GEO Requests Rise Among More Search Freelancers Than Google SEO

GEO Requests: For years, one of the most common requests given to SEO freelancers was simple:

“Can you help my website rank higher on Google?”

That question is beginning to change.

Businesses are increasingly asking a different question:

“How can my brand appear when people ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, or other AI search tools for recommendations?”

This shift is reflected in new Fiverr survey data. According to Search Engine Journal’s reporting on Fiverr’s 2026 Holiday Marketing Index, 67% of surveyed search specialists said they had seen an increase in client requests for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) during the past year, compared with 56% who reported increased requests to improve Google rankings.

However, the story is not that SEO has suddenly become irrelevant. In the same survey, 61% of search specialists still considered Google SEO the stronger long-term investment. Fiverr’s data therefore points toward an expansion of search marketing rather than a simple replacement of SEO with GEO.

For freelancers, agencies, and businesses, that distinction matters.

What Is GEO?

GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization.

It refers to strategies designed to increase the likelihood that a brand, website, product, or piece of content is understood, referenced, cited, or mentioned by AI-powered search and answer systems.

Traditional SEO is largely concerned with visibility in search-engine results pages.

For example:

Traditional SEO:

User searches:

“Best digital marketing agency in Punjab”

Google returns:

1. Website A
2. Website B
3. Website C
4. Website D

The SEO objective is to improve the site’s visibility and ranking.

With generative search, the experience can look very different.

AI search:

User asks:

“Which digital marketing agencies in Punjab should I consider?”

An AI system may generate a written response containing several companies, explanations, comparisons, and citations.

The objective of GEO is therefore not simply:

“Get position #1.”

It becomes:

“Make the brand understandable, relevant, trustworthy, and referenceable enough to appear in AI-generated answers.”

Research introducing the GEO concept found that optimization strategies could improve visibility in generative-engine responses, although results varied by domain and optimization approach.

Why Are Clients Asking for GEO?

The change is connected to how people discover information.

Search behavior is becoming increasingly conversational.

Instead of typing several keywords into Google, users can ask AI systems complete questions:

• “What is the best CRM for a small business?”
• “Compare these three website builders.”
• “Which SEO agency specializes in e-commerce?”
• “What should I buy for a beginner photography setup?”
• “What are the best restaurants near me?”
• “Which software is suitable for a small team?”

The user isn’t necessarily looking for ten blue links.

They want an answer.

That creates a new visibility problem for businesses.

A company can have a well-optimized website and still wonder:

“Why isn’t AI mentioning us?”

That question is helping create demand for GEO services.

The Numbers Behind the GEO Trend

The Fiverr survey provides an interesting snapshot of this change.

According to Search Engine Journal:

Metric	Reported figure
Search freelancers seeing increased GEO requests	67%
Search freelancers seeing increased Google-ranking requests	56%
Search specialists who consider Google SEO the stronger long-term investment	61%
Search specialists saying clients expect lower prices because AI is involved	61%
Search specialists increasingly hired for advice/expertise	83%
Search specialists reporting typical project costs of $150–$300	61%

Fiverr also reported that GEO services on its marketplace grew by 29% between November 2025 and April 2026, based on its internal marketplace data.

Another Fiverr resource reported that demand for GEO services had grown more than fivefold year over year when comparing May 2026 with May 2025. That figure comes from Fiverr marketplace data and reflects marketplace demand rather than the entire global SEO industry.

An important caveat

These numbers should not be interpreted as proof that GEO has replaced SEO across the entire market.

The Fiverr survey covered hundreds of top-rated freelancers across search, UGC, and e-commerce in eight countries, and Fiverr described the results as self-reported rather than representative of the general population. Search Engine Journal also noted that the report did not disclose several methodological details, including the precise sample size, survey period, and question wording.

So the data is best understood as a signal of changing client demand among Fiverr search freelancers, not as a complete measurement of the worldwide SEO industry.

GEO Does Not Mean “SEO Is Dead”

This is probably the most important point.

There is a tendency in digital marketing to turn every major technology change into a dramatic headline:

SEO is dead.

