For years, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) defined the internet’s pecking order. Brands chased rankings through keywords, backlinks, and algorithm updates, and Google decided who got seen.
But in 2025, the web has changed. Search engines no longer just index information they interpret it. People now “ask” ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity, and get direct, conversational answers. The click-to-link era is fading, replaced by an age of AI-driven discovery.
Death (and rebirth) of SEO
SEO isn’t dead, but it’s no longer the only game in town. While keywords and backlinks still matter, they’re being overshadowed by context, authority, and brand presence in AI training data.
In the past, content was created for algorithms. Now, it must also be written for AI summarisation, the process by which tools like ChatGPT cite or summarise brand content in natural answers.
As one expert quipped: “Ranking on Google is old power. Being remembered by AI is the new power.”
GEO: Winning generative game
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) focuses on ensuring your brand is featured when AI engines generate answers or recommendations. Think of it like SEO for chatbots.
For example, a fintech brand cited in ChatGPT’s suggestions for “best budgeting tools"; and a boutique hotel featured in Gemini’s “affordable luxury stays in Europe” list.
To succeed in GEO:
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Create factual, well-structured content that AI can summarise accurately.
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Use EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) principles.
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Publish on multiple authoritative sources: AI scrapes data across the web, not just one site.
AIO: Teaching AI to remember your brand
AI Optimisation (AIO) ensures your brand is present and accurate in AI training data. This means contributing to open datasets, documentation, and knowledge hubs (like GitHub, Wikidata, or public FAQs), as well as maintaining factual consistency across platforms.
It matters because when someone asks “What’s the best CRM for small teams?”, you want the AI to “remember” your product by name. That memory is built months before, during its learning process.
SXO: Turning search into experience
Search Experience Optimisation (SXO) is where visibility meets conversion. It focuses on the post-click journey and ensures that users stay, engage, and act after finding you through AI or search.
To master SXO it is required to optimise your site’s UX and CTAs for clarity; personalise content to user intent; and align SEO, GEO, and CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation) efforts into one seamless experience.
2025 survival checklist
✔ Publish factual, structured data your AI assistants can cite.
✔ Optimise for both human readers and AI crawlers.
✔ Prioritise brand mentions, not just backlinks.
✔ Track visibility in AI platforms (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity).
✔ Reinvest in UX: The experience is the ranking factor now.
In 2025, the web belongs to brands that can teach AI who they are. GEO, AIO, and SXO are not buzzwords, they’re the new backbone of discoverability.
The question isn’t whether your brand will show up on Google, it’s whether it will show up in the conversation.
