AI Search
AI chatbots and virtual assistants are rapidly changing the face of search. Tracksuit’s Connor Archbold helps us unpack AEO tactics is and what they mean for brands in 2026.
“Just when you think you know the answers, I change the questions.” The quip from professional wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper comes to mind when thinking about the fate of SEO specialists since November 30, 2022.
That was the day ChatGPT launched, changing how we use the internet forever. One of the biggest shifts is how we search for information.
In the ‘old days’, 90% of us would open Google and type an often clumsily written query. Perhaps even just a single word or name. Then a list of suggested websites would appear.
For years, companies have been trying to crack the arcane algorithms and climb the rankings. Common SEO tactics includes strategic keywords and backlinking. But AI searches require slightly different tactics.
Answer engine optimisation, or AEO, is the process of optimising your content to deliver answers through AI-powered interfaces such as chatbots. It’s similar to GEO – generative engine optimisation. GEO is geared towards making your content appear in answers to user-generated questions on platforms such as ChatGPT, or Google’s AI Overviews.
So what does this mean for marketers? Connor Archbold, CEO and co-founder of brand tracking specialists Tracksuit, has seen a big shift towards AEO and GEO already, but says many businesses haven’t kept pace.
“I think most companies are still doing SEO and starting to flirt with GEO – and it’s a huge change. SEO has been one of the key drivers of traffic for any business, but that is all starting to change. Gartner released a study that said traditional search is expected to lose 25% of its traffic by 2026, and there was also research that found 60% of Google searches now yield no clicks, which is fascinating.”
Another factor working against traditional SEO is the amount of space taken up by Google’s AI Overviews on the screen, even if you type in a traditional Google search, he says.
“If you Google something, 75% of a mobile screen is now usually covered with that AI response and it’s 60-something percent of a desktop screen. So the blue links are just being pushed down and made more or less irrelevant, which is a complete change.”
Archbold says companies that were good at SEO will probably also be good at AEO, as long as they apply the same amount of attention to their content strategy and where content is showing up.
However, he warns that the pace of change with AEO and GEO is likely to be faster than SEO.
“Every three to six months you’d have to adjust your SEO strategy, but I think GEO might change every couple of weeks, just with all the new models.
“I don’t think there’s much clarity on how those models will continue to choose where to put brands. That could change fairly frequently, so you have to remain vigilant.”
What does GEO mean from a practical perspective?
Archbold says you can separate it into two distinct strategies: ‘earned’ and ‘owned’. The earned strategies are where your brand is appearing in AI answers, he explains.
“That’s when you’re securing brand mentions, because you’re in trusted reviews and news sites and forums, and the answer engines are assuming that you’re a trusted voice in the field.
“That helps you pop up when a customer asks, ‘Who is the best at this thing?’”
On the other side is the owned strategy, which is being cited by AI answers. That’s where creating your own unique content such as white papers comes in handy. The more focused, the better, Archbold says.
“You want the title of your paper to align with the question that someone is asking: ‘Compare this air conditioner to other heat pumps for a New Zealand house in 2026.’
“As long as you’re a trusted source, it’s more likely that your paper will get cited, because it’s very specific to what the user is asking.”
Brand is Tracksuit’s area of expertise. Archbold says in the new AI-driven future, brand trust and credibility are likely to be some of the most important ‘moats’ for any business.
“What AI is doing is bringing down the barrier to entry on any category. It gets easier to produce, to manufacture, to code. It’s easier to do all of that. So that means that there will be more options for consumers of any category.
“If consumers have more options, you need to have a solid brand that’s trusted by lots of people and a strong community who are referring your brand to maintain credibility.
“When you maintain a strong brand, you hold onto customers and your revenue.”
This story comes from NZ Marketing magazine issue 85, Dec 2025-Feb 2026. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
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Read more stories from issue 85 here.
Niko Kloeten is a Feature Writer/Sub-editor for SCG Media Business titles.
NZ Marketing magazine provides essential marketing intelligence. It is New Zealand’s only publication targeted specifically to marketing oriented executives and is required reading for marketers in this country.
