This is far different from Microsoft's barely-competing search engine rebranding to Bing in 2009. Yes, I've been doing SEO long enough to remember Microsoft Search becoming Bing and getting some measure of hype as a potential competitor to Google' search dominance. We all know how that turned out - Bing represents approximately 6% of all web searches these days. More than zero but a very distant second to Google. Similarly hyped alternatives like DuckDuckGo have their place but Google Search has never faced any real competition. Until.... now? Maybe?
I don't think ChatGPT and similar generative engines represent a direct "extinction level event" threat to Google but rather an interesting compliment or alternative, especially among young people. There's something here. Google will always be Google but this is the first time I'm actively seeing people use "Chat" as a very ala "Google" as a verb. It's a "vibe shift" as they say for sure.
The funny part is that from what I can tell, ChatGPT scrapes Google for answers, meaning GEO is a derivative of sorts of SEO. SEO for local businesses isn't going anywhere but it's evolving and it's more important than ever to stay ahead of the curve with a clearly-disruptive force like ChatGPT (and AI in general) emerging.
I currently work with a law firm in the Dallas area that wanted to appear as a top result when you ask ChatGPT to display the best business law firms in Texas. This is an example of GEO and it's just the tip of the iceberg. If you are looking for someone who understands how ChatGPT and related generative engines operate, look no further. I'm moving more and more of my clients into this space and the opportunity here is wide open. This won't happen overnight but the state of search could look very different in ten years. The next layer of getting your business found online is here.....
Are you?