From SEO to GEO & AEO: How Video Is Becoming Search’s Missing Layer

For years, B2B marketers have played the SEO game by the same rules: keywords, blogs, backlinks, rinse and repeat.

Those rules are changing - fast.

Search is no longer just about ranking pages. It’s about feeding answers to AI-powered engines that summarize, synthesize, and recommend content directly to buyers. And in that shift, one of the most valuable content formats B2B teams invest in has been largely invisible:

Video.

Until recently, AI couldn’t “see” or understand what was inside your videos. Your most authentic, expert-led content was effectively hidden from the very systems now shaping discovery.

That’s where GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) come in, and why video is becoming the missing layer in modern search.

Why SEO Alone Isn’t Enough Anymore

Traditional SEO assumes a human clicking through blue links. But today’s buyers increasingly interact with:

• AI-powered summaries
• Conversational answers
• Zero-click results
• Embedded recommendations inside tools like ChatGPT and search engines

These systems don’t just rank content - they extract meaning.

They look for:

• Clear questions and answers
• Structured, scannable text
• Signals of authority and relevance

And historically, video has failed all three. Not because video isn’t valuable, but because AI couldn’t interpret it.

The Blind Spot: AI Couldn’t Understand Video Content

Until recently, AI bots visiting your site:

• Could not unpack spoken insights
• Could not interpret expert discussions
• Could not extract meaning from webinars or demos

They only saw the surrounding text.

That meant your:

• Thought leadership webinars
• Expert interviews
• Customer conversations

…were invisible to AI-driven discovery.

Ironically, the most authentic content you produce — the hardest to fake — was the least discoverable.

GEO & AEO Explained (Without the Buzzwords)

Let’s simplify this.

# AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

Optimizing content so AI can directly answer questions like:

• “How do healthcare companies use short-form video?”
• “What’s the best way to repurpose webinars for B2B?”

This requires:

• Explicit questions
• Clear, concise answers
• Structured formats like FAQs and accordions

# GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

Optimizing content so AI systems can generate summaries, recommendations, and explanations using your material as a source.

This requires:

• Context-rich content
• Authority signals
• Machine-readable structure

Video becomes powerful only when its insights are made visible as text and metadata.

Why Video Is Suddenly Central to Modern Search?

Here’s the paradox:

• Written content is easier than ever to generate with AI
• Video with real experts is harder than ever to fake

That makes video a credibility signal, a differentiation layer, and a trust builder. But only if AI can understand what’s inside it.

By surfacing video insights as:

• AI-generated FAQs
• Structured metadata
• Editable text layers

You turn video into:

• Searchable content
• Answer-ready material
• Fuel for generative engines

This is where GEO and AEO stop being theoretical and start becoming practical.

What Smart B2B Teams Are Doing Right Now

Forward-thinking teams aren’t waiting for perfect clarity. They’re already adapting by:

1. Treating Video as a Search Asset, Not Just a Brand Asset

Webinars and videos aren’t just “content.” They’re repositories of expert answers.

2. Using FAQs and Accordions to Surface Video Insights

Structured Q&A makes video discoverable without diluting authenticity.

3. Prioritizing Public, Expert-Led Content

If AI is going to summarize something, it should be your experts - not generic blog posts.

4. Letting AI Amplify Authenticity (Not Replace It)

AI extracts, organizes, and distributes insights - but humans remain the source.

The Big Shift: From Keywords to Credibility

The old model rewarded whoever wrote the most optimized blog. The new model rewards:

• Expertise
• Original thinking
• Human insight

Video sits at the center of that shift.

When your videos are:

• Structured for AI
• Discoverable by search engines
• Rich with expert answers

They stop being passive brand assets and start becoming active discovery engines.

Final Thought: This Is an Early-Mover Advantage

Most B2B teams are still thinking in SEO terms.

The teams adapting to GEO and AEO, especially with video, are:

• Teaching AI how to understand their expertise
• Shaping how future buyers discover answers
• Building a moat around authentic content

Search isn’t dying. It’s evolving. And video, finally, has a seat at the table.