I need to talk to you about something.

There is a new acronym making the rounds: GEO, generative engine optimization. And depending on who you ask, it is either the most important shift in marketing since Google existed, or it is complete bullsh*t invented by consultants who need something new to sell.

Here is the thing: I built an entire company around this stuff. So you would expect me to tell you GEO is the future, SEO is dead, and you need to optimize for AI or your business will collapse.

I am not going to do that.

Because honestly? Some of what is being said about GEO is bullsh*t. And if you are going to trust me with your time (or eventually your money), I figure you deserve the truth.

So let me break down what is real, what is hype, and what actually matters.

The Bullsh*t Side of Generative Engine Optimization

Let us start with what is not true. Because there is a lot of noise out there, and some of it is embarrassingly wrong.

🚩 BS Claim #1: "SEO is dead. GEO is all that matters now."

No. Just no. Google still processes 8.5 billion searches per day. SEO is not dead, it is just not the only game in town anymore. Anyone telling you to abandon SEO for GEO is either ignorant or trying to sell you something.

🚩 BS Claim #2: "You can 'optimize' your way into AI recommendations."

This is the SEO playbook being lazily applied to a completely different system. AI does not work like Google. There is no keyword density trick, no backlink scheme, no meta tag magic that is going to game ChatGPT. AI systems are specifically designed to resist manipulation. If your strategy is "gaming AI," good luck with that.

🚩 BS Claim #3: "Add these 7 GEO tactics and watch your AI visibility soar!"

Most of the "generative engine optimization tactics" being sold are just... content marketing. Write good content. Be helpful. Cite sources. Structure your information clearly. This is not revolutionary, it is what good marketers have been doing for decades. Slapping "GEO" on it does not make it new.

🚩 BS Claim #4: "GEO will give you 40% more visibility!"

This stat comes from a legitimate academic paper from Princeton and Georgia Tech. But it has been wildly misrepresented. The research showed that certain optimization techniques can improve visibility in AI responses by up to 40%, in controlled experimental conditions. That is not the same as "do these things and your traffic goes up 40%." Context matters.

🚩 BS Claim #5: "You need a GEO agency/consultant/platform or you'll be invisible."

Fear sells. But the reality is more nuanced. Yes, AI is changing how people find information. No, you do not need to panic-hire a "GEO expert" who just learned the acronym last month. Most of the fundamentals, good content, real expertise, genuine authority, have not changed.

If someone is selling you GEO as a quick fix or a secret formula, they are selling you snake oil. Period.

The GEO Hype (That Has a Kernel of Truth)

Now let us talk about the claims that are not exactly wrong, but are being overblown.

"AI traffic is growing exponentially!"

True-ish. AI referral traffic to websites has grown dramatically. Some reports show 527% growth in AI-referred sessions in early 2025. ChatGPT now processes billions of queries.

But let us add context: AI referral traffic is still only about 1% of total web traffic for most sites. It is growing fast, but from a tiny base. This matters, it is worth paying attention to, but it is not the apocalypse some people are describing.

"People are replacing Google with ChatGPT!"

Some people are. For some queries. Research suggests 58% of users have used AI tools instead of search engines for product research. That is significant.

But "instead of" and "in addition to" are different things. Most people are adding AI to their information diet, not replacing everything else. Google still dominates. Your SEO still matters. The sky is not falling.

"AI recommendations are the new word of mouth!"

There is something to this. When ChatGPT recommends a product or service, it feels different than a search result. It feels like advice from a trusted friend. That is powerful.

But we should be careful about overstating how much influence these recommendations have. People do not blindly follow AI suggestions any more than they blindly follow everything Google shows them. Trust is earned, not automated.

What's Actually Real About GEO & Generative Engine Optimization

Okay, so if a lot of the GEO hype is overblown, why did I build a company around this?

Because underneath all the noise, there are some things that are genuinely true, and genuinely important.

✅ Real Thing #1: Buyer behavior is actually changing.

This is not speculation. People are asking AI for recommendations. Not everyone, not for everything, but enough people, for enough things, that it matters. 89% of B2B buyers now consider AI search in their buying process. That is not a future prediction. It is happening now.

✅ Real Thing #2: Most brands have no idea what AI says about them.

Ask 100 CMOs what ChatGPT recommends when someone asks about their category. Maybe 5 of them know the answer. The other 95 have never even thought to check. That is a real blind spot, and it is only going to matter more over time.

