The Crucial Role of GEO and SEO in the Age of AI 

The Intersection of Generative Engine (GEO) Optimization and Search  Engine Optimization (SEO) 

The digital landscape is transforming faster than at any point in the last decade, and the pharmaceutical industry is feeling the shift more than most. AI-powered search experiences, led by tools like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, and emerging generative platforms are changing how patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) discover and interpret health information. Instead of scrolling through a page of blue links, users are increasingly presented with direct, synthesized answers. 

This evolution has prompted an important and understandable  

question from pharma marketers: 

If AI is now generating the answer, does SEO still matter? 

The reality is that SEO matters now more than ever—because AI can only generate answers based on the content it learns from. 

SEO remains the foundation of digital credibility, accuracy, and discoverability, and it is the discipline that ensures the information fueling AI remains correct, compliant, and aligned to brand strategy. This is why a strong SEO foundation is keystone to a high performing GEO strategy. 

As of 2025, Google’s AI Overviews appear on ~52% of pharma keywords (75% non-branded, 34% branded). When they do, the top organic listing’s CTR drops from 25.8% to 7.4%. Biopharma has seen CTR decline from 32% to 27% over the last year as users increasingly rely on zero-click answers. At the same time, one-third of HCPs report frequently using AI tools for treatment information. Visibility is shifting, user behavior is consolidating, and trust is being redistributed across new digital “gatekeepers.” 

But here is the critical truth many brands overlook: 

AI and GEO do not replace SEO — they depend on SEO. 

AI systems learn from, summarize, and propagate the content available to them. If the underlying content is inaccurate, outdated, or unstructured, AI will produce the same. Strong SEO practices ensure that the data feeding generative engines is medically accurate, well-structured, and discoverable. 

And this is where the next evolution emerges. 

SEO is not ending; it is expanding into GEO. 

Where SEO ensures content is findable and authoritative, GEO positions content so that it is more commonly used by AI when generating answers. Through specialized analysis and targeted recommendations, opportunities can be identified where AI platforms are performing searches on behalf of your audience. Optimizing your content to be more targeted towards those opportunities is the goal. The general concepts of SEO stay the same, but the focus of these concepts shifts to be more in line with priorities of generative engines, which are centralized on sampling sources and curating a custom response to serve the needs of the user. It is the natural progression of SEO in an AI-driven ecosystem. 

SEO builds the foundation; GEO elevates it into the AI environment. The brands that win in this new era will be those that recognize SEO as the prerequisite to GEO—ensuring that the right content is not only available but adopted by generative engines as the source of truth. 

Expert Perspectives: Insights from Our Team 

SEO’s Role in Guiding AI Search  

As AI reshapes how people discover and consume information, SEO remains the critical first step in ensuring content is visible, accurate, and trustworthy. Strong SEO is what enables brands to show up in AI-generated experiences today—and it lays the groundwork for GEO, where content not only ranks, but informs the answers AI produces. The following perspectives from SEO leaders highlight how the discipline is evolving to guide both traditional and generative search, ensuring brands maintain authority as the digital landscape transforms.  

SEO Experts 

• Franco Maffei, Senior Vice President SEO, on SEO Becoming GEO 
  SEO is outgrowing the idea of rankings and moving into the generative space. The goal is no longer to chase positions on a results page. The goal is to shape the information that AI uses to form an answer to create a connection that supports and educates your audience. Generative engines pull from multiple sources and present a single response. When your content is structured, authoritative, and aligned to user intent, your brand becomes that response. If you are not part of the answer, you are not part of the conversation.  

Integrating SEO with media strategy, SEM, and paid social further amplifies this impact, creating a cohesive approach that reaches audiences across multiple touchpoints. As AI continues to evolve, SEO is not just surviving—it is guiding the way, safeguarding the accuracy of information, and maintaining visibility in a rapidly changing digital ecosystem. By embracing SEO as the cornerstone of content strategy, pharmaceutical brands can stay ahead, build trust, and lead in the AI-powered world. 

