From SEO to GEO: How a Global Agency Is Navigating the AI Search Shift | Antoniya Darova

Traffic is no longer the right KPI for AI search. And most brands haven't figured that out yet.✅ Win AI visibility — try Semrush free for 14 days: https://semrush.sjv.io/KBO4Y9In this episode, George Vlasyev sits down with Antoniya Darova, Senior SEO and AI Search Specialist at Dentsu, one of the world's largest media and marketing agencies, where she leads a £2 million+ SEO portfolio across international enterprise accounts. Antoniya has spent the last year developing Dentsu's proprietary four-pillar framework for LLM optimization and is one of the first practitioners running live ads inside ChatGPT as part of OpenAI's exclusive ad pilot program.This is one of the most practical, data-grounded conversations on GEO and AI search visibility available anywhere right now.Key Topics Covered:- Why the shift to AI search has been overwhelming even inside a 150-person agency — and how Dentsu is managing it- Why only 15-16% of people are actually using AI search — and what that means for brands investing in GEO now- The biggest mistake enterprise brands make when thinking about AI search: obsessing over traffic instead of influence and brand mentions- What you can and cannot measure in AI search right now — and how to use directional signals to build the case internally- Why LLMs have become a discovery and consideration channel, not just a traffic source- The four-pillar framework for LLM optimization: Visible, Readable, Credible and Shoppable- Why shopping and shoppable formats have become a critical part of every AI search strategy in 2025- Whether AI agents will take over the buying journey — and what the trust barrier actually looks like- Inside Dentsu's $5 million ChatGPT ad pilot — what they tested, what they learned and what's coming next- Why Gemini and Google's infrastructure make them impossible to bet against in the long run- The new hybrid role of the AI search generalist and why large organizations need one nowConnect with Antoniya:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-darova/Website: https://www.dentsu.com/Download The GEO Blueprint Guide: https://thegeoblueprint.com/The GEO Blueprint Podcast is hosted by George Vlasyev - exploring how brands can win visibility in the age of generative AI and LLM-powered search.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro00:46 - Who is Antoniya & what does she do at Dentsu?02:00 - How has the AI shift been inside a 150-person agency?04:31 - It feels like everyone uses AI — until you look at the numbers04:53 - Do we have a GEO blueprint yet?05:45 - Why has shopping become a major part of the framework?07:40 - Will people let AI agents do their shopping?09:40 - The biggest mistake brands make thinking about AI search10:47 - If not traffic, what should the KPI be?13:22 - What you cannot measure in AI search13:58 - What you actually can measure right now16:06 - Is Google going to release an AI visibility tool?18:21 - Authority and subject matter expertise in the age of LLMs19:26 - The 4-pillar framework — Visible, Readable, Credible, Shoppable20:20 - Pillar 1: LLM Visible — technical infrastructure21:22 - Pillar 2: LLM Readable — content architecture23:05 - Pillar 3: LLM Credible — external sources and brand representation27:00 - Pillar 4: Shoppable — feeds, merchant center and checkout29:16 - You need to be everywhere — search everywhere optimization29:50 - Ads coming to AI — Dentsu joined OpenAI's ad pilot32:43 - Are you positive about ads coming to AI?36:13 - The trust problem with ads inside AI38:23 - Will there be one AI winner or many scattered AIs?40:20 - I would not bet against Google — here's why42:50 - The new hybrid role — AI search generalist47:15 - 2026 predictions — why it's going to be a wild year49:32 - Final question — what should I have asked?51:50 - Outro#GEO #AEO #AISearch #LLMOptimization #B2BSaaS #DigitalMarketing #SEO #ContentMarketing #SearchEverywhereOptimization #GEOBlueprint