It is how visibility and authority are measured in the age of AI. Instead of focusing solely on search rankings or clicks, brands now need to ensure their content is cited and recognized inside AI generated answers, where users are increasingly getting information directly.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) isn’t just a new term marketers need to learn — it represents a fundamental shift in how visibility works in an internet increasingly shaped by AI generated answers.
This shift explains why traditional ranking metrics feel less reliable than they did even two years ago.
For nearly two decades, brands optimised for blue links on search engine results pages. Today, the focus is moving toward generative engine optimization, where the goal is to be cited inside AI generated answers rather than simply clicked.
The AI revolution, powered by Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, is no longer theoretical. It’s already influencing how people discover information, make decisions, and form opinions — often without ever visiting a website.
This is where many brands feel the disconnect between traffic reports and real-world visibility.
As Vikas Chawla, Co-founder of Social Beat, puts it:
“The shift isn’t just about a new search engine. It’s about a fundamental change in user intent. We are moving from a Retrieval Economy to an Answer Economy.”
Despite the rapid adoption of AI tools, Google remains deeply entrenched in India. As of late 2024, Google processes around 14 billion searches per day globally, with India showing even stronger dependence than the global average.
| Region | Market Share | Dominant Device |
| Global | ~90.04% | Desktop + Mobile |
| India | ~97.18% | Mobile (98.7%) |
However, while Google still owns the user, it increasingly controls the outcome through AI generated answers shown directly on the results page.
We are witnessing a sharp rise in Zero-Click Search Behaviour:
Data from 2024 shows that for every 1,000 Google searches, only 360 resulted in a click to the open web.
The GEO takeaway:
In the era of generative engine optimization, ranking #1 matters less than being quoted. If your content feeds the AI generated answer, your brand still earns visibility — even when the click never happens.
A common assumption is that ChatGPT is simply replacing Google. In reality, users engage with AI generated answers very differently.
OpenAI classifies prompts into three modes:
In India — where mobile-first behaviour, Hinglish prompts, and voice queries dominate — LLMs are increasingly treated as creation tools, not just information retrieval systems.
People don’t “search” on ChatGPT the way they search on Google; they collaborate with it.
Only 24–40% of prompts resemble traditional search queries.
Marketing implication:
Generative engine optimization is not just about answering questions. Brands need to build utility assets — templates, datasets, calculators, and frameworks — that AI models can reuse while generating answers.
The ecosystem producing AI generated answers is no longer uniform. It is clearly divided into two markets.
Strategic implication:
A successful generative engine optimization strategy must be platform-aware. Content that performs well inside ChatGPT’s AI generated answers may not surface the same way in Gemini or enterprise-grade models.
Not all AI generated answers are created equal. The depth and reliability of an answer depend on how much reasoning the model applies.
This is where poor-quality content quietly disappears.
Why this matters for brands:
Advanced reasoning models filter aggressively. If your content lacks originality or depth, it won’t survive the reasoning layer — and therefore won’t appear in AI generated answers.
For years, backlinks defined authority. In generative engine optimization, authority is increasingly measured through brand mentions inside AI generated answers.
“In late 2024…” consistently outperforms “recently…”
Based on conversations with CMOs and CEOs, 70% of brands plan to invest in generative engine optimization (also called AEO) by 2026, making it a board-level priority rather than a marketing experiment.
As AI increasingly synthesises the web, visibility is no longer guaranteed by rankings alone.
The real question brands must ask is no longer:
“How do I rank #1?”
But instead:
“Am I part of the AI generated answer?”
Those who master generative engine optimization early won’t just adapt to the future of search — they’ll define it.