From SEO to GEO: the changing world of search engine optimisation
From SEO to GEO: what does the integration of AI into the world of search engine optimisation mean for SEO?
Google has announced that a “major upgrade” to its search engine will take place shortly. Exactly what this will entail remains to be seen, but it is already clear that AI is set to play an increasingly significant role in how search engines operate.
It is already evident that websites are increasingly being visited by AI bots rather than by human visitors and search bots. This is known as GEO: Generative Engine Optimisation. So, the focus is shifting from SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) to GEO.
Who stands to gain (the most) from this?
There are several sides to that question. Users can, as you might expect, expect to receive more targeted answers to their search queries (depending, of course, on the quality of the answers that AI search engines will provide). These answers will be provided directly on their website. You will no longer need to click through to a search results page from the list of results that search engines currently offer. That could be convenient (provided the answers are relevant and of high quality).
AI search engines will provide far fewer links to external sites, instead keeping users on their own websites. This is beneficial for them, as visitors will stay on their platform for longer, offering more opportunities for advertising and thus generating more revenue.
On the other hand, if this results in significantly lower profits for the websites that currently serve as sources for search engines, they will derive fewer benefits from this new situation and become less attractive to advertisers. Consequently, you can expect a significant shift in visitor numbers and dwell time on those source websites. How worthwhile will it then remain to continue offering the best possible content on your own website? What, then, will be the returns on their own SEO investments?
Who is going to pay for that?
The question of how all this will be funded, and how it will change the business case, is still difficult to answer at present, but it is not unreasonable to assume that it remains to be seen whether GEO can be commercially viable (i.e. whether it remains a viable revenue model). Will it still be possible for a company like Google to make a profit by building its business case on advertising? Will that generate enough revenue to cover the costs of the data centres and everything associated with them? Initial estimates suggest that this is not the case.
What does this mean for the rest of the internet?
That remains to be seen, of course, but there’s a good chance that this will further strengthen Google’s dominance. Not necessarily a good prospect if you ask me: a healthy market needs healthy competition. We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out.