Search in all places optimization (some name it SEvO) means ensuring individuals can discover you irrespective of the place they’re trying on-line.
And right here’s the factor: they’re not simply trying on Google anymore.
Individuals are turning to TikTok for product strategies, digging by way of Reddit for brutally sincere evaluations, and asking ChatGPT for customized purchasing lists and suggestions—typically in the course of conversations about their private or skilled challenges.
They’re looking out the place they already spend their time, looking for the sort of genuine, unfiltered content material that conventional search outcomes generally miss or asking AI for assist with selecting from too many choices in a area they don’t know a lot about.
So, whereas conventional Search engine optimization asks, “How will we rank increased on Google?” Search In every single place Optimization asks, “The place is our viewers truly trying, and the way will we present up there?”
Let’s discover the 5 platforms the place your viewers is definitely looking out, and the best way to present up authentically on every one.
AI site visitors to web sites has grown 9.7x up to now yr, with 63% of internet sites now receiving AI-driven site visitors that may convert even 23x increased than conventional natural search site visitors. ChatGPT alone had 500 million weekly customers in April 2025 and rising quick.
When individuals want to unravel advanced issues, examine detailed specs, or be taught one thing new, they’re more and more turning to AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude.
In contrast to conventional search, AI can synthesize info from a number of sources, create customized suggestions, and supply step-by-step steerage tailor-made to particular wants.
For instance, after I requested for one of the best laptop computer for a Ph.D. scholar in computational biology—full with a listing of particular private wants—Perplexity reviewed 20 completely different sources to provide you with a advice. Actually, going by way of that many sources alone can be exhausting. That sort of analysis is precisely the sort of job I’d gladly hand over to AI each time, as an alternative of Googling.
Core optimization ideas
As of now, there’s nonetheless an ongoing—and certain long-running—debate within the business about whether or not optimizing for generative AI search engines like google and yahoo is actually completely different from conventional Search engine optimization, with its personal distinctive set of guidelines.
The net feels prefer it’s in a little bit of a panic. AI Overviews and assistants are beginning to pull site visitors away from web sites, and a few are declaring that “Search engine optimization is lifeless.” The brand new buzzword is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and a few persons are saying it’s good to drop the whole lot and begin studying this brand-new playbook.
However right here’s the factor: each time I attempt to break down the dialogue and search for clear, confirmed details, I find yourself with a listing of methods that look loads like what SEOs—ourselves included—have been recommending for years. On the finish of the day, all of it comes down to:
- Develop model authority indicators throughout the online. AI fashions acknowledge and weight authoritative sources extra closely. Construct mentions, citations, and references throughout respected websites to ascertain your experience in AI coaching information and are available up extra typically when AI assistant use search to refine their solutions(sure, ChatGPT truly Googles issues).
- Construct complete, authoritative sources. AI assistants favor detailed, well-researched content material that covers subjects completely. As a substitute of skinny content material, create definitive guides that AI fashions will need to reference and cite, aka deep content material.
- Create content material that’s straightforward to digest. Construction your content material with clear headings, bullet factors, and factual statements that AI fashions can extract and reference.
If you wish to be taught extra in regards to the intersections between Search Engine Optimization and Generative Engine Optimization, dig into our two articles:
Observe
That stated, the AI period is unquestionably bringing some shifts to how we strategy advertising and marketing. In a current webinar, our very personal Patrick Stox highlighted two key factors about Search engine optimization for AI assistants:
- Search engine optimization itself hasn’t drastically modified, however getting good outcomes could now require nearer collaboration with different groups like PR and partnerships.
- And a phrase of warning: don’t attempt to sport AI techniques. With main updates taking place each few months, the most secure guess is to deal with delivering actual worth. With main updates rolling out each few months, you by no means know when a shortcut might come again to hang-out you. Concentrate on actual worth—it’s the most secure long-term technique.
The total webinar is likely to be probably the most insightful factor you’ve seen up to now on the matter:
How are you going to inform when or how AI is mentioning your model? AI assistants themselves don’t present such information, so you’ll need an AI monitoring instrument like Model Radar. Listed here are a couple of concepts.
First, you may monitor the place your model is talked about on-line and make contact with websites to appropriate or replace any outdated info.
