SEO Is Becoming ‘Search Everywhere Optimization’ — How to Adapt to the Evolution of Search

Think about all the ways and places you search today. You’re not just typing a few keywords into Google and calling it a day anymore, right?

Your audience isn’t either. 

Today, the search journey is more fragmented (yet, ironically, more interconnected) than ever.

Users bounce between tools and platforms at different stages based on what they need at that moment.

They might first discover a brand through ChatGPT, head to TikTok or YouTube for visual product reviews, dive into Reddit threads for brutally honest real-world insights, and then finally circle back to Google to find a brand’s website directly before converting.

If your SEO strategy still begins and ends with Google, it’s time to broaden your reach. If you don’t, you’re leaving visibility (and revenue) on the table.

We’re now in a new age of search everywhere optimization, where winning means meeting your audience in all the places curiosity takes them.

Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide:

• What search everywhere optimization really means: Beyond Google, we’ll take a look at how strategies have evolved to achieve visibility across multiple digital platforms and experiences.

• What entities are and why they matter: Forget outdated keyword tactics. We’ll cover why clearly defined entities and associations are essential for today’s search ecosystem.

• How to optimize for this new search reality: From traditional SEO foundations to generative engine optimization (GEO), social media, video search, and marketplace strategies, we’ll cover all the bases to keep you ahead.

Whether you’re a digital marketer, an SEO professional, a business owner, or someone just curious about the evolution of SEO, this article is jam-packed with insights and tips to keep you visible everywhere your audience searches.

• A Brief History of SEO’s Evolution
• What Is Search Everywhere Optimization? 
• Why Does Search Everywhere Optimization Matter? 
• How Does Search Everywhere Optimization Work?
• How Do I Optimize for Search Everywhere?

What started as a game of keyword manipulation in the ’90s has evolved over the past three decades into a sophisticated digital strategy powered by AI, machine learning, and semantic search. 

Here’s a quick recap of the evolution of SEO:

Early Days (1990s-Early 2000s): The Wild West of SEO 

• 1991: The first website is launched, and suddenly people need a way to find things online. 

• Mid-1990s: Search engines like AltaVista, Yahoo!, and Lycos enter the scene using basic keyword matching to rank pages. 

• 1998: Google is founded and introduces PageRank, which prioritizes backlinks and relevance over keyword stuffing. 
• SEO tactics: Keyword stuffing, meta tag manipulation, and backlink spamming are all the rage. 

Google’s Rise and Algorithm Crackdowns (2000s-2010s) 

• 2003-2005: Google’s Florida and Jagger updates target keyword stuffing and spammy backlinks. 

• 2011: The Panda update penalizes thin, low-quality content (RIP content farms). 

• 2012: Penguin goes after unnatural link schemes. 
• 2013: Hummingbird brings semantic search and focuses on user intent rather than exact keyword matches. 

Mobile and UX Takeover (2015-2020s) 

• 2015: Mobilegeddon prioritizes mobile-friendly sites. 

• 2016: RankBrain (Google’s AI ranking factor) improves understanding of search queries. 

• 2018: E-A-T (expertise, authority, trustworthiness) becomes crucial for content ranking. 
• 2019: BERT refines Google’s natural language processing. 

AI, Voice Search, and Automation (2020-Present) 

• 2021: Core Web Vitals emphasize page speed and UX. 

• 2022: The helpful content update prioritizes user-first content, with Google adding another E (experience) to the E-E-A-T framework. 

• 2023-Present: AI-driven search (Google AI Overviews, Bing AI, ChatGPT, Perplexity) changes how users find and consume content. 

And now, here we are in an era where SEO has once again evolved with a focus on “search everywhere optimization,” where Google is just one of many places people are searching.

Search everywhere optimization is an evolution of traditional SEO. It’s a broader strategy that focuses on expanding your visibility beyond traditional search engines like Google and Bing to encompass the variety of places and ways people discover information today, including the following:

• Traditional search engines: Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo
• AI-powered search and chatbots: Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini
• Social and video platforms: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube
• Forums and communities: Reddit, Quora, niche industry forums
• Marketplaces: Amazon, Etsy, eBay
• Voice assistants: Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant
• App stores and podcast platforms: iOS App Store, Google Play, Spotify

The goal? Make your brand effortlessly discoverable everywhere your audience searches.

