A CMO’s guide to GEO and AEO in 2026
This CMO playbook cuts through the noise around GEO and AEO and explains what they actually mean for eCommerce leaders. It clarifies how AI-driven search works, why SEO remains foundational for visibility in GPT and Google AI, and how LLMs retrieve and surface brand content. If you lead or report into marketing, this guide helps you frame GEO correctly and focus on what truly drives performance.
Feb 11, 2026
Sam Hurley
Whether you’re a CMO or report into one, this guide is for you. It’ll help to cut through the noise of what GEO/AEO is and how it differs from SEO.
In the SEO world, GEO/AEO is not a thing; it’s very much seen as an activity within an SEO's remit - an adaptation of content for the AI era.
In the eCom world, GEO/AEO is very much still a thing, as is the case across broader marketing industries.
In this guide, we’ve focused more on the eCommerce world. If GEO stays, this is how you should be viewing it as an eCommerce leader.
By the end, your takeaways should be:
‘GEO’ is just a small but important part of getting ranking in GPT, Google AI, etc
Without SEO rankings, there’s no GEO visibility
A broader understanding of how LLMs retrieve information/content and give answers
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Winning in 2026 means understanding how AI-driven search really works. This playbook breaks down what GEO actually means for ecommerce leaders - and how to turn SEO strength into visibility across GPT, Google AI, and emerging answer engines.
Whether you’re a CMO or report into one, this guide is for you. It’ll help to cut through the noise of what GEO/AEO is and how it differs from SEO.
In the SEO world, GEO/AEO is not a thing; it’s very much seen as an activity within an SEO's remit - an adaptation of content for the AI era.
In the eCom world, GEO/AEO is very much still a thing, as is the case across broader marketing industries.
In this guide, we’ve focused more on the eCommerce world. If GEO stays, this is how you should be viewing it as an eCommerce leader.
By the end, your takeaways should be:
‘GEO’ is just a small but important part of getting ranking in GPT, Google AI, etc
Without SEO rankings, there’s no GEO visibility
A broader understanding of how LLMs retrieve information/content and give answers
Ready to start reading?
Winning in 2026 means understanding how AI-driven search really works. This playbook breaks down what GEO actually means for ecommerce leaders - and how to turn SEO strength into visibility across GPT, Google AI, and emerging answer engines.
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