Is GEO a fad?

'Is GEO a fad' conflates two things: the term and the reality. The term 'GEO' (like any marketing coinage) may fade or be renamed - that part is genuinely uncertain, and healthy skepticism about buzzwords is warranted. But the reality it points at - AI answer engines increasingly standing between people and the information/products they seek - is a structural change, not a trend. Judge them separately.

The shift is durable because it's driven by genuine user behavior and platform investment, not hype. People increasingly prefer getting a synthesized answer to scrolling links; the major platforms are investing heavily in AI answers; and this changes the fundamental mechanics of discovery. That's not a fad cycle - it's a lasting change in how the web is accessed. Whatever we call the practice of adapting to it, the adapting will matter.

So the honest, pragmatic stance: be skeptical of hype and grand claims (healthy), but don't let buzzword-fatigue make you dismiss the real shift (costly). Focus on the durable fundamentals - being the clear, trustworthy, citable answer to your audience's questions - which will keep mattering regardless of what the discipline is ultimately called. Act on the reality, hold the label loosely.