SEO has been a guiding pillar for online content. Large and small businesses alike have pursued, prioritized and relied on it for many years now to achieve digital world visibility.
The concept of search engine optimization has been around for so long it probably antedated today’s digital natives, maybe even the term “digital native” itself that came into existence only in early 2000. When search engines came to life and became the primary means to navigate the digital information superhighway, SEO dominated every website warrior’s work.
And with good reason. SEO helps boost a site’s ranking on traditional search engines, thereby increasing website visibility, which for businesses means being found by customers searching for products or services.
But beyond ranking high on search engine results and being seen by a large online audience, the traffic generated by SEO is more targeted and organic. Targeted because the search results are anchored on specific keywords aligned with what users are typing when do they a search, meaning something they are trying to find or are interested in. Organic because traffic is unpaid, not based on ads or sponsored links but on search results pages. By reaching an audience already interested in material based on the same keywords, there is a greater chance of converting the resulting online traffic to actual action, be it a purchase, a subscription or joining a contacts list.
Organic traffic resulting from SEO also helps build credibility and trust. Websites that consistently rank high on SERPs or search engine results pages are perceived as having authority or are more trustworthy. These not only bolster brand awareness but actually establish brand competitive advantage for the long haul.
But with the persistent penetration of AI, is SEO enough? Or is it time to pivot to GEO?
Changing online search landscape
GEO or generative engine optimization — or AI Optimization (AIO) or Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO) as it is also sometimes called — has fast gained prominence with AI now also widely used in online search, user search behavior shifting and search engines increasingly relying on AI to provide results.
More users have been turning to AI-based search to gather information over the web. With information seeking still the top reason for using the internet — 60.7 percent per the October 2025 Digital 2026 Global Overview Report from Meltwater and We Are Social[1] — AI-based web search will just continue picking up steam even if it may not be the leading use of AI for many.
A McKinsey survey noted that half of its respondents purposely look for AI-powered search engines for their search requirements, with such approach influencing purchasing decisions for the majority of respondents. The McKinsey AI Discovery Survey further reveals the use of AI-powered search engines is not generation-specific, meaning they have been increasingly adopted even by older generations, yes even boomers.[2]
AI search summaries are rising in frequency. Since launching AI Overview middle of last year, Google has seen rapid user expansion across countries the world over. Try doing a search on Google and highly likely the search result will open with AIO. Fifty-five percent of searches on Google now come with AIOs, and the number has soared even higher since Google’s March 2025 Core Update.[3]
The increasing use of these AI summaries is reshaping not only how users find and access information but also how they respond to such data. With such summaries making the requisite information handy, there has been a steady decline in click-through rates. In a world of instant gratification, linking off to the website and plowing through the page — or several pages — to get data as one would in a traditional search engine could be fast losing its appeal.
For businesses big and small, the decreased traffic to one’s website can denote reduced visibility, which could then translate to a negative impact on business performance. This could be a simplistic way of looking at the relationship among CTR, ad and content performance, traffic and conversion, but it underpins nonetheless the importance of CTR in the online world.
SEO and GEO: Different yet similar
In plain and straightforward sense, SEO is about links and GEO is about citations or mentions. In the SEO context, the information, page or website comes as a link as part of the search results. In AI-powered search results, one’s content — or information from one’s page or site — is integrated into AI-generated answers that come with a small icon at the end directing the user to the actual source or website. The same goes with AI Overviews.
SEO prioritizes search ranking and visibility boost, with the content, page or website optimization making it a lot easier for search engines to crawl, index and understand the content. A higher ranking on search engines such as Google, ideally on the first page of the search results, enables a site to be easily seen by users and even better, traffic to the site.
Organic traffic — unpaid traffic — is one catchphrase with SEO, and efforts are targeted for impact in traditional search engines, with clicks being a key metric. Toward this, SEO articles emphasize the use of precise keywords in premium parts of the copy such as the title and headings while for websites it would be loading speed, overall architecture and even mobile friendliness. Backlinks are also very important.
With GEO, brand mentions are what count the most. GEO optimization efforts are focused on making content that can be easily seen not just by users but by AI search engines as well. In the case of the latter, for the content to be indexed and included in AI-generated answers or summaries.
Even without users clicking on the icon links in AI-generated answers, the frequency with which a brand appears in such AI results can signify increased visibility and relevance. AI search engines, in particular generative AI systems, are where GEO will have the greatest impact. Because mention is the key metric, content must be structured well enough for easy indexing and inclusion in AI search results and even better, to rank high on generative AI search engines.
While frequent citations or mentions in AI search results enhances visibility, it is not always guaranteed that users will click and go to the actual page or source. Despite reminders to verify data generated by AI tools, many throw caution to the wind and proceed with using AI answers as is.
One unwelcome result is a decline in click-through rates with AI search results. With SEO, meanwhile, users will only be able to access the data by visiting the page or site, so traffic to one’s site is almost guaranteed, or at least the possibilities are higher.
Hybrid the way forward
There are clearly stark differences between SEO and GEO, and not a few users will tout one over the other. At their core, however, both strategies are share the key points: the user and quality content.
Although SEO underpins keywords and GEO context and intent, they both emphasize up-to-date, reliable content with a clear structure. They seek to address user needs for information, be it by providing links with SEO or summarizing information with GEO.
So maybe it is not about choosing between the two — it is not SEO vs GEO. Perhaps the path to be taken involves a compromise, a hybrid approach that leverages the strengths of each.
It is no longer just about website ranking these days, after all, especially if the clicks are being ignored and traffic to one’s website is not moving up. Website optimization is still fundamental to business viability online, yes, but being part of the conversation is also paramount. Getting indexed by AI search engines and being included in AI summaries could do a lot for a brand and business. Brand mentions or citations count in the increasingly AI world.
Businesses and organizations can then use GEO and SEO together instead of dropping one in favor of the other. Focusing on SEO alone would risk not getting referenced or mentioned in AI search results. A GEO-only strategy would mean reduced visibility on traditional SERPs.
Meanwhile, leveraging both means having the best of both worlds. Create a strong foundation for the website and online presence using SEO and secure high ranking on search engines, specifically on Google. Build on that further with GEO for citations on AI-powered search engines. Besides overall greater visibility and potential success online, this strategy means your brand and business is flexible and responsive enough to cater to changing user search behaviors and needs.
[1] https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2026-global-overview-report
[2] https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/new-front-door-to-the-internet-winning-in-the-age-of-ai-search
[3] https://www.wordstream.com/blog/google-ai-overviews-statistics
