1. Introduction: The New Search Landscape & Opportunity
For years, many B2B buyer journeys have begun with a Google search. All the way back in 2015, what feels like a lifetime ago now, Google released research stating that 71% of B2B buyer journeys began with a Google search. They also shared that 89% of B2B researchers use the internet during the B2B research process. If you want an indication of just how much things have changed, Google has now deleted this research entirely and we had to use Wayback Machine to access it.
Fast forward 10 years, and it’s fair to say that we’re going through an enormous shift in terms of how B2B buyers discover solutions thanks to AI.
Gone are the days of optimising for keywords and chasing rankings, clicks, and traffic. AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews are in many respects the new web browser. They have become part of the B2B decision making unit. They sit alongside B2B buyers, acting as buyer enablement co-pilots across the entire length of the B2B buying journey – not just the initial discovery.
And so B2B marketers need to shift their mindset – unlike Google, AI assistants aren’t just an acquisition channel. They are now trusted partners to B2B buyers as they discover, research, compare, procure and negotiate.
Across many clients and analytics sources, we’re seeing clicks and traffic from Google’s search results page falling, whilst referral traffic from AI tools begins to rise. In May 2025, Google announced AI Mode in the US market, giving users an option to turn off the traditional list of blue links known as the Search Results Page entirely – and instead use AI as default. It’s clear that the rate of change is faster than even lots of SEO experts imagined.
You don’t have to look far to find many in the marketing and search world asking a big question: is this the end of clicks and traffic to websites?
2. Shifting Buyer Behaviour
At Google’s I/O 2025 event, they acknowledged that users are searching very differently in AI tools compared to the traditional search bar.
It appears a psychological value exchange has already been established. Users are searching much more deeply – on average providing 2-3 longer search queries in AI tools. In return, they are expecting deeper, more contextual, more personalised search results from AI tools.
A few years ago, a B2B buyer searching for a new marketing automation software might have begun their search with a Google of a term like ‘marketing automation software’:
But now, they are turning to tools like ChatGPT and providing much more information in their search. They know that if they provide more context, they will get better results.
AI search tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews are now acting as research co-pilots across the entire buyer journey – not just tools for initial discovery. These platforms are synthesising answers, recommending vendors, and shaping perceptions before a buyer ever lands on your website. And so it’s fair to ask – are we heading for a future where websites aren’t built for users – they are built for AI.
By 2028, brands’ organic search traffic will decrease by 50% or more as consumers embrace generative AI-powered search.
And so AI Search has to be a priority for any B2B marketer. Clearly the traditional search results page is changing dramatically along with buyer behaviour. And with it, B2B marketers much shift their strategy too.
2 What Is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)?
discoverable, relevant and influential inside AI tools. But we see them as much more than just another traffic source.
Done right, optimising for AI search tools and GEO becomes a driver of:
- Authority in competitive, research-led categories
- Speed across complex sales cycles by answering objections earlier
- Conversion through prompt aligned content and message reinforcement
- Revenue by generating higher quality leads from better aligned buyer journeys
Unlike traditional SEO content strategies, we focus on real business outcomes – visibility that leads to opportunity creation, not vanity metrics.
In this guide, we’ll unpack what GEO really means for B2B marketers, why it matters now, and how to approach it with a full funnel, pipeline first mindset.
We believe in a B2B marketing context, GEO is:
- Prompt driven, not keyword driven
- Built for LLMs, not legacy search engines
- A process of buyer journey orchestration, not just a measure of brand visibility
It builds on some foundations of SEO and AIO, but expands into a full funnel, buyer centric model designed to convert attention into pipeline and optimise the length of AI native buyer journeys.
3. Why GEO Matters for B2B Marketers
Google itself is shaking up how it delivers results, despite being a business traditionally reliant on blue links and advertising revenue. Look how quickly AI Overviews are growing in visibility at the top of the search results page now:
Many B2B purchase journeys are long, complex, and deeply research led. They often involve:
- Multiple decision makers
- Large average contract values
- Objection handling
- Competitive comparisons
AI tools are becoming buyer enablement co-pilots – used not just for discovery, but for:
- Comparing solutions
- Surfacing objections
- Exploring pricing models
- Analysing trade offs
- Running RFP processes
- Negotiating terms
This creates an opportunity for B2B marketers to:
- Reach buyers earlier in their journey
- Actively shape category narratives
- Build brand preference before outreach
We’re also seeing that traffic and engagement from AI search can be higher converting. Why might referral traffic from AI tools like ChatGPT be more likely to convert than traffic from Google?
- Lower competition in responses if your brand is visible
- Higher buyer intent, carrying out deeper research
- More specific, context aware buyers
The team at Seer Interactive shared a website that was seeing referral traffic from ChatGPT converting at 15.9% – compared to 1.76% from Google.
In short, GEO may help you meet buyers before your competitors do and convert them faster.
4. How Generative Engines ‘Decide’ What to Surface (B2B Software Context)
Generative engines don’t really rank content in the same way search engines goo. They synthesise answers, pulling from a mix of structured and unstructured data to produce coherent, context aware outputs.
