Why Companies Must Optimize for AI-Powered Search Now: The Rise of GEO

Mikael Lindblom
Nov 24
4 min read

For nearly two decades, browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Edge have been our default gateways to the internet. You type something into Google, get a list of links, and click through to find what you need. But that model is changing. Google has already started to evolve with its AI Overviews – those short summaries that now appear at the top of many search results. They’re helpful, but they still live inside Google’s search page. What’s happening now goes a step further.

In July 2025, Perplexity launched Comet, one of the first browsers built entirely around AI. A few months later, in October 2025, OpenAI followed with Chat GBT Atlas, a browser that integrates ChatGPT directly into the browsing experience. AI browsers don’t just show you results – they process them for you. When you search, they don’t send you to a results page. Instead, they scan multiple sources, extract the key insights, and present a clear summary with links to the original sites.

You still have full access to the source pages, but the experience begins with context, not a list of blue links. You can ask follow-up questions, compare perspectives, or have the browser continue researching for you. It’s faster, simpler, and feels less like “searching” and more like having an assistant who already understands what you’re trying to learn

What Makes AI Browsers So Different

Traditional browsers depend on search engines. You ask a question, the engine fetches links, and you decide what to click.

AI browsers flip that experience. They scan multiple sources instantly, summarize the key points, and show you the most relevant insights first, with citations if you want to go deeper. You still control where you go, but you start with clarity, not clutter.

How This Changes Search (and Why SEO Alone Isn’t Enough)

With around 800 million people using ChatGPT every week (as of October 2025), it’s fair to assume many of them will eventually shift to AI-powered browsers like ChatGPTAtlas. That also means more people will start using ChatGPT or Perplexity (Comet) to search, not just Google. Ranking on Google will still matter, but it’s no longer the whole picture. When browsers begin summarizing information instead of listing results, visibility starts to mean something new – being referenced and cited, not just ranked.

Because now:

The AI chooses what gets summarised – not just what gets listed.
Many users get their answer without ever clicking through.
And being visible means being cited and trusted, not just sitting on page one.

That’s where GEO, Generative Engine Optimization, comes in. It’s the next stage of what we’ve all been doing for years: helping search systems make sense of what we publish. Only now, we’re not optimizing for algorithms. We’re optimizing for how AI reads, understands, and retells our work.

From SEO to GEO: What That Really Means

For years, SEO has been about helping people find your content. GEO is about helping AI to explain it – and ideally, give you credit when it does. In practice, it’s not some new set of rules. It’s the same principles we’ve always cared about: clarity, authority, and structure – but applied to how AI models process information.

Here’s a simple way to think about it:

Crawl: Make sure your site is clean, fast, and easy to navigate. If it’s a pain for Google to read, it’ll be just as hard for an AI model.
Comprehend: Write like a person, but with structure. Clear headers, direct sentences, and logical flow. Don’t bury your main point three paragraphs in.
Cite: AI tools tend to reference what looks trustworthy. Update your content often, link to reliable sources, and make it obvious that your page is worth quoting.

That’s GEO. It’s not about gaming a system, it’s about making your content easy to understand and hard to misinterpret.

How to Start Optimizing for GEO

Let's get a bit more practical. Here’s what I’d focus on first:

1. Structure everything clearly. Give your content hierarchy. Use headings, bullets, and short paragraphs. It’s easier for people to skim and for AI to map.

2. Write like you’re answering a real question. If someone asked you face-to-face, “What’s the best way to generate B2B leads in Asia?”, how would you answer? That’s how you should write.

3. Build authority over time. Update your content, reference credible data, and link to other trusted sites. AI picks up on those trust signals the same way Google does.

4. Make your media readable too. Add alt text to images, captions to videos, and metadata everywhere. If an AI can’t read it, it doesn’t exist.

5. Connect your content. Every article, case study, or guide should point to the next logical piece. It helps your audience stay engaged, and helps AI understand how your ideas fit together.

Why This Matters for Brands in APAC

AI-powered browsers like Comet and Atlas are changing how people discover information. This shift will likely hit Asia-Pacific early. The region already has some of the world’s highest adoption rates of tools like ChatGPT, and people often search in mixed languages or short phrases, which is something that AI browsers handle naturally.

Whether you’re B2B or B2C, the goal is the same: make your content easy for both people and AI systems to understand.