✅ Real Thing #3: AI visibility is different from search visibility.

A brand can rank #1 on Google and never get mentioned by ChatGPT. The signals are different, and the systems have changed entirely. What makes Google trust you (backlinks, technical SEO, domain authority) is not necessarily what makes AI trust you (authority, sentiment, helpfulness, how you are talked about across the web). This is the heart of how GEO differs from SEO.

✅ Real Thing #4: This compounds over time.

AI systems learn from what is written about you. If you build authority now, that gets baked into how AI describes you going forward. If your competitor builds authority and you do not, that gap widens. Early movers have an advantage that is hard to overcome later.

✅ Real Thing #5: You can actually measure this now.

A year ago, tracking AI visibility was basically impossible. Now there are tools, methods, and data sources. You can see what AI says about you. Compare yourself to competitors. Track changes over time. This is not squishy, it is measurable.

The Uncomfortable Middle Ground on AI Visibility

Here is what I actually believe:

Generative engine optimization isn't bullsh*t. But it is also not the revolution some people are selling. It is a real shift that is worth paying attention to, but it is early, it is evolving, and anyone claiming to have all the answers is lying to you.

SEO isn't dead. But it is not enough anymore either. If your entire strategy is "rank on Google," you are increasingly betting on yesterday's game. The smart play is both/and, not either/or.

You can't game AI. But you can understand it. You can see what it says about you, and understand why. Then you can make strategic decisions based on that understanding.

Most "GEO tactics" are just good marketing. But that does not mean the underlying shift is not real. The fundamentals have not changed, be genuinely helpful, build real authority, create content people actually want. What has changed is where that content needs to show up.

The question is not "Should I do GEO instead of SEO?" The question is "What's my strategy for showing up in the places my customers are actually looking?"

So What Should You Actually Do About Generative Engine Optimization?

Here is my honest advice, stripped of all the hype:

1. Start by just looking. Ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude what they recommend in your category. See if you are mentioned. Check who is. This costs you nothing but 10 minutes, and the answers might surprise you.

2. Don't panic. If you are not showing up in AI responses right now, that is okay. Most brands are not. You are not dying, and you are not doomed. You just have an opportunity to get ahead while your competitors are still ignoring this.

3. Don't abandon what's working. If your SEO is driving results, keep doing it. If your content marketing is working, keep doing it. Generative engine optimization does not replace these things, it adds to them.

4. Think about reputation, not tricks. AI visibility is not about optimization hacks. It is about how you are perceived across the internet. Your reviews matter. So do your mentions. And your helpfulness matters most of all. What people write about you matters. Focus on being the kind of brand that deserves to be recommended.

5. Start measuring. You cannot manage what you do not measure. Start tracking where you show up in AI responses. Set a baseline. Check it monthly. Note what changes and why.

6. Play the long game. AI visibility compounds. The authority you build today influences how AI talks about you tomorrow. This is not a quick win, it is a strategic investment.

TL;DR, Is GEO Bullsh*t?

The acronym? Kinda. It is marketing jargon for a real phenomenon.

The consultants selling "GEO services"? Some are legit. Many are just repackaging content marketing.

The underlying shift? Real. People are using AI differently than search. That matters.

The panic? Overblown. This is a gradual shift, not an overnight apocalypse.

The opportunity? Genuine. Brands that figure this out early will have an advantage.

My Verdict

Generative engine optimization as a buzzword? Yeah, it is a little bullsh*t-adjacent. Our industry has a bad habit of inventing acronyms to sell services.

But the thing the acronym describes, that people are discovering brands through AI now, and most brands have no visibility into that, is real. And it matters.

I built Aethon because I saw this shift and thought: brands need a way to see what is happening, understand it, and do something about it. Not because they need another three-letter acronym. But because they need to know what their customers are hearing when they ask AI for help.

That is not hype. It is just paying attention.

Why I'm Telling You This About Generative Engine Optimization

I could have written a blog post about "10 GEO Strategies to 10x Your AI Visibility." It would have been easier. It probably would have gotten more clicks.

But that is not how I want to build a company.

I believe you deserve the truth, even when the truth is messy and nuanced and does not fit neatly into a listicle. I believe the best marketing is honest marketing. And I believe that if I am straight with you now, you will trust me later.

GEO might be a buzzword. But the shift it describes is real. And I would rather help you navigate that shift with clear eyes than sell you hype you will regret buying.

That is it. Simple as that.

Daniel