If you’ve been looking at your traffic reports lately and feeling a bit of a chill, you’re not alone. The way people find things is evolving. For years, the rules of the game were clear: you make a good website, you rank on page one, and people click.
Now, though, you might notice that Google is answering questions before anyone even clicks a link. It feels like the goalposts have been moved while the game is still in play. You’re likely wondering if you should stick with what you know or pivot everything toward this new AI way of doing things.
SEO vs GEO: Understanding the choice
You’ve probably heard a new term lately: GEO, or Generative Engine Optimisation. It sounds technical, but it’s just a way of describing how we make sure AI bots (like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google’s AI Overviews) mention your brand when they answer a user.
Choosing between traditional SEO and this new GEO isn’t a matter of picking one and binning the other. They are two sides of the same coin.
- Traditional SEO is still the heavyweight. Despite the growth of AI, the vast majority of the worldwide audience still uses Google for search. As shown in recent SimilarWeb site visit data, Google maintains a dominant lead over all major LLMs and alternative search engines, continuing to hold circa 80% of the market share. People still use search bars to find answers, products and services. If you stop doing the basics, like fixing technical errors or writing helpful content, your traffic will flatline.
- GEO focuses on how machines “talk” about you. Instead of just trying to get a blue link at the top of a page, you’re trying to get the AI to cite you as a trusted source. When we talk about GEO, we’re looking at a fundamental shift in how information is served. In the traditional search world, Google acts like a librarian, pointing you to a specific book on a shelf. In the new AI-driven world, the machine has already read the book and is now summarising the plot for you.
If your audience is looking for quick, informational answers, GEO is becoming vital. But if you want them to actually “add to basket” or fill out a form, you still need a technically sound website that Google can trust.
The difference between “Ranking” and “Citing”
When you focus on “talking to machines”, you’re moving beyond keywords. AI models like ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini don’t just look for a match for a search term; they look for consensus and authority.
To get an AI to cite you as a trusted source, your content needs to do three things differently:
- Become the primary source: AI prioritises original data, unique case studies, and “lived-in” expertise. If you’re just rehashing what everyone else has said, the machine has no reason to pick you over a competitor. It wants a “source of truth”.
- Structure for “Chunking”: These models digest information in fragments. By using clear headings, bullet points, and concise summaries, you make it easier for the AI to extract a “quote” from your site and use it in an AI Overview.
- Establish a Digital Footprint: The machine’s “opinion” of your brand isn’t just based on your website. It’s also looking at your LinkedIn presence, your mentions in local news, and your reviews. It builds a map of who you are. If all those points suggest you are an expert, the AI will naturally lean on your content when answering a user’s question.
Why this matters for your strategy
If you’re a law firm or a technical service provider for example, being the “cited” authority is incredibly powerful. When a user asks, “What are the legal requirements for X?”, and the AI responds with, “According to [Your Brand Name], the three main requirements are…”, you’ve gained a level of trust.
However, as the chart of web visits shows, you shouldn’t abandon the traditional “blue link” just yet. While GEO ensures you’re part of the AI conversation, the vast majority of searchers still use Google’s standard interface to find what they need.
The goal is to ensure that when a human searches, they find your link, and when an AI “searches”, it recommends your brand. It’s about being the most helpful person in the room, regardless of who (or what) is asking the question.
How to get your brand noticed by AI
AI bots don’t just guess. They’re trained on data and look for signals that you’re a real, trusted authority in your field. To appear in those AI-generated summaries, you have to be more than just a website; you have to be a brand that exists in the real world.
1. Focus on being helpful, not just “optimised”
Google and AI platforms are getting much better at spotting content that was written just to please an algorithm. They want content that demonstrates E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). If you’re writing about law, for example, the AI wants to see that an actual specialist with real credentials wrote the piece.
2. Answer the questions people are actually asking
AI is designed to answer questions. If your content is just a wall of text about how great your products are, the AI will ignore it. Instead, focus on commercial level content that addresses user needs.
- What are the common problems your customers face?
- What are the “how-to” steps for your industry?
- What are the comparisons your users are doing?
- What are the solutions for specific use cases?
Use clear, simple sentence structures. Simple sentences are easier for both humans to process, and use fewer “tokens” for AI models to consume.
3. Use structured data
Think of structured data (or Schema) as a translator. It helps search engines and AI bots understand the specifics of your page, whether it’s a recipe, a product price, or a set of FAQs. When you make it easy for the machine to read your data, it’s more likely to feature you in “Position 0” results like featured snippets or AI overviews.
4. Build your brand footprint
AI bots look at the whole internet to decide if you’re important. This means that getting mentioned in news articles, industry forums, reviews, and having a strong and consistent presence on social platforms. It’s about being “searchable” everywhere, not just on one platform.
Is it worth the effort?
It can feel like a lot to take in. You’re trying to run a business, and now you have to worry about how a robot in a data centre perceives your “topical authority”.
The reality is that SEO and GEO is a long-term investment, but they are two sides of the same coin. Significant results usually take 3 to 12 months to really show up. But once you secure those spots, whether in a traditional list or an AI summary, that visibility tends to last and provides a much higher return than constantly paying for ads.
