SEO, AEO, and GEO: What the Experts Are Actually Saying [WEBINAR]

Four experts on where SEO ends, where GEO begins, and why the brands paying attention now are already pulling ahead.

If you missed our recent fireside chat, “No Slides, Just Sides: 4 Experts on SEO, AEO, and GEO,” here’s the short version: The rules of search are changing fast, and the brands paying attention right now are already pulling ahead. 

Our panel brought together perspectives from across the marketing spectrum, including technical SEO, client strategy, and hands-on campaign management, to dig into what AI search really means for visibility, revenue, and the way we work. The conversation opened with a framework that stuck: Think of SEO as marathon training, AEO as a duathlon, and GEO as a full triathlon. Each one builds on the last. You can’t skip the run just because you’re aiming for the Ironman. SEO isn’t going anywhere; it’s the foundation everything else gets built on. Across the board, the panelists are hearing the same thing from clients: Keyword rankings are dipping, traffic patterns look different, and leadership is asking questions no one has clean answers to yet. But the brands that are leaning in early are earning visibility faster than those that are waiting to see how it plays out. 

This was one of the most energizing parts of the conversation. The short answer is yes, and the data is backing it up. AI referral traffic conversion rates are at least double the rate of traditional organic traffic in many clients’ campaigns. The reason makes intuitive sense: Someone who found you through AI search has already done a layer of research. They arrive pre-qualified.

The group ran a real-time query across Google, AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude: “What is the best CRM for small businesses?” The results were telling. Different tools surfaced different brands. Salesforce, dominant in organic, barely appeared in AI Overviews for this specific market. A CRM called Less Annoying CRM showed up in AI responses without ranking in traditional search. The lesson: Ranking and being cited are not the same thing.One clear message came through on content strategy: Do not simplify your website in the name of shorter attention spans. That’s the LLM’s job. Your job is to have the most comprehensive, well-organized answer to the questions your audience is asking. Thin content gives AI little to work with. Depth is what gets you cited. 

Self-promotional listicles where you rank yourself first and your competitors last? Those are also short-sighted and likely to get cracked down on eventually. Third-party validation from credible, authoritative sources is what actually moves the needle. The panelists landed on a pretty consistent answer: Start with your SEO foundation, layer in on-site content, and then pursue earned media and off-site signals. In that order. Skipping steps means the stuff you build later won’t have anything solid to stand on. 

A practical first step anyone can take this week: Go ask an LLM what your company does, and see what comes back. If it’s incomplete, inaccurate, or missing key offerings, you’ve just found your starting point.