AI SEO Is a Scam? 10 Reasons GEO Isn’t a Thing

The video debunks the concept of "Generative Engine Optimization" (GIO) as a distinct SEO strategy, arguing it's largely a myth. It highlights that AI overviews impact a small percentage of searches, primarily informational ones, and that platforms like Perplexity and ChatGPT, while having users, don't represent a significant traffic source compared to traditional search engines. The core message is that effective SEO practices are what influence AI, not a separate GIO approach, and that focusing on foundational SEO will yield better results.

The speaker then shares two actionable SEO strategies that are also beneficial for AI: creating comparison pages under an "alternatives" hub on a website, rather than on a blog, and actively encouraging customers to leave reviews on platforms like Reddit and Trustpilot. These strategies are presented as highly effective for both search engine visibility and AI surfacing, emphasizing the importance of authentic customer feedback and well-structured content for attracting both users and AI.

• "Generative Engine Optimization" (GIO) is presented as a myth, with AI overviews affecting under 12% of searches and primarily informational ones.
• Platforms like Perplexity and ChatGPT are shown to send minimal traffic, with one statistic suggesting ChatGPT has 180.5 million monthly active users, while Bing has 500 million.
• Visibility in AI overviews is not trackable and not a good focus; optimizing for standard SEO practices is more effective as LLMs often share SEO content.
• Two effective strategies for both SEO and influencing AI are:
  • Creating comparison pages under an "alternatives" hub (e.g., yourdomain.com/alternatives/competitor-name) rather than on a blog.
  • Encouraging customers to leave reviews on platforms like Reddit and Trustpilot, as these reviews are highly surfaced by both SEO and LLMs, with an expectation of 95% positive reviews.
• The current AI hype is compared to the dot-com bubble, suggesting a bubble created by software companies for growth and agencies seeking relevance, rather than a fundamentally new SEO category.

Debunking GIO: The Myth of Generative Engine Optimization [00:00]

• The concept of "Generative Engine Optimization" (GIO) as a distinct SEO acronym is argued to be a myth.
• AI overviews have visibility for just under 12% of Google searches.
• AI overviews primarily affect longtail, low-value, informational searches, triggering 99% of the time by such searches.
• AI overviews reduce click-through rates by 34.5%.
• Perplexity has under 30 million monthly users, deemed microscopic, and has abandoned its ad play.
• ChatGPT, as a source of traffic, is typically well under 2%.
• Bing sends more traffic than ChatGPT, despite ChatGPT's reported 700 million weekly active users (later corrected to a more realistic 180.5 million monthly active users).
• AI tools' market share is 64%, with search engine market share around 9.5%.
• Visibility in AI overviews is not trackable and not a good focus for optimization.
• Graphs on LLM referral consistently show minuscule sessions in both absolute and percentage terms; social media is presented as significantly larger.
• There is no fundamental difference between SEO and GIO in terms of what to do to rank or appear.
• LLMs do not have the same experience with spam as search engines.
• GIO is described as a bubble created by software companies for growth and agencies jockeying for relevance, fueled by technology hype cycles similar to the dot-com bubble.

What's going to work best are the long-term things that work well for SEO. And then those will also work really well for if you want to call it AI SEO, that's that's what we call it for AI, it'll work really well for AI.

This section argues that the perceived distinction between traditional SEO and AI-driven optimization is unfounded. It uses statistics to show the limited impact of AI overviews and alternative AI platforms on search traffic, comparing them unfavorably to established search engines. The speaker asserts that focusing on proven SEO strategies is the most effective approach for both traditional search and influencing AI outputs, likening the GIO trend to past technological hype cycles.

Effective SEO Strategies Influencing AI [07:43]

• Two strategies that work well for SEO and also influence AI are discussed.
• Comparison pages comparing a product to a competitor do well for both SEO and influencing LLMs.
• It's a misconception to create comparison pages on a blog; this is not the best way.
• A better approach is to create a hub folder linked in the footer, named "alternatives," structured as yourdomain.com/alternatives/competitor-name.
• These comparison pages, not in the blog, improve user experience and still perform well in LLMs.
• When describing competitors, link to them and describe them in a neutral way.
• An example provided is bitrix24.com, which has an "alternatives" section in its footer.
• The second strategy involves actively encouraging customers to leave good reviews.
• Customers should be sent emails after purchasing, instructing them to leave reviews on platforms like Reddit, Trustpilot, or Google Business Profile.
• Reddit reviews are highly surfaced with SEO and within LLMs like ChatGPT.
• The motivation for leaving reviews is often anger and disappointment, so encouraging happy customers is crucial.
• Most reviews are expected to be positive (around 95%).
• Anger and disappointment are stronger motivators for reviews than joy and contentment.

Anger and disappointment seem to be a bigger motivator for reviews than joy and contentment.

This section provides practical advice on two SEO tactics that also benefit AI visibility. The first is strategically placing comparison pages within an "alternatives" hub on a website, separate from the blog, for better user experience and LLM influence. The second is actively soliciting customer reviews on platforms that are heavily surfaced by both search engines and AI, addressing the common concern about negative reviews by highlighting the positive ratio and the importance of encouraging satisfied customers.