Hi SushiVidFam,

Your future customer is increasingly not typing into Google — they're asking an AI. "What's the best influencer platform for SMEs in Malaysia?" "Which skincare brand is good for eczema?" And whatever ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini answers, that's the shortlist. Getting your brand into that answer is called Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), and 2026 is the year to start.

Why this matters now

The shift is already well underway. Around 31% of the US population is expected to use generative AI search in 2026, ChatGPT crossed 900 million weekly active users, and Gartner projected a 25% drop in traditional search volume by 2026 as people turn to chatbots. Crucially for marketers, AI-referred traffic reportedly converts about 3x better than traditional organic search — these are high-intent people asking for a recommendation. Yet only about 16% of Fortune 500 companies currently track their AI-search visibility. The gap is the opportunity.

What GEO actually is

SEO optimised your site to rank on a page of blue links. GEO optimises your brand's information so AI engines can understand it, trust it, and recommend it as an answer. That means clear, consistent, factual content about who you are and what you're best at — and, critically, being talked about in the places AI models read.

How AI "learns" your brand

Here's the single most important insight for 2026: about 85% of AI brand mentions come from third-party pages, not your own website. AI models synthesise answers from across the web — review sites, forums, publishers, social platforms — not just your homepage. So GEO is less about polishing your "About" page and more about being present, positively, everywhere else.

Practical plays:

  • Be consistent and clear about your name, category and positioning everywhere you appear.
  • Publish genuinely useful content — guides, FAQs, comparisons — that answers the questions people ask AI.
  • Earn third-party mentions and reviews. Get covered by publishers, listed in roundups, and reviewed by real users.
  • Use structured, factual information that's easy for a machine to parse.

Where influencers and creators fit

This is the part most GEO guides miss. If 85% of AI mentions come from third-party sources, then creator content is GEO fuel. Every honest review, comparison video, and UGC testimonial is another credible, third-party signal telling AI models what your brand is good at — exactly the kind of source these engines lean on. A steady stream of authentic creator content doesn't just reach humans today; it teaches the AIs that recommend you tomorrow. (The opposite is true for lazy, generic "AI slop" — it earns no trust and no citations.)

For where this sits in a broader launch plan, see what to do when launching a new brand in digital marketing and the complete guide to influencers, creators and UGC.

How to measure it (the early way)

Start simple: ask the major AI tools the questions your customers would, in your category, and see whether you're mentioned and how you're described. Track it monthly. It's crude, but it's more than 84% of big companies are doing.

If people Google you today, they'll AI-search you tomorrow. Start being the answer now.

Sources: Mastering generative engine optimization in 2026 — Search Engine Land; FAQ on GEO and AEO — eMarketer; AI Search Statistics 2026 — Cintra.