• Brian Cox, Vice President SEO, on Keeping Brands Visible Amid AI Change 
  SEO strategists are the ideal guides for brands in the era of AI search, using their deep understanding of search engine mechanics and user behavior to create strategies that succeed in ever-changing digital landscapes. Our expertise in navigating algorithm changes, optimizing websites, and predicting trends ensures brands stay visible and relevant as AI transforms how information is found. We make your content relatable to your audience and help it be discoverable by these platforms so that your brand can evolve in tandem with new tech used to advance the search process. 

• Bill Rowland, Vice President SEO, on Making SEO More Educational and Audience-Centered 
  We can help you to understand what your larger presence looks like in this new frontier for search and help you to make it more supportive of your audience. We can optimize your digital assets so that they influence these AI-driven platforms and provide a more educational experience for the people who are actively searching to learn more about your brand. 

• Anthony Moore, Vice President SEO, on Structuring Content for AI Visibility 
  As AI-driven search becomes more conversational, technical SEO has never mattered more. Schema, structured data, and clear contextual signals allow brand content to be accurately cited and surfaced within AI summaries—ensuring that credible information, not speculation, shapes the user experience. For pharmaceutical brands, this means going beyond traditional metadata and focusing on precision, compliance, and accessibility. The more structured your data, the more confidently AI systems can interpret and present your content to HCPs and patients seeking answers. 

• Vanessa Leaman, Vice President SEO, on Humanizing Search in the Age of Automation 
  AI may automate information delivery, but empathy and intent still drive discovery. SEO and GEO bridges that gap, translating complex healthcare concepts into content that both patients and HCPs can easily understand and trust. For patients, that means simplifying scientific information without losing accuracy. For HCPs, it means surfacing credible, data-driven insights that support informed clinical decisions. As search becomes increasingly AI-mediated, balancing human tone with scientific clarity will determine which brands remain trusted authorities across both audiences. 

Key Takeaway:  
SEO remains the backbone of digital visibility in the AI era—blending technical excellence with human understanding – but GEO takes that experience to a more customized level. By combining structured, compliant data with educational, audience-focused content and a tone that connects with both HCPs and patients, SEO ensures brands are not only visible within AI search but trusted as credible sources of truth. This strong SEO foundation is what enables brands to progress into GEO, where content doesn’t just appear in results, but actively informs the answers generative engines deliver. 

Media’s Shift Toward AI-Driven Integration 

Media strategy is evolving alongside AI, as clients and agencies embrace new tools to accelerate creative production, optimize distribution, and integrate omnichannel approaches. The shift signals an openness to innovation, but it also underscores the importance of transparency, compliance, and ethical standards. Media experts highlight that while AI adoption is growing, maintaining the human element in messaging and brand trust remains critical. With one-third of HCPs already using AI tools for treatment info and patients increasingly trusting AI responses, media strategies must be fully integrated with SEO to ensure alignment, accuracy, and amplification. 

Media Strategy Experts 

• Erica Lopez-Dowding, Vice President Engagement Strategy, on Embracing AI-Driven Innovation 
  While initial client buy-in for AI integration was a hurdle, we’re now seeing a significant shift towards embracing AI-driven transformation. Just as SEO ensures accuracy and authority in AI search environments, media strategies must align with these principles to reinforce consistent, credible brand presence across all channels. Clients are actively leveraging AI for creative content generation, potential plans for omnichannel integration, and have embraced bespoke technology for faster, more efficient trafficking. The upcoming 2026 RFP cycle further signals this trend, with partners increasingly showcasing AI in their tactical offerings. This willingness to experiment, learn from outcomes, and adapt to AI’s rapid evolution is a positive sign. 
   
  Staying relevant demands a strong foundation in AI literacy. Agencies and clients alike must grasp AI’s potential and limitations to strategically plan its role in enhancing content, distribution, and engagement. Absolute transparency, compliance, and ethical practices in data handling and sourcing are non-negotiable. Above all, maintaining the human touch for trust and authenticity remains critical. Good SEO is also foundational to any paid campaign: every click, whether organic or paid, ultimately drives to a website that must deliver strong user experience for campaigns to be successful. 

