And right here’s the factor: they’re not simply trying on Google anymore.

Individuals are turning to TikTok for product solutions, digging by Reddit for brutally sincere evaluations, and asking ChatGPT for personalised purchasing lists and suggestions—usually 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 type of genuine, unfiltered content material that conventional search outcomes typically miss or asking AI for assist with selecting from too many choices in a discipline they don’t know a lot about.

So, whereas conventional Web optimization asks, “How can we rank larger on Google?” Search All over the place Optimization asks, “The place is our viewers truly trying, and the way can we present up there?”

Let’s discover the 5 platforms the place your viewers is definitely looking out, and how you can present up authentically on every one.

AI site visitors to web sites has grown 9.7x prior to now yr, with 63% of internet sites now receiving AI-driven site visitors that can convert even 23x larger 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, evaluate detailed specs, or be taught one thing new, they’re more and more turning to AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude.

Not like conventional search, AI can synthesize data from a number of sources, create personalised suggestions, and supply step-by-step steering tailor-made to particular wants.

For instance, after I requested for one of the best laptop computer for a Ph.D. pupil in computational biology—full with a listing of particular private wants—Perplexity reviewed 20 completely different sources to give you a suggestion. Actually, going by that many sources by myself could be exhausting. That type of analysis is strictly the type of activity I’d gladly hand over to AI each time, as a substitute of Googling.

Core optimization rules

As of now, there’s nonetheless an ongoing—and certain long-running—debate within the trade about whether or not optimizing for generative AI search engines like google is really completely different from conventional Web 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 “Web optimization is useless.” The brand new buzzword is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and a few persons are saying it’s worthwhile 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 info, I find yourself with a listing of methods that look rather a lot 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 net. AI fashions acknowledge and weight authoritative sources extra closely. Construct mentions, citations, and references throughout respected websites to ascertain your experience in AI coaching knowledge and are available up extra usually when AI assistant use search to refine their solutions(sure, ChatGPT truly Googles issues).
• Construct complete, authoritative assets. AI assistants favor detailed, well-researched content material that covers matters completely. As an alternative 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 concerning the intersections between Search Engine Optimization and Generative Engine Optimization, dig into our two articles:

How are you going to inform when or how AI is mentioning your model? AI assistants themselves don’t present such knowledge, so you will want an AI monitoring instrument like Model Radar. Listed here are a couple of concepts.

First, you possibly can monitor the place your model is talked about on-line and call websites to right or replace any outdated data.

When you enter your model in Model Radar, click on on AI responses, set the AI sort, most popular location, and type by search quantity (for AI responses with the largest attain).

Subsequent, you possibly can 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 might 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 beneath. This provides you with a listing of pages, displaying what number of AI responses they have been talked about in and the entire search quantity of these queries.

Subsequent tip. In response to our knowledge, Reddit pages have been cited over 12 million occasions in AI Overviews and AI Assistants.

You need to 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, providing 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 would possibly inform you the steps for a recipe, however YouTube reveals you what the batter ought to truly seem 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 instances, 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 comprises the identical data.

YouTube all the time surprises me with what sort of content material takes off. I used to suppose instrument evaluations have 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 rules

Whereas options like Steered and Browse normally work higher when you’ve constructed an viewers, YouTube Web optimization is vital for getting these first views. Search site visitors is tremendous dependable, usually brings in regular subscribers, and tends to have larger common watch occasions.

We’ve put collectively an entire information that walks you thru our video Web 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 Tendencies, TubeBuddy, and vidIQ (plus why search quantity estimations will be deceptive).
• Strategic matter choice by analyzing top-performing video codecs and competitor channel authority to search out real looking rating alternatives.
• Creating high-retention content material with correct scripting, pure key phrase integration, and engagement hooks that hold viewers watching.
• Full optimization guidelines overlaying 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 evaluate discussions, showing in 77% of product evaluate 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, dangerous 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 sort “reddit” proper earlier than the factor they’re excited about.

As an example, this tree chart from Ahrefs’ Key phrases Explorer reveals the most well-liked method to ask for vpn suggestions. Those that embrace the Reddit modifier seem twice within the prime 15.

Core optimization rules

Be taught the tradition earlier than you put up 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 take into account posting.

