More people are asking about “AI search optimization” (often shortened to GEO, for generative engine optimization) than about traditional Google ranking work, according to a new survey of search freelancers on Fiverr. More of those freelancers reported rising demand for GEO work than for classic SEO work, even though most still believe SEO matters over the long term, according to Search Engine Journal’s coverage of the survey. That’s a signal worth noting, but not a reason to panic or to hire someone to “do GEO” for your business tomorrow.
What the survey actually shows
The finding is about freelancer demand, not about how customers actually find your business. It tells you that more people are paying for help getting mentioned by AI tools like ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overviews, and that interest is growing faster than interest in traditional ranking work. It does not tell you that AI answers are now sending you more calls or bookings than Google search results are. For most local and regional service businesses (plumbers, clinics, contractors, law firms) organic search traffic still runs through traditional search results, and that isn’t changing overnight.
How AI tools actually pick what to cite
A separate, more useful piece of research looked at how AI systems decide which sources to cite when answering a question. The controlled test found that where a source ranks in the underlying data mattered less than people assumed, while how the content itself was structured had a real effect on which source got credited, according to Search Engine Journal’s report on the study. In plain terms: rewriting a page into clearer, more structured chunks (direct answers, clear headings, defined terms) changed how citation credit was distributed, independent of ranking position.
That lines up with advice we’d give regardless of AI search: write pages that answer one clear question per section, use headings that match what someone would actually search, and don’t bury the useful information under throat-clearing. That’s good for human readers scanning your site on a phone, and it happens to be the same structure the study found AI systems reward.
What to actually do about it
Here’s the honest takeaway: you don’t need to overhaul your website for GEO this week. Instead:
- Keep your core service pages structured and specific: one clear answer per section, plain headings, no filler.
- Don’t pay for a vague “GEO package” from someone who can’t explain what they’d actually change on your site.
- Watch your analytics for referral traffic from AI tools over the next few months rather than acting on hype now.
- Treat clear writing and good page structure as the investment; it helps in traditional search and in AI answers, so you’re not betting on one at the expense of the other.
The freelancer survey is a demand signal in the search industry, not proof that your customers’ behavior has shifted. The citation study is more directly actionable: if you’re going to spend time on anything, spend it making your existing pages clearer and better organized, not chasing a new acronym.