7 Steps For Navigating The Search Trifecta: SEO, GEO, & AEO

Key Takeaways from the Shift to GEO & AEO

> SEO is evolving into GEO – be the answer, not just the top link: Simply ranking #1 on Google isn’t the golden ticket anymore, since the click itself is no longer the prize. Now you need your brand to be the answer in an AI-driven result, which means crafting content that directly and helpfully answers your customers’ questions so that generative engines recognize (and recommend) your expertise.

> Optimize for answers (AEO) to capture zero-click leads: Think in terms of questions and answers, not just keywords. AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is about structuring your content to appear as direct answers in featured snippets, voice search results, and other instant-answer platforms. Identify the questions your audience is asking and provide clear, concise solutions – use headings, bullet points, and simple language so even an AI can easily pick your content as the best answer.

> Quality content and credibility win in the AI era: Strong content strategy is non-negotiable when generative and answer engines are picking favorites. AI-driven results filter out fluff and reward real expertise, so double down on creating high-quality, authoritative content that showcases your experience and trustworthiness.

> Creative marketing is key to converting AI-driven prospects: Great advertising creative is essential in the age of GEO/AEO, with fewer organic clicks and more AI-curated answers, your message needs to work harder to stand out.

Remember when SEO (Search Engine Optimization) was the magic sauce for getting leads? As a seasoned marketer, I sure do. But in 2025, our old friend SEO has some new sidekicks: GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization). If these acronyms sound like alphabet soup, stick with me, there’s a method to the madness.

In this deep dive, I’ll break down what each means, why strong content strategy and big-brand advertising creative matter more than ever, and how you can turn all this change into fresh leads and growth. Consider this a conversation over coffee between marketing peers. With a few war stories, a dash of humor, and plenty of practical steps you can act on today.

The Search Evolution: From SEO To GEO To AEO

Not long ago, “optimizing for search” meant tweaking your website so Google’s algorithm would put you on page one. That’s traditional SEO, making your content rank high on search engine results pages. But now people are searching in new ways, and that’s where AEO and GEO come in. Think of it like this:

• SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Classic optimization to rank in search engines like Google or Bing. It’s about getting listed and clicked in the search results we all know (the blue links). If someone Googles “best running shoes,” SEO helps your shoe store show up near the top.

• AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): Newer tactics to have your content be the direct answer platforms provide, whether it’s a featured snippet on Google, a response from Siri/Alexa, or an AI chatbot’s reply. AEO is about structuring your content so the answer engine (Google’s answer box, voice assistant, etc.) grabs your answer and reads it out or displays it first. It’s the difference between being one of ten blue links versus the answer to the question. In practice, AEO means formatting content in Q&A style, using schema markup, and providing concise, factual info right up front.

• GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): The rookie of the trio, born with the rise of generative AI in search. GEO is about ensuring your content is visible to AI-powered engines that generate answers (think ChatGPT, Bing’s AI chat, Google’s SGE). Instead of just listing your site, these AI “generative engines” synthesize information from many sources and present a single answer. GEO asks: how do we get the AI to include our insights or brand in that synthesized answer? It involves adapting content so that large language models (LLMs) recognize it as authoritative and worth citing. For example, if a user asks an AI, “How do I soothe a sunburn quickly?”, you’d want your skincare brand’s tip or aloe product recommendation woven into the AI’s answer.

In plain English, SEO helps you rank, AEO helps you answer, and GEO helps you get included when AI chats back.

These approaches aren’t at odds. In fact, marketers now see them as complementary parts of one content strategy. SEO still provides the foundation (your content needs to be discoverable at all), but AEO and GEO are like new channels for visibility. A recent industry overview put it well: traditional SEO focuses on rankings, AEO targets featured snippets and voice queries, and GEO focuses on generative AI platforms and different tactics, which is the same goal of getting your brand seen.

