[IN THE NEWS]
AI
•
AUGUST 19, 2026 — A recent Content Marketing Institute article about brand websites and AI traffic highlighted insights from Seer Interactive CEO Wil Reynolds. In the article, Wil mentions the industry shift brought about by AI search and cautions brands from treating GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) services like SEO services.
What Wil Said
Wil pointed out the discrepancy between GEO services and SEO standards, noting that SEO practices have been refined over the last 10-15 years but GEO remains new and relatively unknown. AI platforms frequently change how they pull answers and what information they share, and those changes have nothing to do with the individual brand.
What Our Data Shows
Most categories in AI search still don't have defined brand leaders yet. Per Seer research, only 15.2% have a clear category owner - while ~54% still lack clear or emerging leaders. In other words, most brands still haven't figured out an effective GEO strategy.
The Bigger Picture
SEO is a well-defined field with widely understood metrics, tools, and techniques. Wil's point is that GEO is still the wild west. No person or agency can say with full authority that they know exactly how to help a brand perform successfully - nor is there a common understanding for what constitutes 'success' in AI search. The AI models themselves also continue to change and evolve faster than search engines ever have, making it all the more difficult to maintain visibility.
Wil's Advice for Digital Marketers
* If you're managing your GEO/AI search strategy internally: Keep testing, and be willing to be wrong. Also look beyond visibility for your KPI. First, understand the state of your industry/category: Are there clear leaders? A handful of top brands? No leaders? This should point you toward what KPIs to focus on (more on that in this blog).
* If you've hired (or are looking to hire) an agency or consultant: If they claim to know exactly how to excel at GEO, they're exaggerating. The space is too new and unpredictable for anyone to have all the answers. Look for a team that runs frequent AI visibility analyses (not a one-time audit) and delves deeper than the surface-level KPI set of visibility, share of voice, citation count, mention rate, etc.
At Seer, we've started helping clients build what we call a brand canon and making sure the narrative about their brand matches what they want it to say, which then feeds into AI platforms. We can help you too if you're interested - chat with us to learn more.
Resources
Check out the Content Marketing Institute article: What's Next for Your Brand Website?
Catch up on our Seer research about KPIs for AI Visibility: AI Visibility Is Lying to You: There's No One-Size-Fits-All AI Search KPI
Read Wil's latest thoughts: Find all the latest insights from Wil on the Seer blog