SEOs love a good buzzword. Especially ones that make it look like they are cutting edge and have the upper hand on others. The latest I’d like to unpack today (and prove as total BS) is GEO – Generative Engine Optimisation.
GEO is a shiny rebrand for an old idea: tweaking your content so it shows up in more places. Only now, instead of targeting good old Google, the focus has shifted to AI systems like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and whatever else comes next.
But, if you want to stay ahead of the competition you don’t need a new acronym. Just a better mindset.
The Engine Is Not Your Audience
The biggest mistake SEOs keep making (and it’s been happening for decades) is designing for the engine instead of the person.
Whether it’s Google in 2011 or GPT-5 in 2025, the strategy stays the same: find the flaw, fire your shot, and hope it lands — like Luke Skywalker taking out the Death Star by hitting exhaust port. It’s classic DSEO — Death Star Engine Optimisation.
Exposing flaws worked really well for a while, especially when the engines were relatively simple and easy to game. You could climb the rankings with exact match domains, keyword-stuffing content or building links that you wouldn’t share with your Mum. I remember one Saturday morning I bought an exact match domain name, whacked up a templated site with some basic copy, threw some links at it and I was ranking #1 by lunchtime!
But those days are long gone. And now, chasing the quirks of AI engines is the same empty game in a different wrapper.
Generative AI Isn’t Static
AI isn’t Google in 2008. It evolves fast - constantly retraining, fine-tuning, and learning from human interaction. So even if you figure out that it prefers a certain tone or structure today, that could, and most probably will, change tomorrow.
Optimising for AI quirks is like playing whack-a-mole. You might win a few quick hits, but the target’s always shifting and you’re stuck reacting instead of building something meaningful.
And let’s be honest: nobody brags about being cited in a response to a prompt no one’s typing.
Users Don’t Care About GEO, so Neither Should You
When someone asks an AI, “What should I eat before a marathon?” they’re not looking for your nutrition brand or your blog post on carb loading. They want a quick, trustworthy answer — something that helps them feel prepared for race day.
If the AI delivers that? That’s it. Their question is answered. No click. No scroll. No brand impression.
You might be mentioned. Maybe your site is one of the sources. But in their mind? You’re invisible.
Being part of the answer isn’t the same as being remembered.
Mid-Funnel Is the New Battleground
Top-of-funnel content? AI can churn it out all day. Surface-level stuff is its bread and butter.
Bottom of funnel? Sure, if someone already knows they want what you’re selling, AI might still point them in your direction. But if you didn’t show up earlier, you won’t be part of that conversation.
Mid-funnel or ‘the messy middle’ is the real opportunity. The point where people have a rough idea of the problem but still need a solution that fits them and their context.
That’s where your content should live. Not just blog posts with keywords, but actual answers. Real help. Designed for the user, not the engine.
Stop Optimising for Algorithms. Start Solving for Humans
Generative AI doesn’t kill SEO. But it does expose weak strategy. If your content doesn’t serve a real purpose or if it’s just there to feed the system… it won’t matter how ‘optimised’ it is.
Visibility without action is worthless. Ranking without relevance is noise.
The future of SEO is the same thing its always been; a deep understanding of your audience and creating solutions for them.
That means asking better questions. What are they struggling with? What decision are they trying to make? What’s confusing or overwhelming or urgent in their world?
Answer that with clarity and care — and the engines (AI or otherwise) will follow.
So, no, you don’t need to learn a new acronym to keep up. You just need to care more about people than platforms.
