E1091: Is GEO actually different from SEO, or is it just SEO with a new name?

We're joined by Callum Kennard from ClickSlice and David Quaid for another deep debate on GEO, AEO, AI search, and where traditional SEO fits into all of it.

This conversation gets into the practical side of the argument.

Callum explains how his agency approaches AI search visibility using tools like Profound, paid citations, Reddit, LinkedIn, listicles, external placements, sentiment, and prompt tracking.

David pushes back on the idea that GEO is a separate discipline, arguing that LLMs still rely heavily on query fan-outs, Google, Bing, and the same search infrastructure that SEOs already understand.

The result is a practical debate about what is actually new, what is just SEO repackaged, and what brands should be doing if they want to show up in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Copilot, and AI Overviews.

Topics covered: - Why some agencies see GEO and SEO as completely different disciplines - Why David argues AI search still depends on SEO infrastructure - How query fan-outs work in AI search - Why ranking in Google or Bing can affect whether you appear in AI answers - How Profound is used to track prompts, citations, and visibility - Why AI search visibility scores can be useful but imperfect - The role of paid citations in GEO strategy - How brands are getting placed in listicles to influence AI answers - Why Reddit is becoming important for AI search visibility - When Reddit works well as a citation source and when it does not - Why LinkedIn and other UGC platforms are being used for AI visibility - How some agencies are approaching GEO like a new version of link building - Whether paid citations are becoming the new backlinks - Why brand sentiment matters in AI-generated answers - Why appearing in an answer is not the same as getting traffic - Whether GEO can exist without SEO - Why large language models still need search engines for fresh and specific information - What happens when AI systems cite brands without sending clicks - Why some brands may need external citations more than on-site content - How AI search changes the way people compare products, services, and companies - Why the GEO debate is partly technical and partly semantic

This episode is not a basic explanation of GEO.

It is a debate about whether the GEO playbook is actually new, where the real tactical differences are, and whether SEOs should treat AI search as a separate discipline or as an extension of SEO.

If you work in SEO, content, digital PR, link building, AI search, or brand visibility, this conversation will help you understand the current argument around GEO and what is actually being done in the market right now.

⭐️ Callum Kennard on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/callum-kennard/ ⭐️ Callum Kennard on 𝕏 - https://x.com/callumkennard_ ⭐️ Callum Kennard's Agency, ClickSlice - https://www.clickslice.co.uk/

⭐️ 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 00:05 Meet Callum Kennard 00:46 Why Search Is Changing 03:04 SEO vs AEO Explained 05:43 Challenging The Premise 07:30 What Really Makes It Different 10:11 Citations Sentiment And Funnel 16:34 Tools And Query Fanouts 22:52 Profound Workflow Debate 27:22 Non SEO Part And Strategy 33:44 Conversion Rates And Semantics 38:12 SEO vs AEO Debate 39:30 External Citation Strategy 40:34 Black Hat Knowledge Graph 41:57 Future of Search Costs 46:54 Citations and Reddit Power 48:05 Why Reddit Took Over 51:37 Buying Listicle Placements 55:22 Reddit Resources Hack 01:00:17 Measuring AEO Visibility 01:02:04 LLMs and Prompt Intent 01:07:00 Consensus Engine Limits 01:13:22 First Mover AEO Wins 01:17:02 Query Fanout Playbook 01:18:17 Wrap Up

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

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