SEO is Shifting to GEO, and It Looks Like a Blue Ocean

Over the past three weeks, I spent a good bit of time building AI tools to optimize for a traditional SEO world. While much of that effort may have been in vain, I discovered opportunities that are potentially much more lucrative.

Our world is incrementally moving toward generative search.

The Google search results page (SERP) is markedly different today than it was a year ago. Depending on what you’re searching for, you’ll now see more sponsored posts “above the fold” and/or a Gemini-generated result with citations.

Ranking in the top three organic results is losing relevance at an accelerating pace, affecting all digital strategies established over the past 25 years. Like any major shift, there will be winners and losers. Some companies are doing a fine job of adapting, but most have no clue what to do about it.

This is what I’m expecting based on my perspective of sales, marketing, AI, and the digital intersection.

Offline Matters More

For the past 25 years, countless digital systems have been built to optimize around SEO, paid ads, and organic social selling. The workflows became so reliable that an investment in these systems wouldn’t raise any question. It was more about tuning the content and ad spend than questioning whether to pursue a proven digital strategy.

Generative search turned that entire model on its head.

Real-life signals matter more than ever.

Standing out in the next iteration of digital search is actually connecting more deeply in offline channels. The goal here is to eventually transform the offline relationship into high-trust signals online. This includes reviews, social mentions, collaborative content, and similar signals.

While this feels a lot like backlinks, it goes deeper because the AI can see deeper.

It’s not enough to collect backlinks from people you hardly know. They need to become true advocates, and the best way to do so is through sales and marketing pipelines that end with these high-trust signals. It doesn’t take a lot, and quality matters more than quantity.

Earned Media Wins

Building on the prior point, AI’s answer hierarchy also prioritizes reputable news outlets over owned media. Whereas backlinks were a critical factor in being found over the past 25 years, real-life mentions of your brand matter more in the new world order.

Generative search is all about what others say about you and how you show up in non-owned channels. More importantly, context is king in generative search.

The biggest departure from traditional search is the breadth of content that generative search can access. Rather than being limited to easily accessible text, photos, and videos, generative search agents can collect data from podcasts, YouTube, and even traditional media outlets.

A comprehensive strategy that approaches and connects the message across outlets is the key.

This starts with gaining clarity around what you want from each piece. The times of posting content and hoping for a range of results are over. A strategically designed sales and marketing funnel/pipeline will guide the AI and your customer more effectively than disparate content that approximates the path you want them to follow.

Website Content Must Change

Finally, your website should still have a blog, but it’s no longer about stuffing keywords. As discussed above, algorithms understand context better than ever before, and this trend is only going to continue.

SEO isn’t completely dead – ranking still matters. 

The change is rapidly accelerating to prioritize case studies and unique perspectives over simply better versions of the same content as your competitors. It also needs to clearly foreshadow your sales process.

Overall, companies that continue with small tweaks to their existing strategy will still see results for the next year or two. The landscape is changing rapidly, though. Those that adapt will quickly start eating share and eventually overtake traditional digital strategies.