SEO vs GEO for Ecommerce: What Actually Changed

Traditional SEO gets you 10 spots on Google. GEO gets you into 1 to 3 AI recommendations. For ecommerce brands, the difference is existential.

Mersel AI Team

January 10, 2026

9 min read

If you run an ecommerce brand, you've spent years optimizing for Google. Keywords, backlinks, meta tags, page speed, product schema. The playbook is mature and well understood.

But a parallel system now exists, and it works differently. When shoppers ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini for product recommendations, those AI platforms don't use Google's ranking algorithm. They pull from their own sources, apply their own logic, and generate a single answer naming 2 to 3 brands.

That system is called Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and for ecommerce, it's not a replacement for SEO. It's a second game running on a different field with different rules.

Here's what actually changed, without the hype.

The Core Difference

SEO optimizes your content for search engine crawlers that rank pages in a list. Users see ten results and pick one.

GEO optimizes your content for AI models that synthesize information into a single answer. Users see one recommendation and either act on it or ask a follow-up question.

Both matter. But they reward different things.

	SEO	GEO
You're competing for	A spot on Page 1 (10 positions)	A mention in the AI answer (1 to 3 brands)
Ranked by	Keywords, backlinks, domain authority	Semantic relevance, structured data, third-party consensus
Content format	Keyword-optimized product and category pages	Answer-ready content: FAQs, comparisons, buying guides
User journey	Search, click, browse, maybe buy	Ask AI, get answer, click (maybe), buy
Primary metric	Rankings, organic traffic, CTR	AI mention rate, citation accuracy, AI referral traffic
Technical foundation	Meta tags, sitemap, robots.txt, page speed	Schema markup, SSR, llms.txt, structured data
Competition visibility	You can see your ranking vs. competitors	You can't see where you stand unless you test manually

The last row is important. In SEO, you can track your position in real time. In GEO, the only way to know whether AI recommends your product is to ask it. There's no equivalent of checking your Google ranking.

What SEO Gets Right (That GEO Doesn't Replace)

SEO still drives the majority of ecommerce traffic. Google processes billions of searches daily, and organic results still generate clicks. Anyone telling you to abandon SEO for GEO is wrong.

What SEO does well for ecommerce:

Category and collection pages still rank and drive purchase-intent traffic
Product pages with strong technical SEO still convert from Google Shopping and organic results
Blog content optimized for informational queries still builds domain authority
Local search for stores with physical locations still depends heavily on Google

SEO is a proven, measurable channel with clear ROI. The tooling (Ahrefs, Semrush, Google Search Console) is mature. The playbook works.

The problem isn't that SEO stopped working. It's that a second channel is growing fast and your SEO work doesn't automatically transfer to it.

What GEO Changes for Ecommerce

Three things are genuinely different.

1. Your Google Ranking Doesn't Predict AI Visibility

This is the most counterintuitive data point in the entire GEO conversation. 80% of URLs cited by ChatGPT don't rank in Google's top 100 for the query that triggered the citation. Only 12% of AI-cited URLs rank in Google's top 10.

Your #1 Google ranking for "best standing desk" has almost no correlation with whether ChatGPT recommends your standing desk. AI models build recommendations from a completely different set of inputs.

This means all the SEO work you've done, while still valuable for Google traffic, gives you near zero advantage in AI search. GEO is a separate investment.

2. Content Structure Matters More Than Keywords

SEO rewards keyword density, backlinks, and domain authority. GEO rewards structured, answer-ready content that AI can parse and synthesize.

For a product page, SEO optimization means the right keywords in the title, meta description, and H1. GEO optimization means complete Product schema, server-side rendered prices, FAQPage schema for the Q&A section, and explicit, specific product attributes that AI can extract without guessing.

For blog content, SEO rewards comprehensive pillar pages that target keyword clusters. GEO rewards content structured as direct answers to specific questions, with citations, data points, and honest product comparisons.

The content that ranks well on Google and the content AI cites in recommendations can overlap, but they aren't the same thing.

3. Third-Party Mentions Carry Outsized Weight

In SEO, backlinks signal authority. In GEO, third-party mentions signal trustworthiness to the AI model.

A Wirecutter review, a Reddit thread in r/BuyItForLife praising your product, a niche publication's "best of" list that includes your brand. These are the sources AI models cite most heavily. Your own website is one input, but AI trusts independent sources more.