And no, SEO isn’t dead (I’ve heard that rumor annually for 15 years now!). Organic search still drives about 53% of website traffic. But user behavior is evolving. An estimated 58% of queries are now conversational in tone, meaning people are literally asking questions in full sentences. Instead of typing “coffee benefits” they ask, “Is coffee good for your heart?” As search gets more conversational, engines try to deliver direct answers, not just links. This is exactly why AEO and GEO have stepped into the spotlight.

Why Content Strategy And Creativity Matter More Than Ever

The way people find and consume information is changing fast, and that affects how you generate leads. Let’s paint the picture:

• Zero-Click Searches Are the New Normal: More than half of Google searches now end without any click at all, because Google often serves the answer right on the results page. The user’s question is answered immediately via a snippet, knowledge panel, or other on-page feature. If your content supplied that answer, you won visibility (and maybe a brand impression); if not, you basically disappeared from that search. In a world of zero-click answers, being the featured answer is everything.

• AI Chatbots as Discovery Tools: This past holiday season, rather than browsing Google, millions turned to AI chatbots to ask for gift ideas and shopping tips. In fact, retailers were projected to see up to a 520% increase in traffic from chatbots and AI search engines during the 2025 holidays compared to the year before. That’s a tsunami of potential customers asking bots what to buy. And those bots (be it ChatGPT, Bing Chat, Google’s Bard, you name it) are reading answers out loud or displaying a single answer screen. If your brand isn’t being mentioned by the AI, you’re not in the conversation at all.

• New Gatekeepers of Information: For decades, Google was the main gatekeeper between your content and the audience. Now, there are multiple gatekeepers, namely the answer engines and generative AIs. Each might choose different content. Interesting fact: early on there was about a 70% overlap between top Google results and the sources cited by AI answers, but now that overlap is below 20%. In other words, the content that a chatbot picks up might be entirely different from the content ranking on page one of Google. Chatbots tend to favor content that’s simple, structured, and specific. Think bullet points, FAQs, and charts over the long, story-driven blog posts that often did well in traditional search. As a result, some sites that mastered SEO are finding they need to adjust format and strategy for these new engines.

• Specific Questions, Niche Content: People don’t ask ChatGPT broad, generic things like “Is Acme Corp a good company?” They ask very specific questions. For example, “Does Acme Corp’s product X integrate with Salesforce?. This means your content strategy should zoom in on granular topics and long-tail questions. Brands that offer specific answers to specific questions are winning the visibility war in AI-driven search. One marketing leader put it perfectly: writing more specific, niche content yields better results now, because the questions users pose are way more specific. It’s a shift from creating one big ultimate guide on a broad topic, to creating a library of Q&A that covers many little sub-questions.

• Impact on Traffic (and Leads): It’s true that if users get their answer without clicking, your website traffic might dip. Don’t panic yet. Visibility can still drive leads, even indirectly. Consider this real-world dichotomy: When ChatGPT started handing out coding answers, Stack Overflow’s website traffic dropped 18% as devs stopped clicking through. Meanwhile, financial advice site NerdWallet saw a 35% increase in revenue despite 20% less traffic, because their content was still reaching consumers via featured answers and snippets. Fewer visits, but presumably more qualified visits – people who saw NerdWallet’s expertise in an answer box decided to trust them when it came time to pick a credit card or loan.The lesson? If your content truly addresses users’ needs and your brand comes up as a trusted answer, you can convert leadership in answers to leadership in sales. Strong content strategy (providing valuable answers everywhere) coupled with strong brand credibility can turn those fleeting answer-box impressions into conversions down the line.

• The Trust & Brand Factor: As algorithms get smarter, they also prioritize content from sources with authority and trust (Google’s E-E-A-T: experience, expertise, authority, trustworthiness, still matters!). High-quality content and reputable branding go hand in hand. Answer engines and AI models “learn” which sources are reliable. If your brand consistently produces accurate, useful content, it increases the odds that an AI will quote you or a voice assistant will cite you. This is where big-brand advertising creative becomes a secret weapon – not in the technical sense, but in shaping perception. Creative marketing campaigns build brand recognition and positive sentiment, which can indirectly influence search behavior (users may phrase queries with your brand in mind or trust an answer that mentions you) and even how algorithms evaluate your brand’s authority.

