I am an experienced senior growth marketer with 16 years experience. This is evidenced by driving results and creating engaging online experiences for brands in local and international marketing teams executed both agency and client side. I've achieved this by project managing various digital campaigns and projects.

My projects have included Fractional CMO, Growth Strategy, SEO Strategy, Content Strategy mixed with E-Mail Marketing, Paid Social and Web Build delivery in B2B & B2C environments. 

I have project managed the build of new sites for financial services, events, air conditioning and arts and entertainment as well the day-to-day running of clients digital marketing in both local and international teams. This requires a depth of knowledge in each area of digital marketing to ensure there isn't a break down in communication leading the strategic goals being achieved and exceeded. 

I have had the privilege of working with and delivering results for a wide array of brands in various sectors including Aegon, Royal London, Usercentrics, Step by Step Recovery, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Visit Britain, Bupa, Expedia, Insights, Flox, Express Capital Financing, TradeZella, Musselburgh Racecourse, SnapDragon,
 Workpay, Begg x Co, Maximillion, Eastern Western, SnapDragon, Betty Crocker, Tui,  Admiral, Lastminute.com, Thistle Hotels, Vapestore, OVO Network, Earth + Sky and Post Electric Studio.

I began my career as a freelance copy writer which led naturally into SEO and then growth leadership. Through the need to gather funds for a wedding, I adventured into the world of freelance work as an SEO and content consultant. Using these skills as a base, I grew to be leading and project managing client strategies and campaigns to achieve their business goals. I found the combination of long term strategic thinking combined with the ability to deliver on the business strategy was an attractive proposition to my clients resulting in a mutually beneficial partnership.

Verticals: Travel, Financial Services, SaaS, FinTech, E-commerce, Learning and Development, Tech, Health & Fitness, Arts & Entertainment.

Key Skills: Growth Strategy, 
Digital Marketing Strategy, SEO, Content Marketing, Website Management, Web Build and Design, Line and Departmental Management, E-Mail Marketing, Paid Social, Outreach, B2B Marketing, E-Commerce, CRO, Data Interpretation & Analysis, Auditing, User Experience, Communications.

Yesterday, I had my 5th call in the last 3 months on behalf of clients with another AEO/GEO agency.

To begin, I have no problem with whatever people call it. GEO/AEO/SEO – whatever. It’s all search. You do you. 

My problems lie with companies being unashamedly disingenuous by charging for SEO/ marketing under the guise of something ‘new.’

The approaches I’ve heard on every call from the person in the sales role are claiming to be GEO-specific. One person going as far as to say "revolutionary." Not as part of an overall SEO or marketing strategy. The claim is that the following are unique to AEO/ GEO:

🤩 Digital PR
🤩 Informational content split out into keyword targeted chunks
🤩 Link building
🤩 Citations
🤩 Optimised on-page structure
🤩 FAQ schema
🤩 Case studies

To any marketers, founders etc., this is not new. None of this is new. These tactics have been part of digital marketing strategies for years pre-pandemic.

To add insult to this, we were invited to be graded by them using their own AEO/ GEO scoring tool. If we got a bad score, we would be fortunate enough to pay them to increase the score based on the criteria that they measure. How convenient! Got to act fast too because AI is advancing all the time. Better sign up today! 🤮 

Have I been unlucky and sat through 5 poorly executed pitches by AEO/ GEO agencies, hoping that the recipient wouldn't know what they were talking about? Maybe. Regardless, this is what's happening.

So why is this a problem? It’s a problem because:

👎 It inflates costs for the client without adding value for what's already out there and being done. Agencies are charging a premium for services that have been standard practice for well over a decade. 

👎 It exploits FOMO. Business owners and founders are already being overwhelmed by the speed of AI. Using new buzzwords to create a sense of urgency or fear is a pretty predatory way to sell a service.

👎 It clouds strategic clarity. When we focus on the "buzzword," we lose sight of the objective. Marketing is about reaching the right person with the right message. If you’re doing great Digital PR and technical SEO, you’re already optimising for LLMs.

👎 It erodes industry trust. When clients eventually realise that the novel strategy they bought is just basic on-page optimisation, it makes the entire marketing industry look like snake oil salesmen.
 
Yes, AI and LLMs have changed how we search but the fundamentals of why content surfaces haven't shifted nearly as much as the sales decks I've sat through suggest.

If an agency is pitching you GEO as a separate, stand-alone service from your overall search strategy, ask them one question: 

"What specific, technical action are you taking that isn't already part of a high-quality, modern SEO strategy?"

Once established that the tactics mentioned are already happening in SEO, the silence I’ve had in response has told me everything I needed to know.

#AEO #GEO #SEO #DigitalMarketing

Jamie Monteath

Empathy led marketer helping businesses achieve long term sustainable growth | 🟢🔵🟡/🔴

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