Wikipedia, YouTube, and Reddit are among the most-cited domains in Google's AI Mode. For ecommerce brands, building presence on these platforms isn't optional for GEO. It's central.

The Numbers That Matter

Here's why ecommerce brands can't afford to ignore GEO, even if SEO is working.

AI traffic converts at 9x Google organic. ChatGPT referrals convert at 15.9% vs. 1.76% for organic search. Visitors from AI have already done their research inside the conversation. By the time they click through, they're buying.

Organic traffic is declining. U.S. organic clicks dropped from 44.2% to 40.3% between March 2024 and March 2025. When AI Overviews appear in Google, the organic CTR drops 58%. This trend is structural, not temporary.

AI search is growing fast. AI referral traffic to retail grew 4,700% YoY. It's still small in absolute terms, but the trajectory is clear.

Product searches trigger AI answers. In beauty and fashion, 94 to 95% of product searches trigger an AI response. Electronics is at 91%. If you sell in these categories, AI answers are already appearing on nearly every relevant search.

Ignoring GEO doesn't mean your traffic disappears tomorrow. It means you miss the fastest-growing, highest-converting discovery channel while competitors establish themselves as the brands AI trusts.

A Practical Framework: SEO + GEO

For ecommerce, the right approach isn't SEO or GEO. It's both, with clear priorities.

Keep doing (SEO)

Technical SEO fundamentals (site speed, crawlability, mobile experience)
Keyword-optimized product and category pages
Backlink building and domain authority
Google Shopping and Merchant Center optimization
Content marketing for informational queries

Add to the stack (GEO)

Complete Product, Offer, Review, and FAQ schema on every product page
Server-side rendering so AI crawlers see your content
llms.txt at domain root to guide AI crawlers
Answer-format content: buying guides, comparison pages, FAQ pages
Honest comparison content that includes competitors
Off-site presence: editorial reviews, Reddit participation, YouTube
Monthly AI visibility monitoring across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini

The overlap

Some work helps both channels. Structured data improves Google rich results and AI comprehension. Answer-format content ranks well on Google and gets cited by AI. Third-party coverage builds backlinks and AI citation signals.

The brands that recognize this overlap and optimize for both simultaneously get the most leverage from their content investment.

Where to Start

If you've been doing SEO and haven't started GEO, here's a practical sequence.

Week 1: Assess. Ask AI platforms product questions in your category. Note where your brand appears, where it doesn't, and whether the information is accurate. View the page source of your top product pages. Check whether your data, prices, and reviews are in the raw HTML.

Week 2 to 4: Technical foundation. Implement or fix Product schema, server-side rendering, and review accessibility. Add llms.txt. These are the prerequisites for everything else.

Month 2 to 3: Content. Create 5 to 10 answer-format pages targeting the specific questions shoppers ask AI in your category. Include comparison content and buying guides.

Ongoing: Off-site and monitoring. Build third-party presence. Monitor AI answers monthly. Update content quarterly.

For the full tactical breakdown, read The Ecommerce GEO Playbook.

Mersel AI handles the GEO side of this equation. We optimize your site for AI crawlers — structured data, machine-readable content, and ongoing monitoring — so you can keep focusing on SEO while we make sure AI search engines can read and recommend your products. Book a free AI visibility audit to see where you stand.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to choose between SEO and GEO?

No. SEO and GEO work in parallel. SEO drives traffic from Google and other search engines. GEO gets your brand recommended by AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity. The best approach is to do both, since some work (structured data, answer-format content) benefits both channels simultaneously.

Does my Google ranking help me show up in AI answers?

Mostly no. 80% of URLs cited by ChatGPT don't rank in Google's top 100 for the query that triggered the citation. AI models build recommendations from different signals than Google uses, so a strong Google ranking gives you near zero advantage in AI search.

What's the most important thing to do first for GEO?

Start with structured data. Add complete Product, Offer, and Review schema to your product pages, and make sure your prices and product details are server-side rendered so AI crawlers can read them. This is the technical foundation everything else builds on.

How do I track whether AI is recommending my products?

There's no equivalent of checking your Google ranking for AI. You need to manually ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini product questions in your category and check whether your brand appears. Tools like Mersel AI can automate this monitoring.

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