By the marketingSHOWCASE Editorial Team Featuring insights from Ben Foster, CEO of The SEO Works
If you’ve spent more than five minutes on LinkedIn recently, you’ve probably heard that traditional search is dead. With the rise of AI search assistants like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity, the marketing world is buzzing with a brand-new acronym: GEO – or Generative Engine Optimisation (optimisation if you’re in the US)
Some are calling it a total marketing revolution. Others say it’s just the natural evolution of things we’ve been doing for years.
At this week’s Manchester marketingSHOWCASE, Ben Foster, CEO of The SEO Works, took to the stage for a rapid-fire 5 in Twenty talk to cut through the noise, debunk the AI hype, and reveal the practical truth about how to get your brand found in the era of Large Language Models (LLMs).
Here are some takeaways from his session:
1. The Myth vs. The Reality of AI Search
The hype cycle tells us that everyone has abandoned Google and is now exclusively asking AI bots where to buy their software or insurance.
The truth? It’s an evolution, not a sudden overnight coup. While user behaviour is changing rapidly, generative engines aren’t completely replacing search engines – they are merging with them. Google’s AI Overviews and platforms like Perplexity are changing how information is curated, but the core objective for marketers remains identical: You still need to be the most authoritative answer on the internet.
Rather than panicking about a ‘zero-click’ future, Ben highlighted that understanding the theory behind how LLMs process information is the secret to winning the GEO game.
2. The Tech Secret: LLMs Don’t ‘Think,’ They Connect
To optimize for generative engines, you have to understand how they work. LLMs don’t browse the live web the way a human does to form an opinion. They analyze massive datasets to predict the most accurate, contextually relevant string of words based on a user’s prompt.
If an AI engine is going to recommend your brand, it relies heavily on sentiment, citation, and co-occurrence.
- If your brand name is constantly mentioned alongside specific keywords (e.g., ‘best corporate CRM’ or ‘affordable digital training’), the AI builds a statistical connection between you and that solution.
- Optimisation in this new era isn’t just about stuffing keywords into a meta-description; it’s about embedding your brand deeply into the digital ecosystem.
3. Practical Tips: How to Get Found in Generative Search
So, how do you practically adjust your digital strategy for GEO? Ben broke it down into actionable steps:
- Prioritise Direct, High-Authority Citations: Generative engines love quoting sources. If your insights are published on trusted, authoritative platforms, third-party industry journals, or highly cited blogs, LLMs are significantly more likely to pull your data into their conversational answers.
- Optimise for Informational and Conversational Intent: People talk to AI engines differently than they type into Google. They ask long, complex, multi-layered questions. Your content needs to answer these exact conversational queries clearly, directly, and structured in a way that an AI can easily parse.
- Fix Your Brand Sentiment: LLMs ingest reviews, forum discussions, and social sentiment. If your digital footprint is flooded with unresolved complaints or a complete lack of digital chatter, the AI’s predictive model will simply bypass you for a competitor with a cleaner digital reputation.
The Verdict: Revolution or Evolution?
Ultimately, GEO isn’t a reason to throw your existing SEO strategy out the window. It is a vital, sophisticated evolution. The technical foundations of great SEO – high-quality content, flawless site structure, and genuine authority – are the exact ingredients that feed generative engines.
The era of search has changed, but the rule book has just been upgraded, not burned.
Missed the session? Keep an eye out for upcoming marketingSHOWCASE events to catch more high-density 5 in Twenty talks from industry leaders like The SEO Works, and get the tools you need to keep your marketing strategy ahead of the curve.