🧠 GEO: The AI Era’s SEO Revolution

For two decades, traditional Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has shaped how the internet looks and reads. From recipe blogs to e‑commerce listings, content has been crafted to please Google’s algorithms. But in August 2025, New York Magazine’s Intelligencer published John Herrman’s provocation: “SEO is dead. Say hello to GEO.” His argument is that Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is now the key to online visibility, as AI chatbots and generative search tools replace the search results page as the primary way people discover information (nymag.com).

Supporting Stats

• Traditional SEO has been a $75 billion annual industry (nymag.com).

• Academic modelling shows GEO practices can increase citation visibility by up to 40 percent in AI‑generated answers (arxiv.org).

• Experts also warn that authoritative language and structured content significantly lift chatbot citation chances (theguardian.com).

What Is GEO?

Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) evolves content strategy from ranking on search engine results pages to being cited within chatbot and AI engine responses. GEO formats content for ease of extraction by platforms like ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini or AI Overview, Perplexity, and Claude (en.wikipedia.org). Rather than keyword stuffing, it emphasises structured content - bullet points, data tables, quotations - and clear authorship to improve AI recognition and citation potential (nymag.com).

Pros

• AI‑centric visibility: GEO positions your brand as a cited source in AI answers, not just a search result.

• Increased discoverability: AI responses based on structured inputs can boost channel visibility by over 40 percent (searchengineland.com, writesonic.com).

• Helps brand credibility: Emphasis on E‑E‑A‑T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trust) aligns with AI trust signals (backlinko.com).

Cons

• Opaque and black‑box systems: AI models operate with hidden algorithms, making GEO optimisation uncertain and shifting (arxiv.org, theguardian.com).

• Ethical risks: Tactics like strategic text sequences or manipulative citation cherry‑picking can skew responses and undermine trust (theguardian.com).

• Traffic uncertainty: AI might answer with your content without driving click‑through, meaning lower referral traffic than traditional SEO.

Opportunities

• Lead in a new frontier: Early adopters can define standards and shape AI content expectations in their sectors.

• Cross‑functional integration: GEO requires linking brand, PR, content, and product experience to build co‑citations and mentions across channels (backlinko.com).

• Measurement innovation: Use brand‑aware AI analytics to track AI‑generated appearance rather than page rankings only (theguardian.com).

Challenges

• Rapid evolution: Best practices today may shift with next AI model updates—a moving target.

• Internal alignment: GEO success demands collaboration between SEO, content, PR and analytics functions.

• Resource intensity: Building structured, authoritative content with human oversight and AI tools can be more resource‑heavy than traditional keyword campaigns.

Key Take‑outs

• Traditional SEO is giving way to AI‑first content strategies.

• GEO focuses on being cited, not just ranked.

• Structured, concise, E‑E‑A‑T‑driven content boosts visibility in AI responses.

• GEO can lift citation visibility by about 40 percent per academic benchmarks.

• Ethical and transparency concerns remain important as tactics evolve.

Next Steps for Brand Marketers

1. Audit your AI presence: Test queries in ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity to see if your brand is cited.

2. Restructure content: Use short answer‑style formats - bullet lists, tables, inline stats and quotes. Add clear author bios and source citations.

3. Boost mentions and co‑citations: Secure brand participation in thought‑leadership roundups, guest posts, industry surveys, and third‑party content.

4. Measure AI visibility: Track exposure in generative engines - not just search traffic - through AI‑focused analytics tools.

5. Blend SEO and GEO: Keep strong technical fundamentals (site speed, crawlability, security) while layering on GEO‑specific structuring.

6. Build internal governance: Establish editorial oversight to manage AI‑assisted content production responsibly.

Generative Engine Optimisation does not render SEO obsolete overnight. Rather, it reframes content strategy for a world where AI engines synthesise answers - not serve links. As Herrman noted in Intelligencer, if you want to be visible in this new paradigm, you need to structure your content so it can be “grabbed” by the bots.