But why does this shift matter so much?

Here’s the reality: Google might still dominate, but new platforms and fragmented user journeys have already redefined search behavior. 

Audiences are becoming increasingly curious and exploring brands, products, and ideas in more diverse and dynamic ways.

• Google isn’t the end-all, be-all of search anymore. About 40% of Gen Z prefers searching on TikTok or Instagram instead of Google.
• AI-driven search is dramatically changing how content is discovered. AI models like ChatGPT and Perplexity are influencing how people consume content. Referral traffic from ChatGPT surged in 2024, directing users to over 30,000 unique domains daily.

• Zero-click searches are growing. Nearly 60% of Google searches don’t result in a click-through because the answer is right there in the search results.

Sounds important, right? So how exactly does it work?

There’s no universal playbook for search visibility anymore. Each platform has its own algorithm and prioritizes content in distinct ways.

Search everywhere optimization works by aligning your brand with how each platform processes and surfaces information. 

• Traditional search engines explicitly rank content by assessing authority (E-E-A-T), relevance, topical depth, backlinks, keyword targeting, and alignment with user intent.
• AI answer engines predict and synthesize conversational responses based on entity connections and retrieving contextually relevant information from trusted, authoritative sources.
• Social platforms algorithmically recommend personalized content based on immediate engagement signals such as likes, shares, comments, and behavioral data, including previous interactions and topical relevance.
• Marketplaces explicitly rank listings by buyer intent signals, including conversion rates, reviews, pricing, product completeness, and keyword accuracy.
• Voice assistants surface concise, conversational responses informed by structured data, local proximity, conversational relevance, and accuracy.
• App stores and podcast platforms explicitly rank and recommend content based on keywords, user engagement signals (ratings, reviews, and downloads), frequency of updates, and freshness.

So what does it take?

You need a digital presence that’s clear, connected, and credible, whether your content is being crawled by search engines, retrieved by AI, recommended on social media, or ranked in marketplaces.

This doesn’t happen through just one tactic but through a cohesive, coordinated strategy that ensures your brand is easy to discover and trustworthy, no matter how or where someone searches.

The more consistently you show up across platforms (semantically, structurally, and contextually), the more likely you are to be found — even when people aren’t looking for you by name.

And that’s exactly where entities come in.

What are entities?

Entities are clearly defined and consistently recognizable brands, people, products, concepts, and ideas associated with your business. 

Think of them as the anchor points that define your business across a fragmented digital landscape. 

Entities help AI and other platforms quickly grasp who you are, what you offer, and how you fit into your industry’s broader digital conversations.

Optimizing for search everywhere involves structuring your digital presence clearly, cohesively, and authoritatively so your brand naturally gets pulled into relevant conversations in your niche.

In practice, that means:

• Defining your entities (brand, people, products, and concepts) consistently across all digital spaces.
• Leveraging platform-specific tactics that enhance discoverability and engagement.

Your comprehensive strategy should include the following:

1. Traditional Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
2. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
3. Social Media Search Optimization
4. Video Search Optimization 
5. E-Commerce and Marketplace Search Optimization
6. App Store Optimization (ASO)

Sounds good in theory, but how does it look in practice? Let’s dive deeper.

1. Traditional Search Engine Optimization 

Think of SEO as the digital foundation of your brand’s entire online presence. It’s your starting point — the home base from which everything else grows.

Here’s how you update your traditional SEO playbook for this new “search everywhere” reality:

✔ Build topical authority with entity-driven content.

Search engines might not exactly “think” like us, but they’ve gotten incredibly good at interpreting context, entities, and the relationships between ideas.

They look beyond keywords and scan your content to identify comprehensive coverage that reinforces relevance through entity connections.

Your website should be a trusted hub that clearly demonstrates your interconnected and deep expertise around the topics shaping your niche.

