Is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) All Noise or is it Here to Stay?
I wrote a piece about the impact that LLMs (specifically GEO or AEO) are having on discoverability in developer tools for Draft.dev this month, and it got me thinking about the broader question:
Is GEO the new SEO or just a passing trend?
The hard part about this question is that there are parts of it that are surely passing trends.
For examples, the LLMs seemed to draw heavily from Reddit for answers, but a few days ago, the news that OpenAI is relying on it less sent waves through Reddit's stock price. This sort of flip-flopping illustrates how in-flux LLM technologies are right now, so anyone who tells you they know exactly how to apply GEO is a little bit full of shit.
That said, user behavior is undoubtedly changing. More business buyers seem to be relying for LLMs at the top of their funnel (ie: finding options to evaluate). While we all know LLMs halucinate, making them unreliable for some more nuanced, technical questions, at a high level, they do a good job aggregating text data and sentiment towards products.
This means that ensuring your business shows up in LLMs as part of your top-of-funnel strategy is now essential. It might be even more essential than SEO in some industries, but that probably depends on your customer.
So, in the long-term, LLMs are here to stay, so some form of optimization for them will be necessary. In the short-term, the things you need to do to stay in their good graces will change...a lot...and rapidly.
We're back to SEO in 2010, when black hat techniques like link stuffing and content farming worked. A lot of similar techniques seem to be working for LLMs (stuffing listicles and brand mentions on social media, for example), but I'm certain this won't hold up for long.
What do you think? Are you paying attention to GEO yet or just waiting out the storm? Hit reply to let me know.
Retained Trust
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Every time I talk with JD Graffam, it's an experience and this episode was no different.
We started the conversation in his woodworking shop, and the conversation veered through his transformation from a small-time agency owner to a accidental SaaS acquirer.
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Linkedin Discussions
Most new agency founders overestimate the effectiveness of cold outreach
...and underestimate how powerful relationships can be.
Here’s what worked for me:
→ Join the right communities → Answer questions without pitching → Help people publicly and privately → Stay in touch—without expecting anything
Over time, the results can be incredible.
Want to know if you’re doing a good job as a founder?
Ask your team: where are we headed?
If they can clearly articulate the vision back to you, you’ve done your job well.
If they can’t? You’re not saying it enough.
You can chase aggressive growth. Or you can run a lifestyle business. You can’t do both.
I see too many agency founders stuck in the middle. They say they want growth… but their actions clearly tell a different story.
→ They avoid risk. → They stick to the same safe playbook. → They prioritize comfort over the discomfort that comes with growth.
Look, there’s nothing wrong with running a stable, profitable, lifestyle business — if that’s what you want.
Just don't waste your time in the middle. And be honest with yourself...