When you enter your model in Model Radar, click on on AI responses, set the AI kind, most well-liked location, and kind by search quantity (for AI responses with the most important attain).
Subsequent, you may dive into aggressive evaluation.
To search out pages that point out your opponents however not you (your AI point out hole), add your opponents to Model Radar, hover on any AI chart, and click on on “Others solely”.
Subsequent, click on on the Cited pages report back to see web sites you possibly can attain out to to shut your AI point out hole.
To repair your AI quotation hole (when your opponents are cited in AI solutions however you’re not), begin by clearing all of the top-level filters. Then, go to the Cited pages report and apply the decrease filter proven within the screenshot under. This gives you a listing of pages, exhibiting what number of AI responses they had been talked about in and the whole search quantity of these queries.
Subsequent tip. In line with our information, Reddit pages have been cited over 12 million occasions in AI Overviews and AI Assistants.
You should use Model Radar to identify which Reddit threads are being featured in AI Overviews and assistant solutions. From there, soar into the dialog or share helpful posts to form the sources AI depends on.
This strategy additionally works for Quora, which reveals up in round 3.4 million AI Overviews, supplying you with loads of alternatives to affect what AI surfaces.
YouTube reaches 2.5 billion month-to-month lively customers with 3.7 billion month-to-month natural visits, the place customers are 3x extra more likely to watch tutorials than learn directions, and the majority of viewers have bought merchandise after discovering them on the platform.
Google may inform you the steps for a recipe, however YouTube reveals you what the batter ought to truly appear like, how the sauce ought to bubble, and what “golden brown” actually means. You see the errors, the corrections, and the ultimate consequence.
Plus, in lots of circumstances, visible studying merely trumps textual content. A ten-minute YouTube video about investing feels extra digestible than a 2,000-word article, even when it incorporates the identical info.
YouTube at all times surprises me with what sort of content material takes off. I used to suppose instrument evaluations had been extra of a written factor, however there’s this couple who run a YouTube channel doing simply that, they usually’re truly doing rather well with it. It’s their full-time job!
Core optimization ideas
Whereas options like Advised and Browse normally work higher when you’ve constructed an viewers, YouTube Search engine optimization is essential for getting these first views. Search site visitors is tremendous dependable, typically brings in regular subscribers, and tends to have increased common watch occasions.
We’ve put collectively an entire information that walks you thru our video Search engine optimization technique—the identical one which helped us earn over 5.7 million natural views and 642,000 watch hours in 2024 alone.
- Mastering YouTube key phrase analysis utilizing Ahrefs, YouTube autosuggest, Google Traits, TubeBuddy, and vidIQ (plus why search quantity estimations could be deceptive).
- Strategic matter choice by analyzing top-performing video codecs and competitor channel authority to search out sensible rating alternatives.
- Creating high-retention content material with correct scripting, pure key phrase integration, and engagement hooks that preserve viewers watching.
- Full optimization guidelines protecting video file names, titles, strategic tags, descriptions that seize “key moments,” compelling thumbnails, closed captions, and strategic playing cards/finish screens.
- Promotion methods for driving preliminary views, from Reddit and Quora sharing to cost-effective YouTube search adverts.
With over 400 million weekly lively customers producing 952 million month-to-month natural visits, Reddit dominates product overview discussions, showing in 77% of product overview searches on Google.
When individuals need the actual story—not the advertising and marketing model—they head to Reddit. It’s the place you’ll discover brutally sincere product evaluations, unfiltered recommendation, and communities discussing the whole lot from skincare routines to enterprise software program selections.
By the way in which, that’s the place we’ve been going for the previous 10 years for product suggestions.
What’s extra, unhealthy recommendation will get downvoted. Good recommendation rises to the highest. It’s social proof constructed into the search expertise, one thing Google’s algorithm can’t replicate.
Reddit’s distinctive expertise has created the “Reddit modifier” phenomenon—maybe the clearest image of Reddit’s energy as a search engine. It signifies that individuals kind “reddit” proper earlier than the factor they’re all in favour of.
For instance, this tree chart from Ahrefs’ Key phrases Explorer reveals the most well-liked strategy to ask for vpn suggestions. Those that embrace the Reddit modifier seem twice within the high 15.
