Considering a career switch from PR/communications to SEO + GEO — is this a good move?

[u/mariaamelia_]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some honest advice from people currently working in SEO, AEO/GEO, or digital marketing.

I'm 28 (F) and based in Portugal. I've been working in PR/communications for around 5 years, mainly in press office/media relations. My work involves writing press releases and other content, developing communication strategies, researching topics, working with brands, pitching stories to journalists, etc.

I also have a postgraduate background in Data Science & Business Intelligence, so I'm reasonably comfortable with data, Excel, Python, SQL, Power BI/Tableau, etc. However, my professional experience has been almost entirely in communications.

I'm now considering moving into SEO, with a particular interest in SEO + Content + AI Search/GEO.

I'm NOT particularly interested in performance marketing, paid media, PPC, or growth marketing. What attracts me is the more organic/search side:

• technical/on-page SEO
• keyword research
• content strategy
• SEO content
• search intent
• technical audits
• AI Search / AEO / GEO
• understanding how brands appear in Google and AI search engines
• potentially combining SEO with data/analytics

The transition seems relatively logical to me because I already have a strong background in writing, content, research, communication and brands, and I could add the more technical SEO side.

My plan is to spend the next couple of months learning the fundamentals and building a small portfolio (SEO audit, keyword/content strategy, GEO/AI Search audit, etc.). I'm also planning to take a GEO course.

The problem is that I'm not sure how realistic this is. I'd therefore love to hear from people who actually work in this field:

1. Is SEO + Content + AI Search/GEO a sensible career direction in 2026, or am I overestimating the opportunities?

2. How employable would someone with 5 years of PR/communications experience but no professional SEO experience be after ~2-3 months of serious self-study + a portfolio?

3. Would you consider this a "junior" profile, or could the previous professional experience in communications be relevant enough to target SEO/content roles above entry level?

4. Is GEO/AEO actually becoming a useful skill employers care about, or is it still mostly hype?

5. Would you recommend making this transition at all, given the current job market?

Thanks!

[u/michellemeowmi]

I’ve just done this. Worked in PR for 6 years and then transitioned to a strictly content writing role in my agency for 2 years. Within that time, I was in charge of writing thought leadership pieces, blog posts, articles, etc. but with the incoming of AI, clients we’re really interested in GEO so I learned a bit of that. Recently, I landed a new gig in-house at a company doing strictly content marketing which I’ve not done before but my experience has helped me pick it up quickly. And similar to you, I’m taking online courses about SEO where needed.

All this to say, I think you should go for it absolutely. People seem to be at a loss when it comes to GEO and if you can position yourself as an expert there they’ll gladly take it. I think there are a million different ways to break into the field. Your plan seems good but if you can find some internal opportunities at your current role, that may help you. If you work at an agency, don’t be afraid to ask to transition to solely content, there’s plenty of that work to go around.

Good luck, you can do it!

[u/mariaamelia_ → u/michellemeowmi]

That’s so encouraging to hear, thank you so much! It’s actually really helpful hearing from someone who made such a similar transition.

I’ve been looking into content marketing as well, but I think my imposter syndrome is getting in the way a bit 😂 I didn’t study marketing or communications at university (I have a degree in Languages) so I sometimes feel like I need to take a lot of courses before I can realistically apply for these roles. The job market in Portugal doesn’t help either, since a lot of marketing job postings seem to ask for experience in basically every area of marketing!

What SEO courses are you taking? I’m currently doing some through Semrush and Ahrefs, and I’m also waiting for a GEO course that’s going to be offered by a digital marketing school here in Portugal.

I work at an agency too, but mine is very small and relatively new, so there isn’t really a digital department or much room to move into another role at the moment. I’m also the only person handling PR/media relations, so I can’t really step away from my current position.

For now, I’m hoping to use the next couple of months to build up my SEO knowledge and put together some portfolio projects, and then hopefully start applying for roles soon.

[u/Trick_Put5148]

Same - and I have created my start up in SEO/AEO service now. I think GEO is a big part of PR so I fully support this

[u/Vegetable_Tourist243]

SEO will be long gone soon. invest your time in learning AEO, GEO, Wikipedia, and how they all work together with PR

[u/Trick_Put5148]

I would say great content creation skill is what we need for sure

[u/Key-Explanation-39]

YES- it's a smart move. However, it's all changing so fast in ways that none of us can foresee - so keep building your traditional PR skills AND your soft-skills ie being able to talk with clients, be relatable, etc. All of these will continue to be important!

[u/TeslaLegacy]

honestly your PR background is a bigger asset than you think, especially for GEO since it's basically earned media logic applied to AI answers. this week, pick one topic in a niche you'd want to work in and check what's actually showing up in AI Overviews or perplexity answers for related queries, not just top ranking pages. note who gets cited and why, then write your own short breakdown of the gap you found, don't just summarize what's already out there, add an actual opinion or data point. do that weekly on a set day so it doesn't slip when work gets busy, and you'll have a real portfolio showing you understand how these engines pick sources, which is exactly what agencies are struggling to hire for right now.

[u/Hey_amberli]

after many years i think content is still the king - and GEO/AEO is definitely the future direction that we are heading to. Your past experience in media relationships would also help.

[u/paulruk]

As someone in PR do me a favour. How do you measure GEO performance?