To sum up: The new search landscape rewards those who answer questions clearly and build genuine brand authority. You need to cover the factual bases (content strategy) and capture hearts and minds (creative storytelling). An AI can spit out facts, but it can’t replace human connection. That’s where your creative prowess turns a mere answer into a lead. In the age of AI, distinctive brand voice and creative content are your differentiators amidst a sea of AI-generated vanilla info. People will remember a compelling story or clever campaign far longer than a list of bullet points. And when it comes time to choose a solution or make a purchase, that memory can make the difference.

So how do we as marketers practically tackle SEO, AEO, and GEO without losing our creative mojo? Let’s get into the how-to with seven steps to help you thrive in this new “answer-centric” world.

7 Steps to Turn the SEO/GEO/AEO Shift Into Lead Gen Gold

You don’t need to be an AI whisperer or scrap everything you know about SEO. A lot of fundamentals still apply, but we do need to expand our playbook. Here are seven actionable steps I recommend (and personally use with my clients) to make the most of this shifting landscape:

Step 1: Embrace the New Search Ecosystem (SEO + AEO + GEO Together)

First, update your mental model of how people find you. Accept that traditional SEO, Answer Engine Optimization, and Generative Engine Optimization are all part of a unified strategy now. Educate your team that success means ranking, answering, and appearing in AI results – not one or the other.

Practically, this means auditing where your traffic and leads come from. Check if you’re getting referral traffic from voice assistants or chatbots (some analytics tools and logs can show this, or you might infer it from spikes in direct traffic after certain questions trend). It also means keeping an eye on new search players. Each week, over 400 million people use ChatGPT or similar AI tools for information, and Microsoft saw a 4× bump in Bing app downloads after adding AI chat. By 2026, Gartner predicts 1 in 4 searches will happen via AI assistants instead of a browser. These aren’t sci-fi projections. It’s happening now.

As a marketer, simply acknowledging this shift is step one. Start conversations in your organization about AEO and GEO. For example, discuss how a customer might ask Alexa or ChatGPT about a problem your product solves. Are you present in those answers? If you’re not sure, it’s time to find out. In short: broaden your search strategy to cover all the bases where a prospect might discover you, from the Google SERP to a conversational AI session.

Step 2: Make Your Content Answer-Friendly

To win at AEO, approach your content with a Q&A mindset. Take your key topics and frame them as questions your audience asks. Then ensure your content directly answers those questions. This may sound obvious, but it’s a pivot from the old SEO approach of writing long, comprehensive articles that gradually get to the point. In the answer engine world, you want to deliver value in the first 40-60 words – that’s often what gets pulled into a snippet or spoken aloud.

Some tips to implement this:

• Use question-based headings: For instance, an H2 that says “How do I choose the right running shoes?” followed by a concise answer. This signals search engines and AI exactly what query you’re addressing.

• Answer upfront, then elaborate: Start the section with a direct answer (think of the snippet as a TL;DR), then provide more details or storytelling below. This way you satisfy both the answer engine and the human reader who wants depth.

• Leverage FAQ sections: I love adding an FAQ at the end of blog posts or product pages. It’s low-hanging fruit for capturing common queries in a format that Google’s snippet feature and voice assistants adore. Each question in an FAQ is a chance to appear for a different long-tail query.

• Keep it structured and skimmable: Use bullet points, numbered steps, tables, and concise paragraphs. We’ve learned that chatbots favor content that’s structured in simple formats like lists and FAQs. That structure not only helps the AI parse your content, it’s also great UX for rushed human readers.

• Mind your tone and clarity: An AI isn’t going to quote you if your answer is buried in fluff or ambiguous wording. Write as if you’re explaining to a friend who just wants the facts. Clear, factual, and neutral in the “answer” part; you can always inject personality in the parts that likely won’t be quoted verbatim.

