Discussion Team Building Careers

What team roles do you actually need for AI search optimization?

TE
TeamBuilder · Director of Marketing
· · 134 upvotes · 11 comments
T
TeamBuilder
Director of Marketing · January 9, 2026

Building out our AI search capability. Confused about team structure.

Current team:

  • 2 SEO specialists
  • 1 content manager
  • 1 data analyst

Questions:

  • Do I train existing team or hire specialists?
  • What roles are actually essential vs nice-to-have?
  • Where does GEO ownership sit?
  • What skills am I looking for?

What I’ve heard:

  • “GEO is just SEO with a new name”
  • “You need completely new skills”
  • “Train your existing team”
  • “Hire specialists or fail”

Which is true? What’s your team structure?

11 comments

11 Comments

TS
Team_Structure_Expert Expert VP Marketing · January 9, 2026

I’ve built GEO teams at three companies. Here’s reality.

Essential vs Nice-to-Have Roles:

RoleEssentialNice-to-HaveWhy
GEO Lead/StrategistYes-Strategy and coordination
Content StrategistYes-AI-optimized content
Technical SEO-YesCrawlability, schema
Data AnalystYes-Measurement
Digital PR-YesAuthority building

For your team size (4 people):

Option A: Train existing team

  • Add GEO to SEO specialists (30% time)
  • Content manager leads content
  • Data analyst adds AI metrics

Option B: Hire one specialist

  • GEO specialist owns strategy
  • SEO team executes technical
  • Content + analyst support

My recommendation:

Start with Option A for 3 months. If you see traction, move to Option B.

The key insight:

GEO requires 34% of SEO roles now. Your team needs these skills regardless.

SM
Skills_Matrix · January 9, 2026
Replying to Team_Structure_Expert

The skills you need mapped to roles.

Core Skills by Role:

SkillGEO LeadContentTechnicalAnalyst
RAG understandingHighMediumMediumLow
Content structureMediumHighMediumLow
Schema/technicalLowLowHighLow
AI metricsMediumLowLowHigh
Platform knowledgeHighMediumMediumMedium
StrategyHighMediumLowMedium

What to look for in GEO hires:

SkillMust HaveNice to Have
SEO foundationYes-
AI system understandingYes-
Content strategy-Yes
Technical SEO-Yes
Data analysis-Yes
Digital PR-Yes

The ideal GEO specialist:

  • 3+ years SEO experience
  • Understands how AI retrieves information
  • Can explain RAG and vector search
  • Experience with AI visibility tools
  • Data-driven decision making
TV
Train_vs_Hire HR Director · January 9, 2026

The train vs hire decision framework.

When to train existing team:

FactorTrain
Strong SEO foundationYes
Learning cultureYes
Time to ramp (3-6 months)OK
Budget constrainedYes
Low GEO urgencyYes

When to hire specialists:

FactorHire
Need results in <3 monthsYes
Existing team at capacityYes
Complex technical needsYes
Competitive pressureYes
Budget availableYes

The 70-20-10 approach:

Source% of CapabilityHow
Internal development70%Train existing team
External consultants20%Agency/specialist support
New hires10%Critical skill gaps

For your situation:

With 4 people already, I’d recommend:

  • Train SEO team on GEO (70%)
  • Bring in agency for strategy (20%)
  • Hire if you see traction (10%)

Timeline:

Months 1-3: Training + agency Months 4-6: Evaluate, possibly hire Months 7+: Full internal capability

SD
Seniority_Distribution · January 8, 2026

Interesting data on where GEO skills are required.

AI search skills by seniority level:

Level% Requiring AI Skills
Executive (Director+)50%
Manager41%
Individual Contributor29%

What this means:

Strategy comes first. Leadership needs to understand GEO before expecting ICs to execute.

Implication for your team:

Your Director role (you) needs GEO fluency first. Then cascade down.

