Buyers still call it SEO. Lead with the language they already search, not the acronym you want them to learn.
Fractl surveyed 343 U.S. marketing decision-makers. The press package landed July 21. Search Engine Land published the trade read on August 24 at 10:00 a.m. ET (Search Engine Land, Fractl).
81% still say SEO internally. 19% say GEO.
When they look for help, 70% would search "AI search optimization" (46%) or "SEO" (24%). GEO is 12% of those searches.
That is the brief for every service page, pitch, and C-suite deck this quarter.
They Already Have A Name For It
GEO is real as a practice. It is a weak label for demand.
If 81% of marketing decision-makers still say SEO in the building, a homepage that opens with generative engine optimization is speaking to the 19%. The search behavior is even clearer. AI search optimization and SEO are the queries. GEO is a minority term.
The first vendor red flag is buzzwords without explanation, at 36%. Case studies beat terminology fluency by about 4 to 1.
Define GEO once, in passing, if you must. Then get back to AI search optimization and SEO.
The Budget Already Moved
This is not a future category. 82% already allocate something to AI visibility. The average is 24% of the search and content budget.
ChatGPT is the number one visibility platform they name, at 34%. Perplexity is 1%.
66% already use ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity to vet agencies. AI tools and Slack or peers are tied as the first stop, at 34% each.
The operating implication is not a new SKU name. It is that buyers are already spending, already searching in SEO language, and already asking an AI assistant what you sound like before they take the meeting.
Lead With Proof, Not Fluency
Rewrite SEO and GEO service pages and pitch language to AI search optimization plus SEO. Lead with case studies and methodology. Define GEO only in passing.
Audit what ChatGPT and Gemini say about the brand. That is the first-stop research path for two thirds of this sample.
Do not lead a C-suite deck with acronym fluency. The room already has a word for the work. Use it.