Quick example: Instead of a blog titled “Our Ultimate Guide to Running Shoes” with a novel-length intro about your company’s philosophy, create an article titled “What are the best running shoes for trail vs. road?” Start with: “The best running shoes for trail running typically have deeper treads and sturdier soles for traction on uneven terrain, whereas road running shoes prioritize cushioning and lightweight design for pavement.” Boom, that 1-2 sentence answer could easily be picked up as a snippet. You can then follow with an engaging story about how you learned this the hard way on a muddy 5K, etc., to keep the reader hooked. But the key is, if a user (or AI) just needs the quick answer, they’ve got it immediately.

Making your content answer-friendly ensures that even if the click never comes, your brand still delivers the answer, which is far better than a competitor doing so. It establishes you as the expert in that micro-moment when the question is asked.

Step 3: Optimize Technically For AEO (Schema, Markup, And More)

Hand-in-hand with content tweaks comes some technical optimization. AEO and GEO thrive on structured information. Search engines and AI models love when you speak their language – which often means schema markup and clean site architecture.

Here are the technical must-dos:

• Implement Schema Markup: Add appropriate Schema.org structured data to your pages for things like FAQs, how-tos, products, reviews, and organization info. For example, marking up an FAQ section with FAQPage schema can dramatically increase your chances of getting a featured snippet or voice assistant result. Schema is basically a way to label your content in the HTML so machines understand it clearly (imagine putting Post-it notes on parts of your page that say “this is a question, and this is the answer”). Google’s Knowledge Graph and other answer engines eat this up.

• Optimize for Voice Search: Consider using Speakable schema for pages that are likely to be read aloud by voice assistants. This markup helps indicate which text on the page is best suited for text-to-speech (like a summary of a news article or a Q&A).

• Ensure Crawlability for AI bots: Just as you wouldn’t block Google’s crawler, don’t block the new AI crawlers. Bing’s chatbot, OpenAI’s GPT-4 browsing, Perplexity’s crawler – they all need access. Check your robots.txt to make sure you aren’t inadvertently keeping them out (and update your privacy policy if needed to clarify AI can read your content). Pro tip: Some AI search engines are starting to honor an airobots.txt or llm.txt in development, keep an ear out for those standards as they evolve.

• Site Speed and Mobile Optimization: These are oldies but goodies. Voice searches often come from mobile devices; AI chat queries too, especially with Bing’s integration on mobile. So a fast, mobile-friendly site is still critical (Google won’t feature you if your page takes eons to load).

• Metadata for Questions: Tweak your page titles and meta descriptions to include question phrasing where appropriate. If the page is essentially answering a question, the title could be that exact question. This not only helps SEO/AEO, but it can improve click-through when the page does appear as a link (people love seeing exactly their question echoed in the result).

In short, speak the search engines’ language. By adding structure and metadata, you make it easy for Google, Alexa, or ChatGPT to grab your content as a ready-made answer.

Think of it like packaging your information in a gift box with a label – you’re reducing the work the engine has to do to understand and trust your content. This can give you an edge over competitors whose answers might be buried in messy HTML or lack the schema cues.

Step 4: Create Specific, High-Quality Content (Go Niche And Deep)

Content is still king, but now it’s about being the king of precisely the right micro-topic. As mentioned, users are asking very specific questions, so we need very specific content. It’s time to deep-dive into niches and long-tail keywords/questions within your industry.

Action items for this step:

• Research Conversational Queries: Use tools like AnswerThePublic, SEMrush’s Question analyzer, or simply Google’s “People Also Ask” box to find what questions are trending. For example, if you’re in fintech and see people ask “Can I get a mortgage with crypto income?”, that’s a golden niche topic to tackle.

• Cover The Long Tail: For every broad topic, brainstorm the sub-questions a user might ask. If you have a broad page on “home insurance,” consider writing separate pieces or creating sections answering things like “Does home insurance cover roof leaks?”, “How to lower home insurance premiums?”, “Home insurance vs. home warranty differences,” etc. Each of these targeted pieces can capture a different query.

