Shifting the Digital Marketing Mindset from Search Engine Optimization to Search Everywhere Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as we know it is changing — and fast. Even as recent as a few years ago, the concept was simple:
How well does your organic website or blog content rank on Google compared to others’?
High rankings typically meant more website visits, which meant more sales, leads, customers, conversions, etc. Lower rankings often meant the opposite.
But 2025 necessitates a broader definition for SEO. It’s one that doesn’t just consider the leading search engine, Google — which rolls out 12-plus algorithm changes per day — but also encompasses other search engines and platforms that people use daily to learn, share and buy.
Smart and agile marketers, then, must approach their digital direction with a refreshed mindset:
Search Engine Optimization → Search Everywhere Optimization.
Explore the “why and how” behind adapting SEO strategy on web browsers, social media and beyond to equip your business for the future of search.
Fine-Tuning SEO Strategies
Don’t panic. Traditional SEO paired with a content marketing strategy is still an incredibly powerful component of awareness, thought leadership and lead generation strategies. You just need to look at it more broadly now that certain consumer behaviors are shifting.
And while other search methods are swiftly gaining traction, the good ole’ Google search is still on top by a landslide, driving 63.4% of all U.S. web traffic. You shouldn’t ignore the up-and-coming opportunities, but it’s okay to keep your focus on the default for now.
That said, let’s break down some new-age ways to enhance old-fashioned SEO.
Top 3 on Page 1 of Google or Bust
The playing field used to be somewhat equal for all links on page one of search results. As long as the user didn’t have to click “Next,” sites toward the bottom had a fair shot.
But today, people don’t need to load a new webpage to find answers because they pop up directly within Google’s interface. Enter…
AI Overviews
Featured Snippets
And Zero-Click Search
Consequently, the top three results consistently show double–digit click-through rates (22.9%, on average, according to a 2024 Timmerman Group study). Spots four and on might as well not exist. When it’s unlikely for a business to secure top ranks in a saturated market, content quality is key. Google pulls snippets and AI responses from content it deems most worthy, so make yours direct, authoritative and intentionally designed to provide at-a-glance answers.
Get to the Point, Already
SEO bait articles and recipes that begin with a novel about Grandma’s life-changing meatballs before mentioning a single ingredient create a poor user experience.
Gone are the days of rambling to meet a certain word count, obvious keyword stuffing and writing for search engines instead of people.
Content length should depend solely on the information readers want and need to hear. If that warrants a paragraph, great! If you need 3,000 words to convey your message, also great! Just keep in mind that if you are developing content on the lengthy side, there are best practices for structure, layout and headings that you need to abide by.
Own Your Niche to EEAT Well
Incorporating keywords into content used to be the “end-all-be-all” of SEO and highly formulaic. Now, it’s just a piece of the puzzle that gets smaller as search engines get smarter.
What today’s algorithms really want is content that fulfills users’ search intent and provides ample surrounding context. To rank high, webpages must reach a niche audience through E.E.A.T. — the four pillars of Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines.
- Experience: Firsthand experience with subject matter
- Expertise: Knowledge, credentials, qualifications
- Authoritativeness: Industry reputation, influence
- Trust: Website security
Think of E.E.A.T. as your key to that coveted “Top 3.” Specific, useful content establishes digital dominance. In other words, you’d rather rank #1 for a lower-traffic topic and get clicks from an already-interested demographic, than rank #200 in a popular, yet more saturated one.
Google Isn’t Always the Go-To
Again, traditional SEO is far from obsolete. Most searchers still head straight to Google. However, these alternatives shouldn’t be overlooked as part of a comprehensive digital strategy:
Other Search Engines
For the first time in more than a decade, Google’s worldwide market share fell under 90% in 2024, as more users turned to alternatives like DuckDuckGo and Bing. Why? The short answer is privacy and security concerns.
Although these other platforms don’t fully protect data either, they do position better encryption as a selling point to counteract Google’s notoriously nosy reputation.
What’s more, Google’s rollout of generative AI results turned out to be an epic fail, for lack of a better term. They’ve made improvements since, but inaccurate and even dangerous results furthered the masses’ already-waning distrust with the borderline monopoly.
Social Media
Popular apps have also seized opportunities to become unbiased, user-tailored versions of search engines themselves. A quarter of Americans now use social media as a primary search outlet, Sprout reports. After all, why sort through a sea of webpages when you could find user-generated answers elsewhere, faster?
People enjoy short-form content with a personalized touch, and that’s nothing new. The sense of connection gives social media staying power. Plus, ads are generally clear, so users can take third-party opinions at face value as long as a post isn’t specifically noted as “Sponsored.”
- On YouTube: YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world, and the most widely used online platform in the U.S. More than 57% of all Americans primarily rely on it to search for information in the same way they use Google.
- On TikTok: Of the 33% of all American adults active on the app, Adobe revealed 40% use TikTok as a search engine, especially for discovering new restaurants, recipes, workouts…you name it.
- On Instagram: Not far behind TikTok, 19% of the nearly half of Americans on Instagram use the app as a search tool for similar queries.
- On Reddit: While Reddit has always had a pseudo-Q&A format, it’s recently had a massive SEO impact. For example, a 2024 Block and Tam report found the word “Reddit” appears in the search box for a whopping 97.5% of all product review searches.
Generative AI
Platforms like ChatGPT and Genesis have also become a go-to search source. Although generative AI brings several ethics and accuracy concerns, it excels at making complex topics digestible.
To keep up with the AI times, it’s smart to take the same content approach here as you would with Google snippets and AI responses. That way, ChatGPT and other tools can steal, er, incorporate, your insights into their answers.
Ready to Think Beyond Traditional SEO?
It’s clear the SEO landscape is shifting. Whether your business faces the inevitable digital earthquake head on, takes cover or falls through the cracks is up to you. The good news is you don’t have to weather the storm alone.
View our suite of digital marketing services and equip your strategies for the future with SEO pros by your side.
