The rise of generative AI search has sparked a rush of new strategies promising quick visibility in tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews. But as marketers scramble to define generative engine optimization (GEO), the conversation is increasingly shaped by hype, often from newcomers to the search space.

In a new EMARKETER guide titled "5 expert perspectives you can trust on the hype vs. reality of GEO," we spoke with experts to help marketers assess where there’s hype, and where there’s real incentive around GEO tactics.

According to Lily Ray, vice president of SEO strategy and research at Amsive, many of the loudest claims overlook a key reality: Much of what works in AI search still stems from the fundamentals that have long guided SEO. She told us how her experience informs her opinion of GEO, what SEO tools could be useful now , and where marketers should be tread carefully

Q. Where do you see the biggest gap between the hype and the reality of GEO?

A. There's a ton of hype. There's a whole lot of people who have entered the space in the last year or so with very little experience in the search marketing world, making lofty promises without really understanding how things work. I spend all day, every day, obsessing over this stuff and the overlap with what we've been doing in the SEO space and digital marketing space before AI search existed is very, very strong.

Q. Are there any SEO best practices that could help marketers futureproof GEO strategies?

A. The really good place to start is Google's documentation about how SEO works, because a lot of that extends into AI search. Google's AI Overviews are the biggest player in the game and that's where most AI search visibility is happening right now. And the best way to appear in AI Overviews is to do all the things Google says to do for SEO purposes.

People are making a lot of recommendations around GEO, like scaling lots of content with AI really quickly, or building one page for every question people might ask. A lot of these things actually violate Google's guidelines. I try to advise people to not do things for GEO that you wouldn't also do for Google, because if you get penalized or demoted by Google, you can actually show up less in AI tools.

Q. What should marketers avoid right now in their GEO strategy?

A. I think a lot of people are over-utilizing AI to create content really fast and to scale content really quickly. I see a lot of red flags here. I see the cyclical behavior of when lots of people start to do things with automation. There have been a lot of big examples throughout SEO history, but when too many people get too excited about something, and all the sites start doing the exact same thing, it becomes very easy for companies like Google to crack down on it.

Q. Are there any emerging GEO philosophies marketers should be cautious in exploring right now?

A. I would just encourage people to think holistically about how they're going to drive value for customers and produce revenue for the business, as opposed to just trying to do trickster things or whatever other hacky thing that can actually really backfire.

Read the full report.

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