Here’s how to build your topical authority:

• Find the essential entities for your niche. Identify key players, influential brands, and core concepts that define your expertise.
• Build interconnected pillar pages around these entities. Create comprehensive content supported by subtopics that highlight their relationships.
• Get intentional with internal linking. Link strategically to reinforce connections between related entities and content.
• Regularly audit Google’s AI Overviews. Keep an eye out for trends, coverage gaps, or shifts in audience intent to stay relevant.
• Cover every step of your user’s journey. Ensure your content answers questions and meets needs at every stage, creating a complete topical experience.

This structure screams: “Hey, we’re not just dabbling here! We own this topic, and we’re someone to pay attention to!”

✔ Double down on E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness).

E-E-A-T isn’t just Google’s favorite acronym. It’s a must-have for authority these days, and it directly shapes your digital reputation.

You can’t fake credibility. You need to prove you actually know your stuff and show your audience (and Google) exactly why they should trust you.

Here’s how to authentically boost your E-E-A-T:

• Prove your expertise. If you’re tackling high-stakes topics (like finance, health, or legal), prove your credibility with transparent bios, firsthand insights, and relatable examples.
• Create content worth sharing. Original research, detailed guides, and thought leadership naturally attract credible mentions, trust, and high-quality backlinks from influential sources.
• Back up your claims. Few things build trust faster than solid data, expert insights, and reputable references. The stronger your sources, the stronger your credibility.
• Keep content fresh — consistently. Update your content regularly to reflect current industry dynamics, shifting user questions, and emerging trends to keep your content reliable and trustworthy.
  

Pro tip: If you’re in an industry classified as YMYL (Your Money, Your Life), like finance, health, or legal, Google is even more strict about E-E-A-T. Accuracy, freshness, and legitimate expertise are non-negotiable.

✔ Build your own mini knowledge graph with structured data.

Structured data creates a powerful semantic data layer for your brand, effectively building an interconnected graph that speaks machine-readable language and gives search engines context-rich signals about your brand’s relationships to other known entities, topics, and industry concepts.

It’s like handing over a neatly labeled cheat sheet that says, “Here’s who we are, here’s why we matter, and here’s exactly how we connect with the industry’s big players.”

Here’s your structured data quick-start game plan:

• Define your entities. Use schema markup (Organization, Person, Product, Article) to explain exactly who you are and what you do.

• Strategically apply schema markup. Utilize FAQ, Product, Article, Event (and more!) schema types clearly defining entity connections using properties like sameAs and mentions.

• Strengthen your semantic connections. Build interconnected structured data that clearly shows your relationships with core industry concepts.

Pro tip: Not sure you got your schema right? Quickly verify using Google’s Rich Results Test or the Schema.org Validator to troubleshoot and confirm accuracy.

✔ Optimize for conversational voice search.

Voice search features are continuing to grow across platforms and experiences. 

Smart assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant are now household staples, and people speak differently than they type. So your SEO strategy should, too.

Here are some key voice search optimization tips:

• Use conversational, question-based keywords. Instead of “best coffee shop Denver,” you might optimize for queries like “Where’s the best coffee shop with free Wi-Fi in Denver?”
• Target long-tail queries. Voice queries are longer and more natural, often mirroring full sentences rather than short keyword phrases.
• Aim for Featured Snippets. Search results for conversational queries tend to pull from concise, structured answers. Structure your content clearly and succinctly to directly answer common questions.
• Strengthen your local SEO. A massive chunk of voice searches are location-based (e.g., “best brunch spots near me”), so make sure your Google Business Profile is fully optimized and keep your business name, address, and phone number consistent across listings.

Pro tip: Quickly identify the queries your audience is asking using Google’s “People Also Ask,” Auto Suggest, or tools like AnswerThePublic.

2. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

Traditional SEO establishes foundational visibility. GEO then takes that visibility further by optimizing your brand and connected entities to appear front and center across AI-driven search experiences in platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and features like Google’s AI Overviews.

