E1087: For the past year, one question has dominated conversations around AI search:

Is GEO actually different from SEO?

Some marketers argue that Generative Engine Optimization is an entirely new discipline. Others believe it's simply good SEO applied to a new interface.

In this episode, I sit down with David Quaid and Vlad Pivnev for a detailed debate on what has changed, what hasn't, and whether businesses should rethink how they approach search in the age of ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity.

Rather than repeating popular opinions, we challenge assumptions, compare evidence, and explore where traditional SEO ends and AI visibility begins.

Topics we cover include: - Is GEO a genuinely new marketing discipline? - Why AI search engines produce different answers from Google - How ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini retrieve information - Whether ranking #1 in Google guarantees visibility in AI search - The role of brand authority, reviews, PR, Reddit, and citations - Query fan-out, retrieval, and how LLMs build answers - Whether AI search relies primarily on Google, Bing, or its own crawling - Can brands become visible in AI search without traditional rankings? - Measuring AI visibility versus traditional SEO performance - Practical approaches businesses can use today

Whether you're an SEO professional, agency owner, marketer, founder, or simply trying to understand how AI is changing search, this conversation offers a detailed look at one of the biggest debates happening in the industry today.

If you enjoy long-form discussions about SEO, AI search, Google updates, and digital marketing, consider subscribing for future episodes.

🔥 The previous SEO vs GEO debate - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FFMFdFAVLs

⭐️ Vlad Pivnev on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pivnevvladislav/ ⭐️ Vlad Pivnev on 𝕏 - https://x.com/p_vlad ⭐️ Vlad Pivnev's Agency, Stive - https://stive.ai/

⭐️ David Quaid on 𝕏 - https://x.com/DavidGQuaid ⭐️ David Quaid on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidquaid/ ⭐️ David Quaid on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@DavidQuaid ⭐️ David Quaid's agency - https://primaryposition.com/

💎 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 GEO vs SEO Intro 01:08 Why Search Behavior Is Shifting 03:33 Shopping Mall vs Sales Rep Analogy 06:45 What GEO Requires Beyond SEO 10:08 Debating Definitions of SEO 17:20 Query Fan Out and RAG Explained 34:48 Testing Perplexity Results Live 38:40 Do AI Bots Crawl Your Site 43:29 Memory Math and Web Scale 45:10 Web Scale Reality Check 47:51 Why LLMs Need Search 48:40 Query Fanout Explained 54:33 GEO Versus SEO Debate 01:01:48 AI Visibility Audit Workflow 01:04:09 Measuring Citations and Clicks 01:10:49 Is GEO Just Modern SEO 01:14:27 Web Search Toggle Confusion 01:16:51 Funfluencer Case Study 01:17:35 Search vs Web Memory 01:19:12 LLM Crawlers Explained 01:22:00 Bing Citations Mystery 01:27:23 Crypto Agency Case Study 01:31:23 Brand Rankings Debate 01:44:14 Reddit Lists Gaming 01:48:33 Press Release Manipulation 01:52:22 Top Two Recommendations 01:54:25 Closing and Where to Find

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#generativeengineoptimization #answerengineoptimization #searchengineoptimization #seo