AI Search
Rand Fishkin's take on 'GEO': it isn't new. It's SEO done right.
Every few months the industry invents a new acronym. The latest is GEO, generative engine optimization, the idea of getting cited by AI. Rand Fishkin, who helped define modern SEO, offered a refreshingly blunt take to Edward Sturm: GEO is not a new discipline. It is SEO applied to a new surface.
Why he's right
Fishkin's point is that the correct approach was always holistic: build a real brand, get your entity and reputation right, earn mentions and PR, and be genuinely useful. AI search is just the newest place that work pays off. The people who were doing proper, brand-first SEO all along are already positioned for the AI era.
The AIs reward the same thing good SEO always did: a real brand people trust.
What it means for you
You do not need to panic-buy a separate 'GEO service.' You need the fundamentals done well, which quietly cover both classic search and AI. That is how we frame our SEO and AI-search work: one foundation, two payoffs.
New acronym, old truth: build something real. That's marketing made with love.
About the author
About John Frazee
John Frazee is the founder of Love.Marketing, a San Antonio agency that’s helped local businesses grow through search, ads, social, and web for over 25 years. He and the in-house team keep a close eye on how search is changing so their clients don’t have to.
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