Building an AEO System for Local Businesses with MCP

A r/aeo thread shared a repeatable AEO system for local businesses built on MCP. Three upvotes, no comments yet, but the playbook is solid. The pattern productizes Answer Engine Optimization for SMB clients without per-client custom code.

What Productized AEO Looks Like

Most SEO agencies struggle to productize AEO because every client wants a custom dashboard. The MCP-based approach replaces the custom dashboard with a Claude Desktop session: agency staff and the client share a Claude window, and the agent runs the AEO workflow on request.

The Stack

1. Claude Desktop for the client-facing UI.
2. Scavio MCP at https://mcp.scavio.dev/mcp for the SERP plus AI Overviews plus Reddit data layer.
3. Client config files: one markdown file per client with brand, keywords, market, competitors.
4. Workflow templates: shared markdown files for the repeatable analyses (weekly snapshot, competitor compare, opportunity scan).
5. Output: client report generated by Claude on demand.

The Client Config

Each client gets a markdown file with the parameters the workflow needs. The agent loads the right config based on the client name in the prompt and applies the workflow.

# Client: Acme Dental
Brand: Acme Dental
Market: Austin, TX
Keywords:
  - best dentist austin
  - family dentist austin
  - emergency dentist near me
Competitors:
  - Bright Smile Family Dental
  - Austin Dental Specialists
  - Hill Country Dentistry
Cadence: weekly

The Workflow Templates

Shared markdown files describe the workflows. Each template tells Claude which Scavio MCP tools to call, in which order, and how to format the output. Three templates cover most agency work: weekly snapshot, competitor compare, opportunity scan.

# weekly-snapshot.md
For each keyword in the client config:
1. Use Scavio MCP to query the keyword with include_ai_overview=true.
2. Note the client's rank, AI Overview citation status, and the
   AI Overview citation list.
3. Use Scavio Reddit search for the brand name.
4. Output a markdown table with one row per keyword.

End with a summary section: new citations gained, citations lost,
Reddit thread velocity vs last week.

The Scavio MCP Setup

Add the Scavio MCP server to the agency's Claude Desktop config. One endpoint, one API key, every workflow uses the same data layer.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "scavio": {
      "url": "https://mcp.scavio.dev/mcp",
      "apiKey": "${SCAVIO_API_KEY}"
    }
  }
}

The Client-Facing Loop

Once a week, the account manager opens Claude Desktop, types "run weekly-snapshot for Acme Dental," and the agent produces the report. The account manager reviews, edits one or two bullet points, and sends to the client. Total time per client: 15 minutes.

Why This Beats Custom Dashboards

Three reasons. First, every new client onboards in 10 minutes by cloning the config template. Second, workflow updates propagate instantly across all clients (edit the markdown template, every client benefits). Third, the conversational interface lets the client ask follow-up questions live, which a static dashboard cannot do.

The Cost Profile

Per-client cost is essentially the Scavio credit consumption: about 300 to 600 credits per client per week for the weekly snapshot plus ad-hoc queries. At $30/mo for 7,000 credits, the agency runs 10 to 20 SMB clients on a single $30/mo plan plus modest LLM spend.

Where Reddit Signal Helps

Local businesses often have brand mentions on Reddit that drive AEO signals. Adding Reddit thread coverage to the weekly snapshot gives the SMB client a clear picture of off-platform conversations. None of the dashboard tools surface this naturally.

What This Lacks

A polished dashboard for clients who do not use Claude. For those clients, layer a simple Streamlit or Notion view on top of the snapshot history. The agency's internal workflow stays in Claude; the client-facing artifact ships as a clean PDF.

The Productization Math

At $99 to $499 per month per SMB client, this stack delivers the same value as $300/mo paid AEO tools at a fraction of the cost. Margins for the agency stay healthy because the per-client tooling cost is under $5 per month.