• Traditional SEO covers the essentials: crawlability, indexability, and rankability.
• GEO introduces something entirely new to the game: retrievability.

What is retrievability?

Retrievability is how effortlessly AI systems can access, interpret, and prioritize information about your brand when creating responses.

As I covered in my recent Search Engine Land piece, optimizing retrievability is built upon three critical pillars:

1. Presence: Ensuring your brand is consistently mentioned in the right places and contexts that shape AI’s training data and retrieval sources.
2. Recognition: Building credibility through consistent, contextually relevant mentions, clear associations with trusted entities, and strategic content so AI sees your brand as a recognized, authoritative voice within your space.
3. Accessibility: Structuring your brand’s information both on your website and across the web so AI can easily retrieve and prioritize core information about you and your entities when generating responses.

Let’s take a closer look at each:

✔ Presence

Presence isn’t just visibility; it’s strategic visibility in exactly the right places.

This means appearing in influential sources, trusted knowledge hubs, and the key platforms AI uses for information.

Here’s how:

• Join influential conversations in industry forums and communities. Actively engage where AI gathers trusted insights, like niche forums, Reddit, Quora, and industry-specific platforms.
• Earn authoritative mentions. Appear regularly in respected industry publications and trusted information sources.
• Secure consistent visibility. Strategically position your brand across credible databases and knowledge hubs like Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Google Knowledge Graph.
• Shape critical industry conversations. Use targeted PR to embed your brand within discussions frequently referenced by AI.
• Leverage multichannel digital PR. Coordinate efforts across PR, social media, and content marketing teams to achieve maximum visibility in spaces AI regularly references.

✔ Recognition

Authority in the AI-powered search ecosystem is built differently than traditional SEO. Backlinks matter, but contextual relevance and consistent entity associations matter even more.

Here’s how you build brand recognition:

• Create standout thought leadership. Publish original, insightful content designed to naturally attract authoritative brand mentions.
• Strategically align with well-known entities in your space. Consistently associate your brand with key industry players and established concepts to reinforce your relevance.
• Clearly define and consistently reference your brand alongside recognized entities. This includes key people, trending topics, and industry terms, ensuring your contributions become authoritative reference points.
• Maintain semantic consistency. Ensure your brand’s entity definitions and associated topics remain uniform across all platforms and authoritative databases (Wikipedia, Wikidata, Google’s Knowledge Graph) to solidify your recognition within AI.

✔ Accessibility

The easier it is for AI to digest and retrieve the core information about your brand (both on your website and across the web), the more likely you will become a trusted go-to resource. 

Here’s how to make your brand’s insights and information effortlessly retrievable:

• Clearly structure your content. Provide concise, direct answers in content, and use structured formats like bullet points, numbered lists, short paragraphs, and descriptive headings.
• Clarify entity relationships. Use schema markup strategically to clearly define how your brand relates to core entities and concepts.
• Optimize your technical foundation. Your technical foundation ensures AI can effortlessly find, interpret, and retrieve your content. Maintain excellent site speed, clear metadata, robust crawlability (for both traditional crawlers and AI agents), and structured data to make it effortless for AI to access and retrieve your content.
• Secure inclusion in authoritative knowledge graphs. Actively manage your presence in trusted data sources like Google Knowledge Graph, Wikidata, and Wikipedia to ensure AI has reliable, structured information to reference when needed.

The takeaway? 

When you nail these three pillars — presence, recognition, and accessibility — you’re positioning your brand’s information for seamless retrievability across every AI-driven platform your audience might use.

3. Social Media Search Optimization

If you’re still thinking of Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and TikTok as just social media apps, it’s time for a mindset shift.

These are full-fledged search engines. People aren’t just mindlessly browsing; they’re actively searching for how-tos, product reviews, tutorials, and trends.

This means if your social content isn’t optimized for discoverability, you’re missing out on organic visibility, deeper engagement, and valuable brand growth.

Here’s how to ensure your brand consistently appears in social searches:

✔ Optimize captions with intent-driven keywords.

