GEO Is Here: Rethinking Visibility in the Age of Generative Search

Search is no longer just about links, it’s about answers. As generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews reshape how people access information, the rules of digital visibility are being rewritten.

At WongDoody, we’re seeing this shift firsthand. Our clients are asking not just how to rank, but how to be cited, trusted, and surfaced by AI systems. These platforms don’t simply index content; they interpret and synthesize it, often resolving queries without ever sending users to a website. For brands, this means visibility is no longer measured solely by traffic, but by trust — being recognized as the source behind the answer.

This is the foundation of Generative Experience Optimization (GEO). It doesn’t replace SEO, it builds on it. Strong technical foundations, structured data, and high-quality backlinks still matter. But success now depends on how well your content is understood by machines, not just crawled by them. That means writing in natural, question-led formats, verifying claims with reputable sources, and using clear structures that AI can easily extract and synthesize.

New metrics are emerging to reflect this evolution. Citation frequency and prominence across AI platforms are becoming key indicators of influence. Share of Voice within AI-generated answers is a new competitive benchmark. And while AI-referred traffic may be lower in volume, it’s proving to be higher in quality. Visitors from AI platforms show 12–18% better conversion rates and spend an average of 2.3 minutes longer onsite.

User behaviour is shifting just as dramatically. By 2025, 60% of searches in the US and Europe are projected to be zero-click experiences, resolved entirely within AI interfaces. In sectors like healthcare and education, AI-generated overviews already cover up to 90% of informational queries. Meanwhile, e-commerce has seen a decline in AI visibility, dropping from 29% to just 4%, underscoring the need for industry-specific strategies. Importantly, strong SEO still matters: 75% of sources cited by AI systems were already ranking in the top 10 organic results, reinforcing the idea that GEO builds on, not replaces, SEO foundations.

To be surfaced by AI, content must be more than just optimized. It must be understandable, credible, and structured for machine interpretation. That means writing in a way that mirrors how people ask questions, verifying claims with reputable sources, and using formats that AI can easily extract, such as FAQs, bullet points, and clear headings. Websites that include expert quotes, unique statistics, and authoritative citations see a 30–40% improvement in AI visibility. Multimodal content is also gaining importance, with properly tagged images and descriptive captions helping AI systems interpret visual assets.

At the same time, visibility in the age of AI introduces new ethical challenges. Attribution is inconsistent across platforms, making it difficult to measure direct impact or ROI. Success increasingly means building brand recognition without guaranteed traffic. And the tools to measure GEO performance are still emerging, while algorithms and source preferences remain opaque and subject to change. Responsible optimization must prioritize transparency, mitigate bias, and uphold information integrity, not just to serve algorithms, but to serve users.

This is why, at WongDoody, we’re advising clients to treat GEO not as a performance marketing tactic, but as a brand authority play. This evolution isn’t just tactical, it’s strategic. Marketing teams must rethink how they allocate resources, moving from keyword-driven production to cross-functional efforts that build citation-worthy expertise.The transition to GEO doesn’t happen overnight. Brands should begin by auditing their existing content for AI readability, investing in structured data, and tracking emerging metrics like citation frequency and AI Share of Voice. The next six months will be critical for laying the groundwork.

The convergence of SEO and GEO marks a pivotal moment in digital strategy. It’s no longer about choosing one over the other. Success now depends on building genuine authority that resonates across all discovery channels, from traditional search to generative platforms, voice assistants, and beyond. The brands that thrive will be those who understand that visibility is no longer just about being found, it’s about being understood.