The search landscape is undergoing its most fundamental transformation since Google's PageRank algorithm launched over two decades ago. I was there then. This is a fundamental shift that’s taking place. As someone who's been tracking the evolution of store discovery since the early days of SEO, I've seen paradigm shifts before, but nothing quite like what's happening with Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) right now. Yes another acronym.

The numbers tell a story that traditional search marketers can no longer ignore.

The future of search visibility isn't coming, it's here. And if you're not tracking your brand's presence across AI-powered platforms, you're flying blind into the most significant shift in search discovery since the web itself. Exciting isn’t it?

Here's the truth that most marketing teams are grappling with: we have sophisticated tools to track every aspect of traditional SEO performance, from keyword rankings to click-through rates, but we're operating in complete darkness when it comes to AI search visibility.

One customer summed it up perfectly (on Otterly.ai): "We have no idea how visible our brand and website is on ChatGPT or Perplexity.AI, let alone how to even optimise it." This isn't unique, it's the challenge across all stores that haven't yet invested in GEO infrastructure.

The challenge runs deeper than simple measurement. Terms like GEO, AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation), and AIO (AI Optimisation) have exploded in interest because they reflect a real shift. Discovery is no longer confined to Google search results pages. We're entering the era of Search Everywhere, where discovery happens across AI tools, social platforms and new surfaces beyond traditional search.

The fundamental issue with applying traditional SEO thinking to AI search is that the mechanism of discovery has completely changed. In traditional search, users see a list of results and choose where to click. In AI search, the engine makes that choice for them, synthesising information from multiple sources into a single response.

While SEO optimises your visibility in search engine result pages (SERPs), GEO ensures you're visible in AI-generated outputs, summaries, citations, and top recommendations in popular AI chatbots. This shift from rankings to citations represents a fundamental change in how we think about search visibility.

LLM Monitoring focuses solely on tracking the direct output of large language models. However, modern AI tools like ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews do more than just generate LLM-based responses, they also incorporate web search capabilities. This is precisely why generic LLM monitoring solutions miss the mark for brands trying to understand their AI search presence.

After evaluating several approaches to AI search monitoring, I'm recommending Otterly.ai as the foundational tool for any serious GEO strategy. Here's why it stands out in a crowded field of emerging solutions:

Comprehensive Platform Coverage: Otterly.ai automatically tracks brand mentions and website citations on Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode, Gemini and Copilot. This isn't just monitoring one platform, it's building a complete picture of your AI search footprint across the ecosystem that matters.

Real Citation Tracking: Unlike tools that only monitor LLM outputs, Otterly.ai takes a different approach by analysing AI Search platforms directly, offering valuable insights into your brand's visibility, sentiment analysis and the links being referenced. This distinction is crucial for understanding not just where you're mentioned, but how your content is being used and cited.

Neutral, Objective Monitoring: While manual searches on platforms like ChatGPT or Perplexity might show different results due to Memory RAG (a new term I learned about this week) and personalisation, Otterly.ai aims to provide the most neutral, objective monitoring available. This gives you the clean data you need to make strategic decisions about your GEO investments.

The first step in any effective GEO strategy is understanding what queries you're currently visible for across AI platforms. This isn't just about brand terms, it's about discovering the full spectrum of informational, navigational and transactional queries where your content appears in AI-generated responses.

Otterly.ai enables keyword research to find new conversational keywords and prompts, helping you understand what your audiences are searching for on ChatGPT, Perplexity.AI, or Google. This intelligence forms the foundation for everything that comes next in your GEO strategy.

Consider the implications: As of 2025, 71% of Americans (no UK data) use AI to search for information online. If you don't know which queries are driving visibility for your brand across these platforms, you're missing critical intelligence about how your target audience discovers and evaluates your category.

The adoption patterns for AI search aren't uniform across demographics, which makes the strategic timing even more critical. Generative models mainly attract younger users, such as Millennials and Zoomers, who often skip search engines entirely. These users may not fall into your ICP today, but they certainly will tomorrow.

79% of consumers are expected to use AI-enhanced search within the next year and 70% already trust generative AI search results. The window for establishing strong AI search visibility before your competitors recognise the opportunity is narrowing rapidly.

What makes Otterly.ai particularly valuable for strategic planning is its ability to provide competitive intelligence across the AI search landscape. Understanding not just where you appear, but where your competitors are getting cited, referenced, and recommended gives you the intelligence needed to identify content gaps and optimisation opportunities.

The platform's brand ranking and sentiment tracking capabilities help you understand how frequently your brand shows up and how AI Search Platforms and LLMs are talking about your brand. This isn't just measurement, it's strategic intelligence about your brand's position in the AI-powered discovery ecosystem.

AI platforms already drive 6.5% of organic traffic and are projected to hit 14.5% within the next year. Don’t know how many people are buying on recommendation from AI? Ask them post-checkout using a tool like Fairing.co. Early investment in your GEO infrastructure and monitoring will compound as these platforms continue to capture search volume from traditional engines. Get seen first.

Otterly.ai customers report that brands experience an increase in brand and link visibility, with 95% of customers getting measurable insights after 1 month of monitoring. The platform's integration with Semrush also means it fits naturally into existing SEO workflows rather than requiring completely new processes.

The beauty of Otterly.ai's approach is that it doesn't require you to completely overhaul your content strategy immediately. Start by understanding your current AI search footprint, identify the queries where you're already visible, and then systematically expand your presence in high-value areas.

With pricing starting at $29/month and a 14-day free trial with full access and no credit card required, the barrier to entry is low enough that there's no excuse for operating blind in the AI search landscape.

I'm recommending Otterly.ai not as an experimental tool, but as essential infrastructure for any brand serious about future-proofing their search visibility. GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization—the process of ensuring your digital content maximizes its reach and visibility inside of Generative AI Engines like ChatGPT, Claude, SGE, Gemini, Perplexity, and more.

The shift to AI-powered discovery isn't a trend—it's a structural change in how information is accessed and consumed. The brands that invest in understanding and optimizing for this shift now will have significant advantages over those that wait for perfect clarity or industry consensus.

We're entering Act II of search: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Traditional search was built on links. GEO is built on language. The question isn't whether this shift will continue, but whether your brand will be positioned to benefit from it.

Start with Otterly.ai. Understand your current AI search footprint. Build your GEO strategy on actual data rather than assumptions. The future of search visibility depends on the infrastructure investments you make today.

The age of hoping your content gets found is over. The age of knowing where and how it's being discovered across AI platforms has begun.

I’m not affiliated in anyway to Otterly and earn no commission on clicks or sales. Just an honest viewpoint on a tool I’m now using daily with my own client work at EcommerceGrowth.com

I’m focusing more and more on how ecommerce marketers both optimise for and gather data from LLMs like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and Gemini. Is the future. Subscribe to get my new LLM-focused article direct to your inbox.