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The End of SEO As We Know It: GrackerAI Pioneers Generative Engine Optimization Category as AI Search Reshapes $68 Billion Industry


San Francisco startup backed by NVIDIA, Cloudflare and Microsoft launches first platform to measure and optimize brand visibility in ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity—introducing GEO as the successor to traditional SEO

Published on January 27, 2026

While the marketing world debates whether SEO is dead, GrackerAI is building its replacement. The San Francisco-based startup today announced the commercial launch of the industry’s first Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) platform—a category-defining solution that measures and improves how AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google Gemini discover, evaluate, and recommend brands to millions of users.

The launch marks a watershed moment in digital marketing: the formalization of optimization strategies for a world where AI assistants, not search engines, answer user queries.

The Invisible Crisis Reshaping B2B Marketing

Traditional search engine optimization—the $68 billion industry built on ranking websites in Google results—is facing an existential threat. Gartner predicts traditional search engine volume will drop 25% by 2026. ChatGPT has already captured 4.33% of the search market. AI Overviews now appear in 16% of all Google searches. And critically, 40% of B2B buyers now use AI assistants to research solutions.

But here’s the problem: companies optimized for Google rankings are invisible in AI-generated answers.

“We’re witnessing the largest shift in information discovery since Google displaced Yahoo,” said Deepak Gupta, CEO and co-founder of GrackerAI. “But most companies are still playing by the old rules. They’re optimizing for blue links when buyers are asking ChatGPT for recommendations. That’s like running TV ads when everyone’s moved to streaming.”

Gupta speaks from experience. As the founder of LoginRadius, a CIAM platform, he scaled to 1B users, and he watched traditional SEO strategies deliver diminishing returns while AI-assisted research exploded among enterprise buyers. That gap led him to partner with AI expert Govind Kumar to build GrackerAI—and define an entirely new category.

Introducing Generative Engine Optimization: The GEO Era

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) measures how often AI search engines cite your brand when answering user queries. Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on ranking positions, GEO focuses on citation frequency, source authority, and recommendation patterns across AI platforms.

The distinction is critical:

Traditional SEO: Optimize content to rank #1 in Google search results
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): Optimize content to be cited and recommended by AI engines

When a CTO asks ChatGPT, “What’s the best API management platform for fintech?” or a CISO queries Perplexity about “top-rated cloud security tools,” the companies that appear in those AI-generated answers aren’t necessarily the ones ranking on Google. They’re the brands AI engines recognize as authoritative sources worthy of citation.

“GEO isn’t just a new tactic—it’s a fundamental reframing of digital visibility,” explains Govind Kumar, CTO and co-founder of GrackerAI. “We’re not optimizing for algorithms that rank web pages. We’re optimizing for AI systems that evaluate source credibility, synthesize information, and make recommendations. The rules are completely different.”

How GrackerAI Defines the Category

GrackerAI’s platform represents the first comprehensive infrastructure for the GEO category, combining three previously disconnected capabilities:

1. Multi-Platform AI Visibility Measurement

The platform tracks brand mentions and citation frequency across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and Google AI Overviews in real-time—providing the first standardized metrics for AI search visibility. Companies receive weekly GEO scores showing:

  • How often AI engines cite their brand vs. competitors
  • Which prompts trigger brand mentions
  • Citation quality and context
  • Share of voice in AI-generated recommendations
  • Visibility trends over time

2. Competitive AI Citation Intelligence

GrackerAI reveals the “black box” of AI recommendations through competitive analysis, showing exactly where competitors are cited, and you’re not. This intelligence identifies content gaps and opportunities to capture AI search share—similar to how SEO tools revealed keyword gaps a decade ago.

3. Automated GEO Content Engine

The platform automatically generates content optimized for AI citation patterns, including:

  • Authoritative thought leadership articles structured for AI comprehension
  • “Best [category] tools” listicles that position your product in AI recommendations
  • Comparison and alternative pages capturing high-intent searches
  • FAQ content matching AI query patterns
  • Programmatic SEO portals (CVE databases, compliance centers, glossaries, tool directories)

“Traditional content marketing tools create content for humans to read,” Gupta explains. “We create content for AI systems to trust, cite, and recommend. The structure, depth, sourcing, and formatting are fundamentally different.”

For cybersecurity and B2B SaaS companies—GrackerAI’s initial focus—the platform integrates with 200+ authoritative data sources, including the National Vulnerability Database, MITRE CVE Database, and industry-specific intelligence feeds. This ensures auto-generated content maintains technical accuracy while optimizing for AI citation patterns.

