Over the last 6 to 12 months, a huge number of conversations I’ve had with business owners start in exactly the same way.
“Traffic is down, but we haven’t changed anything.”
And in most cases, they’re right, they haven’t changed anything, but search has (and not in subtle way either!)
This is a pretty fundamental shift in how people search, how they consume information, and how they make decisions.
The shift most SMEs are underestimating
I mainly work with B2B businesses, but you only need to look at your own behaviour to see what’s going on.
Google is still dominating search, but the experience has completely changed. More often than not you are now seeing AI summaries at the top of results, getting direct answers without needing to click, or just going straight to tools like ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot to ask your question.
Your prospects are doing exactly the same, they are asking questions and getting answers instantly.
And this is where the problem starts, if your business is not part of those answers, you are not even in their consciousness.
This is where GEO & AEO come in
We could have done without more acronyms in marketing if I am honest. PPC, SEO, GEO, AEO… it makes you want to break into Old MacDonald.
But stripped back, it is simple.
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) are just strategies that help your business appear in AI-driven answers. That includes Google’s AI overviews, ChatGPT responses, and conversational search more broadly.
In other words, this is how you move from being one of many links to being the actual answer.
Don’t make the mistake in thinking it’s for big brands only
This is probably the biggest misconception, a lot of SMEs assume this is not for them and that they would not be able to compete. And yes, large brands do have an advantage because they have authority, PR coverage and scale.
But that does not mean SMEs are out of the game, they just need to find the opportunity gaps.
A good example is FreshGround. We have worked with them for a few years on traditional SEO, and more recently GEO and AEO. They are not a big corporate or a well-known B2C brand. They are a B2B SME selling coffee machines into offices.
They are now appearing in AI overviews across 170 plus keywords, including things like commercial coffee machine rentals, what is a bean to cup coffee machine, and good coffee machine for office.
FreshGround AI Overview Visibility
That visibility is nothing to do with the size of their business, it has happened because they are answering the right questions, clearly, and they provide well-structured content and evidence of expertise and credibility.
This is what AI is looking for and that is achievable for any SME.
No, traditional SEO is not dead!
We are starting to get more enquiries specifically asking for GEO and AEO, but this is where it can go wrong.
They do not replace SEO, they rely on it.
Everything we have always done still matters. Technical SEO, site structure, keyword research, content strategy, backlinks and authority, these are still the foundations.
If anything, they are more important now because they help AI systems understand, trust and reference your content.
The way I usually explain it is – SEO gets you found, GEO helps you get picked.
The brand risk most businesses miss
There is another angle to this that I do not think enough businesses are considering.
Some are already appearing in AI-generated answers, but they do not control how they appear. That information could be coming from old content, third-party websites, or incomplete and sometimes inaccurate sources.
So yes, they are visible, but they don’t have control over how their business is being described.
In some cases, they might even be referenced in a competitor comparison, where they are effectively shaping the narrative. They are in the conversation, but not in a position they would choose.
What you need to consider
From a website perspective, businesses need to aim for clear pages for each service and audience, a logical structure that mirrors how people search, and a site that is technically sound and easy to crawl.
From a content perspective, it is about answering real questions. Content needs to be simple, direct and genuinely useful, built around intent rather than just keywords. It also needs to demonstrate real expertise, not just surface-level information.
And beyond your website, credibility matters, so things like PR and backlinks all reinforce trust.
Not sure where to start?
If you are unsure where you currently stand, drop me a message or leave a comment on this newsletter. I can run a free GEO audit to show where you are visible, where that information is coming from, and what you need to do to improve.
