Should You Prioritise Traditional SEO or GEO for AI?

Our team has years of hands-on experience delivering measurable results across competitive ecommerce and lead generation markets. That experience has shown us one clear truth. Yes, search behaviour is changing fast, but traditional SEO still drives the majority of online revenue vs AI platforms today.

At the same time, AI-powered search experiences like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity are reshaping how users discover information. Businesses that want to stay visible cannot afford to ignore either system. Data consistently shows that Google’s traditional organic results remain the largest driver of traffic, sales, and conversions, yet AI-assisted search is rising quickly and influencing decisions earlier in the journey.

Forward-thinking brands now need to occupy blue links, AI Overviews and emerging AI search engines at the same time. The question is no longer SEO or GEO. It is how to use both together.

Traditional SEO vs AI SEO (GEO)

What Traditional SEO Focuses On

Traditional SEO is built around how search engines like Google crawl, index, and rank web pages. Core focus areas include keyword targeting aligned to search intent, on-page optimisation, technical performance, backlink authority, and relevance.

The goal is simple. Rank highly in Google’s organic search results for commercially valuable queries. When executed correctly, traditional SEO delivers consistent traffic, strong intent signals, and proven revenue impact.

What AI SEO or GEO Focuses On

GEO, or Generative Engine Optimisation, focuses on how AI systems interpret, understand, and surface information. Instead of ranking pages, AI models generate answers, summaries, and recommendations.

This requires a different optimisation mindset. GEO prioritises entity clarity, brand understanding, data consistency, and factual accuracy. Content must be structured in a way that AI systems can confidently source and trust. The outcome is visibility within AI Overviews, featured AI answers, and other AI-powered results across multiple platforms.

Key Differences in How They Are Optimised

Traditional SEO aligns closely with Google’s ranking factors. It rewards strong technical foundations, authoritative backlinks, and well-optimised pages.

GEO optimises for AI systems that synthesise information from multiple sources. These models look for clear entities, consistent messaging, reliable facts, and strong authority signals across the web.

Content structure also differs. GEO benefits from clear headings, concise explanations, unambiguous language, and well-defined topics. Data accuracy and consistency across sources play a much larger role.

Most businesses need both approaches. SEO captures demand that already exists. GEO influences how brands are represented when AI systems generate answers and recommendations.

The Impact of AI Overviews on SEO

AI Overviews are already changing click behaviour. By answering questions directly in search results, they reduce clicks to traditional organic listings for some queries.

This does not make SEO obsolete, but it does raise the stakes. Brands that only rank organically risk losing visibility if AI summaries dominate the page. Appearing in both AI Overviews and organic results maximises exposure and trust.

AI Overviews typically pull information from authoritative, clearly written sources. Brands with weak content structure or inconsistent messaging are less likely to be cited. Relying on SEO alone in an AI-driven environment leaves gaps that competitors can exploit.

Search Behaviour: Traditional Search vs AI Search

Search is no longer a single system. Users now move between traditional search engines and AI tools depending on intent.

High-intent queries, product comparisons, and transactional searches still heavily favour Google. At the same time, exploratory and informational searches are increasingly handled by AI platforms.

This split means brands must optimise for two parallel ecosystems. Those who prepare early gain a compounding advantage as AI systems learn which sources to trust. Waiting until AI search matures further increases the cost of catching up.

Why Searchflex Focuses on Both SEO and GEO

Searchflex combines deep expertise in traditional SEO with advanced GEO strategies. We understand how to build strong organic foundations while preparing brands for AI-driven visibility.

Our approach focuses on aligning technical SEO, content quality, and authority with the signals AI systems rely on. This ensures clients appear in organic results and AI-generated summaries without compromising either channel.

Rather than chasing trends, we build scalable strategies that work across today’s search landscape and tomorrow’s.

Real Results: Todi & Boys

One clear example of this approach in action is Todi & Boys. Through a combined SEO and GEO strategy, the brand now achieves visibility across both traditional organic search results and AI Overviews.

This dual presence strengthens brand authority, improves trust, and ensures the business is discoverable at multiple stages of the customer journey. By appearing in both environments, Todi & Boys captures demand from users actively searching as well as those influenced by AI-generated answers.

These results show that SEO and GEO are not competing tactics. When executed together, they work as a unified strategy that expands reach and reinforces long-term search visibility.

So, Should You Prioritise SEO or GEO?

Traditional SEO remains the strongest revenue driver for most businesses today. GEO is becoming essential for visibility, brand control, and future-proofing.

The smartest strategy is not choosing one over the other. It is building an integrated approach that captures demand through organic search while shaping how AI systems represent your brand.

The Right Strategy for Modern Search

Search is no longer just about rankings. It is about visibility wherever users search, whether that is traditional Google results or AI-powered experiences.

Brands that win are the ones that invest in strong SEO foundations while preparing for how AI systems discover, interpret, and present information. This balanced approach protects current revenue and builds long-term search equity.

Searchflex helps businesses do exactly that.

Our services include:

• Traditional SEO strategy and execution
• AI SEO and GEO optimisation
• Technical SEO, on-page, and content optimisation
• Ecommerce SEO and lead generation growth strategies

If you want to future-proof your search visibility and appear across both organic results and AI-driven platforms, get in touch with the Searchflex team for a combined SEO and GEO review.