Construct real relationships, not promotional campaigns. Reddit customers have finely tuned promotional radar. As an alternative 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 very best prospects hang around. Change into an everyday contributor by sharing helpful content material, asking considerate questions, and fascinating in discussions that matter to that group.

Reddit has rolled out a free instrument known as Reddit Professional which may enable you with that. It’s designed to assist manufacturers sustain with trending matters and conversations utilizing AI-powered insights and good key phrases. The platform makes it simpler to attach with communities by options like put up scheduling, crossposting, and internet hosting AMAs. It additionally consists of built-in analytics to trace attain and engagement.

Create content material price discussing. The perfect Reddit content material sparks dialog. Share case research, ask for suggestions on actual issues, or current fascinating trade knowledge that will get individuals speaking.

Right here’s a fast tactic you should utilize for Reddit: give attention to threads that have already got visibility in Google Search.

1. Go to Ahrefs’ Website Explorer, enter “reddit.com”, and open the Natural key phrases report.
2. Use filters: positions 1-10, key phrase consists of (enter phrases associated to your web site). You’ll be able to choose a most popular location, too.
3. Search for related key phrases with loads of site visitors.
4. 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 phase—TikTok is more and more most popular 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 ideas.

What units TikTok aside is its give attention to actual, unfiltered moments fairly than completely polished content material.

Positive, a number of the stuff that pops up will be fairly senseless, however that doesn’t appear to harm the platform. If something, it’d even assist. Perhaps it’s an indication that TikTok is really 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 searching for. For a lot of customers, this hashtag is a trusted method to discover merchandise, making it a go-to search instrument, particularly for life-style, magnificence, and tech objects.

Core optimization rules

The algorithm appears to be like at issues like how many individuals watch your video all over, what sounds are trending, and different engagement indicators to resolve what to point out extra of.

We’ve obtained a complete information that covers TikTok Web 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 solutions, 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 Web optimization success with the appropriate metrics and KPIs that truly matter for enterprise progress.

Try our in-depth TikTok Web optimization information for the total step-by-step course of.

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 the platform.

Google solutions, “What’s farmhouse decor?” Pinterest reveals 50 alternative ways to realize the look, with actual examples it can save you and reference. And, as a substitute of particular person, disconnected search outcomes, Pinterest provides 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 rules

Design vertical, eye-catching pins. Use 1000x1500px photographs 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 contemporary pins commonly. Prioritize new content material over repins. Intention for two–3 high-quality contemporary pins day by day, with a number of designs for every weblog put up.

Use key phrases strategically. Place your most important key phrases within the first 40 characters of your pin titles. Embody 2–3 associated phrases in descriptions and optimize board names with particular phrases.

Allow wealthy pins in your web site. Add schema markup so Pinterest robotically pulls metadata for articles, merchandise, or recipes—enhancing your pins’ look and credibility.

Create pins that get saved. Give attention to content material that encourages customers to avoid wasting—it’s Pinterest’s prime sign for enhancing 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 fashionable on Google, there’s a superb probability they’ll additionally carry out properly on Pinterest.

1. Go to Ahrefs’ Key phrases Explorer and click on on Discover complete database.
2. Use filters: Goal: pinterest.com in prime 10, Intents: non-branded.
3. To refine the outcomes, use Presets or the Embody filter, the place you possibly can add normal key phrases associated to your online business.
4. Search for related key phrases with excessive search quantity (SV).

Beginning with SEvO can really feel overwhelming if you’re 5 completely different platforms, every with its personal guidelines and viewers behaviors. The secret’s approaching it strategically fairly than attempting to be in all places at as soon as.

Begin along with your viewers, not the platform

Earlier than you create a single piece of content material, get crystal clear on who you’re attempting to succeed in. 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 info information your selections.

In Ahrefs, you can begin by asking AI for matters associated to your online business.

Subsequent, the Matching Phrases report provides you a broad checklist of search phrases individuals use to search out companies like yours. The Search Quantity column reveals what matters your viewers cares about most, whereas the Progress (GR) column reveals whether or not curiosity in these phrases has risen within the final 3 to 12 months.

SparkToro, however, helps you discover out which social media platforms your target market spends probably the most time on.

