Observed Signal · Jun 3, 2026 · Analysis · Source: https://martech.org/feed/ · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Negative
“It’s just SEO” meme risks costing the search industry
The MarTech contributor argues that dismissing generative search as "it's just SEO" is a harmful meme that risks ceding a major commercial opportunity. As search interfaces become generative — recommending answers, brands and actions — the industry must redefine discoverability and measurement. The piece highlights that LinkedIn’s B2B Institute and the Ehrenberg‑Bass Institute describe Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) as the "new wave of SEO," emphasizing brand authority, relevance and presence in AI-driven discovery. The author warns that failing to name and fund GEO separately will bury necessary investment inside constrained SEO budgets, pushing dollars toward paid channels and reducing organic search's role. The article calls for commercially legible categories, cross-disciplinary skills (SEO, digital PR, brand strategy, measurement) and practical briefs to earn visibility in generative search.
Generative search (GEO) changes discovery and budget allocation; naming and commercial framing will affect who captures organic visibility and marketing budgets.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Article published on 2026-06-03 argues the phrase "it's just SEO" undermines industry response to generative search.
- LinkedIn’s B2B Institute and the Ehrenberg‑Bass Institute describe Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) as "the new wave of SEO."
- MarTech is owned by Semrush, which is disclosed in the article footer.
- The piece recommends naming GEO (or similar) to secure distinct briefs, budgets and measurement for AI-driven search visibility.
Connected Companies & Entities
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Related Market Signals & Shifts
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GEO Follows Early SEO's Path
The article argues that Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) — the effort to get brands cited in AI-generated answers — should be a top priority for marketers, but that traditional SEO alone will not guarantee visibility in LLM-driven responses. It outlines common GEO tactics (structured FAQs, TL;DRs, schema) and warns of emerging black‑hat techniques (AI spam, fake reviews, cloaking). Drawing lessons from early SEO, including keyword stuffing and Google’s 2006 removal of BMW for cloaking, the piece predicts AI model vendors will increasingly detect and penalize manipulative GEO practices. The author recommends sustainable, white‑hat GEO (high-quality, answer-focused content and reputable techniques) as the path likely to deliver long-term visibility in AI answers. (Published Jun 23, 2026; author: Mike Maynard.)
GEO Requires Cross‑Functional Coordination, Not More Content
The article argues that Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is primarily a coordination challenge rather than a tooling or pure-content problem. Generative systems aggregate signals across content, source context, technical readability, brand profile and product information; inconsistencies across these signals produce unclear or contradictory AI overviews. Brands should treat Paid, Owned, Earned and Shared (POES) as a single, aligned system, use shared narratives to avoid semantic breaks, and measure impact with both platform KPIs and cross-channel effect models (e.g., MMM). Practical tactics discussed include chunking content, curated top lists, and optimizing platform-specific text signals (descriptions, transcripts). The piece cites Roland Eisenbrand (OMR) saying roughly 265 million organic clicks are lost monthly in Germany and lists GEO KPIs such as Visibility Score, Mention-to-Citation ratio, Narrative Accuracy, Entity Assignment, Tonality, AI Referral Traffic, conversion rate and ROI.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Exposes Business Silos
Fiona McKenzie of Marketbridge argues that generative engine optimization (GEO) is not merely a marketing task but a lens that exposes organizational silos and inconsistent external signals shaping brand representation in AI/LLM-driven responses. Based on a breakfast briefing with senior marketing, digital and content leaders, the column highlights that AI engines pull from earned media, analyst commentary, reviews, forums, social platforms, product documentation and customer conversations, meaning sales, product, customer service, PR and leadership all influence how a brand is interpreted. The piece stresses measurement (e.g., share of search, share of voice, sentiment) and cross-functional alignment as priorities for brands responding to GEO.
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