Generative Engine Optimization and the Birth of a New Search Engine

Disruption is a common characteristic of all businesses in recent years. The supply chain felt the ongoing sting of COVID-induced problems and inefficiencies. Carriers have suffered greatly as shippers regained bargaining power, and it seemed like everyone had generalized anxiety over the future of artificial intelligence (AI) in [insert your chosen career]. Sure, there are many factors at play, but this isn’t necessarily new waters in the B2B marketing space. 

AI isn’t something to be feared, and its proper application can greatly enhance your marketing and sales goals. In response, you have to start thinking more broadly about its impact, not just for making minor changes or updating content but rather how to leverage generative engine optimization (GEO). Let’s get back to the basics, well before the age of SEO and what lessons we can take from the past to succeed going forward.

The History of Google and the Rise of SEO Services

Let me share something that not many realize. My job and career history in SEO was never meant to happen. Google’s intent was to index and make pages that helped people accessible. Not everyone can write, but the idea was to get a quality team of marketers that could tell your story and bring in an audience through organic means. Sure, ads are present, and they certainly help, but SEO wasn’t ever meant to be some exuberant service that was a necessity. It just happened. The SEO portion of my career shouldn’t exist, but it does because people need help in marketing for search engines. 

Search engine optimization (SEO) was never meant to be a tactic that entire companies would rely upon. But as humans, we always look for the low-hanging fruit of opportunity, and it led to some major issues in the history of Google. Remember when content was almost illegible due to the plethora of keywords stuffed in weird and unusual places? 

Do you remember the time before Google Snippets? Do you remember what it was like to Ask Jeeves about a topic? 

Over time, Google grew smarter, able to separate noisy, crappy content from that which truly demonstrated value and would be of use for the millions of people using it. 

At the same time, the world of modern SEO was born, ensuring that you’re optimizing content smartly and not engaging in black hat techniques that could lead to a degraded website rank. Marketers also grew smarter, applying next-level tools to understand how people engaged with content through web analytics and data that would eventually become Google Analytics. 

But society evolves, as does technology, and where Google Universal Analytics once stood now stands GA4. But what if we went a bit further back to before Google Analytics? 

What were marketers doing then? The answer is simple; we were watching and using third-party tools to understand what worked and why. The analytics may not have been as advanced as those of today, but I cannot imagine running an agency without a deep use and understanding of GA4. 

I certainly remember seeing websites change when GA4 was launched, and I definitely remember what happened when the Core Update for March 2024 was rolled out by Google. 

Now, I see the same patterns emerging big shake-ups, innovation, and optimization. Of course, we marketers have figured out how to demonstrate the expertise of services through content, regardless of industry, and it works well. That is provided we were following the data–which is actually one of the core values at JCI Marketing. 

Clients needed help with creating SEO-ready content, and JCI Marketing was here to answer that call.  But now we are sitting with a new threat–a need to realize a simple truth in the world of marketing.

People are not expected nor likely to continue interacting with search results in the same fashion.

Why would they?

Anyone can use ChatGPT to get quick answers, and SearchGPT is now live. No one can forget the silliness of Google’s initial AI overview faux pas, but we are once again looking for the future and witnessing the birth of a new search engine. Why must be ready for the introduction and growth of a true competitor that can knock Google from its throne in the digital marketing world, 

The End of Google or the Birth of a New Search Engine?

Four months ago, I spoke with clients concerned over their futures on AI Overviews and explained that the end goal is still the same with respect to Google. Get to page one, create engaging and informative content, and trust that Google will catch it in AI overviews. Now, we face a new threat–one where the searchers aren’t even turning to Google. 

So, you must think about SEO in the context of how the search engines were originally developed. They reviewed content to identify that which was most likely to be valuable for a searcher. The same applies when optimizing content for AI search, but the trick is demonstrating expertise and boosting engagement with your site visitors. Click through rates are changing, so we cannot rely on Google alone. 

 SEO has changed forever, and the future will rest in the hands of those that seek to create genuine and unique content. Google has a younger sibling now that’s still growing, and eventually, we will have data from OpenAI on how to best optimize content to boost engagement. Neither is inherently superior to the other, but we must recognize the new family dynamic of marketing. 

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t continue to optimize content for Google, but you must think outside of the Googled-branded box. You must look beyond SEO and create a diversified content strategy to succeed. That’s what the biggest and oldest players on the internet did. They created material that was built to solve a searcher’s problems or needs. They didn’t have the advanced analytics of today, and for a period of near seven years, there was no such thing as Google Analytics. Everyone was winging it, and now we have to wing it again. 

Rather than simply playing by the usual rules, we must be willing to expand and consider our options for digital marketing outside of the colorful content god’s logo. We must diversify.  

Create and Embrace a Diversified Content Strategy With JCI Marketing

It’s easy to assume that Google is going to vanish, but that’s not based in reality. It’s also easy to hope that SearchGPT won’t take as much traffic away from the search engines as some have posited. However, these are very real possibilities, so you must be willing to look beyond your usual tactics. 

SEO isn’t enough. Email marketing isn’t enough. Regular posting with text and an image on social isn’t enough. Even those that built entire careers as influencers are at risk as that’s not enough. Nothing will be enough unless you start building out the different options to create a truly diversified content strategy, and here’s a secret. If you aren’t doing video, you are behind and going to have trouble catching up. 

JCI Marketing isn’t only an SEO agency. We aren’t only a video production studio. We aren’t only a pool of freelancers. We’re a full suite agency that gets the reality of where truly great marketing is headed–a world where diversity in content strategy is everything and your biggest opportunity. 

Are you willing to be left behind?

I didn’t think so. Let’s talk and build out your future-proof marketing strategy to consider every channel and opportunity in this new age. Schedule a consultation with a JCI Marketing team member to get started.