discovery citation, competitors are displacing you, or no one internally can act on the data.

£800 – £2,300/month

Ongoing SaaS subscription. Plus 10–15 hrs/month internal analyst time.

Expert diagnosis

Persipica

Consultancy engagement that diagnoses why a brand is absent from discovery and buying-intent queries, then delivers a prioritised implementation roadmap to fix it. Best when: discovery citation is 0%, competitors displace you, or internal teams lack GEO expertise to act on dashboard data.

£5,000 – £45,000

Fixed-price engagement. Audit standalone or full programme. See pricing.

Capability comparison

Capability DIY (Profound + Goodie AI) Persipica
Brand mention tracking Real-time dashboard Included in audit
Discovery-stage citation diagnosis Core deliverable
Buying-intent query analysis Core deliverable
Competitor displacement diagnosis Partial: shows gaps, not causes Full analysis with causes
Semantic quality scoring (0–4 scale) Per query
Entity clarity assessment Included
Content restructuring guidance Implementation included in programme
Authority-building strategy Included in programme
Prioritised action plan by expected impact Core deliverable
Before/after re-audit (same query set) Included in programme
ChatGPT and Claude coverage Varies by plan Both platforms
Internal analyst time required 10–15 hrs/month to interpret and act None. Roadmap delivered with clear priorities.
Engagement model SaaS subscription (ongoing) Expert-led consulting engagement (fixed)

Year-one cost comparison

DIY: Profound + Goodie AI

Profound £400–1,200/month → £4,800–14,400/year
Goodie AI £400–1,100/month → £4,800–13,200/year
Internal analyst time 10–15 hrs/month at £60/hr → £7,200–10,800/year
£16,800 – £38,400Year-one total. Recurring every year. Does not include initial implementation work.

Persipica Full GEO Programme

AI Presence Audit + Full Programme Includes diagnosis, content restructuring, authority building, re-audit
Ongoing Tracking (optional) £2,000–4,000/month if continuing post-programme
Internal time required Minimal. Implementation plan delivered with clear prioritisation.
£28,000 – £45,000Year-one total for full programme. Subsequent years: tracking retainer only (optional).

For most companies with 0% discovery citation, a Persipica programme costs less than or similar to DIY in year one and delivers a complete implementation roadmap rather than ongoing dashboard subscriptions requiring internal interpretation.

When each approach makes sense

DIY monitoring is appropriate when:

A dedicated internal GEO analyst is available to interpret dashboards and translate findings into content changes

The diagnostic phase is already complete and you need ongoing tracking of a known baseline

Your category is low-competition and citation is already measurable at discovery stage

Budget constraints make a fixed engagement difficult and a team is available to compensate with time

Expert diagnosis is appropriate when:

Discovery citation is 0%: monitoring will confirm the gap but not explain or fix it

Competitors are consistently displacing your brand at buying-intent queries

No internal GEO expertise exists to act on dashboard data

A board-ready ROI case is needed, backed by pre/post citation rate data from an independent audit

Speed matters: an 8–14 week programme delivers measurable results faster than months of internal iteration

Next Step

Not sure which applies to you? Start with the audit.

A Persipica AI Presence Audit gives you the baseline data to make this decision clearly. If DIY monitoring makes sense after the audit, the audit will tell you that, with the data to back it up.

Book Your Audit →