GEO and local SEO: how is online visibility evolving in French-speaking Switzerland?

Local SEO as we know it may be living out its final months of supremacy. Or rather, it is evolving. Over the next few years, with the rise of generative artificial intelligence integrated into search engines (Google, OpenAI, Perplexity…), a new discipline will emerge: GEO – Generative Engine Optimization.

At Procab Studio, we’re beginning to see the first consequences for the visibility of Swiss brands, particularly in French-speaking Switzerland, where local referencing remains an essential lever for SMEs, healthcare groups, e-tailers and tourism operators.

But do we need to rethink everything? Will GEO replace SEO? And above all, how can a company in Geneva or Vaud anticipate this change?

What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)?

GEO involves optimising your content not for the traditional SERPs, but for the responses generated by the AIs built into search engines: Google Mode AI, Bing Copilot, SearchGPT, Perplexity, etc.

Where SEO works on the positioning of a page, GEO seeks to highlight information in an AI-generated response. It’s no longer the URL that counts, but the value that the AI attributes to your content in its reasoning.

GEO vs SEO: different, but complementary objectives

Local SEO remains fundamental for transactional search (“dentist Geneva”, “hotel in Verbier”, “tax lawyer Lausanne”).

GEO, on the other hand, aims to position your expertise in AI responses such as:

• “What are the benefits of post-partum physiotherapy in Geneva?”
• “How do I choose a reliable aesthetic medicine clinic in Lausanne?”
• “Where to have a personalised nutritional assessment in the canton of Vaud?”

In a region where digital visibility is often contested between local players and national platforms (Immoscout, Fnac, Comparis…), the GEO becomes an opportunity for players rooted in the territory to emerge.

Why local GEO is becoming a strategic issue in French-speaking Switzerland

In French-speaking Switzerland, the battle for online visibility is no longer limited to classic natural search engine optimisation. Local businesses now have to contend with well-established platforms such as immobilier.ch in real estate, Comparis for comparing services or Fnac.ch in e-commerce.

These players have a strong capital of trust both for users and for the AIs that now generate part of the search results. In other words, even on localised queries, the information prioritised by the AI does not necessarily come from your site, even if you are the most qualified local player.

That’s where GEO local comes in. It allows companies with roots in their local area to reclaim their place in the responses, by better structuring their content, varying the formats, and disseminating their expertise beyond their own site. The aim: to become a source that AI deems useful, clear and reliable, for local, specific and service-oriented answers.

How to optimise your local GEO strategy: recap

1. Structure content: clear headings, logical hierarchy, short, well-placed answers.
2. Use formats that AI easily understands: lists, tables, FAQs, definitions, sidebars.
3. Cover several intentions: informative, practical, local, decision-making.
4. Differentiate beyond its site: forums in French-speaking Switzerland, Comparis, partner sites, guest articles, local directories.
5. Collect and promote customer reviews: Google, specialist platforms, social networks.
6. Maintain a solid traditional SEO strategy: GEO is an addition, not a replacement.
7. Be based on the real questions users are asking: PAA (People Also Ask), forums, internal searches, etc.

Concrete examples of local GEO in French-speaking Switzerland

Health & wellbeing

A physiotherapy clinic in Lausanne can respond to :

“What exercises should I do after a knee injury?”

GEO = synthetic answer powered by a structured article + Google record + mention on a Swiss health forum.

Real estate and tourism

An estate agency in Nyon can stand out on : “How to estimate a property in Nyon”

GEO = well-written advice article, customer reviews, presence in Reddit topics or local newspapers.

Insurance

A French-speaking Swiss mutual may appear in an IA response on: “How do you prepare for pregnancy in Switzerland?”

GEO = educational article + local anchoring (rates, obligations, services included).

Should SEO be replaced by GEO?

GEO should not be seen as a substitute for SEO, but as a logical extension. SEO remains essential for generating qualified organic traffic, ensuring a lasting presence in Google’s classic results and maintaining visibility on strategic channels such as Google Maps or local searches. In other words, SEO continues to guarantee the solid foundation on which any digital strategy rests.

GEO, on the other hand, complements this work by enabling brands to appear directly in responses generated by artificial intelligence. It offers a new way of gaining legitimacy and authority, because content deemed clear and reliable by AI is more likely to be picked up and promoted. It is also a response to new search habits: users are now asking longer, more nuanced and sometimes multi-intentional questions, which traditional SEO answers less effectively.

So the future will not be a choice between SEO and GEO, but a combination of the two. SEO ensures long-term visibility and positioning in traditional results, while GEO opens the door to a stronger presence in generative responses, where a growing proportion of internet users’ attention will be focused.

Summing up:

• The SEO remains the basis for generating organic traffic and being visible in classic results.
• The GEO completes this approach by giving brands a place in AI-generated responses.
• The SEO is anchored in the long term, while the GEO captures new and complex queries.
• The future lies in a hybrid strategy, where SEO and GEO reinforce each other.

What do we recommend at Procab Studio?

At Procab Studio, we believe that SEO and GEO should be thought of as two complementary strands of the same digital strategy. SEO is still very important to ensure a solid foundation: being visible in Google’s classic results, generating qualified organic traffic, and maintaining a local presence on Maps or via technical SEO.

GEO, on the other hand, reinforces this approach. It involves adapting content so that it is understood and reused by generative search engines. This requires clear, structured and hierarchical writing, the integration of a variety of formats (FAQs, definitions, lists, short guides), and the ability to respond directly to the questions that web users ask AIs.

We also recommend diversifying legitimacy channels In French-speaking Switzerland, this means having a presence on recognised local platforms such as Comparis, immobilier.ch or Fnac.ch, but also on specialist forums and discussion areas where users actually exchange views. These external signals reinforce the credibility of your content in the eyes of generative models.

Finally, GEO cannot be effective without rigorous data management Centralising and structuring elements such as customer reviews, FAQs, service information or practical guides in usable formats makes it easier for AI to pick them up. At Procab, SEO agency in Geneva, we help our clients automate some of this production and distribution, using tools such as GPT, Make or N8N, to gain efficiency without losing quality.