They say the only constant is change, and that’s certainly true of SEO in the last 20 years.
Now, as AI becomes further integrated into the experience and AI-generated summaries capture link clicks that previously went to brands and content creators, search is undergoing its most profound changes yet. Following drops in organic traffic, the optimization strategies marketers rely on to boost their brands will also have to evolve.
Google is still a fantastic marketing channel. But to grow, your best bet is to diversify beyond the results page. You’ll need your brand to show up and get found wherever your audience spends time.
We’ve gathered 12 ways to do just that.
Contents
- Focus on owned media
- Continue to invest in PPC
- Think of social media in a new light
- Build digital communities
- Go big on Reddit
- Consider LinkedIn
- Use video to inform and inspire
- Don’t lose the human touch
- Continue to build your brand
- Integrate direct-response advertising
- Focus on highly targeted content
- Seek out earned media placements
1. Focus on owned media
Owned media refers to the marketing channels you have direct control over. Email, text messaging, blogs, podcasts, and newsletters are a few examples. These outlets have always been important, but with the regular fluctuation in Google traffic and core updates, they’re now a must-have for brands looking to connect with consumers.
Why? Because these assets help brands reach their audiences with relevant, timely messaging, which in turn drives traffic and conversions, said Milda Daruliene, senior SEO specialist at email and SMS marketing platform Omnisend.
“These create memory moments that are independent of search result pages,” added Elena Novikova, founder of creative strategy agency Lumus. “When AI dilutes authority, recognizability becomes your currency.”
Owned media, like newsletters, give you more control over your messaging.
Rocky Pedden, president and managing partner at B2B SEO agency RevenueZen, views the focus on owned media as a shift from rented to owned channels.
But the content within has to matter.
“This means niche, high-signal newsletters that feel like a personal feed from someone who gets you,” he added. “These are gold. You’re in their inbox, not fighting algorithms.”
“The new playbook is less about chasing rankings and more about owning first-party data pipes, securing citations inside AI snapshots, and meeting customers [in places] zero-click answers can’t reach,” said Alex Schlesinger, founder and CEO of life insurance firm Active Mutual.
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2. Continue to invest in PPC
Don’t undervalue the power of paid ads simply because they cost money or don’t yield immediate ROI.
PPC advertising can be highly targeted with finely tuned messaging, which Odi Caspi, founder of performance marketing agency Happy PPC, said makes for “undoubtedly the most reactive way to direct meaningful traffic to websites.”
PPC ads enable you to match a highly targeted message with a tightly focused audience.
Pedden recommends that brands use paid advertising “like a scalpel, not a cannon” to retarget warm audiences, amplify content, and encourage influencer-led UGC (user-generated content) instead of simply putting out search ads for cold clicks.
In a similar vein, Ryan Anderson, president of creative design firm Markiserv, noted Google and Microsoft are now optimizing their ads for AI queries. Google Ads, in particular, offers automated Performance Max campaigns, which can enhance brand visibility even further.
“These ads are helping brands gain traction and awareness at standard rates in the market,” he said.
However, to avoid cost spiraling out of control, Anderson recommends brands make low bids on specific keywords that are highly specific to customers’ needs and avoid broad-match keywords altogether.
“Spoiler alert: paid ads work,” added Jonathan Delamater, founder of the AI training series Course Unlocked. “The problem is, most people try them once or twice, don’t see an immediate return, and call it quits.”
Instead, he noted advertising algorithms need time and data.
“It’s an investment,” Delamater said. “If you give up too soon, you never give the system a chance to optimize.”
Paid advertising is especially valuable on social platforms now, as consumers continue to gather there.
3. Think of social media in a new light
Speaking of social platforms, brands would also be wise to invest in social media as an organic discovery engine.
That’s in part because consumer curiosity can pop up virtually anywhere now, not just in search.
“Most of our top-converting traffic now comes from non-search behavior: private group referrals, TikTok rabbit holes, affiliate editorial pieces, or direct response from hyperlocal campaigns,” Novikova said. “We design campaigns to spark interest before they even Google you because by then, AI may have already flattened your brand into a bullet point.”
Build brand awareness on social media so you’re the first business they think of when a need arises.
Indeed, social media platforms continue to grow as product discovery engines—and even sources of general information—as more consumers turn to TikTok, Instagram, and even Amazon to ask questions they once asked Google.
“Social media doesn’t just help brands reach consumers—it allows them to build real-time connections and maintain a daily presence in people’s lives,” said Magda Marchowska-Raza, assistant professor of marketing and a researcher in social media marketing at North Dakota State University.
She pointed to data from the sales and marketing platform HubSpot, which shows that consumers spend more than three hours per day on social media.
