107: Using Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to Win the AI Search Race with Cole Casperson

Send us Fan Mail The way customers discover brands is changing faster than most companies realize. In this episode Chris sits down with Cole Casperson, Chief Data Officer and Partner at CrankTank, to explore how AI is transforming search, e-commerce, and customer discovery. Cole explains why traditional keyword-based SEO is giving way to AI retrieval systems that understand meaning, how large language models decide which brands get recommended, and why visibility in AI-generated answers is becoming a critical business advantage. They discuss the rise of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), the shift from keywords to concepts, how Amazon's AI systems foreshadow what's happening across the web, and why CEOs, product teams, and marketers all need to understand AI-driven discovery. Whether you sell products, services, or enterprise solutions, this episode offers practical insight into how buyers are finding companies today and why leaders who adapt early will be better positioned to compete in the AI era. Chapters (00:00) Introduction (01:22) Meet Cole Casperson and CrankTank (04:16) The New Front Doors of the Internet (05:13) GEO, AEO, and the Evolution Beyond SEO (07:49) From Keywords to Meaning Based Search (12:03) How Google Search Is Adapting to AI (14:08) Will Advertising Influence AI Answers? (20:15) Why Early AI Optimization Matters (24:03) Understanding AI Retrieval and RAG Systems (39:21) Why CEOs Need to Understand AI Discovery (46:42) Does GEO Matter Beyond E-Commerce? (50:28) How Reach Measures AI Visibility 🔎 Find Out More About Cole Casperson: Cole Casperson LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/cole-casperson-b62209a3  CrankTank https://www.cranktank.net REACH by CrankTank https://reach.cranktank.net  CrankTank LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/cranktank 🛠 AI Tools and Resources Mentioned: ChatGPT https://chatgpt.com Claude https://claude.ai Google Gemini https://gemini.google.com Amazon Rufus https://www.amazon.com/rufus Amazon Alexa https://www.amazon.com/alexa Microsoft Bing https://www.bing.com Brave Search https://search.brave.com Google Merchant Center https://merchants.google.com Google Performance Max https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/10724817 Meta Advantage+ https://www.facebook.com/business/advantage Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/retrieval-augmented-generation/