• Ensure Accuracy And Authority: Specific content must also be accurate and up-to-date. If an AI or voice assistant is pulling your answer, it’s going to prefer a source that is correct (nobody wants to quote wrong info) and current (especially for anything time-sensitive like regulations, stats, or tech). Regularly update stats or references in your content. If you can cite reputable data or include expert quotes, do it – that signals that your content is authoritative, which answer engines appreciate.

• Show Your Expertise (E-E-A-T): Don’t shy away from showcasing your credentials or experience in content. For example, a brief author bio “Jane Doe, 15-year insurance veteran” or mentioning “At The Creative Stable, we’ve run 200+ campaigns…” can lend credibility. It might indirectly help in being selected as an answer (some algorithms assess site authority), and it definitely helps human readers trust you once they see the answer.

• Use AI To Assist (Carefully): Ironically, generative AI itself can help you create content at scale about these specific questions. You might use ChatGPT to generate a draft or outline for a niche question, then refine it with your expertise and brand voice. Just be cautious. AI can introduce errors and often its tone is generic. Always fact-check and personalize the output. The goal is to save time on first drafts, not to publish auto-generated fluff. (I like to say: use AI as your junior copywriter, but you’re still the creative director who must polish the work.)

The bottom line: become the Wikipedia of your niche, one question at a time. When every highly specific question your customer might ask has a clear, trustworthy answer that you produced, you win visibility across all these platforms. It’s a lot of work, yes. But each piece of quality content is a durable asset that can keep generating leads via direct or indirect pathways.

And here’s something fascinating; by being comprehensive and specific, you’re not only capturing search and AI interest, you’re also arming your own team with knowledge. Your sales and support teams can use these Q&A pieces as resources, improving consistency in messaging. It’s a full content ecosystem that reinforces your brand’s expertise.

Step 5: Differentiate With Big-Brand Creative And Storytelling

You might be thinking, “All this talk of schema and snippets, where’s the creative part?” Creatives take heart. Optimizing for answers doesn’t mean you stop doing brand marketing or telling stories. On the contrary, it’s more important now to infuse your content with the kind of creativity and emotional resonance that builds relationships. Why? Because facts alone might get you visibility, but creative storytelling turns visibility into engagement and trust.

Here’s how to keep your advertising creative edge in the age of answers:

• Maintain Your Brand Voice: Even if you’re writing a 50-word answer for Google, let it reflect your brand’s personality. If your style is friendly and humorous, craft the answer in that tone (while staying concise and clear). A distinctive voice can make even a snippet memorable. I’ve seen cheeky one-liners in featured snippets that made me chuckle and remember the brand. That’s the power of voice.

• Use Storytelling In Supporting Content: While the top of your content might be a straight answer, you can use the rest of the content to tell a story or paint a picture. Share quick case studies or anecdotes that relate to the question. For example, after answering “How do I improve my website’s SEO?” directly, I might share a story of how a client’s business transformed when they started answering customer questions on their blog, a real win that illustrates the point. Stories stick; they give your factual answer context and meaning.

• Integrate Creative Campaigns With Content Marketing: Don’t silo your big creative campaigns from your content that targets search questions. They can work together. For instance, if you run a creative ad campaign around the theme “Unlock Your Future” for a career education client, incorporate that theme into your content pieces (and the answers you provide). A question like “What careers will be in demand in 2030?” can have a straightforward answer and tie into your campaign’s narrative about future empowerment. The result is a one-two punch: you capture the query and you reinforce your broader brand message.

• Visuals And Multimedia: Big-brand creative often involves striking visuals or videos. Leverage that in your content strategy. Create infographics that answer common questions (which can rank in Google Images or be referenced by others), or short video snippets with expert answers (which could be featured in search carousels or at least earn you YouTube SEO points). Visual content can also be optimized for answers. For example, Google might feature an image with an answer snippet if it’s relevant. Additionally, visuals make your content more shareable on social media, extending its reach.

