Your SEO is working, right?

You’re on page one. Traffic looks reasonable.  And yet — something feels off.

Are you noticing fewer inbound calls, less organic enquiry? The same visibility, but quieter results? Here’s what’s happening.

More than half of all Google searches now end without a single click. AI tools — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copilot can all answer the question before the user ever reaches your website. Your ranking is intact. Your customers just aren’t getting that far.

This is the SEO vs GEO problem. And most SMBs haven’t heard of it… yet.

Three Letters Worth Knowing: G-E-O

• SEO (search engine optimization) gets your website onto Google’s list.
• GEO (generative engine optimization) gets your business into the AI’s answer.

When a potential customer asks ChatGPT “Who are the best at (solving my problem)”, GEO determines whether you get mentioned. SEO has nothing to do with it.

Right now, ChatGPT recommends just 1.2% of local businesses. The other 98.8% don’t exist in that conversation.

The window to get ahead of this is open, and win at GEO is still in its early stages. That will change rapidly in competitive industries.

SEO or GEO: The Case for Doing Both

This isn’t about replacing SEO. Google still drives 40–60% of most businesses’ traffic, and that’s not changing overnight.

But AI search is the fastest-growing discovery channel for B2B and B2C businesses. The visitors it sends are over 4x more likely to convert than standard organic traffic.

The smartest SMBs right now are running both: SEO for the traffic that exists today, GEO for the audience that’s shifting toward AI. An 80/20 budget split is a reasonable starting point.

And here’s the part that surprises most people: GEO isn’t a rebuild. It’s an extension of what you’ve already built — structured differently, optimized for a different reader (the AI).

One Thing To Check This Week

Ask ChatGPT this: “Who are the best [your service] businesses in [your city]?”

See if you appear.

If you don’t, then that’s a valuable gap. And it’s a gap we can help you close.

Reach out to us, and we’ll take a look at your current SEO and GEO visibility, free of charge. No sales call. Just an honest assessment.

Or book a complimentary consult directly with me: https://calendly.com/mjowen 

Mary-Jane
Asset Digital Communications

P.S. That ChatGPT test above? Do it. The results are either reassuring or eye-opening — either way, worth knowing.