Why "Search Everywhere Optimization" Is The New SEO For Businesses
Gone are the days when SEO, a.k.a. Search Engine Optimization, was all about ranking on Google. Only 61% of Gen-Z users turn to Google Search to find local businesses, which is falling behind platforms like Instagram and TikTok in this category. In today's evolving digital landscape, relying solely on Google is no longer sufficient—especially for specific industries and audiences.
With the rise of AI, Gen-Z behaviors, and new search platforms, the concept of search has fractured. People no longer "just Google it." Instead, they discover products, services and answers across multiple platforms, such as visual discovery on Instagram or TikTok, or AI-assisted searches. This shift is part of a new paradigm: Search Everywhere Optimization.
The Changing Nature Of Search
The way people search has fundamentally changed due to a combination of user behavior, content format preference, and platform algorithms. According to a recent SEMrush study, AI-powered experiences and platform-specific content have drastically shifted user expectations around search.
Google itself acknowledges this shift. A Google executive revealed that platforms like TikTok and Instagram are increasingly eating into its core search traffic, especially among younger users.
Meanwhile, Gartner forecasts a 25% decline in search engine volume by 2026, largely due to AI chatbots and virtual agents like ChatGPT.
However, don't let these signals daunt you as a business or marketing professional. In my experience, what worked for SEO visibility continues to work well on other platforms, such as AI and map searches for several of our clients, because of the solid foundation we built for the site, such as building site authority and being credible sources of helpful information for prospective clients.
Platform-Specific Search Behavior: Who's Searching Where?
Let's look at how search preferences vary across platforms and demographics:
• TikTok & Instagram are the go-to for Gen-Z. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, Instagram (67%) and TikTok (62%) surpass Google Search (61%) when it comes to discovering local businesses.
• Fashion, travel, automotive and finance searches are now more common on TikTok than on Google, according to Advertising Week.
• For product discovery, Search Engine Land reports that Instagram (30.4%) and TikTok (23.2%) outperform Google (18.8%) among Gen-Z.
• AI chatbots like ChatGPT are increasingly used for personalized advice—especially in skincare, health and shopping.
• Google Maps continues to dominate for navigation and local services, but even that is under pressure. Gen-Z's preference for Maps is declining in favor of visual discovery on TikTok and Instagram.
This fragmentation isn't just generational—it's industry-dependent. Whether in healthcare, dining, fashion or financial services, you'll need to understand where your audience searches.
Why This Matters For Businesses
Search engine algorithms are changing fast. What ranked in Google two years ago may no longer be competitive today. Add to this the fact that platforms now reward native content—videos on TikTok, stories on Instagram, answers on ChatGPT—and the strategy for visibility becomes far more complex.
This means Search Everywhere Optimization isn't a luxury; it's a necessity. You must diversify your content efforts and show up where your audience is looking, not just where Google ranks you.
And this isn't just theor; researchh backs this up. A Harvard Business Review study of over 46,000 shoppers found that customers who used multiple platforms to engage with brands were more valuable, loyal and likely to purchase again. Omnichannel visibility translates to measurable business results.
What Should You Do? Budgeting Efforts And Building Presence
To keep pace, companies need to rethink how they allocate their SEO and content marketing budgets.
Identify where your audience goes to search. If you sell skincare, you may need to be present on ChatGPT and TikTok. If you offer B2B software, LinkedIn and Google likely hold more sway.
Continue to invest in traditional SEO for authority and trust, but complement it with platform-native content. Think short-form videos, AI-optimized FAQs and localized Instagram posts.
GEO is a framework designed to help content rank in AI-driven results. This means writing structured and conversational content for tools like ChatGPT to recognize.
If you're in a niche market—like local wellness services—Google Maps may still be critical. However, you might also find that your customers discover you first through influencer reviews on Instagram or YouTube Shorts.
SEO is no longer static. Use analytics to track which platforms drive actual engagement and conversions and adjust your content and effort accordingly.
The Future Of SEO Is Omnichannel
We are witnessing a transformation from "Search Engine Optimization" to "Search Everywhere Optimization". Consumers no longer follow a linear path—they bounce between platforms, voices and experiences. Businesses that want to stay relevant must do the same.
As PwC's Consumer Insights suggests, today's consumers expect brands to be present wherever they are—quickly, intelligently and authentically.
In short: Don't abandon Google. But don't bet your entire business on it.
Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Verge
a few seconds ago
- The Verge
Samsung reveals a mysterious $16.5 billion chip deal.
Chip race: Microsoft, Meta, Google, and Nvidia battle it out for AI chip supremacy See all Stories Posted Jul 28, 2025 at 3:04 AM UTC Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. Richard Lawler Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Richard Lawler Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Business Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Samsung Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Tech
Forbes
a few seconds ago
- Forbes
Google Photos Introduces New AI Tools: Fun, Free, And Very Limited
Google is adding new generative AI tools to Google Photos, shifting the app away from its original ... More purpose. Key Takeaways Google Photos could be at the start of a radical transformation. In a major update rolling out now, Google is introducing what could be the most significant Google Photos AI upgrade yet, allowing you to turn static images into animated video clips and stylized art with just a few taps. The tools are free and fun, but are deliberately and severely limited -- and in many ways, that's a good thing. Google's Remix feature turns still images into fun videos with AI. The Big Update: Photo To Video — Fun But Deliberately Nerfed As I previously reported, Google Photos is introducing a game-changing new feature that transforms still photos into short video clips with a single tap. It's a powerful, but significantly cut-down version of the photo-to-video features already available to paying Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in Gemini. You can select any picture in your Google Photos library, choose between the vague 'Subtle movement' or slot-machine-like 'I'm feeling lucky' options, and wait for about a minute for the video animation to generate. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Google's demos show once static people now celebrating by throwing handfuls of confetti in the air before it tumbles back down from above. These were both generated in 'I'm feeling lucky,' mode. I presume additional video effects will be available at launch and more added in the future. If you don't like the results, you can hit the Regenerate button to try again, but that's about it for user control. You can also tap on thumbs-up or thumbs-down icons to send feedback to Google. It would be great to see a few more preset options available, beyond just subtle movements or a random effect. Even adding just a few more emotions would make these clips useful as fun reactions for messaging apps, etc, in place of emojis or pre-made GIFs. The process takes up to a minute to complete, and you The focus here is clearly on fun rather than unbridled creativity. Where Gemini utilizes Google's powerful Veo3 video AI model to create animations of anything you want, Google Photos employs the older Veo 2 model, offering very little user control over what happens in the animation, except for repeatedly hitting the 'Regenerate' button. Furthermore, Veo 2 cannot generate audio, one of the standout features of Veo 3. Remix Your Photos — Too Little, Too Late? First discovered in May of this year, the new 'Remix' feature allows you to select a photo and transform it into a range of artistic styles, including cartoons, pencil sketches, and paintings. Google Photos Remix feature lets you transform photos into a range of artistic styles. As with the Photo to Video feature above, you can hit Regenerate to re-try any pictures you don't like and tap one of the thumb icons to provide feedback. Remix is clearly aimed at having fun and sharing moments in new ways, and there's nothing wrong with that. The results are Google's answer to the viral 'Ghliblified' images and action figure pictures you've probably seen taking over social media. However, unlike powerful tools like ChatGPT or Midjourney where you can simply type in any style imaginable, Remix forces you to pick from a small menu of pre-selected styles. The approach helps keep generated output safe for consumption, but also prevents any real creativity. Google will need to update the library of styles frequently or the novelty will wear off quickly. A New Direction For Google Photos — The Create Tab To make Google Photos' new generative tools easier to find, Google is introducing a new 'Create' tab, accessible by clicking an icon at the bottom of the app on both Android and iOS. Here, you'll be able to find all of Google Photos' creative tools gathered in one place, effectively separating the newer creative side of Google Photos from its original library functions. Google Photos introduces a new "Create" tab to house all of its new generative AI tools. This marks the beginning of a significant shift in purpose for Google Photos, as Google notes, it's now 'more than an archive, it's a canvas.' Personally, that's not what I want from Google Photos; I use it as a place to store and revisit memories rather than as a tool to create new content. The app's existing Animated slide shows and collages use AI to enhance memories, but these new tools alter them into something entirely new, creating video clips of events that never really happened. Google Photos Now Creates, But Is It Safe? Google appears to be exercising considerable caution with these new features, not least by severely limiting the scope of what can be created with these new Google Photos tools. However, the company acknowledges that the results may be 'inaccurate or unexpected' and displays a warning before use, along with a link to its GenAI prohibited use policy. Furthermore, all images and videos generated by Google Photos using AI contain invisible SynthID watermarks that reveal their synthetic origins. The Big Issue: US-Only Rollout Alienates Global Users Photo to Video and Remix are now rolling out on Android and iOS, but are currently only available in the US. The Create tab will then roll out in August, but once again, only in the US. This will be disappointing for international users, who may have to wait a considerable amount of time to access the new features. Remember, Google Photos users outside the US are still waiting for access to the AI-powered 'Ask Photos' feature nine months after launch. Google Photos has a massive worldwide user base, with billions of photos and videos uploaded each week, and runs the risk of frustrating a colossal number of customers if non-US customers remain excluded from its best features. Follow @paul_monckton on Instagram.