Then:

Social media is killing websites.

Then:

AI is killing Google.

The reality is usually more complicated.

Search engines still need information.

AI systems also need information.

A website still needs:

• useful content
• good structure
• technical accessibility
• relevant information
• authority
• trustworthy references
• clear entities and relationships
• strong user experience

That means many SEO fundamentals remain useful.

In fact, GEO and SEO frequently overlap.

SEO vs GEO: What’s Different?

A simple way to understand the difference is to think about visibility format.

SEO asks:

Can people find my website through search results?

GEO asks:

Can AI systems understand and potentially reference my business when generating an answer?

Consider a local clothing business.

A traditional SEO strategy might target:

“women’s suits in Jalandhar”

The business could optimize its website, product pages, local information, internal links, and other SEO elements.

A GEO-focused strategy might also consider questions such as:

“Where can I buy women’s suits in Jalandhar?”

“What types of Punjabi suits are popular?”

“Which suit shops offer affordable women’s suits?”

“What should I look for when buying a Punjabi suit online?”

The goal is to create useful, clear information that can establish the business as a relevant source within its topic.

Why Content Structure Matters More in AI Search

AI systems have to process enormous amounts of information.

That makes clarity important.

Instead of writing content that simply repeats a keyword dozens of times, businesses should focus on making information easy to understand.

For example:

Weak approach

We are the best digital marketing company. Our digital marketing services provide the best digital marketing solutions for businesses looking for digital marketing.

This is repetitive and doesn’t communicate much.

Better approach

We help small businesses improve their online visibility through SEO, content marketing, social media, and website optimization. Our services are designed for businesses that want to generate more relevant website traffic and enquiries.

The second version communicates:

• who the company serves
• what it does
• which services it provides
• what problem it addresses

That clarity can benefit both human readers and systems trying to interpret the business.

What Does a GEO Freelancer Actually Do?

GEO should not simply become a new name for “write some AI-friendly content.”

A professional GEO service can involve several areas.

1. Entity Optimization

AI systems need to understand who or what a business is.

For example:

Brand: XYZ Digital
Category: Digital marketing agency
Location: Punjab, India
Services: SEO, social media marketing, website development
Audience: Small and medium-sized businesses

A freelancer can help make these relationships clearer across the website and other digital properties.

2. Answer-Focused Content

Instead of creating articles only around individual keywords, freelancers can build content around questions customers actually ask.

For example:

Keyword-focused approach:

SEO services Punjab

Question-focused approach:

How much do SEO services cost for a small business in Punjab?

The second approach creates an opportunity to provide a useful answer rather than simply repeating a search phrase.

3. FAQs

Frequently asked questions can make important information easier to discover and understand.

For example, an e-commerce business could answer:

• What is your delivery time?
• Do you offer returns?
• Which payment methods are available?
• What sizes are available?
• How do I choose the right size?
• Do you ship across India?

These aren’t just SEO questions.

They are real customer questions.

4. Original Information

One of the challenges of AI-generated content is that the internet can quickly become saturated with similar articles.

A business that publishes original information can have something more distinctive to say.

Examples include:

• original research
• customer insights
• surveys
• case studies
• expert commentary
• proprietary data
• firsthand experience
• unique comparisons

Instead of writing another generic article titled:

“10 SEO Tips for Small Businesses”

a freelancer might create:

“What We Learned After Auditing 50 Local Business Websites”

The second concept has a much stronger opportunity to contain original information.

GEO Is Also About Digital Authority

A business doesn’t exist only on its own website.

Its digital identity can appear across:

• business directories
• industry publications
• social platforms
• review websites
• YouTube
• news articles
• partner websites
• professional profiles
• community discussions

This creates a broader question:

Does the internet consistently describe this business in the same way?

For example, if a company says it specializes in e-commerce SEO but independent sources consistently describe it differently, AI systems may have less context to work with.

That is why GEO increasingly overlaps with:

SEO + content + digital PR + brand building + reputation + entity optimization.

