In this episode of Marketing Mantra, I share my honest take on the growing chaos of acronyms around AI search. Every week there’s a new one: AEO, LLMO, AIO, GAIO, SEvO, and honestly, most of them don’t make sense. They’re shallow rebrands of SEO dressed up with new jargon.

I break down where each of these acronyms came from, why they don’t hold up, and why only one term actually deserves a place in our marketing vocabulary: GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). Just like SEO defined the Google era, I believe GEO will define the generative era.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The backstory of AEO, LLMO, AIO/GAIO, and SEvO — and why I think they’re destined to fade.

• Why GEO stands apart as a clear, focused, and lasting framework.

• The pillars of GEO that I focus on in my own work:

  • Citations and Mentions – how to get cited in generative answers.

  • Schema and Entities – why structuring your content matters more than ever.

  • Authority and Trust – building credibility with both people and AI engines.

  • Prompt-Based Visibility – how I test and track brand presence across ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity.

• Why I believe GEO is the playbook marketers need to embrace right now.

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Links and Resources

• 📖 Read my full blog post on GEO: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): How to Stay Visible in the Age of AI Search

• 🌐 Learn more about my agency: Startup Cafe Digital

• 📚 Explore more in-depth guides at 99signals.com

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BONUS RESOURCES + FREE DOWNLOADS

If you're a fan of the podcast, here are some FREE online marketing resources from my blog, 99signals, to help you level up your marketing skills:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Ultimate Blogging Toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ebooks.99signals.com/blogging-toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) - This eBook features 75+ marketing tools to help you blog better and boost your traffic!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Essential Guide to Link Building with Infographics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://resources.99signals.com/infographic-backlinks-pdf) - This PDF guide will show you how you can easily design an infographic and quickly build high-quality backlinks to supercharge your SEO.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Top-rated articles at 99signals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.99signals.com/best/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) - This page contains a list of all the top-rated articles on my blog. It’s a great place to get started if you’re visiting 99signals for the first time.

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Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.99signals.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more insights on SEO, blogging, and marketing.

Affiliate marketing has changed dramatically, and I’ve felt it firsthand. With content saturation, shrinking organic visibility on Google, and declining trust, the old playbook of publishing reviews and waiting for rankings no longer works.

In this episode of Marketing Mantra, I share how I’ve adapted my approach to keep affiliate revenue steady in 2025.

You’ll learn:

• Why the old “publish a review and rank on Google” model no longer works

• How I build credibility with proof-driven reviews and real use cases

• Why diversifying into video, email, and other channels is now essential

• Practical examples of affiliate strategies that still work in 2025

If you rely on affiliate marketing, this episode will give you a clear roadmap to stay profitable by focusing on proof, trust, and real value.

=-=-=-=

BONUS RESOURCES + FREE DOWNLOADS

If you're a fan of the podcast, here are some FREE online marketing resources from my blog, 99signals, to help you level up your marketing skills:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Ultimate Blogging Toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ebooks.99signals.com/blogging-toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) - This eBook features 75+ marketing tools to help you blog better and boost your traffic!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Essential Guide to Link Building with Infographics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://resources.99signals.com/infographic-backlinks-pdf) - This PDF guide will show you how you can easily design an infographic and quickly build high-quality backlinks to supercharge your SEO.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Top-rated articles at 99signals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.99signals.com/best/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) - This page contains a list of all the top-rated articles on my blog. It’s a great place to get started if you’re visiting 99signals for the first time.

-=-=-=-=-

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.99signals.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more insights on SEO, blogging, and marketing.

Feeling the impact of Google’s latest algorithm updates? You’re not alone. In this episode, I break down the steps you can take to recover your site’s traffic after being hit by the dreaded updates—especially the "Helpful Content" update.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to identify if your site was affected by Google's most recent algorithm update and the tools you can use to check
• Key steps to take, like removing outdated content and improving technical SEO
• The importance of image optimization and how to switch to WebP format for faster load times
• Top resources to stay ahead of future Google updates

Resources Mentioned:

• Ahrefs Site Explorer - https://ahrefs.com/site-explorer
• WP Rocket - https://wp-rocket.me/
• ShortPixel Plugin - https://shortpixel.com/
• PageSpeed Insights - https://pagespeed.web.dev/
• SEO sites to stay updated: Search Engine Roundtable (https://www.seroundtable.com/), Search Engine Land (https://searchengineland.com/), and Search Engine Journal (https://www.searchenginejournal.com/)

=-=-=-=

BONUS RESOURCES + FREE DOWNLOADS

If you're a fan of the podcast, here are some FREE online marketing resources from my blog, 99signals, to help you level up your marketing skills:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Ultimate Blogging Toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ebooks.99signals.com/blogging-toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) - This eBook features 75+ marketing tools to help you blog better and boost your traffic!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Essential Guide to Link Building with Infographics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://resources.99signals.com/infographic-backlinks-pdf) - This PDF guide will show you how you can easily design an infographic and quickly build high-quality backlinks to supercharge your SEO.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Top-rated articles at 99signals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.99signals.com/best/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) - This page contains a list of all the top-rated articles on my blog. It’s a great place to get started if you’re visiting 99signals for the first time.

-=-=-=-=-

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.99signals.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more insights on SEO, blogging, and marketing.