UK marketers lead global shift to GEO in AI search

UK marketers are adopting Generative Engine Optimisation faster than their global peers, according to Optimizely.

The company’s survey found higher levels of comfort, investment and preparedness in the UK as AI-led search changes how consumers find brands.

Based on responses from 1,000 marketers worldwide, the research points to a shift away from traditional search rankings and website visits towards visibility within AI-generated answers. In the UK, 61% of marketers said they were very familiar with GEO and already had a strategy in place, compared with 45% globally.

That lead extends to spending plans. In the UK, 70% said they were actively investing in strategies to optimise content for visibility in AI-generated responses, versus 54% globally.

The findings also suggest UK marketers are more willing to accept a model in which customers interact with brands through third-party AI services rather than going direct. Nearly half, 49%, said their organisation was very comfortable with that arrangement, compared with 25% worldwide.

A similar gap appeared in expectations of a future in which users no longer click through to company websites. In the UK, 41% said they were very prepared for that outcome, while the global average was 27%.

Changing search

The data reflects how AI summaries and conversational search tools are changing the path from discovery to purchase. For marketers, the issue is no longer just whether a website ranks highly in conventional search results, but whether a brand is represented accurately and prominently in answers generated by AI systems.

On that measure, 42% of UK marketers said they were very confident that AI-generated summaries reflect their brand or content accurately, compared with 25% globally.

Many UK respondents also appeared to see the shift as already under way rather than a distant risk. Some 43% said click-less journeys were already the norm for most brands, compared with 21% of global marketers.

That view is shaping priorities. The survey found 65% of UK marketers ranked GEO as a top priority, against 39% globally. It also found 81% were considering investment in new software or tools to support their approach, compared with 61% worldwide.

UK lead

The figures suggest the UK may be moving earlier than other regions to adapt to AI-driven discovery. That could give companies more time to adjust content, brand messaging and search strategies before user behaviour shifts further away from direct visits and traditional referral traffic.

The commercial implications are significant for businesses that have long relied on search engines to drive consumers to owned digital channels. If more interactions begin and end within AI interfaces, marketers may need new ways to measure visibility, brand presence and customer engagement.

For technology suppliers, the trend is also creating demand for tools that help brands monitor how they appear in AI-generated responses and adjust content to improve that representation. The survey suggests UK marketers are more ready than peers elsewhere to invest in those systems.

Tara Corey, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Optimizely, said: “AI search means brand discovery is no longer fully within an organisation’s control, but that shift puts more pressure on businesses to shape how they appear in AI-generated answers.

“This research should be a clear wake-up call to marketers: the UK is ahead of the curve, and that gives it a major advantage. Businesses have a small window to influence AI results before the space gets too crowded, giving them a head start in this new click-less future. Organisations must start investing in their GEO strategy now or risk becoming invisible once AI search becomes the norm.”