Topic hub

# AI search and GEO: everything Alex Melen has published, said and presented

Alex Melen is a keynote speaker and author on AI search and generative engine optimization (GEO): the practice of getting a brand recommended when buyers ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google's AI Overviews what to buy. His position, drawn from SmartSites' work across 1,000+ businesses, is that there is no number one on ChatGPT, that presence across many prompts replaces rank as the metric that matters, and that the fundamentals (entity clarity, promptable content, third-party citations and crawlable pages) decide who gets recommended.

[Book Alex on this topic](https://www.alexmelen.com/contact/)[The signature talk](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking/#geo)

Signature talk AI search

## Ranking in AI Search: A Marketer's Playbook for Generative Engine Optimization

How ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews decide which brands to recommend, and what to change on your site, your content, and your ads so you show up when buyers ask AI what to buy.

**For:** Marketers, brands, agencies, e-commerce **Format:** Keynote · Breakout · Workshop

Watch Video: [Why Ecommerce Teams Need to Prepare for AI Shopping Now @ The FODcast by Simply Commerce Online · Oct 6, 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PmJJ8Uu3g0)

Video: [Search Marketing for WordPress in the Age of AI @ WordCamp Canada 2025 Ottawa, Canada · Oct 16, 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDBRn5mZi_s)

Video: [Ranking on AI Search, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) @ eCommerce Expo London London, UK · Sep 25, 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSrfy3Ec8FI)

Key facts
- Signature talk: Ranking in AI Search: A Marketer's Playbook for Generative Engine Optimization (keynote, breakout or workshop)
- Presented at Technology for Marketing / eCommerce Expo London (2025, 2026), ANA (2026), WordCamp Canada (2025) and Digital Marketing Europe Lisbon (2026)
- Part 3 of Automotive Search Marketing (2nd ed., 2026) is four free chapters on AI search
- First-party AI-search data from ~1,500 GA4 properties is published on the research page

Other topics
- [ChatGPT Ads & Advertising Inside AI Answers](https://www.alexmelen.com/topics/chatgpt-ads/)
- [Automotive Dealer Marketing: SEO, PPC, VLAs & AI Search](https://www.alexmelen.com/topics/automotive/)
- [Scaling an Agency & Using Generative AI to Run It](https://www.alexmelen.com/topics/agency-scaling/)

Read

## Chapters and explainers.

[Free chapter 11 What Is AI Search? AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT and GEO, Explained for Dealers](https://www.alexmelen.com/book/chapters/what-is-ai-search/)[Free chapter 13 Winning AI Search: The Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Playbook for Car Dealerships](https://www.alexmelen.com/book/chapters/geo-for-car-dealerships/)[Free chapter 15 Measuring AI Search: Search Console, the GA4 “Direct Traffic” Mystery, and Your AI Readiness Checklist](https://www.alexmelen.com/book/chapters/measuring-ai-search/)[Explainer What is generative engine optimization (GEO)? Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the practice of optimizing your website and your broader web presence so that generative AI engines such as Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity include and cite your business in their answers.](https://www.alexmelen.com/insights/what-is-generative-engine-optimization/)[Explainer AEO vs GEO vs SEO: what's the difference? SEO (search engine optimization) is the work of getting your pages to rank in traditional search results.](https://www.alexmelen.com/insights/aeo-vs-geo-vs-seo/)[Explainer How do you measure AI search visibility? You measure AI search visibility as a presence rate: the percentage of times your business appears when the same buyer questions are asked many times, in several phrasings, across ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode and Copilot.](https://www.alexmelen.com/insights/how-to-measure-ai-search-visibility/)

Talks and interviews

## 10 sessions on this topic.

[All engagements](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking/#archive)

- Oct 6, 2026

[Why Ecommerce Teams Need to Prepare for AI Shopping Now @ The FODcast by Simply Commerce](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/why-ecommerce-teams-need-to-prepare-for-ai-shopping-now-fodcast/) Podcast Video

Online
- Jul 21, 2026

[Get Your Brand Recommended by AI: A Marketer's Playbook for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) @ ANA (Association of National Advertisers) Virtual 2026](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/get-your-brand-recommended-by-ai-geo-playbook-alex-melen-ana-2026/) Slides

Virtual (ANA)
- Oct 16, 2025

[Search Marketing for WordPress in the Age of AI @ WordCamp Canada 2025](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/search-marketing-for-wordpress-in-the-age-of-ai-alex-melen-wordcamp-canada-2025/) Transcript Slides