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US, China to launch new talks on tariff truce extension, easing path for Trump-Xi meeting
By David Lawder STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Top U.S. and Chinese economic officials will resume talks in Stockholm on Monday to try to tackle longstanding economic disputes at the centre of a trade war between the world's top two economies, aiming to extend a truce by three months and keeping sharply higher tariffs at bay. China is facing an August 12 deadline to reach a durable tariff agreement with President Donald Trump's administration, after Beijing and Washington reached preliminary deals in May and June to end weeks of escalating tit-for-tat tariffs and a cut-off of rare earth minerals. Without an agreement, global supply chains could face renewed turmoil from U.S. duties snapping back to triple-digit levels that would amount to a bilateral trade embargo. The Stockholm talks come hot on the heels of Trump's biggest trade deal yet with the European Union on Sunday for a 15% tariff on most EU goods exports to the U.S., including autos. The bloc will also buy $750 billion worth of American energy and make $600 billion worth of U.S. investments in coming years. No similar breakthrough is expected in the U.S.-China talks but trade analysts said that another 90-day extension of a tariff and export control truce struck in mid-May was likely. An extension of that length would prevent further escalation and facilitate planning for a potential meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in late October or early November. A U.S. Treasury spokesperson declined comment on a South China Morning Post report quoting unnamed sources as saying the two sides would refrain from introducing new tariffs or other steps that could escalate the trade war for another 90 days. Trump's administration is poised to impose new sectoral tariffs that will impact China within weeks, including on semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, ship-to-shore cranes and other products. "We're very close to a deal with China. We really sort of made a deal with China, but we'll see how that goes," Trump told reporters on Sunday before European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen struck their tariff deal. DEEPER ISSUES Previous U.S.-China trade talks in Geneva and London in May and June focused on bringing U.S. and Chinese retaliatory tariffs down from triple-digit levels and restoring the flow of rare earth minerals halted by China and Nvidia's H20 AI chips and other goods halted by the United States. So far, the talks have not delved into broader economic issues. They include U.S. complaints that China's state-led, export-driven model is flooding world markets with cheap goods, and Beijing's complaints that U.S. national security export controls on tech goods seek to stunt Chinese growth. "Geneva and London were really just about trying to get the relationship back on track so that they could, at some point, actually negotiate about the issues which animate the disagreement between the countries in the first place," said Scott Kennedy, a China economics expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "I'd be surprised if there is an early harvest on some of these things but an extension of the ceasefire for another 90 days seems to be the most likely outcome," Kennedy said. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has already flagged a deadline extension and has said he wants China to rebalance its economy away from exports to more domestic consumption -- a decades-long goal for U.S. policymakers. Analysts say the U.S.-China negotiations are far more complex than those with other Asian countries and will require more time. China's grip on the global market for rare earth minerals and magnets, used in everything from military hardware to car windshield wiper motors, has proved to be an effective leverage point on U.S. industries. TRUMP-XI MEETING? In the background of the talks is speculation about a possible meeting between Trump and Xi in late October. Trump has said he will decide soon on a landmark trip to China, and a new flare-up of tariffs and export controls would likely derail planning. Sun Chenghao, a fellow at Tsinghua University's Center for International Security and Strategy in Beijing, said that a Trump-Xi summit would be an opportunity for the U.S. to lower the 20% tariffs on Chinese goods related to fentanyl. In exchange, he said the Chinese side could make good on its 2020 pledge to increase purchases of U.S. farm products and other goods. "The future prospect of the heads of state summit is very beneficial to the negotiations because everyone wants to reach an agreement or pave the way in advance," Sun said. Still, China will likely request a reduction of multi-layered U.S. tariffs totaling 55% on most goods and further easing of U.S. high-tech export controls, analysts said. Beijing has argued that such purchases would help reduce the U.S. trade deficit with China, which reached $295.5 billion in 2024.
