Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has been around for more than 25 years and the impact it has had on business from an investment, and a financial return perspective has been, in my experience, both meaningful and underwhelming.
What does that mean? How can something be both meaningful and underwhelming at the same time? Well, when it works, the returns can be significant, the awareness and notoriety are brilliant but the ROI, especially when it fails to amplify a business’s key messages, can feel like a waste of money.
Often referred to as “the dark art” by marketers, SEO really hit its straps 20 years ago (from 2006-2008) when it was becoming critical for brands and business to invest in digital marketing and advertising. Just when we were following all the rules and investing in this ‘unowned’ real estate, it was ripped out from under our feet – replaced with a new playing field, and in many cases new rules.
You will no doubt have heard this line before… “they changed the algorithm”.
And now AI has changed the goal posts for SEO again. The Large Language Models (LLMs) like Chat GPT (OpenAI), Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini have all taken a large chunk out of the rivers of gold that once belonged to SEO. The $75B SEO industry is in turmoil and is now quickly pivoting to Generative engine optimization (GEO), which relies on information outside an organisation’s owned content, third party unaffiliated exposure in content like news stories, best described as ‘earned media’.
According to a University of Toronto study, 82-89% of AI citations come from earned media sources, which is why it’s earned media that you and your brand need to invest in. SEO (and GEO) will still play a part, but its days of dominance have long gone.
LLMs are learning and building through earned media, drawing from credible and trusted content that is considered accurate, and useful. The pool of content that it scrapes from is in the opinion pieces and news that you have appeared in as an expert, a commentator, someone with a level of authority that has been invited to contribute to the conversation.
Traditional, digital, and online news media is where you need to be seen and heard.
It will help future clients find you, and current clients stay with you. That doesn’t mean you should start delivering AI generated content to media. You need to create and pitch original, curated, authentic content and find the right media partner to help you gain traction in the earned media space.
The rules of engagement are these… deliver human written content to media, build your profile, stay in your lane and over time your investment will pay off, you’ll get the attention of your customers, and you’ll become a known and trusted expert and/or brand.
In 2026 I believe content is still king… but that content must be authentic, backed by expertise, and be coupled with a willingness to be available to the media on established trusted platforms and deliver messages that resonate with their audiences.
Building a profile and brand awareness in today’s AI paradigm will take some getting used to, and AI is moving with incredible pace, but the right media partner can guide you through the earned media landscape, and help you tame the AI juggernaut.
By Nic Hayes, Managing Director of Media Stable.
Nic Hayes is the Managing Director of Media Stable, the earned media specialists www.mediastable.com.au
