In this episode of Marketing Mantra, I share my honest take on the growing chaos of acronyms around AI search. Every week there’s a new one: AEO, LLMO, AIO, GAIO, SEvO, and honestly, most of them don’t make sense. They’re shallow rebrands of SEO dressed up with new jargon.
I break down where each of these acronyms came from, why they don’t hold up, and why only one term actually deserves a place in our marketing vocabulary: GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). Just like SEO defined the Google era, I believe GEO will define the generative era.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
The backstory of AEO, LLMO, AIO/GAIO, and SEvO — and why I think they’re destined to fade.
Why GEO stands apart as a clear, focused, and lasting framework.
The pillars of GEO that I focus on in my own work:
Citations and Mentions – how to get cited in generative answers.
Schema and Entities – why structuring your content matters more than ever.
Authority and Trust – building credibility with both people and AI engines.
Prompt-Based Visibility – how I test and track brand presence across ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity.
Why I believe GEO is the playbook marketers need to embrace right now.
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Links and Resources
📖 Read my full blog post on GEO: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): How to Stay Visible in the Age of AI Search
🌐 Learn more about my agency: Startup Cafe Digital
📚 Explore more in-depth guides at 99signals.com
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BONUS RESOURCES + FREE DOWNLOADS
If you're a fan of the podcast, here are some FREE online marketing resources from my blog, 99signals, to help you level up your marketing skills:
The Ultimate Blogging Toolkit (https://ebooks.99signals.com/blogging-toolkit) - This eBook features 75+ marketing tools to help you blog better and boost your traffic!
The Essential Guide to Link Building with Infographics (https://resources.99signals.com/infographic-backlinks-pdf) - This PDF guide will show you how you can easily design an infographic and quickly build high-quality backlinks to supercharge your SEO.
Top-rated articles at 99signals (https://www.99signals.com/best/) - This page contains a list of all the top-rated articles on my blog. It’s a great place to get started if you’re visiting 99signals for the first time.
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Visit https://www.99signals.com for more insights on SEO, blogging, and marketing.
