GEO and AI agents: the new battle for consumer preference

Artificial intelligence is changing the buying journey in a much deeper way than simply replacing a Google search with a question in ChatGPT. Increasingly, AI tools and agents are becoming part of the process of discovering, comparing and selecting products and services, narrowing down the options before consumers even visit a website or contact a brand.

This was one of the main topics of the webinar “CX | GEO and AI Agents”, hosted by ClienteSA, with Rodrigo Neves, CEO of VitaminaWeb, alongside Rafael Rez, founder of Web Estratégica; Thiago Rocha, Global Director of Growth Acquisition at Nuvemshop; and Wilson S., professor at ESPM and CEO of WS Labs.

The discussion began with an important shift in digital behavior. In the past, consumers searched, visited different websites, compared offers and built their own lists of options. With AI, some of that work can happen beforehand. A user can ask which product is best for a particular need, which suppliers serve a certain profile or which solution offers the best balance of price, quality and delivery time. Artificial intelligence organizes the available information and presents only a few options.

This is precisely where GEO, Generative Engine Optimization, becomes important. While SEO was developed to increase the visibility of brands and content in search engines, GEO aims to make a company easier for generative engines to find, understand and consider. The difference matters: with SEO, a company competes for positions on a results page; with GEO, it is beginning to compete for a place within the answer generated by AI.

This changes the dynamics of digital presence. It is not enough to produce a lot of content or repeat keywords. Systems need to clearly understand who a company is, what it offers, who its solution is for, which problems it solves and what evidence supports its authority. Poorly structured, contradictory or incomplete information makes it harder for AI to correctly interpret a brand, service or product.

For e-commerce companies, this issue is even more practical. Data such as product name, category, brand, features, price, availability, variations, reviews and specifications need to be organized consistently and in a structured format. If an AI system or agent cannot correctly interpret this information, a product may not be considered in an automated comparison, even if it is commercially competitive.

Another point raised was that relevance to AI does not depend solely on content published on a company’s own website. Reputation, external citations, the authority of experts associated with the brand, proprietary data, research, case studies and consistent information across different digital channels also help build context. The clearer the connection between a company, a topic and its expertise, the more likely it is to be recognized in that area.

In practice, this means companies need to start thinking about a new layer in the buying journey. Algorithmic mediation may now come between discovery and consideration. AI searches, interprets and filters before the consumer does. In some cases, users may never learn about certain brands because the system did not select them as relevant options.

This scenario also brings GEO closer to CX. When an AI agent can search for products, retrieve information, compare terms or even initiate a transaction, it becomes directly involved in the customer experience. The relationship is no longer just between a person and a company. It now includes an intermediary layer of technology.

For Rodrigo Neves, this transformation calls for a broader perspective than simply “optimizing content for AI.” GEO involves technology, information architecture, structured data, content, reputation, authority and digital maturity. Companies that fail to put these foundations in place may discover that they have good products and services but are not being understood by new discovery interfaces.

At the same time, the growth of AI does not diminish the importance of trust. On the contrary. The easier it becomes to generate content and automate interactions, the more important assets such as credibility, proven experience, original expertise, proprietary data and reputation become. Technology can help consumers compare and select options, but trust remains a deciding factor in the final choice.

The challenge for brands, then, is no longer just to appear on Google. The new question is whether a brand will be among the options presented when someone asks an AI system about a particular market, company or solution. And, in a scenario that is drawing ever closer, if an AI agent can research, compare and complete part of a purchase on a consumer’s behalf, will that company be technically and strategically prepared to be considered?

GEO starts right there: building a digital presence that can be understood by people, search engines and, increasingly, artificial intelligence systems.