Show notes
E1208: Is GEO a distraction, or are SEOs measuring the wrong thing? Marie Haynes analyzed 145 million sessions across 100 websites and found that ChatGPT sent just 0.62% as much traffic as Google organic. All LLMs combined sent 0.73%. Mike King argues that those numbers miss the point: AI search influences buying decisions even when people never click through. In episode 1,208 of The Edward Show, I break down their disagreement, share my take, and explain the SEO tactics that get customers from Google and AI search. In this episode: - Marie Haynes's research across 100 sites and 12 months of GA4 data. - ChatGPT generated just 0.62% of Google's organic traffic volume, and all LLMs combined generated 0.73%. - The conversion-rate surprise: 13.8% for ChatGPT visitors versus 3.02% for Google organic visitors. - Google's 27x conversion advantage over all LLMs combined, despite ChatGPT's higher conversion rate. - Marie's finding that ChatGPT referral traffic has declined since August 2025. - Mike King's response: AI search is a brand channel, not primarily a referral-traffic channel. - Why judging AI visibility solely by clicks overlooks recommendations, trust, and purchase decisions. - Where Mike agrees with GEO critics: schema hacks, LLMs.txt, and writing content for robots are distractions. Then I get into the tactics: - Build bottom-of-funnel SEO landing pages for searches people make when they're ready to buy, use something, or book a call. - Create product pages that explain what you offer and why someone should choose it. - Examine Promptwatch's citation data: listicles at 18.7%, landing pages at 15.2%, and product pages at 14%. - Understand new research showing that Google cites self-promotional listicles less often, and why third-party recommendations matter. - Get your brand included in relevant listicles on websites you don't own. - Build backlinks, earn brand mentions, and get independent coverage from publishers and creators. - Deliver strong customer support so people leave positive reviews and discuss your business on platforms AI search uses for research. - Publish videos, posts, and other social content around the same buyer-intent keywords as your landing pages. My conclusion: I don't know whether GEO is a distraction, but I know the tactics that get results. Target buying intent. Make pages that convert. Earn links and mentions. Build a reputation people trust. Expand your reach across channels. These efforts build on each other over time and create visibility in traditional search and AI search. ⭐️ Marie Haynes: GEO Is a Distraction - https://www.mariehaynes.com/geo-is-a-distraction/ ⭐️ Mike King on 𝕏 - https://x.com/VeryWellVersed/status/2113335299807801456 ⭐️ Mike King: AI Search Is a Branding Channel - https://ipullrank.com/ai-search-is-a-branding-channel ⭐️ Promptwatch research - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/gijs-de-groot2021_seeing-a-lot-of-talk-about-listicles-losing-share-7426618882129362944-FsN7/ ⭐️ Dmytro Sokhach self-promo listicle research - https://x.com/Dmytro_Sokhach/status/2112241629281087513 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 SEO Community Controversy 00:41 Marie Haynes Data Breakdown 02:22 Why LLM Traffic Plateaued 02:59 Marie's Practical SEO Advice 03:49 Mike King Pushes Back 04:56 AI Search as Brand Channel 07:06 Host Take Bottom Funnel Focus 07:53 What Gets Cited in AI 09:25 Mentions Links and UGC 11:31 Long Cut Wins Closing 12:06 Wrapping The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #generativeengineoptimization #searchengineoptimization #seo #answerengineoptimization