Author | Lightnews

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · 6d

And there is a key extra variable in GEO experiments when compared to SEO tests:

SEO vs. GEO: Aleyda Solis on eCommerce Search in an AI-First World | Business Class Lounge by SearchPilot, hosted by Will Critchlow

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · 6d

GEO vs. SEO is potential ragebait. I'm more interested in understanding what's going on.

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Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · 11d

shows.acast.com/business-cla...

(or watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSZD... )

Season 02 episode 06: Aleyda Solis, Founder & International SEO Consultant at Orainti

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · 11d

I really enjoyed the conversation I had with @aleyda.bsky.social about ecommerce search in an AI-first world, and, for those who prefer to listen rather than watch, the audio is now available on the Business Class Lounge podcast feed.

Go grab it wherever you get your podcasts - it's a good one!

SearchPilot supports GEO A/B testing

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · 27d

And @searchpilot.bsky.social 's capabilities here:
www.searchpilot.com/resources/bl...

We are excited to announce that SearchPilot now supports GEO A/B testing, empowering you to move from guesswork to a data-driven strategy for AI search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): Stop Guessing and Start Testing

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · 27d

Read more about GEO A/B testing here:

www.searchpilot.com/resources/bl...

With the rise of AI-powered search, the customer journey is fundamentally shifting. How do you influence a journey you can no longer see?

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · 27d

Testing capabilities are a *requirement* for doing effective ecommerce SEO at scale. I don't see why GEO is going to be any different.

Spoiler: you can test these hypotheses using SearchPilot!

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · 27d

Almost everything you see about how to do better in AI search is speculation. Guesswork. Predictions.

We need to move from react mode to control mode. We need to go from predicting the future to experimenting to discover it.

SearchPilot supports GEO A/B testing

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · Sep 26

And 1. yes I know including links limits my reach, but this is the Friday afternoon YOLO post, not the carefully-thought-through marketing activity and 2. yes:
www.searchpilot.com/resources/bl...

We are excited to announce that SearchPilot now supports GEO A/B testing, empowering you to move from guesswork to a data-driven strategy for AI search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): Stop Guessing and Start Testing

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · Sep 26

I'm not really shouting about this until next week, because it's Friday afternoon here, but in case you're curious, I think that, when it comes to GEO, we should stop guessing, and start testing:
www.searchpilot.com/resources/bl...

With the rise of AI-powered search, the customer journey is fundamentally shifting. How do you influence a journey you can no longer see?

Future-Proofing E-Commerce SEO for 2026 and Beyond | Business Class Lounge by SearchPilot, hosted by Will Critchlow

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · Sep 12

For those who like to consume audio content, my conversation with @rosshudgens.bsky.social about the future of e-commerce SEO is now on the podcast feed:

shows.acast.com/business-cla...

Season 02 episode 05: Ross Hudgens, founder at Siege Media

Google Product Grids and AI Mode: The Ecommerce SEO Playbook with Brodie Clark

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · Sep 12

Yesterday @brodieclark.bsky.social and I put out a conversation we had about product search. The recording and notes are now available for everyone:
www.searchpilot.com/resources/bl...

Discover how Google’s evolving product grids and AI-driven search features are reshaping ecommerce SEO.

Search Isn’t Dead – SEO Trends 2025 with Rand Fishkin & Will Critchlow

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Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · Sep 3

(Video here if you prefer that and missed it the first time around: www.searchpilot.com/resources/bl... )

How SEO Is Changing in 2025: Key Insights from Rand Fishkin and Will Critchlow

Search Isn't Dead - SEO Trends with Rand Fishkin | Business Class Lounge by SearchPilot, hosted by Will Critchlow

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · Sep 3

Published the audio version of my conversation with @randfish.bsky.social on the podcast feed (recorded in-person at SEO Week):

shows.acast.com/business-cla...

For those who like to listen instead of watch.

Season 02 episode 04: Rand Fishkin, founder at SparkToro

From Guessing to Testing: How to Safely Optimize 1,000+ Products in Google's New AI Era

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · Sep 3

Hear the full conversation here: www.searchpilot.com/how-to-safel...

Join Will Critchlow & Brodie Clark to uncover AI-era SEO strategies for 1,000+ products, product grids, Merchant Center, and scalable ecommerce growth.

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · Sep 3

[Spoiler: SearchPilot has released the ability to run experiments against shopping / merchant center data, as well as against impressions alongside clicks. Stop trying to predict the future, experiment to discover it.]

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · Sep 3

Join my conversation with @brodieclark.bsky.social who's tracked more details of this stuff than anyone I know, and think about how you can optimise in this environment.

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · Sep 3

The move from PLPs (category pages) ranking to PDPs (product pages), plus the inclusion of product "grids" taken from merchant center / organic shopping results all mean that any kind of month-over-month or year-over-year tracking could show wild trends in all directions.

SEO testing lessons from more mature experimentation programs - a conversation with Ryan Lucht

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · Sep 3

While we're all very excited about AI, there's another search change that is arguably MORE dramatic for ecommerce and retail in the short term: Google's changing approach to product search.

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Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · Sep 2

@ryanlucht.com was kind enough to share his experiences from the field of CRO and user testing where they have been addressing these questions for longer than even we have in the SEO testing world.

There's a clip above, and here's the full conversation:
www.searchpilot.com/resources/bl...

Discover lessons from CRO to SEO testing with Ryan Lucht. Learn how to build experimentation culture, prove impact, and scale search growth.

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · Sep 2

The core answer is that if it were that simple, you wouldn't have needed the test to spot the improvement, but the deeper answer is in the communication of uncertainty.

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · Sep 2

We do a load of hard statistical work to tease out the signal, but then sometimes hear "but why can't I see the x% uplift in before and after numbers".

Beyond Google - How AIs and LLMs are Changing SEO Forever | Business Class Lounge by SearchPilot, hosted by Will Critchlow

Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · Sep 2

A challenge of testing is that detecting small, single-digit % improvements is hard. Doing so repeatedly can be transformational to business performance, but each individual one can get lost in the noise.

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Will Critchlow @willcritchlow.bsky.social · Jul 9

If you want to keep up with @SearchPilot content on your commute, your dog walk, while you exercise, or while doing chores, the business class lounge podcast continues - latest episode is my conversation with my brother @tomcritchlow.com :
shows.acast.com/business-cla...

Season 02 episode 02: Tom Critchlow, my brother and former colleague, also former Googler, now at Raptive