You already know that keywords are important in traditional search, but did you know that social media platforms use keyword-based search algorithms, too? 

Social media search queries are shorter, more casual, and question-based, so your captions, titles, and descriptions should reflect that. 

Here’s how to optimize social media captions for search:

• Use natural language keywords. People are more likely to search for “best curly hair routine” on Instagram than “optimal hydration method for curly hair.” Write how people actually talk.
• Prioritize key phrases at the beginning. Social platforms cut off captions after a few lines, so front-load your keywords (in a natural, conversational way) to boost visibility.
• Think like your audience. Ask yourself, “What would my audience type into the search bar to find this content?” Use those phrases in your captions.
• Don’t overdo it. Keyword stuffing is a bad look. Keep your captions clear, engaging, and readable.

Pro tip: Use platform-specific tools like Instagram’s “Explore” page, TikTok’s search bar, YouTube’s auto-suggest, or LinkedIn’s keyword recommendations to discover what your audience is actively searching for.

✔ Use strategic search-driven hashtags.

Yes, hashtags are still relevant. 

No, you don’t need to use #blessed or #ThrowbackThursday unless they’re actually helping your content reach your audience. 

The key is choosing hashtags based on search behavior, not just viral trends. Here’s how to choose the right hashtags:

• Use a mix of broad and niche hashtags. Example: Instead of just #fitness, try #BeginnerWorkoutTips or #StrengthTrainingForWomen.
• Check what hashtags influencers and competitors are using. If they’re ranking for a term, you probably should be, too.
• Look at hashtag search volume. On Instagram and TikTok, search for a hashtag and see how many posts use it. Aim for medium-traffic hashtags (100,000-500,000 posts) instead of oversaturated ones (10 million+ posts).
• Use location-based hashtags for local reach. Example: #NYCRestaurants or #LondonFitnessTrainers. 

Pro tip: TikTok and Instagram prioritize text-based search over hashtags now, so don’t rely solely on hashtags. They should complement your keyword strategy, not replace it. 

✔ Prioritize short-form video.

If you’re not making short-form video content (Reels, Shorts, TikToks), you’re making life harder for yourself. 

Every platform is prioritizing video in its algorithm because it keeps users engaged longer. More views = more exposure = more chances to rank in social search. 

Here’s how to optimize your short-form videos for social search:

• Use on-screen text with keywords. Social platforms scan your captions, but they also scan the text in your video. Adding relevant text overlays boosts your discoverability.
• Say your target keywords out loud. TikTok and YouTube use AI-generated captions to index videos for search. If you say, “Best budget skincare routine,” you’re helping your video rank for that term.
• Hook viewers in the first 3 seconds. If people don’t stop scrolling, your content dies. Start with a question, bold statement, or eye-catching visual.
• Keep it under 60 seconds. TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts favor videos that are quick and engaging.

Pro tip: Use TikTok’s search bar or YouTube’s auto-suggest feature to find trending topics; then, create short videos around those search terms. If people are searching for it, it’s content worth making.

4. Video Search Optimization 

Let’s face it: People love video. It’s visual, immediate, and undeniably human. And guess what? Search engines have caught on to this, too.

In a world where YouTube is the second largest search engine and short-form video platforms are more popular than ever, if you’re not optimizing for video search, you might as well be invisible.

So how do you make sure your videos are surfaced and watched?

✔ Optimize video titles, descriptions, and thumbnails.

No matter how amazing your video is, it won’t matter if your title and thumbnail don’t grab attention. 

YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram Reels all reward high engagement, and the biggest factor in getting clicks is how compelling your title, description, and thumbnail are.

Here’s how you can optimize your videos for maximum clicks:

• Write compelling and engaging titles. Think of your title as your hook. Tease your audience, spark curiosity, and clearly convey value. Instead of generic titles like “Workout Tips,” aim for something irresistible like “5 Beginner Workout Mistakes Killing Your Gains.”
• Prioritize important keywords upfront. Search algorithms give weight to the first words, so make them count.
• Keep descriptions detailed but readable. Use primary keywords in the first sentence; then, add supporting keywords naturally throughout.
• Include timestamps for longer videos. This helps with the user experience and increases watch time by letting people jump to what they need.
• Design eye-catching thumbnails. High-contrast colors, bold text, and expressive faces tend to perform best. Avoid using YouTube’s auto-generated thumbnails if possible. 

