From Search Engines to Generative Engines: How Perrill Is Helping Brands Adapt to AI Search

For the better part of two decades, search engine optimization (SEO) shaped how businesses connected with customers online. The familiar playbook involved researching keywords, building backlinks, and optimizing websites so they appeared high in Google results. That model still matters, but it no longer defines the future of search. Increasingly, people are not typing queries into a search bar. They are asking questions to AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s Search Generative Experience. Instead of a page of ten blue links, they receive one or two conversational answers and AI Overviews.

This change is rewriting the rules of online visibility. If a business is not included in these generative answers, it may be invisible to the customer. For many companies, the shift is as dramatic as the move from print to digital advertising. Agencies that understand this transition are in position to guide businesses into a new norm. One of those agencies is Perrill, a Minnesota-based digital marketing and web development firm with more than thirty years of experience in helping organizations adapt to change.

What Generative Engine Optimization Means

Perrill has introduced a service they call Generative Engine Optimization, or GEO. GEO is simply about teaching businesses how to show up when people turn to AI for recommendations. Instead of focusing only on ranking signals that matter to search engines, GEO builds strategies that influence how large language models (LLMs) and AI-driven search tools pull information and deliver answers. Other names for this service include Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), and AI Optimization (AIO).

Consider how a customer might approach a decision today. Someone planning to run a marathon may ask an AI tool: “What are the best shoes for long-distance training?” The AI will scan its knowledge base and generate a few direct recommendations. If a brand is not positioned within that dataset, it will not appear at all. Traditional SEO techniques alone will not solve that problem. GEO seeks to make sure the brand becomes part of those generated responses.

Perrill approaches GEO through a mix of technical expertise and content strategy. Their team studies how AI models consume information, what types of content are prioritized, and how structured data interacts with generative algorithms. They then design content frameworks that provide authoritative, clear, and trustworthy information. It is not just about keywords but more about making sure the business provides the kind of context that AI systems select as a reliable answer.

The Broader Shift in Consumer Behavior

The move toward generative search reflects a larger digital behavioral change. People increasingly expect immediate, conversational solutions rather than a list of links they must sift through on an afternoon. This means the customer journey is shorter, more focused, and more reliant on trusted recommendations.

For businesses, that is both a risk and an opportunity. The risk lies in being excluded from the AI-generated conversation. The opportunity lies in becoming one of the few names that appear when a customer asks for advice. Perrill’s view is that waiting to adapt is not an option. The companies that win are those that prepare now, before traffic losses accumulate and competitors secure visibility in generative platforms.

Perrill’s Culture of Accountability

Part of what positions Perrill to lead in this space is its culture. The agency has long emphasized transparency, measurable results, and accountability. Those values are not just slogans. Every service is delivered in-house, which gives Perrill direct control over how strategies are executed and how outcomes are measured. That structure also allows them to align new approaches like GEO with existing campaigns in web design, development, advertising, and traditional SEO.

President Nate Tower has more than fifteen years of digital marketing experience and has built a reputation for blending creativity with technical precision. Under his leadership, Perrill has invested in research around search engines, content strategy, and AI-driven discovery. The team includes specialists in development, content, finance, and operations who all work together to ensure GEO does not function as a silo but as part of an integrated digital solution.

Lessons From Past Evolutions

What makes the current shift to AI search familiar is that it echoes earlier transitions. When pay-per-click advertising became dominant, businesses that adopted it early secured a competitive advantage. When mobile-first indexing reshaped how sites were ranked, companies that ignored mobile usability saw steep declines in visibility. When social media became a primary channel for discovery, those who adapted early built communities while others came running to catch up.

Generative search is another such inflection point. Perrill sees it not as a replacement for SEO but as an extension of it. Just as technical SEO evolved to accommodate mobile and voice search, GEO is a natural continuation that recognizes the growing role of conversational AI in decision-making.

Building Strategies That Last

One of Perrill’s strengths is balancing creativity with data. GEO is not just about feeding content into AI systems. It requires understanding the questions people ask, the context those questions come from, and the ways AI tools rank authority. That means researching customer behavior, building trust signals into content, and ensuring technical structures are optimized for machine learning interpretation.

This work also demands patience. Unlike paid ads, which can deliver immediate results, GEO strategies take time to influence AI-driven platforms. Perrill counsels clients to treat it as a long-term investment. The payoff comes when competitors are left out of critical conversations, while Perrill’s clients continue to appear as reliable sources.

Looking Ahead?

The future of digital visibility will not be decided by search engines alone. It will be shaped by how AI platforms select, interpret, and deliver information. Companies that prepare now will gain an edge that compounds over time. For Perrill, adapting to generative engines is more than a new service line. It is part of a broader philosophy that has defined the agency since its founding in 1993: anticipate change, embrace innovation, and remain accountable for results. The shift from search engines to generative engines is underway. Perrill intends to make sure their clients are not only ready for it but positioned to lead.