Research what’s already working

Spend time searching every platform to grasp the panorama. What sort of content material is your competitors creating? What’s getting engagement? Extra importantly, what feels genuine to that platform’s tradition?

Ahrefs has knowledge on that, too. In case you open Website Explorer and plug in your competitor’s area, you will notice which of their content material will get probably the most guests from Google (Prime pages report), and which content material makes them authoritative within the trade by incomes backlinks (Finest by hyperlinks report).

Match your product to the appropriate platform and conduct

The purpose is to create the proper content material for every search platform. 

Product/service sort	Finest performing channels	Why It works
Complicated or high-ticket merchandise (e.g., B2B software program, automobiles, enterprise options)	Google, YouTube, LinkedIn	Folks want detailed data and need to construct belief earlier than making huge selections.
Visible and life-style merchandise (e.g., vogue, residence decor, meals, journey)	Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok	Discovery occurs by inspiration and visible searching.
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 quick motion.

The standard metrics you’ve used for every platform nonetheless matter. Web 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 price listening to.

What nonetheless issues

Web optimization fundamentals nonetheless depend. Issues like the place your web site ranks for key phrases, how a lot natural site visitors you’re getting, the variety of backlinks you have got, and your area authority all present how properly you’re doing in search. You’ll be able to monitor core metrics and the superior ones with Ahrefs’ Website 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 strong indicators of the way you’re doing on social platforms. All social media platforms have native built-in analytics, however it’s also possible to use instruments like Buffer to verify 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 usually your identify seems, the extra doubtless customers are to think about your services or products—it’s the brand new “visibility economics”.

You’ll be able to monitor AI mentions with instruments like Ahrefs’ Model Radar. It’s additionally price including your opponents to see how your visibility stacks up over time.

First, plug in your and your opponents’ model names. You need to use the AI function to counsel competing manufacturers:

Subsequent, you will notice a dashboard with a aggressive evaluation of your model’s visibility together with:

• AI share of voice: How usually AI assistants and Google’s AI Overviews point out your model in comparison with your opponents.
• Search demand: What number of occasions individuals searched on your model on Google final month.
• Internet visibility: The full variety of occasions your model was talked about anyplace on the web.

Use the charts to match your model’s visibility with opponents and monitor how usually 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 might have extra mentions, however you might have extra attain.
• AI share of voice: proportion of name impressions out of the entire impressions for responses that point out any tracked model.

You too can monitor AI mentions inside a particular matter. For instance, I can verify for Mailchimp’s AI share of voice in comparison with opponents, however solely as a social media instrument (which is their lesser-known function). Curiously, Mailchimp wins throughout the board, aside from Google’s AI Mode.

AI citations. AI citations are cases the place your model or content material is referenced in AI-generated responses, corresponding to these from ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overviews. These citations sign your visibility and affect within the AI panorama—the extra usually you’re cited, the stronger your presence on this new data financial system.

If you would like a fast look at your quotation efficiency, head on over to Website 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 too can use this knowledge to determine what sort of content material AI tends to select up on, after which create extra of that.

Understand that search in all places optimization isn’t anti-Web optimization—the whole lot works collectively in a linked ecosystem.

Let me illustrate that with a couple of examples.

YouTube movies rank within the prime 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 prime 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 usually set off analysis on others—somebody would possibly discover you on TikTok, analysis you on YouTube, after which Google your model identify.

For instance, when Duolingo introduced the demise 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 beneath).

There’s additionally Instagram. Pictures, movies, and Reels now seem straight in Google search outcomes alongside conventional net content material.

SEvO is sort of a trendy information to constructing a robust status. It makes certain individuals can simply discover you, belief you, and bear in mind you, regardless of the place they appear on-line. This helps your model develop and keep sturdy over time.

Ultimate ideas

As of late, individuals use a lot of completely different locations to search out and study merchandise. They may skip Google fully. For instance, somebody may see you on TikTok, verify evaluations on YouTube, ensure you’re reliable on Reddit, and solely then search your identify on Google.

Google nonetheless issues—nevertheless it’s not the one place individuals search. SEvO makes certain 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 means wherever they’re trying.

Received questions or feedback? Let me know on LinkedIn.