Early Validation: Companies Achieve Measurable GEO Improvements

While the GEO category is nascent, early adopters are seeing quantifiable results:

Aggregate Performance Across GrackerAI Clients (60-90 Days):

  • 60% average increase in AI visibility scores
  • 40-80% growth in AI-referred signups and conversions
  • 100-200% increases in organic traffic
  • 3-5x higher conversion rates from AI search visitors vs. traditional organic traffic
  • 18% conversion rates from programmatic portals vs. 0.5% from traditional blog content

One cybersecurity client achieved 2,500+ security keyword coverage and became the cited authority for threat intelligence queries in their category. A B2B SaaS platform saw ChatGPT begin recommending their product in “best tools for [category]” responses within 45 days of implementation.

“The velocity of impact surprised us,” notes Kumar. “Once AI engines recognize you as an authoritative source, citation frequency compounds. You get recommended repeatedly, which reinforces your authority, which increases future citations. It’s a flywheel effect.”

The Market Transformation Driving GEO Adoption

Multiple converging trends are accelerating the shift from SEO to GEO:

Zero-Click Search Dominance: 60% of searches now end without a click to any website. AI Overviews and featured snippets answer queries directly, making traditional click-through rate metrics obsolete.

AI Assistant Ubiquity: ChatGPT reached 100 million users faster than any consumer app in history. Perplexity processes 230+ million queries monthly. Claude, Gemini, and Copilot are integrated into workplace tools used by millions of knowledge workers daily.

B2B Buyer Behavior Shift: 40% of B2B buyers now use AI assistants for vendor research—with particularly high adoption among technical buyers (CTOs, CISOs, engineering leaders) who trust AI-synthesized information over marketing content.

Trust-Based Discovery: Unlike search engines that rank based on backlinks and keywords, AI engines evaluate source credibility through E-E-A-T signals (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). Companies that build genuine authority get cited; those optimizing for gaming algorithms get ignored.

Early Mover Advantage Window: AI platforms are establishing citation preferences now. Sources cited frequently in 2025-2026 will have trained AI models to recognize them as authorities—creating a lasting competitive moat.

“We’re in the equivalent of 2004 for SEO,” Gupta observes. “Early movers who invest in GEO now will dominate AI search visibility for years. Companies waiting for proof will find competitors have already captured mindshare with AI engines.”

Strategic Partnerships Validate Category Vision

GrackerAI’s category-defining position is reinforced by strategic partnerships with the AI platforms reshaping search:

  • NVIDIA Startups Program: Providing advanced GPU infrastructure for AI model training
  • Microsoft for Startups: Integration with Copilot and Azure AI services
  • Cloudflare Platform: Hosted and launched on Cloudflare workers

These partnerships position GrackerAI not just as a vendor, but as a category infrastructure partner helping define how the AI search ecosystem evolves.

The Future Is Already Here—It’s Just Unevenly Distributed

For most companies, the shift from SEO to GEO remains invisible. Marketing teams celebrate Google rankings while their prospects research solutions via ChatGPT. Content strategies optimize for click-through rates, while 60% of searches generate zero clicks. SEO tools track keyword positions while AI engines recommend competitors.

GrackerAI’s platform makes this invisible shift measurable—and actionable.

“The companies thriving in 2027 won’t be the ones with the best Google rankings,” Gupta predicts. “They’ll be the brands AI assistants recommend when millions of buyers ask for solutions. GEO is how you become that brand.”

Platform Availability and Pricing

GrackerAI offers a free tier allowing companies to analyze their current AI search visibility with 50 fully optimized pages and one programmatic portal. Paid plans scale from Growth to Enterprise tiers with custom AI models, white-label options, and unlimited portal capacity.

The platform integrates with existing marketing infrastructure, including WordPress, Webflow, Ghost, and custom CMS platforms. Implementation typically shows initial visibility improvements within 4-6 weeks, with significant citation increases by month three.

Getting Started:
Companies can analyze their current GEO visibility and competitive positioning at portal.gracker.ai.

About GrackerAI

GrackerAI is a San Francisco-based B2B SaaS company pioneering the Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) category. Founded by cybersecurity veterans Deepak Gupta (LoginRadius, cybersecurity founder) and Govind Kumar (AI/ML expert), the company helps B2B SaaS and cybersecurity firms measure and improve their visibility in AI-powered search engines.

Headquartered at One Market Street in San Francisco, GrackerAI is backed by strategic partnerships with NVIDIA, Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude), Cloudflare, Digital Ocean, and Amazon AWS.

Website: gracker.ai
Platform: portal.gracker.ai
Press Contact: media@gracker.ai
Media Kit: gracker.ai/press

This press release contains forward-looking statements about the GEO market and AI search adoption. Actual results may vary based on market conditions and platform evolution.

Associate Writer