Stop renting, start building: GEO is a mirage

Everyone is talking about GEO. Agencies are selling it. Brands are buying it. On its face, the pitch makes sense: the search-based internet that powered the digital economy for decades is giving way to generative AI answers. The pressure to act is real. So is the trap: you’re going to start paying for another lease on someone else’s internet. GEO is a tactic for a bigger and important strategy. That strategy is owning your audience. The problem is that this new tactic is generating too much buzz and money for brands to ignore.