Common mistake:

Hiring junior GEO specialist without leadership understanding. They get stuck without strategic support.

Better approach:

  1. Director learns GEO fundamentals
  2. Trains/guides existing team
  3. Hires specialist when strategy is clear

Leadership buy-in matters more than IC execution at this stage.

JM
Job_Market_Reality Expert · January 8, 2026

The hiring market for GEO roles.

Current state:

RealityImpact
Few experienced GEO specialistsHard to hire
SEO people learning GEOGrowing pool
Agencies adding GEOOutsourcing option
Universities not teachingNo fresh talent pipeline

Salary ranges (US market):

RoleRange
GEO Specialist$80-120K
GEO Manager$110-150K
Director of GEO$140-200K
VP (GEO + SEO)$180-250K

Where to find GEO talent:

  1. SEO professionals already learning GEO
  2. Former journalists who understand AI
  3. Content strategists with technical skills
  4. Data analysts interested in search

Interview red flags:

  • Can’t explain RAG
  • Only knows keyword optimization
  • No AI platform knowledge
  • No measurement ideas

Interview green flags:

  • Explains AI retrieval clearly
  • Shows AI visibility case studies
  • Understands platform differences
  • Has measurement framework
C
CrossFunctional Marketing Ops · January 8, 2026

GEO requires cross-functional coordination.

Teams that touch GEO:

TeamRole in GEO
SEOTechnical optimization
ContentContent creation
PR/CommsAuthority building
ProductFeature messaging
SalesCustomer insights
AnalyticsMeasurement

Common coordination failures:

FailureImpact
PR doesn’t know GEO goalsMissed mention opportunities
Sales doesn’t ask about AILost attribution data
Product messaging inconsistentConfused AI systems
Analytics doesn’t track AICan’t measure success

How to structure:

GEO Lead should have dotted lines to all teams.

Monthly sync with:

  • Content: What to create
  • PR: Where to get mentions
  • Sales: What they’re hearing
  • Analytics: What’s working

The biggest mistake:

Siloing GEO in SEO team without cross-functional access.

T
TeamBuilder OP Director of Marketing · January 7, 2026

Perfect. Here’s my plan based on your input.

Phase 1 (Months 1-3): Train + Agency

ActionOwner
I learn GEO fundamentalsMe (Director)
Bring in agency for strategyExternal
SEO team starts GEO trainingSEO specialists
Add AI metrics to analyst workflowData analyst

Phase 2 (Months 4-6): Evaluate + Adjust

MilestoneDecision
Team shows tractionContinue training
Team strugglingConsider hire
Results appearingScale approach

Phase 3 (Months 7+): Scale

If results warrant:

  • Hire dedicated GEO specialist
  • Reduce agency dependency
  • Full internal capability

Role Distribution:

RoleGEO TimeFocus
Me (Director)20%Strategy, cross-functional
SEO Specialist 130%Technical, schema
SEO Specialist 230%Content optimization
Content Manager30%AI-optimized content
Data Analyst20%AI metrics

Tools:

Adding Am I Cited for visibility tracking.

Thanks everyone for the team structure advice!

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Frequently Asked Questions

What roles are needed for AI search optimization?
Core roles include GEO Specialist (strategy and optimization), Content Strategist (AI-optimized content), Technical SEO with AI focus (crawlability, schema), and Data Analyst (visibility metrics). Small teams can start with one person plus agency support, expanding as program matures.
Should I hire GEO specialists or train existing SEO team?
Both work. Training existing SEO team is faster to start but may lack depth. Hiring specialists brings expertise but is harder to find. The 70-20-10 approach works: develop 70% internally, borrow 20% from consultants, hire 10% new talent for critical gaps.
What skills should I look for in GEO hires?
Key skills include understanding of AI retrieval systems (RAG, vector search), content structure for AI extraction, data analysis for AI metrics, platform-specific knowledge (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI), and cross-functional collaboration abilities.

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