If You’ve Been Investing in SEO, You’re on the Right Track With GEO: An AMA With Lily Ray

4. How do we rebuild meaningful performance benchmarks when Google keeps moving the goalposts?

The first thing to remember is that this affects everyone equally. It’s a reporting change, not necessarily a change in how your site appears in search. Google's trying to limit excessive crawling from LLMs and AI crawlers, which explains the update. 

But even before this, rankings beyond position 20 offered little value and were more directional than actionable. 

Now, we need to focus on top rankings and broader business metrics, including: 

• AI visibility
• Brand lift studies
• Branded impressions

5. What metrics are you currently tracking for GEO/AI success?

It's tricky right now because we don’t have a “Search Console for ChatGPT,” and AI Overviews or AI Mode traffic isn’t broken out in GA4. So yes, the tooling is limited, but we’re adapting.

6. Should we invest in GEO, or is it just chasing a fad?

Both can be true. A lot of what’s being labeled as Generative Engine Optimization overlaps with what SEO teams have been doing for years. 

This includes: 

• Creating original, data-driven content with unique perspectives
• Featuring recognized authors and trusted brands. 

GEO improves AI visibility, but it’s not a new concept. Fundamentally, if you’ve been investing in SEO, brand building, and content marketing, you’re already doing GEO. If you haven’t, now’s the time because it definitely matters for AI search.

7. Should recipe, food, or travel bloggers block AI crawlers?

That’s a really hard one. I know some people in the travel space are already blocking AI crawlers because they see their content as original and don’t consent to it being taken and reused for free, and I totally understand that perspective.

However, there’s a trade-off: blocking AI crawlers limits your visibility in AI search. It puts bloggers in a kind of prisoner’s dilemma. If you wall off your content, you might protect it, but you also risk becoming invisible in the platforms where people are now searching.

Also, not all crawlers respect those blocks, so there’s no guarantee. But if you truly want to keep your content for your audience and rely on other channels for traffic, that’s a valid business choice.

That said, I think most companies and creators won’t go that route. If the majority of consumers are getting their answers from LLMs, it’s hard to justify removing yourself from that ecosystem completely.

8. How do you deal with stakeholders obsessed with GEO who don’t understand SEO?

The first step is education, but with an open mind. Acknowledge that search is changing, and have honest conversations about what it really takes to appear in AI search. 

At Amsive, we’ve been using Venn diagrams to show the overlap between SEO and GEO, which is approximately 90%. 

It can be frustrating when clients assume you're not prepared for the future of search just because you're not overhyping the newest trend. But that’s why it’s important to stay proactive. 

Share insights, provide resources, and demonstrate that you're deeply informed about how these models work.

I actually presented on this at MozCon recently, and I’ve recorded a version that might help you explain GEO to your clients.

12. What algorithm updates can we anticipate in 2026?

Normally, I’m not excited about core updates because they cause a lot of chaos, often hitting innocent businesses. But this time, I actually am. 

Right now, I’d say spammers are winning, both in AI search and traditional Google results. Even in features like preferred sources and top stories, we’re seeing a flood of low-quality content.

Google’s been so focused on AI that spam has outpaced enforcement. But that won’t last. Historically, when things get messy, Google responds with major algorithm updates such as those in March and May 2024, which were the biggest ever.

I’d expect something similar soon. They’re paying close attention to these new GEO tactics, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a huge update that devalues manipulative AI content and scaled spam.

I also think we might see new spam policies targeting things like self-promotional listicles that rank a company #1. Google’s created highly specific penalties in the past, and I could easily see them cracking down on that kind of behavior.

13. Are there any niches or industries you believe will be most impacted by search changes in 2026? 

I think publishers, especially news and media sites that rely heavily on upper-funnel, informational content, are already seeing the biggest impact. 

These businesses rely on traffic to fund their operations, and with AI search occupying a larger portion of search results, we’re seeing significant click drops in Search Console for these sites.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. If anything, this should be a wake-up call to diversify audience acquisition and engagement strategies. 

Here are a few tactics:

• Encourage employees to build a personal brand: Some publishers are encouraging their journalists to build personal brands, essentially becoming influencers. That means creating videos, launching social campaigns, and speaking directly to audiences, not just publishing text. It may not be for everyone, but it’s working, especially with younger audiences.
• Diversify where your content lives: People are increasingly staying within social platforms like Threads, LinkedIn, BlueSky, and X. You need to meet them where they are because they’re not always clicking out.
• Create content that’s highly shareable and socially engaging: Even if organic clicks decline, you can compensate with stronger visibility and traction across other platforms.