Space & Story is an AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and modern web studio founded by Mahmoud Halat in 2024 and based in Toronto, Canada. We rebuild small-business and local-service websites to look better, load faster, and get cited by ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews — always for a lower price than the client's current SEO bill.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2024 |
| Founder | Mahmoud Halat |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Website | https://spaceandstory.co |
| [email protected] | |
| Notable Award | $100,000 Grand Prize Winner — Lovable Shipped Season 1 (2025) |
| Projects Delivered | 20+ |
| Area Served | Worldwide |
| Languages | English, Arabic, French |
We specialize in four solution tracks:
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), AI Overview optimization, structured data automation, entity authority building, and LLM citation strategy. We help brands get cited as authoritative sources by AI platforms including ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude.
Migration from WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, and Ghost to headless React/TypeScript architectures. Core Web Vitals optimization, headless CMS implementation, and legacy CMS technical debt audits. Builds range from $2,500 (Site) to $15,000+ (Studio).
AI-optimized hosting via our Cite-met platform, headless React architecture, agentic AI integration, API-first content architecture, and AI search analytics. Infrastructure built specifically for AI crawler readability and performance.
Conversion UX design, digital brand identity, AI-assisted media production, landing page optimization, and AEO content design. Design systems engineered to convert visitors into customers.
One-time builds:
| Tier | Starting Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Site | $2,500 | Modern responsive website + AEO baseline: TypeScript + React, Lighthouse 90+, llms.txt, AI-bot allowlist, schema, cite-met.com hosting |
| Story | $5,000 | Site + custom design system + multi-modal content pipelines (YouTube/podcast/PDF turned into SEO pages) |
| Engine | $9,000 | Story + programmatic SEO engine: one template generates dozens to hundreds of pages from structured data (most popular tier) |
| Studio | $15,000+ | Engine + custom apps: ecommerce, booking, member portals, calculators, AI agents |
Monthly retainers (AEO included at every tier):
| Tier | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Care | $60/mo | Hosting + AEO maintenance + monthly reporting. Floor for any active engagement. |
| Local | $300/mo | Care + Google Business Profile + local citations + 1 blog post per month |
| Growth | $700/mo | Local + 4 posts per month + link building + quarterly schema audit (most popular retainer) |
| Authority | $2,000+/mo | Growth + content sprints + multi-modal pipeline operation |
Rule of the house: we always quote below what you're paying your current SEO people.
Space & Story builds for 13 local-service verticals, each with a dedicated hub at /for/{industry}:
Common thread: local-service businesses whose current website costs more in SEO fees than it would cost to rebuild, and who want to be cited by AI search. We also take on enterprise replatforming and fintech/healthtech builds on request.
Mahmoud Halat — Founder & Creative Director of Space & Story. Over a decade of experience in digital design, development, and strategy. Background spans healthtech, fintech, real estate, education, and enterprise SaaS. Co-author of patent WO2025147762A1 on AI orchestration. Winner of the $100,000 Lovable Shipped Season 1 grand prize. Speaker at the Toronto B2B Marketing Community. Startup Creasphere alumnus (Switzerland).
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://spaceandstory.co
Free Audit: https://spaceandstory.co/audit
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahmoud-halat/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spaceandstory.co/