Foundations

Career Advice: Growing as a Generative Optimization Strategist in the Age of AI

Sathvik Tantry10 min read

The rise of Generative Engine Optimization isn’t just changing how brands approach search—it’s also creating new opportunities and roles for professionals in marketing, SEO, and content strategy. In this article, we’ll explore how you can adapt your career to ride the GEO wave. Whether you’re an SEO specialist looking to expand your skill set or a content marketer curious about the AI side of things, we’ll cover the key skills to develop, emerging roles (like Generative Optimization Strategist), and tips for career growth in this AI-driven search landscape.

Emerging Roles in the GEO Era

A few years ago, titles like “SEO Specialist” or “Content Strategist” were commonplace. Now, we’re seeing job postings that blend AI and search skills:

  • Generative AI Strategist / GEO Strategist: Companies are beginning to hire people specifically to focus on AI content and search optimization. These roles often involve understanding how AI like ChatGPT or Google’s MUM affects content strategy, and formulating plans to optimize content for those systems. Essentially, a hybrid of an SEO strategist and an AI prompt/content specialist.
  • Search Experience Optimization Lead: Some firms use broader terms like “Search Everywhere Optimization” or “Search Experience” lead, which includes traditional SEO, GEO, voice search, etc., under one umbrel​la. This reflects the need for someone who looks at the entire search/discovery ecosystem.
  • AI Content Editor/Trainer: With so much content being AI-assisted, roles for editors who are adept at working with AI are growing. These people might generate first drafts with GPT-4 and then refine them, ensuring the output aligns with SEO/GEO goals (like including certain phrases or schema).
  • Data Analytics & Monitoring Specialist (AI Focus): Given the need to monitor AI mentions, someone with analytics expertise might step in to develop processes or tools internally for tracking AI-driven KPIs. This could be an SEO analyst who upskills to handle AI data.
  • AI Partnership or AI SEO Liaison: As discussed, partnerships with AI platforms might become a thing. A role could emerge that focuses on developer relations or partnerships specifically to get a company’s data integrated with AI (like someone who manages getting the brand’s information into voice assistants, chatbots, etc.). This is half technical BD, half SEO.

Already, job postings are reflecting some of this. For example, some listings on Indeed and LinkedIn in 2025 ask for experience with AI chatbots or optimizing content for AI. ZipRecruiter in early 2025 listed hundreds of “Generative AI Strategist” openings with hefty salaries, indicating strong demand.

If you’re in SEO, this is not a time to fear replacement, but rather to expand your role. Your understanding of search intent, content optimization, and analytics is incredibly valuable – now you can extend it to AI contexts that others might not grasp as well.

Key Skills to Develop

To thrive in these emerging roles, consider developing the following skills:

  • Prompt Engineering & AI Literacy: You don’t need to be a machine learning engineer, but you should be very comfortable using AI tools (ChatGPT, Bard, etc.) and understanding their outputs. Learn how to craft prompts to get the best results, how to fine-tune style and tone, and how to quickly detect AI hallucinations or errors. This will help in both creating content and in communicating with AI-savvy stakeholders. There are now courses and plenty of online resources for prompt engineering frameworks (even simple ones like providing role, task, format in the prompt).
  • Data Analysis & Scripting: SEO has already been moving toward data science (with Python scripts for log analysis, etc.). For GEO, being able to tap APIs (like OpenAI’s API or Google’s PaLM API) and do some analysis can set you apart. For instance, you could write a script to ask GPT-4 100 questions and parse the answers – a very useful skill as companies try to gather data on AI output. Python, JSON handling, and maybe some NLP basics go a long way.
  • Understanding of AI Models: Again, not at the PhD level, but know the basics of how LLMs work, what their limitations are, and how they’re evolving (e.g., retrieval-augmented generation). If a CMO asks, “Why isn’t the AI mentioning us despite our SEO?” you should be able to explain in simple terms about training data cutoffs or how it might not have “seen” the latest info. This builds your credibility as the in-house expert on AI-in-search.
  • Cross-Disciplinary Communication: SEO often works closely with developers (for technical fixes) and content writers (for on-page improvements). Now add PR, data, and exec leadership to that list. You might be the one educating PR teams that a press hit in, say, TechCrunch could help in AI visibility, or convincing leadership to allow certain data sharing with AI platforms for a strategic advantage. Being able to translate the importance of GEO to non-SEO folks is a huge skill (use analogies, share case studies, quantify potential impact – e.g., “Bing chat has 100 million users, if we appear more there, that’s like being featured in a major publication every day”).
  • Content Strategy with AI in Mind: Content marketers should learn to incorporate AI considerations: for example, thinking in outlines that AIs can easily digest (using clear headings), or planning content updates more frequently. Also, leveraging AI in the workflow (for research, drafting) efficiently is key. Many companies will expect marketers to use AI to increase productivity – showing you can do so ethically and effectively is a plus.

How to Transition or Grow Your Role

If you’re an SEO specialist today, how do you become the GEO (or AI search) specialist at your company?

  • Take Initiative in Your Current Role: Start incorporating GEO into your SEO reports. For instance, add a section in monthly reports: “AI Search Highlights” where you note if any key queries have AI answers that include/exclude your brand. This will get your team and managers used to thinking about it. As you provide insights, you become the go-to person on it.
  • Educate Your Team: Propose a lunch-and-learn on “ChatGPT and the Future of SEO” or share a short weekly update about something interesting you found (e.g., “This week, Google’s SGE started showing images for queries about our product – here’s a screenshot"). By leading the conversation internally, you position yourself as a thought leader.
  • Pilot Projects: Identify a project where you can apply GEO principles and show results. For example, optimize a set of FAQs for People Also Ask and then see if Bing Chat picks them up as an answer source. Or create a “llms.txt” file on a section of the site and monitor if answers improve in quality (perhaps use internal testing via the API). Even if these pilots are small, the learnings (and your demonstration of proactive experimentation) are valuable.
  • Document Successes (and Failures): If you manage to get an AI to start citing your site, shout about it (internally or even as a case study online). If something didn’t work, analyze why and become the person with that knowledge. Much of GEO is new; there’s no playbook, so showing you can create the playbook is career gold.
  • Network in the GEO Space: Follow and engage with the community discussing AI and search. This could be on SEO forums, LinkedIn, or attending webinars. Share your own findings; it’ll raise your profile. Given how new this is, even small insights can gain attention. Building your personal brand as someone who “gets” GEO can lead to job opportunities – companies are actively hunting for talent in this area (hundreds of Generative AI strategist jobs are open ).

Adapting to Changes

AI is developing at a rapid rate. Commit to learning as part of your career:

  • Set Google Alerts or follow news specifically on AI search (e.g., updates on Google’s SGE rollout, Bing Chat developments, OpenAI announcements related to web search).
  • Take online courses or certificates if available. For instance, Coursera or LinkedIn Learning might have new courses on “AI in Digital Marketing” or “ChatGPT for SEO”. Even if you know a lot already, formalizing it can give you talking points and a credential.
  • Experiment personally. Use AI in side projects or for personal interests (build a small blog and optimize it for AI search, for fun). Nothing teaches better than hands-on trial and error without the pressure of client/brand outcomes.

The Value of Traditional SEO Skills

Rest assured, your traditional SEO skills are still extremely valuable:

  • Keyword research -> Question research: Knowing how to find what users want translates directly into finding what they ask AIs.
  • On-page optimization -> Answer optimization: Crafting titles and headings now includes crafting question phrases and succinct answers.
  • Link building -> Digital PR for AI: Earning mentions and links is still earning authority, which affects AI. You already know how to pitch value to publishers; now just include AI visibility as an extra selling point of those placements.
  • Analytics -> Multichannel analytics: You likely use Google Analytics/Search Console. In the future, there may be “AI Search Console”-like data; your analytical mindset will apply there too. Even now, you can estimate AI impact by looking at Bing referral traffic spikes or branded search volume changes – skills you have from SEO reporting.

Consider pursuing a role like “Sr. SEO & Generative Search Innovation Lead” (which we saw in a job listing) as a natural progression. These roles want people who understand SEO deeply AND can guide the team into new territories like GEO. You can be that guide.

Embracing a Growth Mindset

Finally, mindset is everything. The advent of AI in search is not the end of your career – it’s an opportunity to elevate it. Many SEO pros have expressed fear that AI will obviate the need for search optimization. But as we’ve seen, it’s simply changing the nature of it. Adopting a growth mindset – being curious, adapting, and seeing change as positive – will set you apart from those who resist.

Be the person who says, “Yes, AI is changing things, and here’s how we can leverage it,” rather than the person pining for the old days of 10 blue links. Those who adapted when mobile search rose, or when social media became a thing, ended up with richer careers. GEO is a similar pivot.

In summary:

  • Blend your SEO expertise with AI knowledge.
  • Upskill in areas that make you the go-to for AI-related search strategy.
  • Show leadership by educating and experimenting.

Careers in “Generative Optimization” are likely to be rewarding – companies will pay a premium for these skills (as evidenced by salary ranges hitting into six figures for AI strategist role). Plus, you’ll be at the cutting edge of marketing, which can be intellectually stimulating and open doors to roles in product, strategy, or analytics that intersect with AI.

The search landscape will continue to evolve, but the need for experts who can connect brands with audiences in whatever form search takes will never go away. By growing into a GEO specialist, you’re future-proofing your career and keeping yourself at the heart of that mission.

Up next, in our final article of this series, we’ll put on our futurist hat: Where is GEO heading? How will LLMs and AI agents further transform discovery, and what should we anticipate in the next few years?