Can Websites Really Ditch GEO Targeting and Still Dominate SEO? Google’s Surprising Answer Revealed!

Ever wondered if all this buzz around Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) really matters across every corner of the internet? You know, with businesses scrambling like they’re at a Black Friday sale to crack the AI search ranking code, it’s easy to get caught up in the frenzy. But here’s the kicker—Google’s own John Mueller basically threw a curveball, saying from their vantage point, GEO doesn’t require any secret sauce or magic tricks beyond solid old SEO. Sounds almost too simple, right? Whether you’re in adult entertainment, gambling, or any other niche where discovery leans heavily on Google, the takeaway is that AI-generated search results just piggyback off the existing index. So maybe all those fancy GEO consultants and LLMs.txt files aren’t as game-changing as the hype suggests. Curious how this shakes out in the real world? Let’s dive in. LEARN MORE.

Google’s John Mueller answered a question about industries in which Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) does not matter. His answer showed what it looks like from Google’s point of view.

Generative Engine Optimization And SEO

Businesses have been demanding solutions for ranking in AI-based search and if people are lining up with cash in hand to buy something people are going to sell them what they’re asking for.

Consultants focused on AI search optimization have popped up while established SEOs have reluctantly began offering those services while also affirming that it’s just SEO.

Most SEO plugins now offer the ability to generate LLMs.txt, a file that points LLMs to LLM-optimized markdown content, which no search engine or AI chat actually uses… But the customer is always right.

Industries Where GEO Doesn’t Matter?

Bluesky member @galloni.net asked:

“@johnmu.com, are there industries where GEO simply doesn’t matter yet? I’m thinking about sectors like adult, gambling or other areas where Google still seems to drive most discovery.”

Google’s Mueller answered that from Google’s point of view there is nothing special that needs to be done for AI search.

Mueller responded:

“I’m not quite sure what you’re asking; from our POV there’s nothing really special you need to do for generative AI responses in search.”

Why Nothing Special?

Google’s AI search results derive directly from the crawled index. They pick from the top of the search results for a given query plus additional results for the query fan-outs, which are generally related searches, searches for additional information that a user would be interested in.

Because Google literally pulls AI search results from their regular search index, there is nothing special that businesses and publishers need to do to rank in it beyond regular SEO.

Featured Image by Shutterstock/Lana Leon