The End of SEO & What's Replacing It

Episode 36: The End of SEO. What's Replacing It.Most people who search for something today never click a website anymore. They read the AI summary and move on.That's not a small shift. It's the same size of change as when Google replaced the phone book, and it's happening right now.In this episode of Grazora Life, Jason McKenzie and Brett Adams unpack GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). What it is, why it's replacing SEO, and where Jason sees the internet heading next based on the pieces he watches falling into place at Google, Stripe, and across the major platforms.You'll learn:→ What GEO actually is, and why the industry hasn't fully settled on a name yet (AI SEO, AEO, LLM SEO, GEO all describe the same shift)→ How AI models get their information, including the "giant pot" of training data and how they supplement it with live searches→ Why Google announcing an ad platform designed for AI to consume, and Stripe building infrastructure for AI-driven purchases, together sketch out a very different internet in a few years→ Jason's prediction (his conjecture, not an official announcement) that soon, AIs will do the shopping on behalf of humans, choosing which businesses get the sale before a person ever sees a website→ Why "adapt or die" isn't hyperbole for any business that depends on the internet for leads→ Which business phase you need to be at before GEO becomes urgent (hint: if you're chasing your first dollar, this isn't your fight yet)→ Why doing SEO and GEO the traditional way costs businesses four to five figures per month, and what Jason is building to change that→ The story of Jason ranking on page one in an Arizona city he'd never done business in, and the caller who wanted "someone local" instead of results→ Why launching a new product only works when your existing business has the standards in place to run without youJason previews the GEO tool he's spent months developing. It's designed to tell a small business owner exactly what to work on each week, prioritized by impact, with AI doing most of the work and the owner approving results. Soft launch in August. If you're interested in early access, reach out to Jason directly.Brett closes with a reminder that most entrepreneurs get bored and chase new products before their core business is ready to run without them, and why the Grazora phases framework matters for anyone thinking about adding a second product line.If your business depends on the internet for leads or sales, this is the episode where you get honest about what's coming.CHAPTERS00:00 Welcome to another episode00:35 What GEO means and why nobody agrees on the name02:33 The last major shift: Google, Yahoo, and the death of the phone book05:00 How Google, Stripe, and the AI platforms are building for AI-driven purchases07:15 Jason's conjecture on where this is heading10:00 Adapt or die: what happens if you don't move12:11 How AI models are trained (the "giant pot" of data)13:38 Why current search still matters for AI recommendations15:06 Which phase of business this becomes critical for16:11 What good SEO today builds toward good GEO tomorrow17:33 Innovation as the core of good business19:00 Why the ham sandwich analogy explains division of labor20:19 What the GEO tool actually does22:15 The Arizona SEO story: "someone local" vs. someone who gets results25:00 The soft launch and how to get early access27:03 Why launching a new product only works at the right business phase28:20 The trap of chasing new problems before your core is stableABOUT GRAZORAGrazora helps small business owners move from being crushed by their business to having a business that propels them toward their goals. New episodes every week with Jason McKenzie and Brett Adams.Subscribe for weekly episodesWhat's the biggest change you've noticed in how people find businesses online? Drop it in the comments.Hit the bell so you don't miss the next one