Core optimization ideas
Be taught the tradition earlier than you publish something. Every subreddit has its personal guidelines, tone, and expectations. Spend time studying, understanding what will get upvoted, and the way group members work together earlier than you ever contemplate posting.
Construct real relationships, not promotional campaigns. Reddit customers have finely tuned promotional radar. As a substitute of pushing your product, change into a useful group member. Reply questions, share insights, and supply worth with out anticipating something in return.
Take part constantly in related subreddits. Discover 3-5 subreddits the place your best prospects hang around. Turn out to be a daily contributor by sharing helpful content material, asking considerate questions, and interesting in discussions that matter to that group.
Create content material value discussing. One of the best Reddit content material sparks dialog. Share case research, ask for suggestions on actual issues, or current attention-grabbing business information that will get individuals speaking.
Right here’s a fast tactic you need to use for Reddit: deal with threads that have already got visibility in Google Search.
- Go to Ahrefs’ Web site Explorer, enter “reddit.com”, and open the Natural key phrases report.
- Use filters: positions 1-10, key phrase consists of (enter phrases associated to your website). You may choose a most well-liked location, too.
- Search for related key phrases with plenty of site visitors.
- Add considerate, helpful solutions to those high-traffic threads.
TikTok is the tenth largest web site by search trafifc on the planet (470M visits). Amongst Gen Z—particularly the youthful section—TikTok is more and more most well-liked over Google for search, with 62% utilizing it to seek for product evaluations and suggestions.
TikTok isn’t simply the place for viral dances anymore. It’s change into a full-fledged search engine the place individuals uncover the whole lot from life hacks and restaurant suggestions to sincere product evaluations and native suggestions.
What units TikTok aside is its deal with actual, unfiltered moments somewhat than completely polished content material.
Positive, a number of the stuff that pops up could be fairly senseless, however that doesn’t appear to harm the platform. If something, it would even assist. Perhaps it’s an indication that TikTok is actually uncensored and open to all types of expression…
TikTok has created its personal cultural motion with the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt hashtag, much like how Reddit customers depend on the search time period modifier to search out precisely what they’re in search of. For a lot of customers, this hashtag is a trusted strategy to discover merchandise, making it a go-to search instrument, particularly for life-style, magnificence, and tech objects.
Core optimization ideas
The algorithm appears to be like at issues like how many individuals watch your video throughout, what sounds are trending, and different engagement indicators to determine what to point out extra of.
We’ve bought a complete information that covers TikTok Search engine optimization from the bottom up, together with:
- Understanding TikTok’s search algorithm and the way it differs from Google’s strategy to rating content material.
- Key phrase analysis for TikTok utilizing the platform’s search strategies, trending hashtags, and competitor evaluation strategies.
- Optimizing your content material, together with captions, hashtags, sounds, results, and video descriptions for max visibility.
- Content material technique frameworks for creating genuine, participating movies that align with TikTok’s tradition whereas driving enterprise outcomes.
- Measuring TikTok Search engine optimization success with the best metrics and KPIs that really matter for enterprise progress.
Pinterest engages 553 million lively customers month-to-month, conducting 2 billion month-to-month searches. It has a robust Gen Z consumer base, the place nearly all of customers uncover new manufacturers and merchandise by way of the platform.
Google solutions, “What’s farmhouse decor?” Pinterest reveals 50 other ways to realize the look, with actual examples it can save you and reference. And, as an alternative of particular person, disconnected search outcomes, Pinterest offers you themed boards and associated pins that work collectively—like having a private stylist or inside designer.
Pinterest stands out because the platform the place individuals go to plan their future. Whether or not it’s organizing a marriage, redesigning a house, planning weekly meals, or gathering model inspiration, customers include a transparent intent to act.
Core optimization ideas
Design vertical, eye-catching pins. Use 1000x1500px pictures with a 2:3 ratio, daring colours, and minimal textual content overlays. Add descriptive alt textual content to spice up impressions and clicks.
Put up recent pins usually. Prioritize new content material over repins. Intention for two–3 high-quality recent pins day by day, with a number of designs for every weblog publish.
