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You're here for the slides, so BEFORE we get into the blog rundown of my talk on social-search discovery, here's your link for my slides: 

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VIEW MY SLIDES

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Sorted? Right, Let's get into how social search is shaping discoverabiity.


Put Simply, 'Search' isn’t what it used to be. In fact, it's no longer confined to search engines at all.

I recently gave a talk at BrightonSEO about how the definition of "search" has evolved, and how brands, marketers, and creators need to rethink how they show up across the digital landscape. If you prefer watching over reading, check out the full talk on YouTube (Brighton will post this before the end of April 2025 - Link to follow).

Why We Need to Rethink Search

In 2025, search marketing is no longer just about keyword rankings on Google. It’s about getting content in front of audiences in the places they naturally explore: TikTok, Reddit, YouTube, Instagram, Discord, and even AI platforms.

I call this shift Search Everywhere™. It’s the idea that discovery can happen anywhere — and your brand needs to be there when curiosity strikes.

The New Search Landscape

Let’s look at what’s changed:

• Google is no longer the default for younger users. Nearly 40% of Gen Z prefer TikTok or Instagram when searching for lunch spots (source: Google).
• Social media is now an intent-rich environment. Over 76% of consumers use social platforms to search for or discover products, brands, and experiences.
• Communities drive search. Platforms like Discord function like private search engines for hyper-niche topics.
• Reddit, YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram all show rising discovery behaviours across age groups.

In short: users don’t just search. They discover.

Why Social Search Is Winning

There’s a shift happening:

• Google is adding friction (ad-heavy results, AI clutter, slow load times).
• Social removes friction by offering short-form, visual, authentic, and community-validated answers.

This is why we’re seeing "Search Everywhere™" emerge. We search with our eyes, ears, communities, and feeds — not just on Google.

Discovery Happens in the Messy Middle

We know users don’t convert instantly. There’s a journey between discovery and decision — and social content increasingly sits in this messy middle.

Social platforms are:

• Touchpoint 1: A spark of interest from TikTok
• Touchpoint 2: Community validation via Reddit or Discord
• Touchpoint 3: Evaluation on Google, YouTube or Amazon

Being visible here means shaping brand perception before they even hit the SERP.

Practical Tip: Use Tools Like Glimpse & BuzzAbout.ai

Want to know where discovery is happening? Use:

• Glimpse to identify where search interest is building
• BuzzAbout.ai to understand the real conversations happening within your niche

Real Example: BullyBillows

We helped dog accessory brand BullyBillows join a completely new search conversation.

By using BuzzAbout.ai to identify user intent and pain points, and strategically showing up on TikTok where curiosity was high, we saw:

• +4% MoM in Brand Search
• +171% YoY Organic Revenue
• +151% MoM increase in organic product purchases

Even better? They started ranking in traditional search too. Discovery fuels conversion.

This is Search. This is Curiosity. This is Discovery.

If you’re in SEO or digital strategy, your job isn’t just to rank. It’s to be discoverable in the places people explore before they even type a keyword.

Optimise for:

• Attention
• Authenticity
• Exploration

We don’t just search anymore. We Search Everywhere™.
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