This week, a16z published "How Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Rewrites the Rules of Search."
Their thesis matches exactly what we've been saying:
→ Traditional search is shifting from browsers to LLM platforms
→ Visibility now means showing up in AI answers, not search rankings
→ It's about "reference rates" - how often your brand gets cited by models
The stats they shared are wild:
• AI search queries average 23 words vs. 4 for traditional search
• Sessions last 6 minutes on average (vs. seconds on Google)
• ChatGPT is already driving traffic to tens of thousands of domains
What most people still don't get:
When someone asks ChatGPT a complex question, it automatically breaks it into multiple sub-queries and deploys AI agents to search the web.
Every single one of those queries is an opportunity for your brand to be referenced.
We've been optimizing for this new reality for 2 years while everyone else was still chasing page rankings.
Welcome to the new era of search. 🤝
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