GEO ain’t SEO…
Lets begin with a fact (that you may or may not already know).
When ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, or Claude recommend a brand, they pull from sources they already trust. Trade press. Tier one media. Independent reviewers. Third party validators. They also scour owned platforms (e.g., corporate website(s)) for corroboration.
Guess what all of these have in common? They’re likely the responsibility of your PR/comms team.
When I speak about GEO and people say, “So basically you do SEO?” I take issue. In a word, no.
The LLM engines aren't pulling from a magic ad inventory (at least for now). They’re seeking narrative consistency. If that consistency doesn’t exist (or it’s just too thin) across your “digital footprint,” AI engines will fill the gaps with whatever is easiest to retrieve. (This, in turn, can quietly eat away at your credibility.)
Sure, SEO plays a role in ensuring that your content is retrievable where possible, but by and large, AI visibility is being driven by the work PR pros have always done.
If this feels like a semantic argument and/or you’re too busy and overwhelmed to care about whos-on-first, I get it. In this week’s episode, we talk about easy (and FREE!) places to get started doing the good, solid, long-term, foundation-building reputation work needed in 2026 and beyond. In approximately 10 mins, I cover three steps:
A benchmark audit across the platforms that matter to your category. Not a five second free SEO checker. A real read on what the LLMs are saying about you, your competitors, and the topics your buyers ask about.
Fixes for the gaps and hallucinations. (Often a combination of comms, SEO, and other professionals teaming up in a new, contemporary org structure.) Yes, there’s a shout-out for Super Human in there, too. (After all, it is the humans designing much of this!)
Governance. Reputation is not a “set it and forget it” situation.
Still don’t have time? Click the free starter audit here. As always, I’m here to help.
Abby Lovett, Founder & AI Visibility Advisor, CTP Visibility Advisors. Author of "Super Human: 8 'SMALL' Ways to Be Super at What You Do…and Human While You Do It."