Ottawa, Canada
- Sep 25, 2025

[Ranking on AI Search, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) @ eCommerce Expo London](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/ranking-on-ai-search-generative-engine-optimization-geo-alex-melen-ecommerce-expo-london/) Transcript Slides

London, UK
- Sep 3, 2025

[AI, Search, and the Future of Agencies](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/ai-search-and-the-future-of-agencies-alex-melen/) Podcast Transcript

Paramus, NJ
- Oct 30, 2024

[10x Your Marketing Efficiency with Generative AI @ DigiMarCon World](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/10x-your-marketing-efficiency-with-generative-ai-alex-melen-digimarcon-world/) Transcript Slides

Las Vegas, NV
- Sep 19, 2023

[Mastering SEO in the World of SGE & ChatGPT](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/mastering-seo-in-the-world-of-sge-chatgpt/) Transcript Slides

Prague, Czech Republic
- Jun 23, 2023

[ChatGPT Opportunities for Auto Dealerships @ NCM 20 Group 2023](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/chatgpt-opportunities-for-auto-dealerships-alex-melen-ncm-20-group-2023/) Video Slides

Vancouver, Canada
- Apr 19, 2023

[How To Leverage ChatGPT For Your Dealership @ Auto Intel Summit 2023](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/how-to-leverage-chatgpt-for-your-dealership-alex-melen/) Video Slides

Raleigh, NC
- Apr 11, 2023

[ChatGPT Opportunities for Auto Dealerships @ DealersEdge](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/chatgpt-opportunities-for-auto-dealerships-alex-melen-dealersedge/) Video

Paramus, NJ

Press and articles

## In print on this topic.

[All press](https://www.alexmelen.com/press/)

- Oct 7, 2026

[FODcast Takeaway: Why AI Search and Agentic Shopping Are Changing the Rules of Digital Commerce](https://simply-commerce.co.uk/fodcast-takeaway-why-ai-search-and-agentic-shopping-are-changing-the-rules-of-digital-commerce/)

- Aug 3, 2026

[You Can't Rank Number One on ChatGPT, and Other Hard Truths About AI Search in 2026](https://www.bdex.com/blog/you-cant-rank-number-one-on-chatgpt-and-other-hard-truths-about-ai-search-in-2026/)

- Nov 24, 2025

[SEO tools pro Reviews SmartSites: "How to Build the Top SEO Agency"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvc9sCogpjc)

- Jul 2, 2025

[Generative AI for Independent Car Dealership Marketing (NIADA Dashboard)](https://niada.com/dashboard/generative-ai-for-independent-car-dealership-marketing/)

- Jun 4, 2025

[NIADA Previews Alex Melen's AI Session at the 2025 Convention](https://niada.com/dashboard/learn-how-ai-can-benefit-your-dealership-during-5-sessions-at-niada-convention/)

- Dec 10, 2024

[10 Ways to Improve Your Dealership Marketing Efficiency with ChatGPT & Generative AI](https://digitaldealer.com/news/10-ways-your-dealership-marketing-efficiency-with-chatgpt-generative-ai/162633/)

- Apr 4, 2023

[How to Leverage ChatGPT for Your Car Dealership](https://read.nxtbook.com/digital_dealer/dealer_magazine/march_april_2023/how_to_leverage_chatgpt_for_y.html)

Questions

## Frequently asked

**What does Alex Melen say GEO is?**

Generative engine optimization is the work of making a brand the answer when someone asks an AI assistant what to buy or who to hire: being present and accurately described in the sources those assistants read, so they include the brand in the shortlist they generate.

**Can you rank number one on ChatGPT?**

No. AI answers are generated per prompt and vary from run to run, so the measure Alex uses is presence rate: how often a brand appears across many prompts and repeated runs, not a single position.

**Where can I read Alex's GEO material for free?**

The four AI-search chapters of Automotive Search Marketing (Second Edition) are on this site in full, alongside explainers on GEO, AEO vs. GEO vs. SEO and measuring AI-search visibility, and transcripts of his recorded talks.

## Want this topic in your program?

Alex builds every session for the room. Send the event, audience and dates and he will come back with a proposed talk.

[Check availability](https://www.alexmelen.com/contact/)
[Speaker kit](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking/#kit)

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Source: https://www.alexmelen.com/topics/ai-search-geo/ · Markdown version of this page for AI agents and LLMs. Site guide: https://www.alexmelen.com/llms.txt