• Jason Sibley, Senior Vice President Engagement Strategy, on Connecting AI Insights to Human Impact 
  As AI-driven optimization becomes the norm, the challenge for media isn’t just efficiency—it’s meaning. We can now analyze engagement patterns in real time, predict audience needs, and personalize creative faster than ever before. But technology alone doesn’t build trust. In healthcare, every impression carries weight, so campaigns are developed with purpose with thought behind every activation and message delivered. That’s where collaboration with SEO becomes essential, ensuring every AI-informed media decision aligns with accurate, authoritative content that strengthens credibility across channels. 

Key Takeaway: Media teams are redefining success through the lens of AI, using data and automation to refine engagement while keeping credibility and compassion at the forefront. When aligned with SEO, media strategies amplify trust and ensure every touchpoint reinforces the integrity of healthcare communication. Media and SEO must move in lockstep. AI-driven results require consistent messaging, compliance, and trust signals across every channel—ensuring the brand voice is unified, accurate, and impactful. 

SEM Expert 

As AI continues to reshape search behavior, paid search is evolving from a purely performance-driven channel into a strategic bridge between SEO and future generative search experiences. While pharma cannot yet activate ads within AI Overviews, SEM plays a critical role in preparing brands for what’s next, ensuring paid efforts are aligned with the same relevance, credibility, and authority signals that fuel both SEO and GEO. The insights below reflect how SEM is adapting to support visibility today and readiness for tomorrow. 

• Alex Fiore, Vice President SEM, on Elevating Paid Search Through AI Alignment 
  In pharma, we’re not yet activating within AI Overviews, but the shift is coming. Our focus now is readiness, ensuring that when platforms open up, our paid search and automated bidding and targeting strategies are already aligned with how AI evaluates relevance and authority. By building strong SEO foundations today, we position brands to seamlessly extend paid visibility into AI experiences tomorrow. The goal isn’t just to appear first, it’s to appear right, with compliant, educational content that meets user intent in every context. 

Key Takeaway: SEM’s role in pharma is shifting from pure performance to strategic readiness. By aligning paid strategies with SEO foundations and leveraging AI responsibly, brands can prepare for the next phase of integrated search, ensuring accuracy, visibility, and credibility when paid placements within AI environments become available. 

Paid Social Expert 

As AI personalizes content across platforms, paid social plays a growing role in shaping the signals that influence how brands are perceived—and ultimately how content is interpreted by generative engines. When aligned with SEO, paid social help reinforces the credibility and consistency needed for GEO. 

• Walter Schmidli, Vice President Paid Social, on Driving Efficiency in Paid Social with AI 
  From the outset, paid social has leveraged learning technologies with algorithms shaping newsfeeds, ad delivery, and audience engagement. Based on the recent boom, AI now drives more advanced optimization, creative development, and deeper analytical capabilities. Platforms like Meta and TikTok have leveraged AI to streamline buying, targeting, and engagement, helping brands reach the right audiences more efficiently. When paired with SEO, these insights strengthen brand consistency across channels assuring that audiences not only see your message but also find credible, complementary information when they search. AI tools can be leveraged to generate more dynamic creative and faster, data-driven insights that reinforce discoverability and trust. 

Key Takeaway: AI is transforming paid social into a predictive, insight-driven channel that works hand in hand with SEO to strengthen brand consistency and credibility. In pharma, success depends on pairing automation with authenticity to deliver compliant, connected experiences across every touchpoint. 

The Evolution Toward GEO: SEO Leading the Way 

Generative engines synthesize content from multiple sources. When your content is structured, accurate, authoritative, and intent-aligned, it has the power to inform that answer. If you’re not part of the AI-generated answer, you’re not part of the conversation. 

When SEO works in lockstep with media, SEM, and paid social, brands build a Generative Engine Optimized, AI-ready ecosystem grounded in clarity, consistency, and credibility. 

The brands that invest now won’t just keep up, they’ll lead. 

Authors: 

Vanessa Leman – Vice President – SEO 
Anthony Moore – Vice President – SEO 
Franco Maffei, Senior Vice President SEO 
Brian Cox, Vice President SEO 
Bill Rowland, Vice President SEO 
Erica Lopez-Dowding, Vice President Engagement Strategy 
Jason Sibley, Senior Vice President Engagement Strategy 
Alex Fiore, Vice President SEM 
Walter Schmidli, Vice President Paid Social