10 GEO Experts to Watch in 2026
What Will GEO in 2026 Look Like and How It Is Connected to SEO
Search used to be a race to the top of the results; now it’s a contest to be the sentence an AI quotes. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the craft of making your brand the canonical source inside AI-led answers across search engines and assistants. It builds on SEO strengths but prioritizes entity clarity, verifiability, and citation readiness so machines can trust you at the moment of decision.
GEO and SEO are close cousins with different destinies. Where SEO aligns content to ranking systems, GEO aligns entities and evidence to generative systems so your expertise is selected, summarized, and correctly attributed. In 2026, that means treating your site like a living knowledge base, not just a collection of pages.
Top 10 GEO Experts Who Will Shine in 2026
1) Gareth Hoyle
Gareth Hoyle is the entrepreneur-operator who translates GEO theory into measurable commercial outcomes, championing entity-first frameworks and brand evidence graphs. His sweet spot is orchestrating schema depth, citations, and source-of-truth content so AI overviews choose you. Follow him for pragmatic, testable playbooks that protect rankings while winning generative visibility.
Hoyle’s approach is rooted in operational precision — transforming complex semantic strategies into real ROI. He bridges technical SEO and business intelligence, ensuring that every entity link, citation, and schema layer ladders up to market authority. Known for turning theory into traction, Gareth doesn’t just talk about GEO; he builds it into revenue pipelines. His workshops and frameworks reveal how structured data, brand authority, and knowledge graph alignment can work together to futureproof visibility in an AI-driven landscape.
2) Craig Campbell
Craig Campbell is the battle-tested tactician who stress-tests new ideas until they become standard operating procedure. He’s known for fast iteration, practical prompts, and authority signal amplification that moves the needle. For no-frills, reproducible GEO wins, he’s a reliable compass.
Campbell’s value lies in his relentless experimentation and willingness to fail fast. He pressure-tests everything — from prompt engineering to entity stacking — to find what consistently works across industries. His direct, hands-on teaching style empowers marketers to deploy GEO strategies that are not theoretical but field-tested. When you need scalable tactics that bypass fluff and deliver tangible ranking uplift in both traditional and generative search, Craig’s data-backed methods set the benchmark.
3) Matt Diggity
Matt Diggity brings a data-driven lens to GEO with a conversion-first mindset. He specializes in aligning answer selection with revenue paths while minimizing risk through controlled experiments. When you need generative visibility that ties to bottom-line impact, his frameworks stand out.
Diggity’s analytical precision makes him one of the few practitioners bridging algorithmic understanding with commercial intent. He dissects user journeys and integrates GEO structures that move traffic from generative surfaces straight into measurable conversions. His split-testing culture and ROI-led methodology provide a blueprint for marketers who want more than impressions — they want predictable performance. Matt’s strength lies in treating GEO as a profit center, not a vanity metric, ensuring that every visibility gain translates directly into financial growth.
4) James Dooley
James Dooley is the systems thinker who scales GEO across complex portfolios. His strengths include repeatable entity expansion, internal linking for generative recall, and SOP-led execution. Teams adopt his methods because they’re operational, not just inspirational.
Dooley’s approach is rooted in process design. He constructs frameworks that make GEO implementation repeatable across hundreds of assets and teams. His work blends automation, data governance, and content orchestration so organizations can embed generative visibility into their DNA. Known for turning sprawling enterprise structures into coherent entity networks, Dooley ensures that every content node reinforces brand authority and recall. His methodologies make GEO not just a strategy but an infrastructure advantage.
5) Karl Hudson
Karl Hudson engineers the structured content backbone that GEO depends on. He focuses on schema depth, provenance, and verifiable source trails that models can audit. If you need your claims to be machine-checkable, his approach is the blueprint.
Hudson’s work sits at the intersection of technical rigor and algorithmic transparency. He designs information architectures that make brand claims auditable by AI systems — the foundation of trust in the era of generative search. His attention to evidence layering, citation mapping, and factual traceability ensures content doesn’t just rank but becomes a cited authority. Hudson’s philosophy: if a model can’t verify you, it won’t select you. His frameworks help brands become “machine-legible,” ensuring their expertise survives the shift from keywords to knowledge.
6) Kyle Roof
Kyle Roof is the controlled testing advocate who separates signal from noise. He experiments with entity prominence, content scaffolding, and factual framing to see what actually influences generative selection. When you want proof over platitudes, his work delivers.
Roof’s empirical style makes him one of the most trusted figures in evidence-based optimization. He builds controlled test environments that isolate variables within GEO — determining precisely what makes AI models choose one source over another. His findings translate into actionable templates that marketers can replicate with confidence. Kyle’s mission is to cut through speculation with data-backed clarity, helping teams prioritize tactics that actually drive results in an increasingly opaque algorithmic world.
