GEO Search is Already Here, Is Your Website Ready?

By Tom Light|10 Dec 2025

In 2026, AI search is no longer a future trend or an experiment happening in tech labs. It's here. It's visible in your web traffic. It's reshaping how users discover, evaluate, and engage with brands. And if you're still approaching SEO, content and optimisation through a pre-AI lens, you're long behind. The shift is no longer coming; the revolution has begun.

The Shifting Sands

According to recent data, over 55% of Google searches now trigger an AI Overview (AIO). Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude serve millions of prompts daily, often replacing traditional search entirely. And yet, most websites are not optimised to appear in these environments. They're effectively invisible.

So, is your website ready to be found, trusted, and chosen in the age of AI search?

The AI Search Revolution in Numbers

Let's start with context:

378+ million people use AI tools globally (2025 projection)
58% of users say they use generative AI tools instead of Google for product or service research
49% of users still click blue links after reading AI-generated answers – but your chance to earn that click is slimmer than ever

This change is not just a tweak to traditional search. It's a fundamental shift in how users interact with information.

What AI Search Actually Means

There are two key ecosystems at play:

1. AI Overviews (AIOs):

Appear within traditional search engines like Google
Summarise content from indexed web pages
Link to sources, but only cite a handful

2. LLM-based Tools (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, etc.):

Independent of search engines
Provide conversational, multi-step answers
Reference a mix of open web content, forums, and proprietary data

AI search is not about "ranking", it's about being cited, quoted, referenced, or summarised. If you're not showing up in the answers, you're not even in the conversation.

How to Know If You're GEO Ready

Use this quick checklist to assess AI search (GEO) readiness:

Is your content designed to answer prompts rather than just match keywords?
Do you monitor visibility in AI tools like Perplexity or ChatGPT?
Do you structure your content for clarity, accuracy, and citation?
Are you being mentioned in third-party sources like Reddit, Wikipedia, or authoritative media?
Have you tested how your brand appears in AI assistants?

If the answer is "no" to most of these, you're in Stage 1 or 2 of the AI Search Maturity Model: Awareness or Exploration. That's not a bad thing, but it means now is the time to act.

The Risk: Visibility You Can't Track

One of the biggest challenges brands face is measuring their visibility in AI environments. Unlike traditional SEO, where you can track keyword rankings and impressions, AI citations are:

Harder to spot
Not always clicked
Often surfaced without attribution

Your brand may already appear in ChatGPT responses without your knowledge. Or worse, your competitors might be dominating AI responses while you fade into obscurity.

How to Know If You're Ready

Use this quick checklist to assess AI search readiness:

Is your content designed to answer prompts, not just match keywords?
Do you monitor visibility in AI tools like Perplexity or ChatGPT?
Do you structure your content for clarity, accuracy, and citation?
Are you being mentioned in third-party sources like Reddit, Wikipedia, or authoritative media?
Have you tested how your brand appears in AI assistants?

If the answer is "no" to most of these, you're in Stage 1 or 2 of the AI Search Maturity Model: Awareness or Exploration. That's not a bad thing, but it means it's time to act now.

Traditional Search: Multiple Queries, Multiple Brand Touchpoints

Prompt / Action	Search Result / Touchpoint	Impact
Search: “Best summer holiday destination”	See's travel blog with your brand mentioned	First impression, passive brand awareness begins
Search: “What to do in Greece”	Visits your content hub or itinerary page	Engagement, brand seen as helpful, builds trust
Search: “Hotels in Santorini”	See's your Google Business Profile or OTA listing	Presence in listings starts comparing your offer
Search: “[Your brand] reviews”	Finds review content, forums, and rating sites	Social proof, credibility validated via others
Search: “[Your brand].com” or direct click	Lands on your website, explores options	Deeper engagement, controls experience and narrative
On-site action: Compares, enquires, or books	Enters the conversion path	*You close the loop, a visible, trackable journey*

AI Search: Fewer Clicks, Fewer Chances, but More Influence Offsite

Prompt / Action	Search Result / Touchpoint	Impact
Prompt: “Plan a summer holiday for a family” (generic)	AI suggests Greece, Portugal, and Croatia, with pros and cons	Initial influence, your brand may appear in context, but not by name
Follow-up Prompt: “What should we do in Greece with kids?”	AI lists top activities, links to sources like travel blogs or forums	Your brand could be referenced through UGC, guides, or quotes from 3rd parties
Prompt: “Which area should I stay in Santorini?”	Recommends regions, may include hotels with pros/cons	May cite your hotel, but framed through review or content snippet, not a direct ad
Prompt: “Is X hotel good for young children?”	AI references reviews, features, and possibly your site or GMB content	Trust is built off-site; your site may be quoted without being clicked
Prompt: “Where can I book this?”	AI suggests direct booking, Google it, or visit the site	Brand finally entered directly, but the decision was influenced mainly beforehand
Action: Visits your site directly, or via a booking engine	Reviews, compares, and possibly converts	*Only touchpoint you see, but 3–5 happened before*

Immediate Steps You Can Take

1. Test Prompts Yourself
Search in ChatGPT or Perplexity for prompts like:

"Best [product/service] for [audience]"
"What does [your brand] do?"
"[Problem] + solution suggestions" See if you appear. If not, ask why not.

2. Audit Your Content

Does it answer high-context questions?
Is it structured clearly (with FAQs, summaries, and schema)?
Is it quotable and fact-based?

3. Build Brand Signals Off-Site

Engage in platforms frequently cited by AI tools: Reddit, YouTube, and Wikipedia
Digital PR and thought leadership content now serve a dual purpose: human readers and AI visibility

4. Track What You Can

Use tools like Accuranker, SEMrush, and Ahrefs for early signals of AI Overviews
Review Google Analytics and Google Search Console for traffic drops tied to known AI-related queries

A Quick Look Ahead

In the next 6–12 months, we expect:

Greater AI integration within search (Gemini, SGE rollouts)
More SEO tools to provide AI citation data
New standards for prompt optimisation and AI tracking

Brands that move first will gain authority faster.

Fresh Egg POV: Why This Matters

AI search is not a trend; it's a structural shift in digital experience. Our integrated approach across SEO, content, CRO and analytics means we're uniquely placed to:

Track AI visibility
Create prompt-ready content
Optimise for authority and citation
Align search strategy with intelligent digital experiences

Need help assessing your AI visibility?

If you want your website to be ready for where users are going next, let's talk. We'll run an AI Search Readiness Audit. We'll show you where you stand, and what to do next. Contact us to get started, or book a strategy call with our experts.

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