No matter what channel you use, social can help brands boost performance via both organic and paid means if they promote interesting content.
“You are gaining access to millions of potential website visitors should you be linking and promoting your site appropriately on your social properties,” Anderson said.
For her part, Daruliene recommends brands focus on YouTube and Pinterest as alternative SEO channels less affected by AI changes.
4. Build digital communities
Investing in online communities allows brands to build their own ecosystems instead of “renting visibility from search,” as Overton put it.
These communities can exist wherever your audience spends time—like Discord, Nextdoor, Reddit, Slack, or YouTube.
“Within these spaces, real discussions abound where individuals seek advice or recommendations,” said Daniel Vasilevski, owner and electrician at Pro Electrical. “I found that popping into these chats with helpful hints regarding electrical safety or general upkeep helped to build some trust. It is less about forcing ads down their throats and more about being there as someone who understands them.”
Sasha Berson, co-founder and chief growth executive at lead generation firm Grow Law Firm, agreed it’s wise to interact where conversations are happening organically. Plus, there’s an added bonus: “Instead of trying to compete with AI answers, [these channels are] aiming to be the source those AI systems cite, or the content users seek out afterward,” he said.
If you don’t know where to start, Med Yacoub, director of marketing at investment firm Tradesk Securities, recommends using social and community listening tools to find where users are having conversations and then show up to add value.
“That might mean participating in niche Discords, subreddits, or comment threads where trust actually lives,” he added.
What’s more, word of mouth is going strong in these channels.
“Social recommendations are more trusted than any search result or big ad campaign,” Vasilevski said. “Spending the time to connect in these smaller communities and providing real value has positively impacted my business much more than what searching alone could have done.”
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5. Go big on Reddit
We’re calling out Reddit specifically as one of the most important online communities you can participate in. Not only is it huge, with over a billion users, but its content also regularly appears on search engine results pages.
Reddit content often appears on search engine results pages.
Ivan Vislavskiy, CEO and co-founder of digital marketing firm Comrade Digital Marketing Agency, refers to this as a “search-adjacent strategy.”
“That includes optimizing for third-party platforms that are gaining visibility in search results—Reddit, Quora, YouTube, and community forums,” he said. “These are now capturing a significant portion of traffic that AI doesn’t.”
For example, brands can host AMAs (Ask Me Anything) sessions and other events to help seed organic recommendations, or they can gate resources like e-books and templates behind Reddit’s flair-only links, said Linda Orr, fractional CMO and data analyst at marketing firm Orr Consulting.
Daruliene agreed that Reddit, along with the group chat platform Discord, are becoming more prominent as discovery channels.
“People want answers from other humans and not brand voices, so I share insights, respond with care, and let the curiosity grow organically from there,” added Loris Petro, marketing manager at herbal medicine brand Kratom Earth. “It is slower, but the conversion is stronger because the trust is real.”
As an expert in your industry, you can become a trusted resource on Reddit.
6. Consider LinkedIn
Brands can use the professional networking site LinkedIn to establish industry connections outside of in-person events.
“LinkedIn has become more than an online resume or Rolodex,” said Paige Arnof-Fenn, founder and CEO of marketing consulting firm Mavens & Moguls. “It is the foundation for building trusted relationships in the digital economy.”
It’s free to create a LinkedIn Company Page, so there’s only upside to doing it.
Taras Tymoshchuk, CEO and co-founder of software development firm Geniusee, recommends regularly publishing on LinkedIn.
“Constant expertise and transparency help position the company as a thought leader in its niche,” he said. “We don’t just tell who we are, we share knowledge: advice, trends in IT, cases of solving complex problems [and] innovations in working with teams.”
According to Maria-Anna Ratushna, founder of digital marketing firm Brandualist, LinkedIn also enables brands to participate in ongoing conversations in a trustworthy environment. In turn, brands stay top of mind, which means consumers “don’t just find you through search, they seek you out.”
7. Use video to inform and inspire
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a million words on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
These social channels are also search engines for video content, which allow brands to educate and build credibility among users in ways that static content simply can’t, Hinman said.
Vasilevski agreed that videos, in particular, are a much more organic way to reach potential customers than trying to fight the SEO war or pay for ads that get lost in the noise.
After posting short clips of simple electrical checks that are safe for homeowners to do or explaining why a particular repair is necessary, he said his posts reached thousands of local consumers and resulted in a consistent flow of calls.
“It’s about being useful and seen in the places your potential audience hangs out rather than hoping they’ll find you when searching,” he added.
You can create a how-to video for just about any topic.
But you have to have something to say in this sea of content.
