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How Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) rewrites the rules of search

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Re: How Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) rewrites the rules of search

#31

Post by theamk »

jameslk wrote: post #11

We are in the fleeting era where AI models are not entirely corrupted by marketing and propaganda. Like the early web circa 1990s. It will never be this pure while also being this up-to-date ever again. Enjoy it while it lasts

my "marketing and propaganda", do you mean "other AI model output"?

The internet was pretty bad without AI already, but I can see it heading quickly towards complete nonsense and lack of trust. We are going to have all the same problems we had before AI, but multiplied 100x

Re: How Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) rewrites the rules of search

#32

Post by edwin »

kurtoid wrote: post #7

SEO and it's related fields are a net-negative for the Internet (and maybe humanity in general)

Unlike classic search, which got worse over time due to SEO gamings, AI search might actually improve with scale. If LLMs are trained on real internet discussions (Reddit, forums, reviews), and your product consistently gets called out as bad, the model will eventually reflect that. The pressure shifts from optimizing content to improving the product itself.

Re: How Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) rewrites the rules of search

#33

Post by mettamage »

edwin wrote: post #32
kurtoid wrote: post #7

SEO and it's related fields are a net-negative for the Internet (and maybe humanity in general)

Unlike classic search, which got worse over time due to SEO gamings, AI search might actually improve with scale. If LLMs are trained on real internet discussions (Reddit, forums, reviews), and your product consistently gets called out as bad, the model will eventually reflect that. The pressure shifts from optimizing content to improving the product itself.

I looked into GEO a bit. One of the things I've noticed is that you need to actually optimize for the idea "as if you're talking to a person" and that's because LLMs semantically understand what topics are about. Search engines typically don't, not at that level at least.

Re: How Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) rewrites the rules of search

#34

Post by the_arun »

rafaepta wrote: post #4

ChatGPT ≠ Google-scale.Google: ~14 B searches/day; ChatGPT: ~37 M (~1 : 400). Only ~15 % of ChatGPT prompts look like classic “search”; most are writing/code tasks. Google’s own search volume grew 22 % in 2024 and still holds >90 % share. An LLM citation is nice for credibility, but it won’t move traffic or revenue anytime soon.

But users are not clicking on search results in google. They get satisfying response from Gemini & end there. It is a good thing for users but bad for inbound traffic to websites.

Re: How Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) rewrites the rules of search

#36

Post by duskwuff »

arnklint wrote: post #35

If only you could trust Gemini or gpt to serve truthful answers. I’m still seeing them concluding the opposite of their own source reference.

Or wildly misinterpreting a source. A few months ago, I saw an especially egregious example where, when asked for the maximum current capacity of a 22 AWG copper wire, Google's AI responded confidently with "551 amps".

The correct answer is two orders of magnitude lower, around 5-7 A. 551 A is the fusing current of that wire - i.e. the current required to make it instantly melt.

Re: How Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) rewrites the rules of search

#37

Post by nocoder »

My experience with the LLM bot is that they are really keen to appease the user and often over confident about their responses. They are prioritizing user engagement over factual nature of the response, it's as if their reward function includes the time spent on the bot. This leads to the bot swaying too much in either direction when it comes to debatable information. They essentially learn what the user prefers and so tend to reinforce those ideas. In some sense, they are like social media influencers who are too confident in their opinion because they are trying to get you to like them. I see us going further into the echo chambers where on the same topic, the bots will give different information to an users based on what the bot thinks about the user preference.

Re: How Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) rewrites the rules of search

#38

Post by corentin88 »

> In a world where AI is the front door to commerce and discovery, the question for marketers is: Will the model remember you?

So the question for marketers is: how do you get into the model. And once you are in, how do you outperform others that are in the model too?

Re: How Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) rewrites the rules of search

#39

Post by kibibu »

the_arun wrote: post #34
rafaepta wrote: post #4

ChatGPT ≠ Google-scale.Google: ~14 B searches/day; ChatGPT: ~37 M (~1 : 400). Only ~15 % of ChatGPT prompts look like classic “search”; most are writing/code tasks. Google’s own search volume grew 22 % in 2024 and still holds >90 % share. An LLM citation is nice for credibility, but it won’t move traffic or revenue anytime soon.

But users are not clicking on search results in google. They get satisfying response from Gemini & end there. It is a good thing for users but bad for inbound traffic to websites.

Also bad for users who get completely bullshitted responses.

Re: How Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) rewrites the rules of search

#40

Post by fiachamp »

edwin wrote: post #32
kurtoid wrote: post #7

SEO and it's related fields are a net-negative for the Internet (and maybe humanity in general)

Unlike classic search, which got worse over time due to SEO gamings, AI search might actually improve with scale. If LLMs are trained on real internet discussions (Reddit, forums, reviews), and your product consistently gets called out as bad, the model will eventually reflect that. The pressure shifts from optimizing content to improving the product itself.

Reddit data is already super corrupted with marketers and bot accounts. Why I use https://thegigabrain.com to filter thru the bs on reddit.
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