Why is the shift to GEO happening now?

Detailed Explanation

1. Increased Clickability and Rich Results

The primary change that enabled GEO to become a substantial channel was the enhanced ability for users to click through to source websites directly from the AI-generated answers.

• Introduction of Clickable Modules: In January 2025, ChatGPT began making its answers more clickable. This included the introduction of rich modules like maps, shopping carousels, and clickable cards.
• Driving Measurable Traffic: Prior to this, users often received no clicks even if their content showed up in the answer. The rise in clickability, especially for verticals like commerce and local services, meant that a large increase of actual clicks started flowing from the generative engines.

2. Accelerated User Adoption of Generative Engines

The functional improvements coincided with an explosion in the usage and accessibility of generative search tools:

• Skyrocketing Growth Curve: After a period of low interest between July and January, the channel's growth curve became unusually steep in January 2025.
• Mass Availability of ChatGPT Search: The mass adoption was further solidified when the web search feature within ChatGPT was made available to everyone in regions where ChatGPT was available.
• Market Shift: By mid-2025, adoption of AI chat tools became broad, with one study noting 34% of U.S. adults reporting having used ChatGPT, nearly double the share from 2023.

3. Key Technological Advance

Coinciding with this commercial inflection point, key foundational AI technology was also introduced by leading providers:

• Agent Technology Preview: Early 2025, OpenAI released a research preview of the Computer-Using Agent, which was described as a universal interface for AI to interact with the digital world. This emphasized the shift toward agentic systems that require content to be optimized for machine interaction and dynamic task execution (GEO).

In summary, 2025 marked the moment when AI search transformed from an interesting intellectual concept into a substantial sales and visibility channel that could no longer be ignored by content creators, driving the urgent need for a dedicated GEO strategy.