The rise of 'GEO'—marketing in the age of AI search
This holiday season, more shoppers will skip Google and ask chatbots what to buy. According to Adobe, AI-driven shopping queries could jump by 520% compared to 2024—and companies are scrambling to adapt.
From SEO to GEO
For decades, search engine optimization ruled digital marketing. But with OpenAI’s ChatGPT now integrated into shopping flows (like its new Walmart partnership), marketers are pivoting toward Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)—optimizing content for large language models instead of web crawlers.GEO firms like Brandlight argue that AI engines rank and retrieve information differently: they prefer concise, structured formats—FAQ pages, product specs, bullet points—over long-form blog posts once favored by Google. The logic is simple: give LLMs clean, modular data they can reference directly in conversation.
How brands are retooling for the chatbot era
Executives from Estée Lauder, LG, and Aetna told WIRED they’re focusing on ensuring authoritative product data is what AI systems ingest and cite. “Models consume things differently,” says Estée Lauder CTO Brian Franz. “We want our verified information to be what feeds them.”Instead of chasing instant conversions, GEO efforts now emphasize awareness and presence inside AI answers—for instance, being the recommended skincare product in a ChatGPT result about sunburn relief.
The self-referential twist
Ironically, much of this new AI-ready content is being generated by AI itself. As Brandlight’s CEO Imri Marcus notes, despite early hopes that LLMs wouldn’t train on synthetic material, “that’s not really the case.” GEO is becoming both a marketing strategy and a feedback loop inside the generative ecosystem.Why it matters
- GEO could redefine digital marketing metrics, shifting focus from clicks and rankings to LLM mentions and model visibility.
- The GEO services market may reach $850 million in 2025, showing how fast this ecosystem is forming.
- As the overlap between top Google results and chatbot sources drops below 20%, the center of online discovery is moving decisively from search to generation.