Looking Back Over the First Year of a Brand New GEO Era 

AI summaries, chat answers, and shiny new acronyms have taken over the headlines of the SEO industry this year. On the ground, though, the jobs that event marketers need Search for haven’t changed much. People still use Google to compare options, find dates and prices, check reviews, and take the next step. 

“GEO” – Generative Engine Optimisation – sounds new, but in practice it’s the same craft good SEOs have always done: create genuinely helpful content, make pages fast and easy to use, structure information so both people and machines can understand it, and keep your local profiles spotless. This is not a world of GEO vs SEO: It’s very much a world where GEO and SEO are one and the same.

This post is our take after a year of living side by side with LLMs, AIOs, and all those other acronyms. Let’s look at what’s changed, what hasn’t, and where to focus if you want reliable results.

What’s Changed?

• More answers on the results page

AI summaries now appear more often, especially for broader questions. So far, the trend is that this decreases clicks on top-of-funnel content. Look at this as an opportunity to tighten your on-page summaries and show clear next steps, rather than chasing the summary box itself. 

• There’s now a higher bar for what is considered “useful”

Thin copy and rewrites of what’s already ranking just aren’t enough. Pages that are winning are the ones that are adding something new, be it real data, side-by-side comparisons, clear timelines, definitive instructions, pricing frameworks, videos, or true, in-depth information beyond a simple “yes” or “no”.

• Entity clarity matters

Search and AI systems both lean on “who you are” and “what you’re all about”. Clean brand, event, speaker, venue and category pages that interlink sensibly are being rewarded. Think appropriate schema, good navigation, and consistent naming. It’ll all go a long way. 

• Local signals are louder

For anything with a location, whether it’s a venue, regional shows, service areas for suppliers, things like Google Business Profiles, reviews, FAQs and practical details are more critical than ever. AI can summarise, but people still tap to call, get directions, or find opening hours. In fact, local SEO is thriving in the AI-first search era.

• Content formats are broader

Short videos, templates, checklists and tools get referenced more often across search, social and AI. Your “best answer” isn’t always a 1,500-word article. Mix your formats so you’re easy to find and your information is easy to process. 

What Hasn’t Changed

• Google is still the discovery backbone

Even heavy AI users rely on Google when it’s time to compare, shortlist and book. That means your core SEO program still carries the load for your approach. According to research, 95% of ChatGPT users visit Google, but just 14% of Google users go to ChatGPT. 

• Intent still rules

Pages win when they match what people are actually looking for. Google and LLMs alike are both working hard to put the most relevant content in front of users, related to their specific search. Keep being guided by search intent when framing your approach to crafting unique content. 

• Google is still driving conversions

Research shows that while search is growing fast and affecting traffic levels everywhere, it’s not taking everything. Organic search is still converting conversions and growth, with AI search driving less than 1% of referrals. 

• Speed and UX still separate winners from runners-up

Fast pages with clear headings, handy tables of contents, comparison blocks and user-friendly forms keep earning the clicks and the action. 

• Proof beats promises

Case studies, session videos, speaker line-ups, exhibitor logos and review snippets still do the heavy lifting. AI can summarise proof, but you still need to publish it.

GEO is Just Good SEO 

The playing field has changed for sure over the last year, but the game remains: Provide the best information and answers to users and the powers that be (Google and LLMs) will reward you. Google itself has reaffirmed that SEO is still about doing good things for people. 

But if you really want to feel you’re taking action, here’s what we’ve seen work this year:

1. Tighten the first 150 words. Lead with the problem you solve, who it’s for, the payoff, and the next step. Clear, specific intros can help lift conversions without extra traffic. 
2. Add “information gain,” not volume. One new chart, dataset, map, price branding, checklist or short explainer video will beat 500 words of rewrites. 
3. Make comparisons easy. Tables, charts, and pro/con block sections can help reduce bounce and speed decisions.
4. Link naturally. Intent-based internal links help both users and crawlers. But don’t overdo it. 
5. Include relevant schema. Article, FAQ, Service and the like offer enough to clarify entities without complicating things and create maintenance debt. 
6. Don’t fear niche content. Where relevant, target lower-volume, high-intent keywords. This might bring in fewer visitors, but far more qualified enquiries. 

The world of AI search is still very much unfolding, and we’re all learning in public. But the pattern is clear. The brands winning today are still doing the same things that have always worked, just levelled up: providing useful content, fast loading pages, clear structure, real proof, and then packaging all of that so that it shows up in more places (search, AI, answers, maps, etc). That’s GEO, and that’s SEO.

Keep focusing on the fundamentals, keep testing formats, and keep listening to users – but keep finding ways to do it better. 

If you simply can’t? That’s where we come in. Speak to our SEO team about getting started on good SEO in the time of GEO.