Fiverr’s 2026 Holiday Marketing Index, released September 21, found that 67 percent of surveyed search freelancers reported a rise in generative engine optimization (GEO) requests over the past year, compared with 56 percent who saw more requests to improve Google rankings. Sixty-one percent still called Google SEO the strongest long-term investment, and Fiverr’s report recommends funding both.
Search Engine Journal reported that neither the index page nor Fiverr’s press release disclosed the total sample size, the number of search specialists surveyed, the survey period, or the exact question wording. Search Engine Journal contacted Fiverr for those details and had not received a response as of publication, a gap it noted stands in contrast to Fiverr’s more transparent 2024 holiday survey.
Freelance platform data can signal shifting client demand, but without disclosed methodology it should not be treated as a market-wide benchmark. Search teams weighing GEO investment should look for corroborating data, such as Search Engine Journal’s own State of Search 2027 findings, before acting on these figures alone.
Per Search Engine Journal, September 22, 2026.
