GEO vs. SEO: What Actually Works in AI Search? 🤖 | Ross Hudgens

https://page2pod.com - Generative engine optimization (GEO) runs on off-site signals: reviews, Reddit, publishers and best-of lists. Ross Hudgens explains. Ross Hudgens, Founder & CEO of Siege Media and author of the new Wiley book Generative Engine Optimization: The Definitive Guide to AI SEO, returns to Page 2 seven years after his season one appearance. So what's actually new about GEO? Ross's answer: for national brands, off-site reviews and third-party mentions now feed AI answers directly, the same way Google and Yelp reviews have always shaped local search. Jon Clark and Joe DeVita dig into how that shift is forcing Siege to rebuild its own agency. Siege is doing far less top-of-funnel content, running digital PR as a year-long relationship program instead of a trial, and adding reputation management, influencer, affiliate and paid Reddit. Ross also explains why the SEO team may not be able to own GEO on its own, and what a GEO-first organization looks like. 📘 In This Episode • GEO vs. Traditional SEO: What actually changes when brands optimize for AI-generated answers instead of traditional Google rankings. • The Future of Link Building: Why Siege Media is moving away from broad outreach campaigns and toward long-term relationships with authoritative publishers. • Digital PR in the AI Era: How quarterly campaigns, original research, syndication, and high-quality brand mentions create lasting visibility. • The Data Flywheel Strategy: How brands can use proprietary data and recurring research to refresh content and strengthen topical authority. • Creating AI-Friendly Content: Why original insights, visual assets, comparison content, and credibility signals matter more than generic top-of-funnel articles. • Reddit and AI Search Visibility: Why Siege Media is experimenting with paid Reddit campaigns as a way to acquire customers and potentially encourage authentic brand advocacy. • Third-Party Reviews and Reputation Management: How platforms like G2, Trustpilot, Yelp, and TripAdvisor can shape the information AI search platforms use when recommending businesses. • Building a GEO-First Organization: Why Ross believes brands need to rethink departmental silos and consider broader organic acquisition leadership. • AI Tools and Agency Automation: How Siege Media uses Claude, internal AI workflows, and specialized automation to improve efficiency and client service. • Writing the GEO Playbook: Ross shares his experience writing a 320-page book about an industry evolving at extraordinary speed. From practical GEO tactics to major changes in agency operations, this episode offers a roadmap for marketers, SEO professionals, and business leaders preparing for the next era of organic search. Ross Hudgens on LinkedIn →   / rosshudgens   Siege Media → https://www.siegemedia.com Generative Engine Optimization: The Definitive Guide to AI SEO → https://link.amazon/B05IK55qm Content Conversation (Ross's show) on YouTube →    / siegemedia   Discuss this episode on Reddit →   / page2podcast   Subscribe for new episodes with the practitioners actually doing the work →    / @thepage2podcast922   #### Sponsored by Moving Traffic Media, a full-service AEO agency → https://www.movingtrafficmedia.com Follow the Page 2 Podcast ✅ Page 2 Podcast on Youtube →    / @thepage2podcast922   ✅ Page 2 Podcast on Linkedin →   / page2podcast   ✅ Page 2 Podcast on Facebook →   / thepage2podcast   ✅ Page 2 Podcast on Instagram →   / page2pod   ✅ Page 2 Podcast on Tiktok →   / jonleeclark   ✅ Page 2 Podcast on Reddit →   / page2podcast   Follow Jon Clark ✅ Jon Clark on Twitter → https://x.com/jonlclark ✅ Jon Clark on Linkedin →   / jonlclark   🛠️ Tools & Resources Mentioned • BuzzStream (Ross's outreach interview) → https://www.buzzstream.com/blog/ross-... • Comparison Pages → https://www.siegemedia.com/research/v... • The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz (audiobook) → https://link.amazon/B0hzovYPU • Where AI Gets Its Buying Advice BOFU Data Study → https://www.siegemedia.com/research/a... Chapters 0:00 Intro: GEO is changing the SEO playbook 2:39 Writing a 320-page GEO book 8:06 What's actually new about GEO? 9:50 Best-of listicles and what Siege dropped 14:05 How has digital PR outreach changed? 18:33 Getting PR teams on board first 21:43 Syndication and digital PR KPIs 24:54 The data flywheel and credibility nuggets 31:17 Best for a segment vs. best overall 35:04 Why Siege added paid Reddit 36:56 Building a GEO-first organization 39:40 How should a travel brand staff for GEO? 42:05 Claude, skills and AI at Siege 45:13 Rapid fire #Page2Podcast #GEO #DigitalPR #AISearch #SEO