Pro tip: A/B-test different thumbnails and titles using YouTube Studio’s “Experiment” feature. A higher click-through rate signals to the algorithm that your video is worth promoting. 

✔ Use captions and transcripts.

Search engines and AI can’t “watch” your video (yet!), but they can read captions, transcripts, and metadata to understand your content. If you’re skipping captions, you’re missing out big time.

Here’s how to get it right:

• Use auto-generated captions, but edit them. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok provide auto-captions, but they’re rarely perfect. A quick edit ensures accuracy and better search visibility.
• Upload a full transcript in your description. Adding a transcript improves visibility, accessibility, and engagement.
• Use burnt-in captions for social media. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram prioritize videos with on-screen text because they improve watch time. 

✔ Leverage trending sounds.

TikTok and Instagram Reels don’t just rely on traditional search; they prioritize trending sounds, hashtags, and challenges. 

If you’re using outdated sounds or ignoring trending topics, your videos won’t get pushed to new audiences. 

Here’s how you can stay ahead of the trends:

• Use TikTok’s and Instagram’s trending sounds. Open the sound library on TikTok or Instagram and check out the “trending” section to see what’s currently getting the most reach.
• Choose sounds that fit your niche. Don’t just jump on trends randomly. Pick sounds that align with your brand message or content style.
• Incorporate trending hashtags. Just like sounds, hashtags impact discoverability. Use both niche and trending hashtags to maximize reach. 

Pro tip: Use tools like TrendTok (for TikTok trends) or Instagram’s “Explore” page to track rising trends before they peak. Being early to a trend increases your chances of going viral.

5. E-Commerce and Marketplace Search Optimization 

If you’re selling on Amazon, Etsy, eBay, or any other online marketplace, you need to understand one thing: Each platform has its own search algorithm.

One thing marketplace search engines share is the fact that they prioritize relevance, conversion rates, and user engagement. 

This means your success depends on how well you optimize your product listings, how often your products get clicked on, and how many buyers actually make a purchase.

Here’s how to make your products stand out:

✔ Use high-intent keywords in product titles, descriptions, and reviews. 

When people search on Amazon or Etsy, they’re not looking for information. They’re looking to buy. That’s why using high-intent keywords (phrases that indicate someone is ready to make a purchase) is crucial. 

Here’s how to use keywords to optimize for marketplace search engines:

• Include primary keywords in your product title. Amazon’s algorithm heavily weighs titles. Example: Instead of “Coffee Mug,” you would use something like “Large Ceramic Coffee Mug – 16 oz., Microwave Safe, Handmade Gift for Coffee-Lovers.”
• Optimize your product description with natural keyword placement. Use both broad and long-tail keywords to cover different ways people search.
• Analyze competitor listings. Search for your product on Amazon or Etsy to see what keywords top-ranking competitors are using in their titles and descriptions.
• Use high-intent phrases. Words like “best,” “affordable,” “gift for,” “handmade,” “durable,” and “official” signal to buyers that your product meets their needs. 

Pro tip: Use tools like Helium 10 (for Amazon), Marmalead (for Etsy), or Terapeak (for eBay) to find the highest-ranking keywords in your niche. These platforms analyze real-time search trends so you can understand exactly what buyers are looking for.

✔ Leverage the engine’s AI-driven recommendations.

On platforms like Amazon, the search engine doesn’t just decide what to show in search results; it also recommends products based on user behavior.

That’s why you need to optimize your product listing beyond just keywords.