• Humanize Your Brand: Use the fact that you’re a seasoned pro (or you have one in your hip pocket) to your advantage. In a world where AI can generate bland text, human touches stand out. A qa bit of humor, or a relatable metaphor can make your content more engaging. Just imagine an executive reading a chatbot’s dry answer versus reading your answer that includes a witty analogy – which one might they remember when choosing a partner or vendor? Likely the one that made them feel something.

One example I love: A software company once answered the FAQ “What is cloud computing?” on their blog. Boring question, right? Their answer was spot on and snippet-worthy, but they opened with a creative twist: “Cloud computing is like renting a storage unit for your digital life. You get flexibility and someone else keeps the lights on.” They then gave the formal definition. That line was memorable (I’m quoting it from memory here years later!). It shows you can be both optimized and creative.

In essence, advertising creative and content strategy should dance together. The data-driven content work gets you in front of people; the creative flair is what leaves an impression and persuades them to take action (sign up, contact you, buy, etc.). In 2025, the brands winning leads are those who rank #1 and make you say “I like these guys” at the same time.

Step 6: Leverage AI As A Partner, Not A Replacement

Given all this talk of AI, let’s address the elephant in the room: should you be using generative AI in your marketing workflow? My take: absolutely use it as a partner tool, but don’t hand it the keys to your brand’s voice or strategy.

Here’s how to smartly use AI in content creation and marketing:

• Brainstorming and Research: Use tools like ChatGPT to spitball a list of related questions your audience might ask. You can prompt, “What are 10 questions a small business owner might ask about digital marketing?” and get some inspiration. This can complement your SEO research with some creative angle questions you might not have thought of.

• Drafting Content Faster: AI can help you generate first drafts or outlines for those niche question articles. This can be a huge time-saver. For example, to write about “How to improve indoor air quality at home,” I could ask an AI for key points. It might give me a decent outline (ventilation, air purifiers, houseplants, etc.) and even a rough paragraph for each. I then fact-check, enrich with examples or client insights, and refine the tone to sound like me/my brand. The result: I didn’t face the blank page, but I ensured the final content is original and accurate.

• Personalization at Scale: Some brands are using AI to personalize content or ads for different segments. This can be part of creative execution such as generating different ad copy variants for different industries, based on one creative concept. It’s a more advanced use case, but worth mentioning. AI can crunch data and suggest creative tweaks (like which product features to highlight for “John the CTO” vs “Mary the CFO” based on their interests).

• Quality Control & Editing: Surprisingly, AI can also help tighten your content. Tools like Grammarly or GPT-based editing suggestions can improve clarity and catch inconsistencies. Just be cautious that they don’t strip out your personality in the pursuit of perfection. Always review changes. Always add your own voice to make it more personal and approachable.

• Stay Original and Human-led: The cautionary tale here is that if you rely too much on AI, you’ll end up with the same cookie-cutter content everyone else can generate. The web is already seeing a flood of AI-generated articles. To stand out, you need a human touch; unique anecdotes, opinions, humor, and empathy. Those are things AI currently lacks. So by all means, use AI to augment your productivity, but always add your unique value on top. Think of AI as your efficient but unimaginative assistant; you’re the creative director giving it soul.

One more thing. Keep an eye on how AI content is being treated by search engines. Google’s stance has evolved to basically “AI content is fine as long as it’s helpful and meets our guidelines”. They care about the quality, not whether a human or AI wrote it. But quality is key. If AI allows us to pump out 100 articles, we still need to ensure those 100 articles are truly good. Resist the temptation to scale at the cost of substance. Remember, lead generation is not just about traffic quantity; it’s about attracting the right prospects with the right message. Ten highly targeted, well-written pieces can outperform a hundred generic ones in converting readers to leads.

Step 7: Measure What Matters And Keep Adapting

Finally, as with any marketing effort, we have to close the loop with measurement and iteration. The catch is, in this new landscape, our old metrics might not tell the full story. We need to expand what we measure and how we define success.

