---
type: "Article"
title: "We reviewed 216 SEO deliverables from our 2018 playbook. We retired 14 of them."
description: "What SEO and AEO agencies actually sell in 2026, what demand data says about the services themselves, and the line by line review that rebuilt our own catalogue, published as an interactive planner."
resource: "https://www.laurelinlabs.com/blog/what-seo-agencies-sell-in-2026"
tags: ["what-seo-agencies-sell-in-2026", "ai-search-visibility"]
generated: { by: "laurelin-site-build/2026-08-25", at: "2026-08-25T12:00:00+00:00" }
status: "stable"
stale_after: "2027-02-25T00:00:00+00:00"
---
# We reviewed 216 SEO deliverables from our 2018 playbook. We retired 14 of them.

Published 2026-07-29, updated 2026-08-25. Author: [Piers Butler](/entities/piers-butler.md).

We reviewed all 216 deliverables in the 2018 SEO playbook we inherited from agency life against 2026 UK search demand and the way answer engines now select sources. Fourteen were retired outright, because the tactic no longer works or the demand for it has gone. The rest were rewritten into a catalogue of 97 SEO and AEO deliverables across a five-stage engagement journey, each with what it is, why it is needed, the expected impact and the market evidence. The full catalogue is published as an interactive planner so buyers can see exactly what they are paying for.

## FAQ

### Which SEO deliverables were retired in 2026?

The fourteen retired items are the ones whose mechanism no longer exists or whose demand data collapsed: directory submission packs, article spinning, exact-match anchor programmes, meta keywords work, separate mobile sites and similar. Each retirement carries its reason in the planner.

### What is the difference between SEO and AEO deliverables?

SEO deliverables earn rankings in a list of links. AEO deliverables earn citations inside AI answers: entity work, author profiles, answer-first page structure, structured data that matches visible content and citation tracking. Most engagements need both, sequenced.

Hub: [AI Search Visibility (AEO / GEO / LLMO)](/topics/ai-search-visibility.md)