The most impactful SEO trend of 2026 has been, undoubtedly, the rise of AI. AI-driven search has become a much greater part of any customer journey, with many getting their answers, recommendations, and next steps directly from the AI overview that has, by and large, replaced the rich snippets portion of search engine results pages for most users. As such, brands need to make sure that they’re not losing visibility and clicks in the age of AI. This is where generative engine optimisation, or GEO, plays a role.
What Is GEO?
GEO, generative engine optimisation, is all about making it more likely that AI systems will include a mention of your brand, product, or website in their generated responses. Most AI models work by citing data and information that’s already available, summarising from multiple sources rather than simply inventing answers out of whole cloth on the spot. GEO is a set of practices that makes your content more relevant, credible, and easy to parse into generated answers, involving creating clearer content, answering specific questions, using structured information, and defining key terms.
It Builds On Traditional SEO
One of the most important things to know about GEO is that it isn’t supposed to be a replacement for your SEO strategy. Rather, it builds on the same foundations while adapting them to AI platform needs. With the help of an SEO agency, you should build a technically sound website with useful content and authoritative backlinks. However, if that company is also equipped to help your brand interface with the new AI paradigm, they can use those existing strengths to further bolster its relevance to generated queries, as well.
Search Behaviour Is Changing
The main reason that GEO has become such a big topic is that people really are changing how they search for answers in the age of AI. Some of the latest research suggests that around 50% of all consumers are already using AI-powered search. One of the key pillars of any good marketing strategy is that you go where your customers are. Many marketers have been adverse to AI because they (perhaps rightfully) believe that overreliance on AI in the marketing process will result in more generic, less valuable, and thus less effective content. However, GEO isn’t about using AI to generate content, but utilising it as a means to deliver your content to your audience.
Authority And Trust Are Key
While generic AI-written content might reduce trust in your brand, GEO aims to do the precise opposite. Aside from having good content on your site, GEO is just as much about ensuring that its sources are respected, so strategies like building backlink authority and brand awareness are as important as ever, which also means your long-term brand goals are supported by GEO efforts, too.
GEO is an important strategy for those who want to remain visible against the rising tide of AI and how it’s changing audience behaviours. Learning to play with AI now could make it a lot easier to adapt to it as it evolves further in the years to come.