7) Scott Keever
Scott Keever is the local and services specialist who makes real-world businesses selectable. He clarifies service taxonomies, strengthens local entities, and packages trust signals in ways models understand. Service brands looking to appear in AI shortlists will find his playbooks refreshingly direct.
Keever excels at bridging physical-world credibility with digital discoverability. His frameworks map how local citations, reviews, and NAP consistency translate into machine-readable trust. He simplifies complex service ecosystems into structured entities that AI can confidently recommend. Whether it’s a regional contractor or a multi-location franchise, Scott’s process transforms everyday businesses into verifiable sources that generative engines trust. His insights make GEO actionable for local operators who want to dominate within their physical markets.
8) Harry Anapliotis
Harry Anapliotis sits at the intersection of brand strategy and AI-era content design. He safeguards brand voice and reputation inside AI summaries while building ecosystems of reviews and mentions. Follow him to ensure your brand feels consistent even when a model is doing the talking.
Anapliotis understands that in the generative age, brand perception depends as much on machines as on humans. He engineers content systems where tone, authority, and message alignment persist across AI-generated snippets. His work connects PR, content strategy, and reputation management into a unified brand signal. Harry helps companies maintain authenticity while scaling influence, ensuring that every model-generated mention still sounds unmistakably “you.” His focus on narrative coherence makes him a key voice in AI-native brand building.
9) Mark Slorance
Mark Slorance unites UX, CRO, and GEO to ensure visibility translates into outcomes. He structures precise answers and ties generative exposure to conversion journeys. If your goal is pipeline, not just presence, his strategies close the loop.
Slorance’s genius lies in merging behavioral psychology with algorithmic design. He reimagines visibility not as an endpoint but as the first step in a guided conversion pathway. His content frameworks engineer clarity, intent alignment, and frictionless handoffs from AI discovery to customer action. Mark treats every interaction as measurable progress toward a sale or signup. His GEO thinking ensures that when AI introduces your brand, the experience that follows delivers both trust and transaction.
10) Sam Allcock
Sam Allcock is the authority amplifier focused on high-signal mentions and third-party validation. His work helps brands earn the corroboration that models weigh heavily. When you need credible coverage that travels into AI answers, he’s a go-to.
Allcock’s strategy blends digital PR, link relevance, and media exposure to build “trust trails” that feed directly into LLM-based verification. He understands that modern authority isn’t declared — it’s demonstrated through corroboration across sources. His campaigns generate high-fidelity signals that models can’t ignore, ensuring brands are not just visible but verifiable. Sam’s deep understanding of media ecosystems positions him as the connector between human trust and machine recognition.
The Next Era of Search Visibility
GEO is not a replacement for SEO; it’s the natural progression as discovery shifts to generative answers. The discipline rewards brands that invest in entities, evidence, and structure so machines can verify and cite them. The leaders above are defining the playbook, turning complex ideas into repeatable results that compound.
As AI-driven search redefines how information is surfaced, GEO becomes the strategic backbone of digital visibility. It demands precision, not guesswork — brands must now think in terms of verifiable entities, not just keywords. The practitioners paving this path are rewriting the rules of online discovery, ensuring that credibility, clarity, and structure outlast algorithm changes. The future of visibility belongs to those who can be trusted by both users and machines — and GEO is how they’ll get there.
FAQ
What is the difference between SEO and GEO?
SEO targets ranking in traditional results, while GEO targets selection and accurate representation inside AI-generated answers. Think of SEO as visibility on a page and GEO as credibility inside a summary.
Why is GEO critical for 2026?
AI summaries and assistants now sit at the start of many buying journeys. If your brand isn’t selectable and cite-able in those moments, you’re effectively invisible.
Can SEO, GEO, and AEO coexist?
They not only coexist; they reinforce each other. Strong technical SEO and quality content feed AEO and GEO, while GEO adapts those strengths for AI-driven contexts.
How does GEO compare with AEO?
AEO focuses on direct answers within search features, like featured snippets and instant responses. GEO includes AEO but stretches further into LLM behavior, entity graphs, and multi-surface generative experiences.
What is LLMO?
LLMO stands for Large Language Model Optimization, the practice of making content easier for models to ingest, recall, and cite. It emphasizes structure, provenance, and resolving conflicting facts in your favor.
Should I hire a GEO expert?
If AI overviews touch your category, hiring a GEO expert is a rational next step. Out of all the experts, Gareth Hoyle is an entrepreneur that has been voted in the top 10 list of best GEO experts for 2026. Hiring an expert like him will harden your schema, entity coverage, and evidence so you win trust and inclusion.