• Fill out every available product attribute. The more complete your product data is (size, color, material, category), the better Amazon and Etsy can match it to buyers.
• Use backend search terms. Amazon lets you add hidden keywords in the backend of your product listing. Use misspellings, synonyms, and alternate phrasing to cover all possible searches.
• Encourage frequent clicks. If shoppers click on your product but don’t buy, that’s a signal that your listing might need better images or a clearer description.
• Price competitively. Amazon’s AI favors listings that convert well, so having a competitive price can increase your chances of appearing in search results and recommendations.

Pro tip: Check the “Frequently Bought Together” and “Customers Also Viewed” sections on Amazon and Etsy. If your product isn’t appearing there, tweak your title, price, and attributes to better match similar bestsellers.

✔ Encourage user-generated content (UGC). 

Search engines on Amazon, Etsy, and eBay prioritize listings with strong social proof. The more reviews and user-generated content your product has, the better it ranks. 

Here’s how you can get more reviews and UGC:

• Ask for reviews the right way. Amazon and Etsy discourage incentivized reviews, but you can send follow-up emails encouraging customers to leave feedback.
• Leverage post-purchase emails. Use Amazon’s “Request a Review” button, or send Etsy buyers a friendly, non-pushy reminder.
• Encourage photo and video reviews. Listings with real customer photos convert better and rank higher.
• Use social proof in your product descriptions. If you already have great reviews, highlight them in your listing to reinforce trust. Example: “Loved by more than 5,000 happy customers!”

6. App Store Optimization (ASO) 

If your brand has an app, optimizing for app store search is non-negotiable.

App stores like the iOS App Store and Google Play are their own search ecosystems, and people use them with high intent. Users browsing app stores have some of the highest conversion rates (or app download actions) of any part of the digital landscape. 

And when someone engages with an app, they’re significantly more likely to become a repeat customer. Whether they’re searching for a fitness tracker, a budgeting tool, or a game to play on the go, app store users are ready to act.

While there are nuances between iOS App Store listings and Google Play listings, there’s also a lot of overlap in best practices.

Here’s how to make your app more discoverable:

✔ Use keyword-rich titles and descriptions.

App titles are prime real estate. Include your core keyword while keeping it readable. 

For example, instead of just “Calm,” you might go with “Calm: Sleep, Meditate, Relax.” 

Then, reinforce those keywords naturally in your app description to help the algorithm understand your app’s purpose.

✔ Encourage and respond to reviews.

Ratings and reviews don’t just build trust — they influence visibility. Apps with frequent, positive feedback get prioritized. 

Prompt users to leave reviews after positive experiences and respond to them to show engagement.

✔ Leverage visual assets.

Your icons, screenshots, and video previews all impact conversion rates. 

Make sure they’re polished, on-brand, and clearly showcase what your app does and why it matters.

✔ Stay current.

Update your app regularly. App stores prioritize recently updated apps that show signs of active development and ongoing support.

Pro tip: App stores allow A/B testing (especially on Google Play) for things like app icons, screenshots, and feature graphics. Small changes can lead to big improvements in conversion rates, so experiment with different visuals and messaging to see what resonates most with your audience.

The bottom line? SEO isn’t going anywhere — it’s going everywhere.

Your audience’s journey isn’t confined to a single search bar. 

They’re exploring, discovering, and validating across countless platforms and touchpoints, from Google and AI tools to social media, marketplaces, and beyond.

We’re navigating a fragmented yet intricately connected search ecosystem, which is exactly why search everywhere optimization isn’t just SEO rebranded. 

While traditional SEO still matters (a lot!), it can’t operate alone. Multiplatform visibility strategies are now essential partners.

And if you take nothing else from this, let it be these three things:

• Forget obsessing over ranking positions and chasing algorithm changes. The real game is becoming effortlessly discoverable, authentically valuable, and contextually relevant wherever your audience’s curiosity leads them.
• Define your entities clearly, make meaningful connections, build authority strategically, and show up authentically in the spaces your audience (and AI) trusts.
• Create content that’s so clear, cohesive, and compelling that AI naturally pulls your brand into relevant conversations.

And remember: SEO today isn’t just about optimizing content; it’s about cultivating a reputation. 

It’s about being known, trusted, and effortlessly found everywhere that matters.