Let’s get one thing straight: If your entire online marketing strategy boils down to “ranking on Google,” you’re already falling behind. Way behind.
For years, we’ve all been conditioned to think that search starts and ends with that clean, white search bar. And for a long time, that was true! But the ground is shifting beneath our feet, faster than ever before. Consider this: nearly 40% of Gen Z now prefers searching on TikTok and Instagram over Google for certain queries, according to Google’s own internal data, a fact highlighted by publications like TechCrunch.
Think about that for a second. The rising generation of consumers is bypassing the world’s biggest search engine in favor of social video apps. They’re not typing questions; they’re discovering answers.
My name is Linda Donnelly, and for over a decade at Business Solutions Marketing Group, I’ve helped small businesses navigate the choppy waters of digital marketing. I’ve seen trends come and go, but what we’re experiencing now isn’t just a trend. It’s a fundamental rewiring of how people find information. It’s time to stop thinking about Search Engine Optimization and start thinking about Search Everywhere Optimization.
What Exactly is “Search Everywhere Optimization”?
Search Everywhere Optimization (or S.E.O. 2.0, as I sometimes call it) is the practice of making your business discoverable across all the platforms your customers use as search and discovery engines.
It’s not just about Google anymore. It’s about:
- Video Search Engines like YouTube.
- Social Discovery Engines like TikTok and Instagram.
- AI Answer Engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s own AI Overviews.
- App Stores for businesses with mobile applications.
- Voice Search through devices like Alexa and Google Home.
Each of these requires a different approach, a different type of content, and a different mindset. It sounds like a lot, I know. But the businesses that embrace this new reality are the ones that are going to win the next decade. Let’s break down how you can get started.
The New Search Engine on the Block: How to Win on TikTok
If you think TikTok is just for dancing teenagers, you’re missing the biggest opportunity in marketing right now. TikTok has become a go-to for product reviews, how-to guides, and local recommendations. The key is understanding that TikTok is a discovery engine, not a traditional search engine. Users don’t always know what they’re looking for—they want your content to find them.
Your Actionable TikTok SEO Plan:
- Keywords Are Still a Thing (Sort of): While users might not type in long questions, the TikTok algorithm pays close attention to the words you use. Put relevant keywords in your on-screen text, in your caption, and say them out loud in your video. The algorithm “listens” to and “reads” everything.
- Think in Problems and Solutions: The best-performing content on TikTok solves a problem, and fast. Frame your videos around a common customer pain point. A plumber could make a 15-second video on “The one sound your water heater should NEVER make.” An accountant could do “Stop making this mistake on your quarterly taxes.”
- Hashtags and Sounds are Your Secret Weapons: Use a mix of broad hashtags (#smallbusiness), niche hashtags (#localplumber), and trending hashtags. Crucially, using a trending sound or song can give your video a massive visibility boost, as the algorithm will show it to people who have engaged with that sound before.
- Engage, Engage, Engage: The first hour after you post is critical. Respond to every single comment. This signals to the algorithm that your content is sparking conversation, and it will push it out to a wider audience.
Don’t Forget the King of Video: Mastering YouTube SEO
YouTube is still the undisputed second-largest search engine in the world, right behind its parent company, Google. As reported by social media management platform Hootsuite, users watch over a billion hours of video on YouTube every single day. People go to YouTube to learn, to be entertained, and to make purchasing decisions. If you’re not there, you’re invisible to a huge portion of your potential audience.
Your Actionable YouTube SEO Plan:
- Title is Everything: Your video title needs to do two things: include your main keyword and be incredibly compelling. Instead of “Plumbing Tips,” try “5 Plumbing Disasters You Can Prevent Yourself (And Save $500).”
- Write a Real Description: The description box is your playground. Write a mini-blog post (at least 200-300 words) summarizing your video and naturally including your target keywords and related phrases. Add links to your website and other relevant videos.
- Design Thumbnails That DEMAND a Click: Your thumbnail is your video’s billboard. It needs to be bright, clear, and intriguing. Use a high-quality image (often a face with an expressive reaction), and add a few words of bold text that create curiosity. Scroll through your own YouTube feed—what makes you click?
- Talk to the Robots (and Humans): Upload a transcript of your video, known as a captions file (.srt file). This allows YouTube’s algorithm to read every word of your video, making it much easier to understand the content and rank it for relevant searches. It also makes your content accessible to a wider audience!