Use key phrases strategically. Place your essential key phrases within the first 40 characters of your pin titles. Embrace 2–3 associated phrases in descriptions and optimize board names with particular phrases.
Allow wealthy pins in your website. Add schema markup so Pinterest mechanically pulls metadata for articles, merchandise, or recipes—enhancing your pins’ look and credibility.
Create pins that get saved. Concentrate on content material that encourages customers to save lots of—it’s Pinterest’s high sign for reinforcing attain and long-term efficiency.
Observe the 40-40-20 rule: 40% evergreen, 40% seasonal, 20% experimental. Begin pinning for holidays and occasions 2–3 months upfront.
Right here’s a fast Pinterest tip: discover search phrases with excessive demand and visible intent. If these key phrases are common on Google, there’s a great likelihood they’ll additionally carry out nicely on Pinterest.
- Go to Ahrefs’ Key phrases Explorer and click on on Discover total database.
- Use filters: Goal: pinterest.com in high 10, Intents: non-branded.
- To refine the outcomes, use Presets or the Embrace filter, the place you may add common key phrases associated to your corporation.
- Search for related key phrases with excessive search quantity (SV).
Beginning with SEvO can really feel overwhelming once you’re 5 completely different platforms, every with its personal guidelines and viewers behaviors. The hot button is approaching it strategically somewhat than making an attempt to be in all places at as soon as.
Begin together with your viewers, not the platform
Earlier than you create a single piece of content material, get crystal clear on who you’re making an attempt to achieve. Create detailed purchaser personas that transcend demographics—perceive their issues, analysis habits, and the place they naturally spend time on-line.
Instruments like Ahrefs’ Key phrases Explorer and SparkToro can reveal what your viewers is definitely trying to find, is the demand rising or shrinking, and which platforms they frequent. Don’t assume the place they’re, let the information information your selections.
In Ahrefs, you can begin by asking AI for subjects associated to your corporation.
Subsequent, the Matching Phrases report offers you a broad checklist of search phrases individuals use to search out companies like yours. The Search Quantity column reveals what subjects your viewers cares about most, whereas the Development (GR) column reveals whether or not curiosity in these phrases has risen within the final 3 to 12 months.
SparkToro, alternatively, helps you discover out which social media platforms your audience spends probably the most time on.
Research what’s already working
Spend time looking every platform to grasp the panorama. What kind of content material is your competitors creating? What’s getting engagement? Extra importantly, what feels genuine to that platform’s tradition?
Ahrefs has information on that, too. For those who open Web site Explorer and plug in your competitor’s area, you will notice which of their content material will get probably the most guests from Google (High pages report), and which content material makes them authoritative within the business by way of incomes backlinks (Finest by hyperlinks report).
Match your product to the best platform and habits
The aim is to create the proper content material for every search platform.
| Product/service kind | Finest performing channels | Why It works |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced or high-ticket merchandise (e.g., B2B software program, automobiles, enterprise options) | Google, YouTube, LinkedIn | Folks want detailed info and need to construct belief earlier than making massive selections. |
| Visible and life-style merchandise (e.g., style, residence decor, meals, journey) | Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok | Discovery occurs by way of inspiration and visible looking. |
| Native providers (e.g., eating places, healthcare, residence restore) | Google My Enterprise, voice search optimization, native social media | Folks seek for “close to me” options and depend on visibility in native outcomes. |
| Trending or impulse purchases (e.g., magnificence merchandise, devices, wellness objects) | TikTok, Instagram Reels, influencer collaborations | Spontaneous discovery drives instant motion. |
The standard metrics you’ve used for every platform nonetheless matter. Search engine optimization nonetheless appears to be like at key phrase rankings and backlinks, social media nonetheless values likes and follows, and so forth. However with AI within the combine, there are new indicators value being attentive to.
What nonetheless issues
Search engine optimization fundamentals nonetheless rely. Issues like the place your website ranks for key phrases, how a lot natural site visitors you’re getting, the variety of backlinks you’ve gotten, and your area authority all present how nicely you’re doing in search. You may monitor core metrics and the superior ones with Ahrefs’ Web site Explorer and Rank Tracker.
