Search engine optimization (SEO) has been a thing for decades now. We all know the drill—get your website to rank higher so more people click through. But is that enough?
AI-powered search engines—like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) and Bing Chat—are changing how people search the internet and get answers.
That’s where Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) comes in.
But is GEO relevant to credit unions? Is it something credit union marketers should even care about?
Yes and no. Read on to learn more.
The Stakes
Mere weeks after we wrote this article, Google’s stock plummeted 10% in a day.
The reason:
Traditional search is down. Gartner predicts a 25% overall drop in Google search traffic in 2026. Apple execs also suggested AI was impacting search, and they’re responding by including AI summaries in their of browser, Safari.
This means click-through rates, paid ads, web traffic, will all go down as more people rely on AI summaries instead of clicking on links and hoping they’ll find an answer.
What does this mean for credit unions?
Tough to say, for now. But the pace of this change is fast (it is AI-related, after all). So, take everything you read in here with a big ol’ grain of salt. At the very least, GEO is something you should be thinking about, if not acting on.
The Basic Differences Between SEO and GEO
SEO is about getting clicks on your site. With optimization, your website (and pages) rank higher in traditional search engine results. Google sends people your way… and you hope they convert.
To succeed with SEO, you research keywords, tweak your headers, polish your meta descriptions, and build backlinks. You write compelling, useful material that informs, but also remains easy to skim. You try to increase visitor time on page.
There is some overlap between SEO and GEO. A lot, in fact—especially the part about informative content.
But GEO works differently. Instead of providing a list of links, AI-powered search generates answers, pulling bits and pieces from across the web to give users what they want, right there on the search page.
With GEO, Google doesn’t send people your way. Rather, it presents you as an expert and keeps you in the conversation. If you’re not part of that AI-generated answer, you’re not the expert. You’re invisible.
TL:DR? SEO helps you get traffic. GEO keeps you in the conversation.
How Do You “Do” GEO?
Good news: If you’ve been writing content that’s helpful and clear, you’re already halfway there.
But GEO does ask for a bit more. AI tools need content that feels trustworthy, specific, and well-organized. They look for answers rather than headlines with keywords or clever SEO tricks.
For credit union marketers, this means leaning into the educational content you probably already create. Think detailed breakdowns of loan products, straightforward guides on financial wellness, or updates on industry trends. That’s the stuff your members search for… and the stuff AI engines want to share.
Structure matters, too. AI engines pull from headers, subheads, and cleanly written sections. Schema markup can help here, but the bigger thing is clarity. Make your content easy to read and easy to parse. And keep it fresh. AI tools want up-to-date info, so don’t let your best-performing content get stale.
Why GEO Matters for Credit Unions
Let’s be real. Most credit union marketers are already stretched thin. SEO takes time. Social media takes time. GEO probably feels like another thing on the pile. But here’s the thing—AI-powered search isn’t going away. And members (especially younger ones) are getting used to asking a question and getting an instant answer without clicking a single link.
If your credit union’s content isn’t in those answers, someone else’s will be.
And GEO isn’t just about search visibility. It’s about setting up your AI-powered tools—chatbots, virtual assistants, voice agents—with good, reliable content. The same stuff you optimize for AI search engines can also help train your own internal AI. Better data in, better results out.
So yes, GEO helps your credit union stay helpful, visible, and relevant even when members don’t land on your website.
But also…
GEO prepares your website to serve as a source of knowledge for members and staff alike. If your content is comprehensive and GEO-optimized, you can set up your own chatbot, voice assistant, AI agent, etc. trained directly from your website data.
Senso has a quick summary of what’s at stake here: https://senso.ai/blog/why-geo-matters-for-the-survival-of-credit-unions
Can Your Credit Union Ignore GEO?
The short answer is… maybe. But we don’t recommend it.
If your goal is website visits and conversions, GEO doesn’t matter much. It might help to drive local traffic and leads through recommendations. And sure, you might get brand visibility by showing up in a GEO search result, but will that lead to increased loans? Deposits? Non-interest income?
Probably not.
However, ignoring GEO is a bad idea for two reasons:
- GEO is growing quickly in popularity. The technology is in its infancy now. With the pace of AI advancement, you can expect GEO to matter a lot more for lead gen—likely within the next year.
- GEO isn’t just for search engines. We’ll be shocked—shocked—if you don’t have an AI agent in the next 5 years. That agent will be trained on both your internal documents and your website. And if your website content isn’t GEO-ready, your agent won’t be nearly as helpful as you’d like.
So yes, you can ignore GEO… for now. But can you ignore it a month from now? Six months? A year?
Again, probably not.
SEO and GEO Together
Here’s the good news: This isn’t a “choose one” situation. SEO still works for traditional search. GEO works for AI-generated search. If you’re already putting effort into SEO, adding GEO is the next logical step.
More good news: Optimizing for GEO is just as easy as optimizing for SEO.
Both SEO and GEO help your credit union show up where members are looking. SEO brings people to your site. GEO puts your credit union’s name in the AI-generated answers they see first… which is especially important for AI agents acting on your credit union’s behalf.
The best strategy is to do both.
You don’t have to overhaul a thing. In fact, you barely need to tweak your content approach at all. So yes, search is changing, but it’s really easy to prepare for.
How to Get Started with GEO
Not to be glib, but you’ve already started! Just learning about what it is and how credit unions can use it is a great first step.
The best first step is to get your GEO score from Senso. It shows how well you’re doing with GEO already (and compares you with peers).
If you’re looking for more first steps—second steps, if you will—we’d be happy to help.
Join our Fintech Call Program, where we help with tech scouting on solutions that meet your goals.