The New Freelancer Opportunity

The biggest implication of this trend may be for freelancers.

SEO freelancers have traditionally sold services such as:

• keyword research
• technical SEO
• on-page SEO
• link building
• local SEO
• content strategy
• SEO audits

Now they can also encounter demand for:

• AI search optimization
• GEO audits
• AI visibility monitoring
• entity optimization
• AI citation analysis
• answer-focused content
• brand mention monitoring
• AI search strategy

This doesn’t necessarily mean freelancers should abandon traditional SEO.

Instead, the opportunity is to understand both search environments.

Clients Are Also Changing What They Want From Freelancers

Another interesting finding from the Fiverr survey is that 83% of surveyed search specialists said clients were increasingly hiring them for advice and expertise rather than simple execution.

That’s significant.

AI can make certain execution tasks faster.

For example, AI can help produce:

• content outlines
• keyword variations
• meta descriptions
• FAQ ideas
• content briefs
• initial drafts

But businesses still need someone to answer:

What should we actually do?

That’s where strategic expertise becomes more valuable.

A freelancer who only sells “10 blog posts per month” may face different competitive pressures from a freelancer who can explain:

“Here is how your customers search, here is how AI answers those questions, here are the information gaps we found, and here is the content and authority strategy we recommend.”

The Pricing Problem

AI also creates a difficult question for freelancers:

If AI makes the work faster, why should the client pay the same amount?

According to Fiverr’s survey, 61% of surveyed search specialists said clients expect lower prices simply because AI is involved.

This is a genuine challenge.

But speed and value aren’t necessarily the same thing.

Imagine an SEO freelancer previously spent five hours researching a topic.

With AI assistance, perhaps the research process takes two hours.

That doesn’t automatically mean the client should pay for only two hours of work.

The freelancer is still providing:

• expertise
• strategy
• judgment
• quality control
• implementation
• accountability
• measurement

The more AI automates execution, the more freelancers may need to communicate the business value of their expertise.

Don’t Sell “Guaranteed ChatGPT Rankings”

This is where freelancers need to be careful.

AI search is not identical to traditional Google rankings.

There is no universal:

“GEO Position #1”

that works across every user, prompt, model, location, context, and time.

AI responses can change.

Different systems can use different sources.

Users can ask questions differently.

Models can retrieve different information.

Therefore, freelancers should be cautious about promises such as:

“We guarantee ChatGPT will recommend your company.”

A more defensible service focuses on measurable activities and observable visibility.

For example:

• monitor target prompts
• identify whether the brand is mentioned
• analyze cited sources
• improve relevant content
• strengthen authoritative references
• track changes over time

That creates a more transparent relationship between the work and the outcome.

How Businesses Can Prepare for GEO

Businesses don’t necessarily need to completely rebuild their websites.

Start with fundamentals.

Step 1: Make Your Business Easy to Understand

Clearly communicate:

• What do you sell?
• Who do you serve?
• Where do you operate?
• What makes your offering different?
• What problems do you solve?
• What products/services do you provide?

Step 2: Build Useful Content

Answer the questions customers actually ask.

Create:

• guides
• comparisons
• FAQs
• tutorials
• product explanations
• service pages
• case studies
• original research

Step 3: Strengthen Your Website

Make sure important information is accessible and organized.

Pay attention to:

• page structure
• headings
• internal links
• product/service descriptions
• author information where relevant
• contact information
• business details
• technical SEO
• page performance

Step 4: Build Brand Mentions Beyond Your Website

Look for legitimate opportunities to build visibility across relevant sources.

This might include:

• industry publications
• local directories
• professional associations
• interviews
• partnerships
• customer reviews
• useful community contributions

The goal isn’t to create fake mentions.

The goal is to build a genuine digital footprint.

Step 5: Monitor AI Visibility

Choose a set of important questions.

For example:

“Best SEO agency for small businesses in Punjab”

“Affordable SEO services in Punjab”

“How much does SEO cost for a small business?”

Then periodically test how different AI systems answer those questions.

