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Search is changing fast. Google's CEO Sundar Pichai said search will change "profoundly" in 2025, and we're already seeing it happen. AI answers now appear at the top of results, and Google's testing a new AI Mode.

This creates both challenges and opportunities for marketers. Many clients are asking: "How do we get mentioned in AI chatbots?" and "What should we do differently for ChatGPT and Gemini?"

This brings us to a new term: GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). But is this just SEO with a different name, or something completely new?

GEO vs. SEO: What's the Difference?

The industry can't agree on this question.

Some argue that GEO is just SEO by another name. They say brands need a strong SEO foundation to appear in AI results since these systems train on content that ranks well already.

Others believe generative search requires an entirely different approach.

Marie Haynes, an AI and SEO consultant, takes the middle ground: "I think they're different things. A lot of the things we do as good SEO are also going to help us with GEO. But there's other things that we can do as well."

While SEO focuses on ranking in search engines, GEO needs content that language models want to reference. The skills overlap but aren't identical.

Don't let these changes overwhelm you. Chaos creates opportunity. When everything's figured out, giant publishers dominate. But during disruption, smaller players can break through.

Building Your Brand Authority

If there's one thing that matters more than ever now, it's reputation. Being known as the go-to source for your topics is crucial.

As Marie explains: "You might have incredible content, but if you're not known as a go-to source for that topic, then you're less likely to be chosen as a source."

This is why digital PR is becoming more valuable. Google's E-E-A-T principles (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) matter even more in an AI-driven world.

Authenticity is key. AI can tell when content is genuinely valuable versus just churned out with minimal oversight.

This creates challenges for new businesses without established reputations. In the past, the right SEO tactics could get you to the top. Now, it's about being a recognized authority.

But you don't need to be a major brand to succeed. Individuals can become known for specific topics through consistent publishing, speaking, podcasts, and social media. The key is providing value that nobody else offers.

When Content No Longer Equals Traffic

For years, SEO and content worked hand-in-hand—content brought traffic, traffic led to conversions. AI is breaking this relationship.

Think about searching for "how to care for raspberry bushes." Instead of clicking through to a gardening blog, users now get complete answers directly in AI results. No brand gets mentioned, no traffic gets generated—yet that information came from somewhere.

Marie puts it bluntly: "I think that Google used us. And I think that an era is ending."

Google's mission is to organize information, not websites. For years, they gave publishers a way to make money from creating content. Now that AI can synthesize that information directly, the deal is changing.

This hits hardest for content that just curates existing knowledge. If your content simply restates widely known information, its traffic-generating potential is shrinking rapidly.

But new and unique information remains valuable. Original methods, experiments, and insights are what AI needs to incorporate.

Creating Content AI Will Reference

What content will AI systems continue to reference? Original research and insights that add to the world's knowledge, not just repackage it.

These approaches work best:

First-person experiences offer unique value that AI can't generate. "It's one thing to say 'here's how to plan a trip to Alaska,'" says Paxton Gray, "It's another thing to say 'here's how our family planned a trip to Alaska.'"

Subject Matter Expert (SME) contributions provide fresh perspectives and specialized knowledge. Make working with SMEs a priority.

Original research and statistics are gold. Marie notes that "language models really like quoting statistics." Even simple surveys of your audience can generate citable data.

When planning content, ask yourself: "If this content disappeared from the web, would anyone miss it?" If not, you need to rethink your approach.

Start with audience needs, not keywords. Ask your customer service team what questions they hear most, then create content that addresses those needs in unique ways.

Tactical Tips for AI Visibility

Here are some practical approaches to boost your chances of being referenced by AI:

Format matters. AI systems favor lists, tables, and structured content. Marie points to "chunks" in leaked API files, suggesting search engines segment content into different types, with lists and tables being especially valuable.

This explains why most cited sources in AI responses are formatted as lists. Try these structured formats in your content.

Visual content helps. With AI models processing both text and images, including relevant visuals can boost your content's value.

You can influence how AI represents your brand. Check what information AI pulls when users search for your brand. It often comes from your homepage or About page, giving you some control over your representation.

Ask AI for feedback. If you're not appearing in AI responses for relevant queries, ask the AI system why. This can provide useful direction.

Jeannie Hill, Digital Marketing Consultant and AI Advisor, suggests a more technical approach: "AI models are pre-trained on massive datasets (including large parts of the internet). They inherently "know" about many authoritative brands, their products, industry niche, common associations, and public perception as captured in the training data. We can "feed" LLM's core reasoning with baseline brand awareness data to help manage AI visibility.

A good AI content strategy looks to facilitate easier brand data extraction and transformation for other systems (like Vertex AI pipelines) that may later emerge. I like to call this "Explicit Knowledge Injection" or "Curated Awareness," which can automatically update with new web publications. Initially, I explicitly upload structured (json_data) or unstructured documents about the specific brand I'm working on into a Data Store."

The Future: Google's AI Mode

Google's experimental AI Mode represents an even bigger shift than the AI overviews we see now. Currently available through Google Labs in the US, it uses a "query fan out technique"—an agentic search approach.

Instead of just retrieving information from an index, it actively explores multiple websites, performs follow-up searches based on what it finds, and generates comprehensive answers.

"In AI mode, it's very, very quick," Marie explains. "You'll see websites featured there, and then you'll see an AI answer." Unlike current AI overviews, AI Mode answers tend to be highly accurate.

This system allows follow-up questions, turning search into a conversation. This changes how we measure success—traditional Search Console data might not capture these interactions.

For businesses focused mainly on curating information, this creates challenges. But for others, it opens new doors. Marie shared an example of an e-commerce client who struggles in traditional search but appears as a top recommended site in AI Mode.

We're in uncharted territory. No one has all the answers yet, and that's what makes this moment exciting for marketers willing to adapt.

The businesses that will thrive are those that experiment, learn continuously, and focus on providing genuine value.

While these changes might feel overwhelming, they actually level the playing field in many ways. Brands that invest in authentic expertise can stand out regardless of their size.

The future of search is being written right now—and with the right approach, your brand can help shape that story rather than just react to it.