GEO : how web marketing agencies are adapting to AI-powered search

Since July 22, 2026, the AI Overviews and Google's AI mode have been officially rolled out in search results in France. A shift that forces web marketing and SEO agencies to rethink their methods: to classic SEO is now added the GEO, for Generative Engine Optimization, the art of being cited by generative search engines rather than simply ranking well in a list of links.

What exactly is GEO?

Optimization for generative engines encompasses the set of practices that aim to make a brand, a product or content appear in responses formulated by AIs such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or the summaries generated by Google. Unlike traditional SEO, the objective is no longer only to appear at the top of a results page, but to be the source that the AI chooses to cite, or even to rephrase, in its response. The guide published by France Num, the public program supporting companies' digital transition, reminds that this evolution requires structuring content differently: structured data, clear and verifiable answers, and brand consistency from one source to another.

A share of searches already captured by AI

The scale of the phenomenon is visible in the numbers. According to a study by SEO tools publisher SE Ranking, based on tracking more than one hundred thousand sites between January 2025 and April 2026, around 22% of informational searches in France now go through a conversational assistant rather than a classic search engine. In countries where Google's generative summaries have been deployed for longer, a significant portion of searches no longer even lead to a click to a third-party site, the user settling for the answer displayed directly. This is worrying for companies that until now relied on organic traffic generated by their technical SEO.

How French agencies are reorganizing their offerings

On the agency side, the response is being organized. Several providers specialized in communication and digital marketing already offer “AI visibility” audits separate from the classic SEO audit, with a new objective: to check whether a brand is correctly identified and cited by the main assistants. Web agencies notably insist on three priority projects:

• Clarify and structure pages with marked-up data to facilitate reading by generative AI bots;
• Strengthen the consistency of brand information (customer reviews, business listings, press) because an AI favors sources it can easily cross-reference;
• Track new indicators, such as the number of citations obtained in AI responses, in addition to traditional Google rankings.

This evolution particularly affects B2B companies and service providers, often cited by AIs when a client is looking for a comparison or a recommendation, provided their online presence is clear and up to date.

What this means concretely for companies

For an SME or a freelancer, the good news is that SEO is not disappearing: it is expanding. Well-written, sourced and regularly updated content remains the foundation on which GEO relies. Industry professionals recommend not putting everything on a single channel and continuing to work on the site's experience as much as its readability for AIs, rather than seeking technical shortcuts whose effect remains, at this stage, difficult to guarantee.

Frequently asked questions

Will GEO replace SEO?

No: industry professionals rather present GEO as a complement to SEO. Quality, well-structured and reliable content remains the common foundation for both approaches.

Are all companies affected?

Sectors where users compare offers or look for recommendations (services, B2B, high-tech) are the first affected, but the trend is gradually touching all sectors present online.

How can I tell if my brand is cited by AIs?

Some agencies now offer specific audits that test different queries on the main assistants to check if and how a company is mentioned there.

Sources

• France Num — Optimization for generative engines (GEO)
• SE Ranking — AI traffic in France in 2026
• Natural Net — GEO SEO guide for AI tools

This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence. Editorial policy