Imagine the future marketing landscape—no longer just about website rankings, but comprehensive, multidimensional user engagement. A recent year-end conference with 450 participants compelled a reevaluation of SEO's essence and led to the formulation of new equations for both traditional SEO and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). This article examines insights from that gathering, contrasting old and new SEO approaches while exploring the emerging concept of GEO.
A Conference That Demanded Reflection
In late 2025, Guangzhou hosted a hybrid marketing conference attended by 450 professionals. As organizers, participant satisfaction was paramount—the event's success hinged on user experience. Detailed feedback forms were distributed (with a playful requirement to complete them before receiving presentation materials), yielding over 250 responses with overwhelmingly positive data.
Participant Satisfaction Metrics
- Average satisfaction rating: 4.6/5.0
- Net Promoter Score: 64%
- 92% expressed willingness to attend future events
- 62% attended virtually, with online participants particularly praising content quality while noting room for improvement in streaming quality
Constructive feedback addressed catering, ventilation, audio quality, and presentation displays—valuable insights for future iterations.
Speaker Perspectives
Industry experts unanimously praised the event's organization and attendee engagement, with 90% reporting significant professional takeaways. Suggestions included enhanced interaction opportunities and technical upgrades for presentations.
SEO Mastermind: Collaborative Problem-Solving
The conference's signature Mastermind segment divided attendees into small groups for intensive SEO discussions. Results showed:
- 95% gained partial solutions or new perspectives
- 90% actively participated
- 80% found the four-hour duration appropriate
Challenges emerged regarding participant skill disparities and repetitive questions, highlighting opportunities for more structured facilitation.
The SEO Evolution: From Foundations to Future
Traditional SEO: Enduring Fundamentals
The conventional SEO equation remains: Content + Backlinks + Technical Optimization + User Engagement. This framework operates at both site-wide and page-specific levels, where quality content on low-authority sites still struggles against mediocre content on high-authority domains.
Modern SEO: Incorporating RLO
The updated equation introduces RLO (Rented Land Optimization)—optimizing presence on platforms beyond owned properties (social media, forums, etc.). This shift reflects changing user behavior where search journeys begin across multiple touchpoints before reaching brand websites, if at all.
Modern SEO's objective extends beyond rankings to establishing credibility across all potential user interactions, particularly as platforms increasingly retain users within their ecosystems. AI further amplifies this dynamic by aggregating and interpreting distributed brand signals.
GEO: Optimizing for AI Interfaces
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) addresses visibility within AI responses. The GEO equation balances traditional SEO with strategic RLO implementation, depending on brand maturity:
- Established brands can enhance existing SEO with targeted RLO investments
- Emerging brands should prioritize conventional SEO before significant GEO investment
- Short-tail keyword opportunities exist through curated RLO presence
- Long-tail queries still require traditional SEO for sustainable visibility
GEO's ultimate objective isn't mere AI inclusion, but having AI confidently advocate for your brand during customer decision processes.
Looking Ahead
While the conference resulted in modest financial losses, the value of professional exchange and attendee feedback proved invaluable. Plans are underway for expanded 2026 events, aiming for equal domestic and international participation among 600 attendees.