My cousin Sarah runs a marketing agency. Three weeks ago, she called me completely confused. One of her clients asked if they should pivot from SEO to GEO. She had no idea what GEO even was. Felt like she’d missed some massive industry shift.
“Am I behind?” she asked. “Is SEO dead now? Do I need to change what we’re doing completely?”
This conversation’s happening everywhere right now. Business owners are hearing about GEO and wondering if they’re already too late to the party.
SEO is the thing we all sort of understand
Search engine optimization has been around forever at this point. Well, not forever, but long enough that most business owners have at least heard of it. You optimize your website so it shows up when people Google stuff related to your business.
The basics make sense. Create good content. Use the right keywords. Make your site load fast. Get other sites to link to you. Fix technical problems. Google ranks you higher, more people find you, and hopefully some become customers.
It’s been working for decades now. Sure, the details keep changing. Google updates things constantly. What worked five years ago might not work today. But the fundamental concept stays pretty consistent.
We’ve got tons of data on SEO. Clear metrics to track. Proven strategies. Tools that actually work. When you invest in SEO, you’re investing in something with a real track record. We know it works because we’ve seen it work for millions of businesses.
So what the hell is GEO
Generative Engine Optimization is the new kid making everyone nervous. It’s about optimizing for AI-generated answers instead of traditional search results.
You’ve probably noticed how search is changing. Ask ChatGPT something, and you get a full answer, not ten blue links. Google’s adding AI overviews that give you information directly instead of sending you to websites. Bing’s got their AI chat thing. Search isn’t just about ranking anymore.
GEO focuses on making sure that when AI systems generate answers about your industry, your business gets mentioned. When someone asks an AI assistant about products or services you offer, you want to be part of that response. You want the AI to cite you as a source.
The problem is, GEO is super new. We don’t have decades of data. Best practices are still being figured out. What works today might be completely different in six months. Everyone’s basically experimenting and seeing what sticks.
They’re not enemies fighting for your budget
Here’s what people get wrong. SEO and GEO aren’t competing approaches where you pick one and ignore the other. They actually work together pretty well if you think about it properly.
A lot of what makes good SEO also helps with GEO. Creating genuinely helpful content that shows real expertise. Building authority in your niche. Having a well-structured site with clear information. Being an actual credible source. All that benefits both traditional search and AI systems.
Traditional search isn’t disappearing tomorrow. Google still processes billions of searches daily. Most people still use regular search results for tons of queries. Your website still needs to rank. Ignoring SEO would be stupid.
But AI search is definitely growing. More people are asking AI assistants questions instead of Googling, especially for certain types of queries where they want direct answers rather than exploring multiple sources. That trend’s probably continuing.
What this means for your business right now
For most businesses in 2026, SEO should still be your primary focus. That’s where the traffic is. That’s where we have proven strategies. That’s what’ll actually move numbers this year.
But you don’t want to ignore GEO either completely. Imaginative play means making sure your SEO work is also geo-friendly. Write explicit, authoritative content. Establish genuine expertise in your field. Make your information accurate and well-sourced. Structure everything logically.
All that helps with both. You’re not choosing between them; you’re making sure you’re well-positioned for both traditional and AI-powered search.
Think about it like websites versus social media back in 2012. The answer wasn’t to pick one. You needed both, even if one was more important at the time. Same situation here.
Finding someone who actually gets both
If you’re hiring help, you want someone who understands traditional SEO deeply but also thinks about how AI is changing search behavior. Not someone who just jumped on the GEO hype train last month.
Watch out for people claiming to be “GEO specialists” who can’t explain what they actually do differently. The field’s too new for anyone to really be an expert yet. What you want is someone with solid SEO knowledge who’s paying attention to AI developments and adjusting strategies accordingly.
GEO Experts who know what they’re doing will tell you SEO is still the foundation. They’ll explain how they’re making sure your content works for both traditional search and AI systems. They won’t tell you to abandon everything and pivot completely to GEO.
Anyone promising they can optimize specifically for ChatGPT or whatever AI is probably overselling. These systems change constantly. Nobody has it figured out completely yet. The best approach is to build genuinely authoritative content that works across all platforms.
The practical approach that makes sense
Start with solid SEO if you don’t have that already. Get your technical foundation right. Create quality content. Build real authority. Get your site ranking for important keywords. That’s still crucial.
Once you’ve got SEO basics covered, start thinking about GEO considerations. Make sure your content would work well as source material for AI responses. Ensure you’re clearly demonstrating expertise. Build your brand authority, so AI systems see you as credible.
This isn’t about choosing one or the other. It’s about having a strong SEO foundation and making sure that foundation also positions you well for AI search.
Budget allocation depends on where you’re starting from. If your SEO is already strong, maybe dedicate some resources to GEO experiments. If you’re starting from scratch, focus primarily on SEO while keeping GEO principles in mind.
What my cousin decided
Sarah talked to her client and explained all this. Told them SEO isn’t dead, GEO isn’t replacing it, they need to think about bot, but prioritize SEO since that’s still driving most traffic.
Her client relaxed. They’re keeping their SEO strategy but making sure content also works well for AI systems. Not throwing everything out and starting over. Just evolving their approach to cover both bases.
That’s really what most businesses should do. Keep doing SEO because it works and will keep working. But pay attention to how AI is changing search behavior. Adjust your content strategy to work well in both worlds.
The actual answer
Should you hire an SEO expert or a GEO expert? Honestly, you want someone who understands both and can build an integrated strategy. SEO expertise with awareness of AI developments.
Most of your budget should still go toward proven SEO tactics. But make sure whoever you hire is thinking about GEO implications too. They should be creating content that works for traditional search while also positioning you well for AI systems.
Don’t let anyone tell you SEO is dead or that you need to completely pivot to GEO. That’s nonsense. Traditional search still drives most organic traffic. But also don’t ignore that search behavior is changing and AI is playing a bigger role.
The businesses that’ll do well are those focusing on SEO while evolving their approach to also work for AI search. Not choosing between them, but covering both strategically. That’s the smart play right now.
