The landscape of search is undergoing a seismic shift, and as marketers, it’s our imperative to not just observe it, but to actively shape it for our brands. For years, we’ve diligently optimised for SEO, to make sure our brands become visible when potential customers are starting to show buyer intent. Due to the rise of LLMs and their popularity in both the B2B and B2C space, we embraced AIO – to ensure our brands pop up when users prompt AI tools to answer their question. But the future of visibility isn’t just about being found; it’s about being cited.
At TEAM LEWIS, we’ve been at the forefront of this evolution, and after extensive global analysis of search trends and terminology, we’re making a significant strategic pivot: from AIO (AI Optimisation) to GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation). This isn’t just a rebrand of a term; it’s a re-calibration of our entire approach to digital presence. We’re also developing our own discovery and monitoring tools to track client performance as part of our AI tool suite.
The urgency of this shift is especially pronounced in APAC. The region’s LLM market is projected to reach $94 billion by 2030, growing at a remarkable 89.21% CAGR the highest globally. From $416.56 million in 2023, the market is scaling at unprecedented speed, driven by strong AI investments and widespread language technology adoption in China, Japan, and South Korea.
This rapid expansion signals one thing clearly: generative AI is not a future trend in APAC, it is an accelerating present reality. As AI-powered discovery becomes embedded across regional platforms and search experiences, brands must evolve their visibility strategies accordingly.
For brands operating across multilingual, multi-market environments in APAC, this growth also introduces complexity. GEO is not just about optimisation, it is about establishing structured authority that generative engines can interpret across languages and industries.
What is GEO, and Why Does It Matter for Marketers?
GEO is the strategic process of optimising your brand’s digital footprint to be recognised, understood, and cited by Generative AI models like ChatGPT, Gemini, and other large language models (LLMs). Think of it this way: instead of clicking through search results, more people are now asking AI questions directly and getting a summarised answer.
The Shift from “Found” to “Cited”
Traditional SEO focused on keywords, backlinks, and technical health to rank on Google’s search results pages (SERPs). AIO expanded this by leveraging AI to generate and optimise content more efficiently. GEO takes this a crucial step further. It’s about optimising for authority, trustworthiness, and clear, factual information that LLMs can confidently pull from and attribute.
This means:
- Deep Content Authority: Creating genuinely valuable, expert-driven content that LLMs can learn from.
- Structured Data & Semantic Clarity: Making it easy for AI to understand the context and relationships within your content.
- Brand Mentions & Citations: Actively pursuing mentions and references from credible sources across the web, which signals authority to LLMs.
Why the Change from AIO to GEO?
Our internal analysis revealed a clear global trend: “GEO” is rapidly becoming the industry’s preferred term. As new marketing tools emerge, they often come with new names and acronyms, like AIO, GEO, and AEO. During this time, the landscape also changed as Google began embedding their AI Mode and AI Overviews directly at the top of search results in many countries.
Analysis search behaviour showed us GEO has now become the industry standard. We believe in speaking the same language as the global innovators and forward-thinking clients we partner with. This shift isn’t just about staying current; it’s about leading the charge, ensuring our strategies are aligned with how the world searches now.
At TEAM LEWIS, we’re not just observing the future of search; we’re actively building it for our clients. Embracing GEO means empowering your brand to not just rank, but to be a trusted voice in the age of generative AI.
Don’t just aim to be found; aim to be cited.
