Where do your customers research a purchase?
Search Everywhere Optimization means developing visibility in the search channels your customers use. Alongside Google, research might include YouTube, social media or an AI service. Being everywhere is not a useful goal in itself.
A B2B buyer might search Google for suppliers, check an expert’s background on LinkedIn and ask a colleague for recommendations. A consumer might watch a demonstration before visiting an online store. These channels can complement each other during the same purchase.
Identify where your buyers need help and produce useful content for those situations.
What does this change about SEO?
SEO has never been exclusively about text or rankings. Images, videos, local visibility and user needs are also part of it. A multichannel approach extends the assessment beyond your own website.
A buyer comparing equipment may need both technical specifications and a demonstration. Video is not automatically better than text: its value depends on what it helps the buyer assess.
AI search adds another way to obtain summarised answers. It does not require abandoning existing SEO work. Google’s AI features have the same foundational requirements as the rest of Search. Google’s guidance.
Identify the channels before commissioning content
Ask new and existing customers where their comparison began and what they researched. Add website referral data, Search Console queries and observations from sales.
Distinguish three situations:
- Finding a provider: where does the buyer look for a business to purchase from?
- Comparing options: where do they check experiences, features and suitability?
- Confirming a decision: what do they need before requesting a quote or ordering?
An active audience does not necessarily search for your service in that channel. A high view count alone is not a reason to increase production.
Give each channel one job
| Channel | Possible role in a purchase | What should you investigate? |
|---|---|---|
| Google and Bing | Finding a service, supplier or solution | Which searches relate to suitable customers? |
| YouTube | Assessing use, operation or alternatives | Does video explain something text cannot show? |
| Checking an expert or company’s background | Are potential buyers involved in these discussions? | |
| TikTok and Instagram | Discovering products or services and viewing experiences | Are viewers potential buyers, and how do they proceed? |
| AI search | Exploring questions and gathering options | Are the business details accurate and sources current? |
This is not a priority ranking. A local service business might benefit more from a clear service page and Google Business Profile than several new social channels.
Match content to the buying situation
An illustrative example: a company sells equipment whose maintainability affects the buying decision. Its website explains service intervals and spare-part availability. A video demonstrates maintenance. An expert article explains when the equipment suits the buyer and when another option is better.
These pieces have different jobs. Copying the same advert into every channel does not offer the same help.
Keep facts about the service consistent. If content invites contact, explain what the reader should contact you about and send them to the right page. Do not promise something in a video or social post that the business does not actually offer.
What should you check for each platform?
On a website, check indexability, understandable structure and the enquiry process. For video, check the descriptive title, clarity, captions and a useful route to further information. On business and personal profiles, check actual expertise, current details and working links.
Do not invent universal weights for hashtags, captions or posting frequency. Use the platform’s current guidance and evaluate the results for your audience.
Measure progress towards a purchase
Follow the channel’s intended role: does the right audience find the content, move to further information and submit suitable enquiries? Connect these observations to sales data where possible.
Do not add reach figures across channels and call the total a unique audience. The same person can see multiple pieces. The last identifiable traffic source may not explain where interest began.
Costs include planning, production and maintenance. Organic social or search traffic is not free simply because individual clicks are not charged.
When should you avoid adding channels?
If the current website leaves buying questions unanswered, improve it first. Another channel might send more visitors into the same confusion.
If you cannot produce useful content or handle enquiries, narrow the scope. One well-supported channel is better than several neglected profiles. Diversification can reduce dependence on one platform, but it also creates more work.
Where should you start?
Choose one question holding up a customer’s decision and establish where they look for the answer. Create suitable content and define what to monitor beforehand. Expand when you can assess the first experiment’s value.
If channel choices are unclear, contact us. We can discuss your current situation and goals. See our current offering on the consulting service page.