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Search isn’t what it used to be. In 2025, the battleground has shifted from rankings to recognition.
Google’s AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and a wave of generative engines now decide which brands get seen, and which are quietly sidelined.
People no longer scroll through endless blue links. They ask a question and trust an AI-generated answer.
If your brand isn’t inside that answer, you’re invisible. It doesn’t matter if you rank #1; if you’re not cited, you’re not part of the conversation.
This seismic shift has created three critical disciplines every serious business must master:
Traditional SEO focused on keywords, backlinks, and technical hygiene. That still matters, but it’s no longer enough. AI SEO is about training machines to trust you.
AI engines aren’t indexing in the same way as Google’s classic algorithms. They’re consuming structured data, entity relationships, and semantic clarity.
They’re building a mental model of who you are and what you know. If that model is incomplete or inconsistent, you won’t appear in AI-generated answers.
For a deeper look at how this transformation is dismantling traditional rankings, explore our breakdown of the AI SEO overhaul and the impact of Google’s AI Mode
The foundation of effective AI SEO rests on three pillars:
This isn’t about sprinkling keywords; it’s about engineering clarity.
AI SEO isn’t about using ChatGPT to churn out content. The real edge lies in using AI to uncover hidden questions, map semantic relationships, and architect ecosystems that reflect how machines understand context.
Before diving into the workflow, it’s worth hearing from Dean Whitby himself, in his short video “How AI is Changing Search Forever”, he explains how AI-driven discovery is rewriting the rules of visibility and why brands must start optimizing for how machines interpret meaning, not just keywords.
Check the full video below
A robust AI SEO workflow looks like this:
Use AI tools to cluster thousands of queries and conversational questions, revealing content gaps your competitors overlook.
Build modular outlines that answer core, secondary, and supporting questions in a structured ecosystem. This maximizes citation opportunities.
Layer entity markup, schema, and internal linking to train AI engines over time.
Track how often your content is used in AI-generated answers. Visibility in AI Overviews and engines is measurable, and optimizable.
Google has confirmed that AI Overviews drive 10% more usage for queries where they appear. That’s not a minor tweak, it’s a traffic redistribution.
GEO is what separates visible brands from trusted ones. SEO gets you indexed; GEO makes you the source AI engines use to build answers.
Think of AI as a lecturer assembling notes from multiple textbooks. GEO ensures your content is the primary textbook. It’s not about tricking algorithms; it’s about becoming the obvious, credible choice.
Understanding the new rules of AI search and citation strategies helps clarify why GEO isn’t just about visibility; it’s about authority.
Where many publish blogs and hope for rankings, GEO focuses on building citation magnets, content designed to be referenced, quoted, and summarised by AI.
93% of marketers say video delivers ROI, and engines read captions and descriptions, too.
This isn’t guesswork, it’s deliberate engineering.
GEO changes how performance is measured. Ranking #1 no longer guarantees visibility. What matters is whether AI systems select you when constructing answers.
The key metrics include:
GEO ROI is about owning machine attention, not just human clicks.
Google is no longer the sole gatekeeper. Search happens across chatbots, social platforms, marketplaces, video platforms, and voice assistants.
Search Everywhere Optimization ensures your brand is visible and consistent across all these surfaces.
To understand how Ask Engine Optimization (AEO) is redefining search in 2025, it’s vital to see how conversational intent is reshaping discovery.
This matters because, as per a New Modes research of Future Commerce, 33% of Gen Z now start product research directly on AI platforms, bypassing traditional search altogether.
This approach connects your presence across:
The goal is simple: be unignorable. If someone asks a question anywhere, your content should either be the answer or provide the answer.
Google’s AI Mode places AI-generated answers, with citations, at the very top. Users often get what they need without clicking.
You can also learn practical tactics in our step-by-step AI SEO guide for ranking inside ChatGPT, which applies the same principles to conversational engines.
To win here:
Chasing featured snippets is outdated. The focus is now on engineering presence inside AI answers, where real attention lives.
AEO isn’t a one-size-fits-all service. Costs vary depending on scope, market maturity, and implementation depth.
What matters more than the price is whether you’re building short-term assets or long-term visibility infrastructure.
Here’s a realistic breakdown for 2025, including Tenacious’s starting point for context:
| Engagement Type | Typical Monthly Cost (GBP) | Best For |
| Tenacious AEO / GEO packages | Starting at £450/month - £5000 | Mid to large organisations needing strategy + execution |
| Full-service AEO agency (industry range) | £500–£10,000+ | Mid to large organisations needing strategy + execution |
| Freelance AEO implementer | £500–£2,000 | SMEs needing affordable execution |
| In-house hire (FT) | £40,000–£70,000/yr salary | Brands building internal capability |
Entry-level packages typically focus on laying structured AI SEO foundations, schema deployment, entity strengthening, and targeted GEO content.
Larger retainers integrate citation analysis, multi-platform frameworks, and content production designed for AI trust.
The brands winning now are those investing early in their AI trust graph, not scrambling later when competitors have already built it.
Most businesses are still retrofitting old SEO tactics for a new world. The winners are the ones treating AEO, GEO, and Search Everywhere as core infrastructure, not optional extras.
This isn’t about producing more content; it’s about producing the right kind, structured, authoritative, and trusted by machines.
Most agencies are still playing catch-up with AI search. We took a different path.
Tenacious (operating internationally as Tenacious AI Marketing Global) was built for this new era, where visibility depends not on keyword hacks, but on structured authority, entity precision, and machine trust.
Our philosophy is simple:
We don’t “try” AEO/GEO. We engineer frameworks that position brands as clear, authoritative sources across AI engines, Google AI Mode, social discovery platforms, and everywhere search happens.
What sets us apart isn’t a single tactic; it’s the combination of:
Whether you’re a CEO building your foundation or a scaling brand protecting market share, our approach ensures you’re not just seen, you’re selected.
Search has changed. Machines aren’t just listing results anymore; they’re choosing winners.
AI SEO, GEO, and Search Everywhere Optimization are the pillars of modern visibility. Brands that embrace them early secure a compounding advantage that’s difficult to disrupt later.
If you’re ready to build long-term visibility infrastructure, explore our AEO / GEO services from Tenacious Marketing to see how we engineer machine trust from the ground up.
Book an AI Visibility Audit with Dean today and ensure your brand is the one AI chooses.
SEO helps you rank. AEO/GEO makes you the answer AI engines choose.
No. GEO builds on SEO, focusing on becoming the source AI trusts, and traditional levers don't work as well
Many businesses see visibility shifts within 8–12 weeks, with compounding ROI over time.
Yes. Niche players can often implement faster and win on entity clarity.
Yes. While UK-based, the frameworks apply internationally.