Record:

• whether your brand appears
• which competitors appear
• which sources are cited
• what information the AI provides
• whether your business information is accurate

This gives you a starting GEO benchmark.

GEO Should Be Combined With SEO

The strongest practical takeaway from the Fiverr data is not:

GEO instead of SEO.

It is:

GEO alongside SEO.

Fiverr’s survey itself found that while more freelancers were seeing rising GEO requests, 61% still considered Google SEO the stronger long-term investment, and the report recommended funding both.

That makes sense because the two disciplines share many foundations.

A strong strategy might look like this:

Technical SEO
↓
Useful Content
↓
Topical Authority
↓
Brand & Entity Clarity
↓
Digital PR & Mentions
↓
AI Search Visibility
↓
Business Leads & Conversions

The objective isn’t to optimize for a single platform.

It is to make the business discoverable wherever potential customers look for information.

What This Means for SEO Freelancers in 2026

For freelancers, the job description is evolving.

Yesterday:

“I help websites rank on Google.”

Today:

“I help businesses improve their visibility across traditional search and AI-powered search.”

That is a broader skill set.

An SEO freelancer who understands GEO can potentially offer clients a more complete search strategy.

For example:

Traditional SEO

• Keyword research
• Technical SEO
• On-page optimization
• Internal linking
• Local SEO
• Link building
• Search Console analysis

GEO

• AI visibility audits
• Prompt research
• Citation analysis
• Entity optimization
• Answer-focused content
• Brand mention monitoring
• AI search reporting

Combined service

Search Visibility Optimization

This positioning may be easier for clients to understand than treating SEO and GEO as completely separate worlds.

The Future of Search May Be Less About “Ranking”

The biggest conceptual change is this:

Traditional search asks:

Where do I rank?

AI search increasingly asks:

Am I included in the answer?

Those are different visibility models.

A business might rank well for a keyword but not appear in an AI-generated recommendation.

Conversely, a brand may be mentioned by an AI system even when a user never sees a traditional “#1 ranking.”

This doesn’t make rankings meaningless.

It means marketers need more ways to measure visibility.

What Should Freelancers Learn Now?

If you’re an SEO freelancer looking to adapt, focus on skills rather than chasing every new acronym.

Learn:

1. SEO Fundamentals

Understand:

• search intent
• technical SEO
• content quality
• internal linking
• crawling/indexing
• authority
• local search

2. AI Search

Understand:

• how AI answers questions
• retrieval and citations
• AI-generated answers
• entity relationships
• prompt-based visibility
• AI search monitoring

3. Content Strategy

Learn how to create content that is:

• useful
• specific
• original
• structured
• evidence-based
• easy to understand

4. Analytics

Don’t just publish content.

Measure what happens.

Track:

• organic traffic
• conversions
• rankings
• branded searches
• referral traffic
• AI mentions where measurable
• citations
• leads

5. Business Strategy

Most importantly, understand that visibility isn’t the final goal.

The real business outcomes are things like:

Visibility → Traffic → Trust → Leads → Sales → Customers

Final Thoughts

The rise in GEO requests among Fiverr search freelancers is an important signal about where digital marketing is heading.

The data does not show that Google SEO has disappeared.

Instead, it shows that businesses are beginning to think beyond traditional search rankings.

According to Fiverr’s survey, 67% of surveyed search specialists reported increasing GEO requests, compared with 56% reporting increased requests for Google-ranking work. At the same time, 61% still viewed Google SEO as the stronger long-term investment.

That combination tells an interesting story.

SEO isn’t necessarily being replaced. The definition of search visibility is expanding.

Businesses now need to think about two questions:

Can customers find us in search results?

And increasingly:

Can AI systems understand us well enough to include us in their answers?

For freelancers, that means the opportunity isn’t simply to become a “GEO freelancer.”

It’s to become a modern search strategist who understands Google, AI search, content, authority, entities, and—most importantly—how visibility turns into real business results.

The search landscape is changing.

The fundamentals are still valuable.

But the destination where customers discover businesses is becoming much bigger than a traditional search-results page.