How Brands Should Rebalance SEO and LLMO Budgets in 2025–2026

The question for 2025–2026 isn’t just SEO or LLMO—it’s how quickly brands should rebalance content and distribution strategies. Organic search still drives durable demand, but generative engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity are reshaping discovery, evaluation, and purchase intent. Brands that optimize only for traditional search results (“blue links”) risk losing visibility in the places where decisions are increasingly made: AI assistants.

What Changes with LLMO (Generative Engine
Optimization / GEO)

LLMO changes the rules:

  • From “topical authority” to “answer authority” – LLMs assemble answers from entities, sources, and consensus signals.
  • Citations and structured clarity matter – References, FAQs, and authoritative content are as important as keywords.
  • Shift in strategy – Instead of ranking pages, the goal is earning inclusion in AI-generated answers across platforms and regions.

Practical Scenarios for Budget Mix

Regional Benchmarks

  • North America: Fast adoption of generative engines. Competitive categories should pivot early to an LLMO-heavy split for new content.
  • Europe: Trust and compliance shape model preferences. Leverage expert-led sources, standards bodies, and reputable media.
  • APAC: Maintain a dual approach across local search engines (e.g., Naver, Baidu) and LLMs. Localize entities, content, and citations.
  • LATAM/Brazil: Search still drives demand, but ChatGPT/Gemini adoption is rising. Focus on LLM-ready content and PR syndication with authoritative local publishers.

What to Do Now

  1. Design for answers, not pages – Structure content around entities, claims, FAQs, and verifiable references. Include comparison, integration, and implementation guides.
  2. Distribute to earn citations – Leverage documents, reputable media, analyst notes, GitHub, and academic references.
  3. Measure AI share of voice – Track how AI assistants reference your brand versus competitors across regions.
  4. Close the loop – Treat PR and content as a unified system. Authoritative placement fuels both SEO and LLMO visibility.

Recommended Enterprise & SaaS Splits

Tools to Operationalize LLMO

llmSpot helps teams:

  • Report visibility across ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI assistants
  • Benchmark competitors
  • Optimize content and PR for AI citations
  • Move budgets based on evidence, not guesswork
By 2026, growth-oriented brands will likely split 60/40 in favor of LLMO for net-new content investment. Start rebalancing now, measure quarterly, and compete where decisions are increasingly made: inside the AI-generated answer.
Subscribe
Subscribe to my blog
Made on
Tilda