Key actions for this step:

• Track Direct Answer Visibility: Traditional tools like Google Search Console can show you if your pages are appearing as featured snippets or in “People Also Ask” boxes (look for high impressions but lower clicks on question queries, a sign people got their answer without clicking). There are also emerging platforms that track AI mentions. For example, some SEO suites are adding features to monitor if your content is being cited by Bing’s chat or others. Keep an eye on these. It might be early days, but I suspect “AI visibility score” will become a common KPI. In fact, marketers are already discussing things like “share of AI voice,” which is the the proportion of AI answers that mention your brand.

• New Conversion Paths: Adjust your analytics to capture indirect conversions. If someone hears your brand via Alexa and later Googles your brand name and signs up for a demo, that path might show up as a direct or brand search lead, but the true first touch was voice. It’s tricky to attribute, but you can get creative: use surveys (“How did you hear about us?”), look at branded search trends after big content pushes, and watch for correlations. If after optimizing for a bunch of answers your overall lead volume or brand traffic goes up, that’s a good sign it’s working even if session-by-session attribution is hard.

• Lead Quality Over Quantity: Don’t freak out if pure organic traffic dips while implementing AEO/GEO tactics. As we saw with NerdWallet, success can mean more results with less traffic. Monitor metrics like conversion rate, lead quality, and revenue. Are the people who do click through more engaged or further down the funnel? If yes, you’re on the right track – you’re filtering out tire-kickers and attracting serious prospects who saw your answer and trusted you.

• Test And Learn Continuously: What works for getting featured in Google might not work for Bing Chat, and vice versa. Treat your optimizations as experiments. Try different content formats and monitor results. For example, does a “Top 10 tips” list get picked up more often by AI than a narrative article? (Pro tip: Use an unexpected number, such as “Top 7 tips”). Does adding a video improve engagement even if it doesn’t affect snippet appearance? Iterate based on data. Also, stay updated via industry news such as  algorithm changes, new AI search announcements, etc., so you can adjust course.

• Keep The Creative Spark Alive: Even as you measure, avoid getting lost in the data to the point you stop taking creative risks. Marketing is both art and science. Maybe your metrics tell you 40-word answers get featured. That’s great. Certainly do that, but maybe you also experiment with a bold interactive piece or a contrarian opinion blog that might not be snippet material, but could go viral on LinkedIn or get press attention. Those things feed back into SEO (backlinks, brand queries) and can supercharge your authority. In my experience, a balanced portfolio of content (some tailored for algorithms, some purely for humans) yields the best long-term results.

Remember, adaptation is an ongoing process. The only constant in our field is change. By measuring what you’re doing and staying agile, you won’t just react to the future of search,  you’ll help shape it.

Thriving At The Intersection Of SEO, AEO, GEO, And Storytelling

The rise of GEO and AEO is not the end of SEO as we know it. It’s an evolution. In this new landscape, the brands that win will be those that marry data-driven optimization with the power of creative storytelling. We need to be part SEO-specialist and part creative-director, ensuring our content is structured for machines and resonating with humans.

If you’ve felt overwhelmed by all the recent changes (hey, even this marketing veteran had a moment of “here we go again” with yet another acronym), take heart. At its core, the mission hasn’t changed. Help people solve problems and make your brand the obvious partner in that journey. Whether the answer comes via a Google snippet, a chatty AI, or a good old-fashioned web page, what matters is that the content is compelling and the message is consistent.

Strong content strategy ensures you’re answering the right questions in the right places. Strong advertising creative ensures those answers aren’t just seen, they’re remembered and acted upon. You need both to turn visibility into tangible leads. So optimize ruthlessly and keep those creative juices flowing.

My parting advice is this: Stay curious and keep innovating. (And hire a StoryBrand certified writer, hint hint). The tools and platforms will keep changing, but if you stay laser-focused on your customer’s needs and keep injecting that human creativity and warmth into your marketing, you’ll gracefully surf every wave that comes.

Here’s to thriving in the SEO-GEO-AEO era, and generating plenty of leads while we’re at it. Happy optimizing and even happier creating!

Jennifer Frazier is President of The Creative Stable, a 30+ year veteran of the industry, an award-winning copywriter and creative director, and passionate about all things advertising.