Google’s John Mueller on SEO vs. GEO: Focus on audience behavior

Google Search Advocate John Mueller responded to a Reddit user who asked whether SEO is still “enough,” or if marketers now need to think about generative engine optimization (GEO).

Mueller’s answer was simple: labels matter less than reality.

• “If you have an online business that makes money from referred traffic, it’s definitely a good idea to consider the full picture, and prioritize accordingly.”

AI isn’t going away. Mueller didn’t get into the name debate or confirm GEO as a new discipline, but he made it clear AI is here to stay:

• “What you call it doesn’t matter, but ‘AI’ is not going away.”

So far, Google, has pushed back on the idea that AI optimization should be treated as something separate from SEO. See:

• Google says normal SEO works for ranking in AI Overviews and LLMS.txt won’t be used
• Google’s Danny Sullivan: ‘Good SEO is good GEO’
• Google VP: SEO and AI search optimization have ‘a lot of overlap’
• Google says doing optimization for AI search is ‘the same’ as doing SEO for traditional search
• Google’s Danny Sullivan: SEO for AI is still SEO

Ignore hype. Mueller urged people to focus on actual audience behavior. (“Be realistic and look at actual usage metrics and understand your audience.”) He suggested asking practical questions, like:

• How much of your audience actually uses AI tools?
• How does that compare with search, social, or other channels?
• What does that mean for where you invest time and resources?

Why we care. SEO still drives traffic and revenue. However, you shouldn’t assume that search visibility automatically translates into AI visibility. Because it doesn’t 100% of the time – even if many SEO best practices overlap with GEO.

What he said. Here’s Mueller’s full quote from Reddit:

• “If you have an online business that makes money from referred traffic, it’s definitely a good idea to consider the full picture, and prioritize accordingly. What you call it doesn’t matter, but ‘AI’ is not going away, but thinking about how your site’s value works in a world where ‘AI’ is available is worth the time. Also, be realistic and look at actual usage metrics and understand your audience (what % is using ‘AI’? what % is using Facebook? what does it mean for where you spend your time?).”

The Reddit thread. Is SEO still enough, or do we need to start thinking about GEO too?