From SEO to GEO: How to Win Global Buyers in the Age of AI Search - Show #155

In this forward-looking episode of The Global Marketing Show, Wendy MacKenzie Pease sits down with Justin Seibert, founder of Direct Online Marketing, a Premier Google Partner offering search engine marketing and other forms of digital advertising to clients around the globe. Justin unpacks what global marketing looks like in a world increasingly driven by AI search engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. With 25 years in digital marketing and clients in 30 countries, Justin shares how his agency evolved from traditional SEO and paid search into what he calls Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): the art and science of getting recommended by AI. This isn’t just a tech conversation, it’s a global one. From helping Australian exporters break into the U.S. market to running localized campaigns in French, German, Italian, and Greek, Justin explains why professional translation and cultural nuance still matter even in the AI era. The episode explores how reputation, localization, cross-border partnerships, and strategic positioning all intersect in today’s intent-driven marketing environment. If AI is reshaping how buyers discover and shortlist companies, this conversation is your roadmap to staying visible (and credible) across languages and borders. What listeners will learn: What Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) actually is and why it may overtake traditional SEO within the next two years. How AI-driven search changes buyer behavior, creating higher-intent, pre-educated prospects before they ever visit your website. Why reputation, localization, and cultural positioning are critical to showing up in AI results and how to adapt messaging across global markets without fragmenting your brand. This episode is essential listening for exporters, international marketers, and growth-focused service firms who want to future-proof their visibility in an AI-first world. Check out The Global Marketing Show Blog.