“Brands that take a stance, invite debate, or tell stories win,” Pedden said. “It’s a slower burn, but [has] deeper roots.”
8. Don’t lose the human touch
No matter what channel you’re using, human connections matter perhaps more than ever.
“With AI Overviews quickly eroding traditional search, the smartest brands aren’t chasing the number-one result anymore,” Delamater said. “They’re building relationships.”
Brands can emphasize the human element by sharing genuine experiences, such as personal stories, struggles, and tangible results.
After all, AI has a pretty remarkable track record, but it can’t replicate human stories or connections, he added.
“[Brands are] showing up on social as imperfect people—not just polished logos—because bold authenticity stops the scroll,” Delamater said.
Or, as Yacoub put it, “Treat every click like the start of a relationship.”
For Novikova, the goal is to prioritize emotion in every post, such as a video of a patient’s Invisalign journey, a handwritten thank-you note in a mailer, or a founder’s voice note shared in an Instagram Story.
“These are the pieces no AI overview can replicate—and the ones people remember long after the search tab is closed,” she added.
Regularly posting content like this allows companies to build their own media channel that does not depend on algorithms or AI aggregators, ensuring stable contact with the target audience, Tymoshchuk said.
In this environment, reviews become more important as well.
“People still trust people—especially ones who’ve already been where they’re going,” Delamater added. “AI will pick up on that, too. Reviews are one of its clearest signals of quality.”
Reviews tell authentic, relatable stories about your business.
9. Continue to build your brand
Strong branding is another vital asset in the AI era.
“Strong branding shows up where search doesn’t, like social feeds, DMs, group chats, and memory,” Ratushna said. “It builds trust before someone needs to Google you and often becomes the reason they do.”
Berson agreed that campaigns that strengthen familiarity and trust help ensure visibility as consumers seek out a brand by name, even if it falls in organic rankings.
Keeping things like colors, copy, and tone of voice consistent will help reinforce your brand so people remember it more often.
10. Integrate direct-response advertising
Direct response ads, which seek to elicit an immediate response from a consumer and can live on virtually any channel, can also help make up for the loss of organic visibility.
“We tailor creative and messaging to match the mindset of each platform rather than trying to force search-style conversions,” Yacoub said of direct response paid media.
Direct response ads enable brands to be found on every corner of the internet.
By leaning harder into paid social and programmatic, and by rebuilding their outreach strategy around direct response, Paul DeMott, chief technology officer at digital marketing agency Helium SEO, said brands can shift toward channels where they control the message and measure results.
“That is why we have leaned heavily into media buying and CRO (conversion rate optimization),” he added. “It is not just about traffic anymore; it is about owning the conversion path from the first impression.”
For example, Helium SEO rebuilt the funnel of a DTC brand, starting with Meta ads by using short-form videos that focused on specific pain points. They drove users to a conversion-optimized quiz page to help qualify traffic, layered in retargeting, and tied everything into performance-driven emails.
“Within six weeks, they were back to pre-AI levels in terms of qualified leads, and their [customer acquisition cost] actually improved,” DeMott said.
11. Focus on highly targeted content
Content may still be king in the AI era, but the king will be hyper-focused.
That’s because when AI is answering all of our questions, brands need to become the source it cites to retain visibility.
“My advice is to niche down and then niche down again,” Delamater said. “Pick one thing. Own it. Keep showing up. Consistency teaches AI what you’re about—and over time, it starts treating you like the go-to expert.”
You can further help AI find and cite your content by targeting conversational queries and optimizing it for featured snippets.
12. Seek out earned media placements
Securing placements in relevant publications still drives trust and referral traffic.
“Even if it doesn’t always rank on page one, it becomes a credible link brands can promote across other channels,” Hinman said.
The local press can be a great outlet to get links and share your stories.
In a similar vein, affiliate links help brands get featured in articles, blogs, and newsletters consumers already use.
“This kind of borrowed trust drives better traffic, better leads, and higher conversions,” said Heinz Klemann, marketing and data expert at marketing intelligence firm BeastBI.
“Affiliate and partnership programs build credibility and drive warm referrals from creators, bloggers, and financial communities outside the Google ecosystem,” he added.
Find new ways to reach your audience
To be fair, marketing has never not evolved. From print ads in the Sunday press to instant answers from AI, there’s always been a shift in the way brands connect with potential customers.
But it feels like the rules are changing exponentially faster than at any time in recent memory. And that means marketers have to adapt as well.
For now, the best advice is to diversify your lead and traffic sources. When you have multiple channels producing results, you’re somewhat buffered by the fluctuations in any single platform.
Not sure how to diversify your lead sources? Contact us, and we’ll show you how our solutions can help.