Social media numbers are nonetheless key. Rising your viewers, getting likes, shares, feedback, and longer watch occasions, plus how many individuals see your content material—all of those are stable indicators of the way you’re doing on social platforms. All social media platforms have native built-in analytics, however you may also use instruments like Buffer to test all metrics in a single place.
What’s new (because of AI)
AI mentions. AI mentions are cases the place AI assistants embrace your model or merchandise of their solutions, whether or not or not they hyperlink to you. The extra typically your title seems, the extra doubtless customers are to think about your services or products—it’s the brand new “visibility economics”.
You may monitor AI mentions with instruments like Ahrefs’ Model Radar. It’s additionally value including your opponents to see how your visibility stacks up over time.
First, plug in your and your opponents’ model names. You should use the AI function to recommend competing manufacturers:
Subsequent, you will notice a dashboard with a aggressive evaluation of your model’s visibility together with:
- AI share of voice: How typically AI assistants and Google’s AI Overviews point out your model in comparison with your opponents.
- Search demand: What number of occasions individuals searched in your model on Google final month.
- Net visibility: The full variety of occasions your model was talked about wherever on the web.
Use the charts to match your model’s visibility with opponents and monitor how typically AI responses point out your model over time.
Aside from mentions, Model Radar can even present you:
- Impressions: mentions weighted by Google search quantity to estimate potential publicity. Your competitor could have extra mentions, however you might have extra attain.
- AI share of voice: proportion of brand name impressions out of the whole impressions for responses that point out any tracked model.
You can too monitor AI mentions inside a selected matter. For instance, I can test for Mailchimp’s AI share of voice in comparison with opponents, however solely as a social media instrument (which is their lesser-known function). Apparently, Mailchimp wins throughout the board, apart from Google’s AI Mode.
AI citations. AI citations are cases the place your model or content material is referenced in AI-generated responses, reminiscent of these from ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overviews. These citations sign your visibility and affect within the AI panorama—the extra typically you’re cited, the stronger your presence on this new info financial system.
In order for you a fast look at your quotation efficiency, head on over to Web site Explorer and plug in your area.
Click on on the quotation quantity to see the main points in Model Radar (which pages have been cited and in what context).
You can too use this information to determine what sort of content material AI tends to select up on, after which create extra of that.
Take into account that search in all places optimization isn’t anti-Search engine optimization—the whole lot works collectively in a linked ecosystem.
Let me illustrate that with a couple of examples.
YouTube movies rank within the high 10 for about 8.3B key phrases within the US (that’s about 27% of all of the key phrases in our database; key phrases >100 month-to-month searches).
ChatGPT pulls outcomes from Google when it tries to “floor” solutions. In this experiment, we noticed sturdy correlations—round 90%—for some queries, and far decrease ones, round 8%, for the long-tail queries we analyzed. 
Reddit ranks within the high 10 for over 10.6B key phrases within the US (that’s nearly 35% of our database of key phrases with quantity over 100 searches).
Merchandise found on one platform typically set off analysis on others—somebody may discover you on TikTok, analysis you on YouTube, after which Google your model title.
For instance, when Duolingo introduced the loss of life of the Duolingo mascot throughout a viral marketing campaign in February 2025, the search quantity for the time period “duolingo” peaked to a brand new all-time excessive, and so did the branded site visitors to the positioning (see charts under).
There’s additionally Instagram. Images, movies, and Reels now seem immediately in Google search outcomes alongside conventional internet content material.
SEvO is sort of a trendy information to constructing a robust popularity. It makes positive individuals can simply discover you, belief you, and bear in mind you, irrespective of the place they give the impression of being on-line. This helps your model develop and keep sturdy over time.
Last ideas
As of late, individuals use numerous completely different locations to search out and find out about merchandise. They may skip Google fully. For instance, somebody might see you on TikTok, test evaluations on YouTube, ensure you’re reliable on Reddit, and solely then search your title on Google.
Google nonetheless issues—but it surely’s not the one place individuals search. SEvO makes positive you’re straightforward to search out on all of the platforms your viewers makes use of, from TikTok and Pinterest to AI assistants, and that you simply present up in a real, useful approach wherever they’re trying.
Received questions or feedback? Let me know on LinkedIn.
