Does SEO matter as much as it used to?

If you feel like your organic traffic is falling, you're not crazy. Things are changing.

Is classic SEO fading?

AI overviews and generative engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity are eating Google's lunch. Users get their answer right in the search results and never click through to your site. So is SEO dying? I wouldn't say so, it's just becoming something different.

What is GEO and its benefits?

GEO = Generative Engine Optimization - making sure AI systems mention you in their answers.

When ChatGPT or Perplexity generate an answer, they cite sources. If you're cited, users see you as credible. If you're not mentioned, you don't exist in that universe. So its good for boosting your visibility and credibility which lead to higher clicks, and possible future proofing if this is the future we're heading towards.

How to use it

We're all used to keywords by now, but GEO works with Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).

LLMs don't pull keywords, they're looking for expertise and context that align with what the user is searching for. Build content that solves problems they're looking for.
The more your name appears across the web, the more likely you are to get cited. Wikipedia is heavily cited by AI, LLMs trust Reddit almost as much as news articles, a single viral post gets cited within 24 hours on LinkedIn, Podcasts, Youtube, News mentions, PR - Get your name and brand out there.

If your site is broken for crawlers, you're invisible to AI.
Do the basics:

• Fix internal linking and sitemaps
• Add Schema markup
• Remove JavaScript bloat
• Use clean, semantic HTML

To check if you're being cited tools like Rankscale, Peec and Profound let you track this, but the simplest way is to ask an AI a question in your domain.
Everything flows from being cited.

Summary

1. Don't abandon SEO, just don't obsess over it.
2. Diversify where you're mentioned. Get on Reddit. Write LinkedIn posts. Build community. Make yourself a known entity across the internet.
3. Optimize your on-page content for AI extraction. Clear structure, quotable insights, credentials, updated (recent) data.
4. If you're appearing in AI answers but getting no clicks, that's still a win (for now).
5. Move fast. It can quickly become competitive.

The bottom line

SEO isn't dead. It's just become one part of a bigger game. Build authority everywhere. Let AI and humans discover you. That's the game now.

What's working for you right now - SEO, GEO, or something else entirely? What are your thoughts on GEO? Is it the future? Let's hear your takes on this.