GEO vs. SEO: Ross Simmonds on Owning Channels, Diversifying Traffic, and Shaping LLM Results

Ross Simmonds breaks down how AI overviews and LLMs are changing search—and what small businesses can do to keep winning. 

We dig into why brand and owned channels matter more than ever, how to diversify beyond Google, which third-party domains LLMs love to cite, and a simple focus formula for content distribution. 

Key Takeaways

• The SERP is shifting to answers and transactions; fewer clicks to your site means brand + owned channels are mission-critical. 
• Now is the time to publish unique, story-driven content that LLMs can cite later. Create assets your “future you” will be grateful for. 
• Diversify discovery: show up where buyers research (TikTok, Pinterest, Instagram, Etsy), not just on Google. 
• Search behavior has shifted—people use Instagram/YouTube/TikTok for ideas and how-tos; optimize for those journeys. 
• To influence LLM answers, seed multiple authoritative domains (LinkedIn, Reddit, Medium, Quora) with your message. 
• “Be excellent on one channel” first; syndicate elsewhere even if it’s not perfect—then expand. 
• Optimize your life too: sleep and calendars drive better marketing than nonstop grind. 

Listener Action Items

1. Pick your “home” channel and get excellent at it for 90 days; syndicate the same posts to 2 other platforms with light edits. 
2. Publish 3–5 unique, story-rich assets this month that your future self wants LLMs to cite. 
3. Seed third-party domains (LinkedIn article, Reddit thread, Medium post, Quora answer) with your core message to boost LLM citation odds. 
4. Audit discovery: can buyers find you on Pinterest/Instagram/TikTok/Etsy for your “money” searches? If not, claim and optimize profiles. 
5. Protect your energy: schedule sleep, workouts, and weekly calendar reviews before adding new marketing experiments. 

Connect With Ross:

• Linkedin
• Get Ross’s book: Create Once, Distribute Forever 

Does SEO feel confusing, overwhelming, or just plain impossible to figure out? You’re not alone. That’s why I created the AI SEO Foundations course, powered by Crystal GPT: your personal AI SEO coach designed for busy, creative business owners like you.

Ditch the overwhelm and discover what SEO can do for your business! Head to SEOin7days.com (with the number 7!) and get started today—let’s make your brand easy to find and impossible to ignore.

Chapters

• 0:00 if I'm in your shoes, I'm thinking, where are people thinking about
• 0:47 Adapting to AI and Search Engine Changes
• 1:51 Future of Content and AI Integration
• 2:54 Introduction to E-commerce Challenges
• 3:07 ‌
• 3:28 Traffic Quality and Revenue
• 4:01 Diversification Strategies
• 4:48 Changing Search Behaviors
• 6:29 Omnichannel Marketing Success
• 8:27 Content Distribution and LLMs
• 11:10 Focus on Excellence
• 12:30 Rapid Fire Questions
• 13:46 Optimizing Personal Life
• 16:49 Conclusion and Contact Information