From SEO to GEO: How AI Tools Like ChatGPT Are Disrupting Google Search and Redefining Digital Visibility

“Google It!”

Anyone who has been using the internet for a few years must have heard this phrase being thrown around in conversations. The expression refers to the act of directing someone to search for information online using Google’s search engine.

Googling or searching the internet for answers, doubts, or suggestions is a common practice among netizens.

Therefore, several businesses and brands spend a hefty amount to optimise for this search and generate discoverability and visibility of their product or service online.

However, with the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, this behavior is observing a dramatic shift. Users are increasingly turning to AI chatbots for direct and concise responses instead of traditional search methods.

As the outlook towards search is changing, the strategies that businesses employ to optimise for it are also evolving.

AI Search Era

A recent Digital Information World report, citing a survey by The Information, revealed that 77% of 1,088 respondents no longer use traditional search engines like Google for their queries, and choose generative AI tools for it.

Looking at this data, SEO expert Barry Schwartz conducted a poll on X to figure out how many users rely on generative AI tools over traditional search engines.

The poll, which received 917 votes, showed that 55% of respondents use generative AI tools like ChatGPT instead of Google for their searches.

Additionally, a recent Wall Street Journal report suggested that Google searches conducted via the Safari web browser declined over the last two months, a trend which has not been observed in over two decades.

SEO Explained

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the practice of enhancing a website’s visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs) to attract increased organic (non-paid) traffic. This involves optimizing a website’s content, structural elements, and technical infrastructure to achieve higher rankings for relevant keywords.

For instance, let’s suppose you have an e-commerce website that sells books. In brief, the traditional SEO strategy to rank your website on Google search to boost sales will look something like this: You will start with keyword research targeting high-volume, purchase-intent, and long-tail keywords your audience is searching for.

Then, you will try to optimise your product titles, meta descriptions, URLs, and unique book descriptions for on-page SEO. You shall create engaging content like book reviews, reading lists, and author interviews to attract organic traffic and ensure your site is fast, mobile-friendly, secure with HTTPS, and uses proper schema markup for better visibility in search results.

Lastly, you shall build backlinks by collaborating with book bloggers and listing your store on relevant directories.

Return on Optimisation

Assume you own a small business in India that sells keychains online. If a blog on your website, optimised for the keyword “best keychain in India,” ranks first in Google search results, it could significantly increase your business's sales.

For context, according to the SEO platform Ahrefs, the keyword “best keychain in India” has an average monthly search volume of approximately 10,000. Websites that rank first in Google’s organic search results typically receive a substantial portion of clicks. A report by Digital Information World indicates that the first organic result achieves an average click-through rate (CTR) of 39.8%.

Applying this CTR to the estimated search volume: Clicks per month = 10,000 searches × 39.8% CTR = 3,980 clicks.

Based on eCommercedb’s data, the average e-commerce conversion rate in India is approximately 2.4%. Applying this conversion rate to the monthly clicks: Sales per month = 3,980 clicks × 2.4% conversion rate = 95 sales.

Assuming an average order value (AOV) of ₹500 per keychain: Monthly revenue = 95 sales × ₹500 = ₹47,500.

Thus, the monthly revenue of your keychain business from that single blog could increase by approximately ₹47,500.

Given the significant return on investment from search optimization, businesses are now adopting new strategies to keep pace with the evolving nature of search.

AI + SEO = GEO

Even Google is now prioritising direct answers to user queries through Google AI Overviews instead of giving a list of links for the users to choose from. As per a Forbes report, AI-generated summaries like AI Overviews have caused organic traffic declines ranging from 15% to 64%, depending on the industry and type of search.

The report further stated that approximately 60% of searches now result in zero clicks, as users find answers directly within AI-generated responses on SERPs. Queries featuring AI Overviews have seen a 34.5% lower average click-through rate (CTR), signaling reduced engagement with traditional organic search listings, the report added.

Additionally, a Dialog survey highlighted that 67% of participants believe AI will likely replace traditional search engines within three years. Additionally, 49% view AI and search as essentially interchangeable. Users cite the ability to ask follow-up questions (44%), receive direct answers (42%), and enjoy a conversational interaction (38%) as key reasons for favoring AI tools over traditional search engines.

With the changing nature of search, the strategies employed to optimise a content for search has also changed.

Earlier, an SEO strategy used to be a plan to create, optimise, and promote content to improve its visibility in search engine results, attracting more organic traffic to a website. It involved a variety of techniques, such as keyword research, on-page optimization, technical SEO, and link building.

However, the industry is gradually moving towards optimising the content for AI responses instead of adding keywords and creating backlinks. This new and evolved strategy is called GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

GEO is the process of optimizing digital content to rank, appear prominently, or be referenced within AI-powered generative search engines like Google’s AI Overview, Microsoft Copilot/Search, Perplexity AI, You.com, and others.

Unlike traditional search engines that display a list of website links, these generative engines use artificial intelligence to produce direct answers and summaries by synthesizing information from multiple online sources. As a result, GEO focuses on strategically shaping how content is surfaced, cited, and integrated within these AI-generated responses to enhance visibility and authority in the evolving search landscape.

GEO targets citations, mentions, and summary inclusions within AI-generated answers produced by large language model (LLM)-powered search experiences.

Rather than focusing solely on traditional SEO signals, GEO prioritises AI-friendly content structure, entity relevance, source authority, and conversational query alignment, ensuring content is well-positioned for inclusion when AI engines synthesise and present information to users.