SEO & GEO: Search optimization in the age of artificial intelligence

August 29 — 2025

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Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how consumers search for and discover information online. More than half of today's searches never result in a click to any website—users get their answers directly from Google's AI Overview or by asking conversational AI agents like ChatGPT, Claude, and Scout.

This shift is gaining momentum fast. Gartner predicts that by 2026, a quarter of all queries will go through AI interfaces, potentially slashing organic search traffic by up to 50% for businesses that fail to adapt.

For organizations, this represents a critical challenge: if a company isn't featured in these AI-generated responses, it becomes virtually invisible to prospective customers.

What is GEO?

When a potential customer asks ChatGPT "What's the best poutine in Quebec City?", AI no longer delivers a list of links. Instead, it provides an instant answer, perhaps highlighting just one or two specific businesses. If an organization isn't mentioned in that response, it simply doesn't exist for that customer.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) focuses on optimizing digital presence so that AI tools can:

Accurately understand an organization's information and expertise
Effectively leverage its content to answer relevant user queries
Cite and recommend the organization in their generated responses

This approach fundamentally reshapes the relationship between brands and their audiences. Generative engines now function as intelligent advisors that synthesize information rather than merely indexing it.

Should we abandon SEO efforts?

GEO doesn't replace traditional SEO—it complements it. SEO fundamentals remain crucial because they provide the foundation without which AI overlooks an online presence.

This complementary relationship is straightforward:

AI often draws from content that already performs well in traditional SEO, but it also weighs new, more contextual factors. Strong SEO practices therefore establish the baseline credibility that GEO requires.

GEO adds a specific layer by formatting information to enhance AI comprehension and by optimizing signals that "teach" AI when an organization deserves to be cited.

This shift transforms content creation strategy: while SEO optimizes around keywords, GEO prioritizes informational clarity and the ability to answer questions directly.

Fewer clicks, but more qualified interactions

The "zero-click" phenomenon is fundamentally reshaping online search dynamics. A significant portion of searches now end without any clicks—users get their answers directly from AI and move on.

This shift creates a fascinating paradox: fewer clicks, but potentially higher-quality interactions. The goal is no longer to drive high-volume traffic, but to earn mentions from AI response engines that influence the right audiences.

Clicks generated through AI recommendations tend to be more qualified because:

Users already have foundational knowledge of an organization from the AI response
AI recommendations serve as a pre-qualification filter
Purchase intent is typically more developed when they visit

In Quebec, this trend is amplified by our more concentrated local market, where AI recommendations carry disproportionately greater influence.

What factors influence ranking in AI algorithms?

AI algorithms assess brand trust and authority within the digital ecosystem. Several key ranking signals emerge:

Online presence consistency

AI systems seek consistent messaging across all touchpoints (website, social media, third-party platforms). Contradictory or misaligned content hurts perceived credibility.

Content quality and structure

Generated responses favor well-structured, clear content with rich structured data (FAQs, schema markup, product specifications). These formats optimize AI content extraction and reformulation.

Digital reputation and external mentions

Citations from authoritative media, backlinks from high-domain authority sites, and listings in trusted directories (professional associations, industry partners) significantly boost AI-evaluated credibility.

Engagement and social signals

Social proof (customer reviews, positive feedback, engagement metrics) strengthens perceived authority and signals brand recommendation worthiness.

Industry authority and thought leadership

Brands demonstrating recognized expertise through consistent thought leadership content, industry analysis, or research enable AI to identify them as authoritative, specialized sources.

Content freshness and recency

AI tools prioritize fresh, regularly updated content. This ranking factor intensifies when users include temporal references or seek current information.

Generative algorithms therefore favor brands demonstrating consistency, authority, and credibility across their digital presence.

What is the impact of Quebec's cultural and bilingual context on these algorithms?

In Quebec, where 59% of consumers shop online in French, 20% in English, and 20% use both languages, these new contextual factors create unique challenges and opportunities:

Cultural, linguistic and geographic context

AI systems understand the nuances between Quebec French and international French. Content that reflects Quebec's unique characteristics (cultural references, local expressions, regional concerns) gets better recognition and higher valuation from AI algorithms.

Additionally, trusted sources and authorities differ from those in French, Anglo-Canadian, or American markets. (For example: A product recommendation article from La Presse will carry more weight than similar pieces from the New York Times or Le Figaro.)

This means that when AI considers specific geographic and industry context for recommendations, Quebec organizations benefit more from establishing expertise within Quebec than from being perceived as generalist global players.

Bilingual ecosystem

This unique linguistic complexity—where businesses naturally navigate between Canadian French, North American English, and their intersection—creates a significant competitive advantage. The ability to optimize for both official languages while accounting for Quebec's cultural specificities enables companies to quickly establish themselves as go-to references in the North American francophone ecosystem.

In an environment where high-quality francophone content represents a smaller portion of the global web yet drives the majority of local searches, businesses that master bilingual AI optimization can position themselves as industry authorities in both francophone and anglophone markets.

Getting ahead

As AI interfaces that influence purchasing decisions become mainstream, GEO represents an inevitable evolution in online search. Success hinges on understanding that GEO adds a new strategic layer to traditional SEO rather than replacing it.

Quebec organizations that master this complementary approach—while leveraging the linguistic and cultural specificities of the Quebec market—will gain a competitive edge.