GEO is changing search

GEO is changing search

To be seen you need a human touch

We’re entering a new world where the content on which AI-driven Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) makes decisions, needs tender human care for how it's positioned and written to ensure the messaging is being correctly understood.

From a recent article (link in comments) by Arjan ter Huurne, founder of PromptMarketing. Arjan's writing on all things search is excellent - highly recommend to follow.

Table setter on where the search market currently stands:

"Graphite’s recent analysis argues that AI usage is much larger than most marketers assume, estimating that AI sessions are now 21% of total search worldwide when web and app usage are combined, while also making the important point that search has not fallen away - the overall discovery pie has grown."

And now to the heart of the matter:

"[T]here is a risk in treating GEO as merely the next distribution tactic.

Because the real issue is not only whether AI systems can find your brand. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺.

I spoke with a CMO who described genuine anxiety about how AI chatbots were portraying her brand.

Not because the brand was invisible. Because it was being placed in the wrong corner of the market.

Wrong competitors. Wrong positioning. Wrong strengths. Wrong frame.

That is a strategic problem, not just a discoverability problem. A brand can have decent visibility in AI Search and still be harmed if the models consistently:

• oversimplify its proposition,

• associate it with the wrong category,

• benchmark it against the wrong peers,

• miss its premium positioning,

• flatten meaningful differentiation,

• or repeat outdated market perceptions.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩."

𝗜𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗘𝗢 - 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱?