Why Your Brand Is Slowly Becoming Invisible
A generation of founders risk missing the most significant shift in search discovery since Google's rise. While Southeast Asian startups obsess over traditional SEO, Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is creating winners and losers—and most founders don't even know the game has changed.
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) represents a fundamental shift from traditional search optimisation to language model visibility, where success means being cited in AI-generated responses rather than ranking in search results.
The transformation is accelerating rapidly, and some key statistics demonstrate the urgency for founders:
ChatGPT reached 100 million users faster than any app in history, now serving over 400 million weekly users
New research predicts LLM traffic will overtake traditional Google search by the end of 2027
AI queries average 23 words versus four for traditional search, with sessions lasting six minutes on average
Generative engines prioritise well-organised, meaning-dense content over keyword optimisation
Unlike traditional search engines that reward precision and repetition of keywords, generative engines prioritise content that is well-organised, easy to parse, and dense with meaning rather than keywords.
This fundamental difference renders most traditional SEO strategies insufficient for AI visibility today. In fact, SEO is already fading into oblivion, and Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai alluded to this evolution of the search engine back in 2024.
Google’s plans for their ‘AI mode’ has already set in motion the end of traditional SEO as we know it, as blue links in search results will gradually be replaced with an AI summary and ChatGPT-like interface in which users will never have to get on new pages or leave the Google search page.
how Generative Engines Choose Sources
ACID’s research reveals that generative engines demonstrate distinct preferences for specific types of sources and content formats. Platforms like Reddit, YouTube, and user-generated content sites appear frequently in AI search results, fundamentally altering which companies achieve visibility.
Analysis of citation patterns across major generative engines reveals:
ChatGPT: Demonstrates the most conservative citation preferences, heavily favouring established institutional sources:
Wikipedia dominates with 27% of citations
News outlets like Reuters (~6%) and Financial Times (~3%) follow
Blogs account for ~21%, with comparison portals like ValuePenguin at ~17%
User-generated content barely appears, vendor blogs rarely cited (<3%)
Google AI Overview: Demonstrates the broadest source diversity:
Blogs (~46%) and mainstream news (~20%) form the foundation
Community content (~4%) including Reddit and Quora contributes meaningfully
Vendor-authored product blogs appear (~7%), Wikipedia rarely cited (<1%)
82.5% of citations link to deeply nested pages rather than homepages
Gemini: Blends authoritative sources with diverse content types:
Blogs (~39%) and news (~26%) dominate citations
YouTube emerges as the most cited individual domain (~3%)
Wikipedia cited less than ChatGPT, community content comprises ~2%
Excels at mixing professional reviews with peer feedback
Perplexity: Emphasises specialist sources and niche expertise:
Blog/editorial content represents ~38% of citations, news ~23%
Specialised review platforms (~9%) like NerdWallet and Consumer Reports feature prominently
User-generated content appears selectively based on topic relevance
Finance queries lean heavily on expert sites, e-commerce includes Reddit discussions
Citation patterns differ significantly based on query intent, fundamentally altering which types of media coverage generate AI visibility.
For consumer-focused queries ("best smartphones," "top airlines"), AI engines prioritise:
Media platforms (YouTube) and tech review sites (PCMag, CNET)
Community content (Reddit, Quora, Consumer Reports)
Official company sites appear rarely (<4%)
For business-to-business queries ("top CRM software," "best SEO vendors"), emphasis shifts toward:
Industry-specific publications (TechTarget, QSR Magazine)
Analyst reports (Gartner, Statista) and LinkedIn expert content
The Invisibility Crisis plaguing southeast asia’s companies
How, then, do startups and companies optimise for generative engines instead of traditional SEO? In Southeast Asia, this question takes on additional complexity as regional startups face systematic disadvantages in building the authority that generative engines recognise and consistently cite.
Language barriers: Most generative engines favour English-language sources, disadvantaging some local content
Platform preferences: Limited engagement on Reddit and GitHub, where AI engines frequently source technical information
Citation culture: Regional business publications lack the systematic referencing patterns that AI engines recognise
Authority signals: Local expertise often remains trapped in closed networks rather than publicly accessible platforms
"Southeast Asian startups possess tremendous domain expertise but struggle to demonstrate authority in formats that generative engines understand and cite," observes Chester Tan, founder & CEO at ACID. "The companies that bridge this gap will capture disproportionate opportunities as AI-driven discovery becomes dominant."
Building Generative Engine Authority
What, then, is a suitable GEO strategy for startups and companies? The most effective approaches we've observed combine technical foundations with systematic authority building across platforms where generative engines source information.
Essential technical requirements include:
Content structured with clear headings and semantic HTML5 elements
Schema markup implementation for machine-readable content understanding
Server-side rendering to ensure AI crawlers can access content
Quote-rich content with citations that AI engines can extract and attribute
One idea per paragraph for optimal AI content parsing
However, technical optimisation is insufficient without systematic demonstration of expertise. Successful GEO strategies also require:
Comprehensive thought leadership programmes positioning founders as industry authorities—leveraging directories and industry blogs/content hubs
Cohesive narrative development and consistent messaging across platforms
Strategic media relations resulting in quality media coverage extending beyond global news platforms to alternative sources and platforms—for e.g. a strong presence on Wikipedia and reputable blogs
High-quality owned content such as blogs, essays, long-form, authoritative articles, Q&A platforms, and YouTube content—a broad web presence and deep content coverage is key
Original research creation that leverages owned data as citeable source material—whitepapers, research reports, and data-driven guides and comparisons
Community engagement on forums where target audiences seek information (Reddit, TripAdvisor, Quora)
Multi-platform content distribution including academic and professional publications
Media Relations & Thought Leadership as Credibility Signals for GEO
Traditional media relations focused on awareness and reach. For generative engines, media coverage serves a more critical function: establishing the authority and credibility signals that AI systems use to evaluate and cite sources.
ACID’s research reveals that media mentions directly correlate with AI visibility, but only when executed with GEO principles in mind.
Media coverage provides generative engines with several critical credibility signals:
Expert positioning through quotable insights and industry commentary
Third-party validation from established publications AI engines trust
Consistent messaging that reinforces topical authority across multiple sources
Citation-ready content that AI systems can extract and attribute
Cross-platform authority building from traditional to AI-native discovery
Strategic media relations for GEO requires targeting outlets that AI engines frequently cite whilst ensuring founder commentary is structured for optimal extraction.
First-Mover Advantage in the Generative Era
Data shows generative engines now drive referral traffic to tens of thousands of distinct domains, with conversion patterns that favour well-positioned companies.
Early adopters gain sustainable advantages through:
Higher-quality traffic from better-educated prospects who conduct extensive research before engagement
Reduced customer acquisition costs due to improved lead qualification
Enhanced brand authority through consistent citation across multiple AI platforms
Competitive protection as generative engines develop citation preferences
The founders and leaders recognising this shift represent the first generation building companies optimised for AI-native discovery from inception. Rather than retrofitting traditional marketing approaches, they design integrated strategies treating generative engine visibility as core competitive infrastructure.
an Opportunity amid change
For Southeast Asian startups and companies, this represents unprecedented opportunity to achieve global visibility despite resource constraints. Companies that communicate authentic expertise effectively across platforms where generative engines source information can now compete against better-funded international competitors.
For founders scrambling to adapt, GEO represents more than a marketing tactic—it's a pathway to building companies that achieve sustainable visibility in the AI-native environment that will define competitive dynamics in an era of global economic uncertainty.