Are You Ready for Your New Robot Overlords? Optimizing for AI Answer Engines
This is the big one. AI Overviews on Google, ChatGPT, and other AI chatbots are changing the game completely. These tools don’t just give a list of links; they synthesize information from multiple sources to provide one direct answer. If your website isn’t one of the sources they trust, you’ll get zero traffic. The goal is to become a trusted source.
How do you do that? You have to embrace E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. This has been a core part of Google’s guidelines for years, but it’s now mission-critical.
Your Actionable AI SEO Plan:
- Answer Questions Directly: Structure your content around the questions your customers are asking. Use H2 and H3 tags for those questions, then immediately follow up with a clear, concise answer. This makes it incredibly easy for an AI to pull your content for an answer.
- Prove You’re an Expert: Don’t just make claims—back them up. Cite your sources, link to authoritative studies, and showcase your real-world experience. For example, a staggering 62% of consumers use AI chatbots for research, according to data from Statista. Including stats like this shows you’ve done your homework.
- Use Lists and Bullet Points: AI loves structured data. Breaking down complex information into numbered lists or bullet points (just like this one!) makes it easy for the AI to parse and present.
- Write Like a Human: The era of keyword-stuffing is over. Write in a natural, conversational tone. The more helpful and human your content sounds, the more valuable it will be to both AI and your real-life customers.
Putting It All Together: Your Unified “Search Everywhere” Action Plan
Okay, deep breaths. This isn’t about creating 10x the work for yourself. It’s about working smarter.
- Start with a Pillar Piece: Create one amazing, in-depth piece of content. This could be a blog post, a comprehensive guide, or a webinar. This is your “source of truth.”
- Atomize and Repurpose: Break that pillar piece down into smaller “atomic” pieces for different platforms.
- The blog post becomes the script for a YouTube video.
- The key points from the video become a bulleted list for a TikTok video.
- A powerful quote becomes a graphic for Instagram.
- The data and stats become a thread on X (Twitter) or LinkedIn.
- Listen and Iterate: Pay attention to the questions people ask in the comments on your videos and posts. Those questions are pure gold! They are your next set of topics for your “Search Everywhere” content.
The way people search for information has fragmented into a dozen different streams. It’s not enough to be present in one. You have to be everywhere your customers are, ready to provide value in the format they prefer. It’s a challenge, yes, but it’s also the greatest opportunity for small businesses to connect with customers in a more authentic way than ever before. Let’s get to work!
Key Takeaways
- Search is No Longer Centralized: Your customers are using TikTok, YouTube, and AI chatbots as their new search engines. You must be visible on these platforms.
- Adapt Your Content to the Platform: A deep-dive YouTube video is different from a 15-second, problem-solving TikTok. Tailor your message to the medium.
- Become the Answer: For AI search, the goal is to be a trusted source. Structure your content to answer questions directly, cite data, and write in a clear, human voice.
- Work Smarter, Not Harder: Use a “Pillar and Atomize” content strategy. Create one great piece of content and repurpose it for all your different channels.
- Engagement is a Ranking Factor: On social search platforms like TikTok, comments and shares are powerful signals to the algorithm. Respond to everyone to boost your visibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do I really need to be on TikTok if my customers are over 40? Yes! While TikTok is known for its younger audience, the user base is aging up rapidly. More importantly, even if your direct customers aren’t there, their adult children, employees, and industry peers are. It’s a powerful platform for brand building and establishing expertise, regardless of your target demographic.
2. How is YouTube SEO different from regular Google SEO? The biggest difference is the focus on engagement and user signals. While keywords in the title and description are crucial for both, YouTube’s algorithm heavily weighs metrics like watch time, audience retention, likes, and comments. A video that keeps people watching will rank higher than a perfectly optimized video that people click away from in 10 seconds.
3. What’s the single most important thing for AI search optimization? Clarity and authority. Write in simple, natural language and structure your content to directly answer a user’s question. Then, back up your answer with facts, data, and links to other authoritative sources to prove to the AI that your information is trustworthy.
4. How much time should a small business owner be spending on this “Search Everywhere” strategy? Start small and be consistent. Dedicate a few hours a week to one new platform. For example, focus on creating one solid YouTube video every two weeks. Once you have a workflow, take the key points from that video and create two or three short TikToks. The key is consistency over volume.5. Can I just post the same exact video on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram Reels? While you can, it’s not the best strategy. User expectations are different on each platform. YouTube is for longer, more in-depth content. TikTok and Reels are for fast, punchy, and often trend-driven videos. It’s better to create a short, vertical-format teaser video for TikTok/Reels that directs viewers to the full, more detailed video on your YouTube channel.
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