A. Third-Party Signals and Data Sources
In B2B software, visibility is often influenced by:
- Review platforms like G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius
- Analyst citations from firms like Gartner and Forrester (e.g. Magic Quadrant inclusion, Wave reports)
- User-generated content (UGC) on platforms like Reddit, Quora, Stack Overflow
- Media coverage and backlinks from high-authority publications or industry blogs
These sources signal authority and credibility, shaping what LLMs synthesise when responding to prompts like:
- “Best procurement platforms for enterprise buyers”
- “[Vendor A] vs [Vendor B] in 2025”
B. Your Brand’s Own Content and Website
However, your own site still plays a critical role in GEO. Generative engines can pull directly from your domain, especially when:
- Content is well structured and answers specific, high intent prompts
- Pages are cleanly tagged, with clear headers, lists, tables, and schema markup
- You provide FAQs, comparisons, and product use cases that align to buyer intent
- Your content is kept fresh, unique, and crawlable
Examples of content types that boost visibility in AI responses:
- In depth solution pages answering niche buyer questions
- Industry specific landing pages talking clearly to segmented ICPs or buyer personas
- Comparison pages structured around real world decision making
- Pricing breakdowns and total cost of ownership explainers
- Customer success stories aligned to verticals or use cases
C. Technical Site Optimisation for GEO
Optimising your site for generative engine retrievability can have some similarities with traditional SEO, but here is an overview:
- Structured data and schema markup to help LLMs extract and understand key facts, attributes, and comparisons
- Clear content hierarchy and internal linking, enabling better semantic context
- Use of tables, bullets, FAQs, and TL;DR summaries that are easily summarised or lifted into responses
- Sitemap and crawl accessibility, including proper robots.txt configuration
- Deployment of a llms.txt file to signal AI access permissions (e.g. whether your content can be used for retrieval or training)
5. GEO vs SEO: What’s the Difference for B2B marketers?
| SEO | GEO |
| Keyword driven | Prompt driven |
| Google rankings | Synthesised answers |
| Traffic & CTR | Buyer visibility & retrievability |
| TOFU focused | Full journey orchestration |
| On page SEO & backlinks | Ecosystem visibility & source alignment |
6. What GEO Looks Like in Practice: Aligning Prompts to the B2B Buyer Journey
GEO isn’t just about ranking for “best software” prompts. It’s about shaping how your brand shows up across the entire B2B journey, and that begins with deeply understanding your audience, their needs and pain points:
Example Top of Funnel B2B buyer prompts:
- “Best [category] platforms for [industry]”
- “Best ways to automate [process] workflows”
- “How do companies manage [challenge] effectively?”
- “Alternatives to using spreadsheets for [process]”
- “What software could help us improve [challenge]?”
Example Middle of Funnel B2B buyer prompts:
- “[Vendor A] vs [Vendor B] vs [Vendor C] – which is best for a [type] business with [specific challenge]?”
- “Best [specific software] for insurance companies”
- “What key features should we look for in a [category] platform?”
Example Bottom of Funnel B2B buyer prompts:
- “What are pricing tiers and contract terms for [Vendor A]”
- “Does [Vendor A] integrate with [existing tool]?”
- “What are red flags to watch out for when buying [solution]?”
- “What contract terms should I look to negotiate for a [solution]?”
Each prompt is a chance to:
- Build trust
- Guide decisions
- Pre handle objections
- Accelerate pipeline velocity
And that’s why we believe GEO is not just a visibility strategy – it’s a way of optimising the full length of the buyer journey in the new era of AI native buyer journeys.
7. Introducing the ContextualJourney™ Framework
At FirstMotion, we go beyond basic GEO. Our proprietary methodology, the ContextualJourney™, is designed for B2B software companies selling in complex, considered, competitive and often high value B2B sales journeys.
It includes:
- Visibility Mapping: Audit current LLM presence, prompt landscape, and ecosystem citations
- Audience Intelligence: Translate buyer pain points and SEO terms into prompt driven strategies
- Journey Orchestration: Align prompts to funnel stages, and design narrative architecture
- Intent Activation: Deliver assets, tracking, tagging frameworks, and enablement materials
This structured approach ensures your brand shows up where it counts, when it counts, and for the right reasons.
8. Common Misconceptions About GEO
As GEO becomes a more recognised term, it’s important to address some of the common misunderstandings that can lead B2B marketers astray.
“It’s just SEO for AI” – This is perhaps the most common misconception. While GEO borrows some ideas from SEO and there is certainly some overlap in terms of tactics, it requires a shift in both mindset and strategy. Generative engines are not search engines. They don’t display a list of links or necessarily operate on classic ranking signals. Instead, they synthesise answers and present a single authoritative response. GEO is about orchestrating visibility throughout the buyer journey – not just at the top of it.
“We just need more AI content” – Flooding your site with generic, AI generated content won’t make you visible inside LLMs. What matters is content that aligns with buyer intent and the prompts they’re using. GEO requires structured, high quality, contextual content that is both retrievable and referenced by trusted sources, based on deep audience intelligence.
“It’s too early” – Buyers are already using AI tools to explore options, compare vendors, and evaluate pricing – often in ways that never touch your website. If you’re not thinking about how to be visible in those journeys now, you’re already behind.
If you’re a B2B marketing leader looking to drive real outcomes in the new era of AI native B2B buyer journeys, we think it’s time to start thinking about a generative engine optimisation strategy.