SOCIAL MARKETERS: PUMP FRESH AIR INTO YOUR 2026 PLANNING -Think SEO > GEO

Hard Fact: Consumers are increasingly adopting generative AI-powered search for their everyday search activities. You need to respond to this new shift in consumer online search habits by updating your own online and social marketing strategies. Here’s the short way to express this. Traditional SEO is merging into GEO (the acronym for the new AI-based Generative Engine Optimization)

Our visionary model at Trumpet Social Media always drives our advice for our clients’ social marketing programs and campaigns. It’s essential to help planners know what to prepare for in advance, regarding their mission-critical priorities. And your IT / ecommerce staff will also need to revolutionize your meta keywords in new configurations, both for your website and other selling platforms (Amazon. etc.)

To be clear, GEO is definitely becoming the new go-to online shopping search community. Traditional SEO is ebbing in a sea of multi-tooled AI choices.

So the big question is: How can you establish a presence in AI information in order to hold on to your clients/customers. It’s not impossible. Start using a few AI sources yourself to see how deep information goes.

Here are some explanations that sort this all out:
•As of September 27, 2025, Google Search remains the dominant search engine globally, holding approximately 89.74% of the worldwide market share, with Bing trailing at around 4%.

• However, consumer search behaviors are evolving. A growing number of users, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, are turning to social media platforms and AI-powered tools for discovery and information retrieval. This shift is influencing how businesses approach digital marketing and buyer engagement.

•In response to these changes, Google has introduced AI Mode within its search platform. This feature utilizes Google's advanced Gemini 2.0 model to provide comprehensive, AI-generated responses to complex queries, enhancing the search experience.

•Looking ahead as a marketer, I personally rely on Gartner.com for new tech advances. This firm predicts that by 2026, traditional search engine volume may decline by 25%, as consumers increasingly adopt generative AI-powered search tools.

•The above 4 points were sourced from Search Engine Land. searchenglineland.com

Our final advice: Here at Trumpet Social Media we’d be happy to help guide you through your future planning when structuring your social marketing strategies. Contact us to proceed. We’ll help you get in front of this new shift in consumer online search habits. Message us to begin or email me. I'd be happy to meet with you. - Carol Blomstrand, CEO, Trumpet Social Media. trumpetsocialmedia.com carol@trumpetsocialmedia.com

Written by Carol Blomstrand. Profile brief: social marketing specialist, social/tech advisor, Ecommerce manager, and content writer for healthy lifestyle products. See activehealthyes.com and carolblomstrand.com