‘Search everywhere’ doesn’t mean ‘be everywhere’

“Search everywhere” sounds like a content marketer’s dream, a rallying cry, and a vision of omnipresence. 

Lately, it’s become a catchphrase in marketing meetings, pitch decks, and agency roadmaps.

But here’s the problem:

Too many brands are mishearing it as “search everyone, everywhere.” 

They spread content thin – across every channel, for every audience – in a desperate push for presence. 

The result? 

Diluted messaging, underwhelming ROI, and an exhausting game of digital whack-a-mole with audiences and platforms alike.

Let me be clear: “search everywhere” was never about showing up for everyone.

It’s about showing up with purpose – where your audiences are already searching.

This article:

• Breaks down what “search everywhere” actually means in a world where search is democratized and discovery is driven by shifting user behavior. 
• Explores how to build a strategy that respects platform nuance and audience intent.

The origins of search everywhere

Search used to mean one thing: Google. Eventually, YouTube crept into the SEO remit.

For years, the SEO team’s job was to rank on SERPs, optimize content, and win the rich snippet lottery – all to build visibility.

But the game has changed.

• TikTok became a search engine. 
• Reddit, a research and validation tool. 
• YouTube, the go-to education platform. 
• Pinterest, the planner.

And Google? Cluttered, transactional, and increasingly contested by AI results and ads. 

The epicenter of SEO efforts didn’t collapse – it democratized.

This shift gave rise to “search everywhere,” a strategic approach that recognizes search intent now lives across formats, communities, and algorithms.

It’s a multi-platform mindset that puts intent and context before the channel.

It’s accepting search as a behavior, not a platform.

And – to borrow from the Spider-Verse – with great distribution potential comes great strategic responsibility.

Dig deeper: Search everywhere optimization: 7 platforms SEOs need to optimize for beyond Google

Search everywhere strategy ≠ ‘Spray and pray’ everywhere strategy

From our earliest conversations with potential brands, we’ve made one thing clear: our search everywhere approach to organic discovery is not a “spray and pray” tactic.

Search everywhere must be rooted in the idea of connecting brands with audiences – wherever they’re actively engaging. 

Crucially, that means focusing on the channels where we see audiences participating in discovery, not blindly pushing content everywhere.

To do this, start by analyzing your existing brand presence: where are you already earning attention and holding space? 

Then, compare that to the conversation you want to contribute to – and identify where those two things intersect.

Dig deeper: The 5 new realities of search: Rethinking content strategy for 2026 and beyond

Example: Montirex and the festival outfit conversation

To illustrate, we analyzed the current brand landscape for Montirex – a fast-growing UK fashion brand – to understand its presence across the social-search universe. 

We then mapped this against the broader “festival outfits” conversation to see how Montirex’s presence could be adapted or leveraged to better meet that audience.
The analysis shows Montirex has a strong foundation on TikTok, which can be used to participate in and shape the festival outfits conversation – driving both presence and preference. 

However, Pinterest, a platform with high affinity among that audience, is underutilized by the brand. 

This reveals a clear opportunity to grow Montirex’s presence in line with where the audience is actively searching and planning.

(Note: These visuals come from our agency’s proprietary tool, which draws insights from Exploding Topics, Glimpse Supercharged, first-party platform data, and Google Trends. However, similar analysis can be replicated using publicly available tools.)

This approach narrows our strategic focus. 

One brand may use a specific stack of channels, while another – even in the same category – might require a completely different mix. (We’ll explore that shortly.)

Ultimately, we let the conversation, audience behavior, and brand ambition shape the strategy – avoiding a “spray and pray” approach.

This also brings efficiency to organic discoverability, aligning our efforts with the goals of brand and social teams, while staying true to search-led strategy – not trying to be everywhere at once.

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Platform-specific search intent: Not all searches are built the same

Understanding that search lives across platforms is step one. 

Accepting that your brand shouldn’t show up on all of them? That’s step two.

Truly executing a search everywhere strategy means recognizing that each platform has its own intent logic, user behaviors, and content expectations. 

If you want more than just presence – if you want preference – you have to meet those expectations.

People don’t search the same way on TikTok, Reddit, YouTube, Pinterest, or Google.

Their mindset, information needs, and preferred formats shift dramatically from one to the next. 

And if your content doesn’t reflect that, it won’t be discovered – it’ll be ignored.

Platform	Search intent	Audience mindset
TikTok	Exploratory Curiosity-led	“Show me something cool, related to what I care about and have interest in.”
Reddit	Validating Decision-support	“What do other people in this community think?”
YouTube	In-depth Solution-seeking	“Teach me how or walk me through it.”
Pinterest	Planning Inspiration	“I’m imagining or collecting ideas and inspiration.”
Google	Functional Navigational	“Find and organize the best answers… fast”
Instagram	Identity Aspiration-driven search	“I want to see what fits my vibe.”
AI/LLM	Synthesized Summary-seeking Personalized Curated Conversation	“Summarize everything for me, and do it fast.”

Every one of these platforms now functions as a search engine. 

But they don’t reward the same behaviors or treat content the same way.

So, if you push the same asset across every platform without adapting the format, voice, or value exchange, you’re not running a search everywhere strategy.

You’re just recycling content.

Dig deeper: How to navigate SEO in a multi-platform world

From keyword-first to search-moment-first

With all this in mind, let’s explore a hypothetical content activation using the query, “festival outfits for men 2025.”

Here’s how a lazy search (everyone) everywhere approach might play out:

• Write a long-form SEO blog post, “10 Festival Outfit Ideas for Guys.”
• Copy-paste the blog to LinkedIn with a caption.
• Post the same text in a Reddit thread.
• Repurpose the blog headers into Instagram carousels.
• Voiceover the blog copy for a TikTok video.

The desire to be everywhere spreads the team thin – leaving no room for platform-native creativity. 

Sure, you’re technically present… but nothing lands. Nothing resonates.

A true search everywhere approach is more thoughtful and strategic. For example:

• Partner with creators on TikTok for short-form fit checks using trending audio, or split-screen styling tips like “What I’d Wear to Wireless vs. Glastonbury.”
• Tap into your brand voice – or better yet, empower your community – to post authentically in Reddit threads: “Packing list + outfit guide for 3 days at Boomtown – lessons learned.”
• Curate a Pinterest board titled “Men’s Festival Fits 2025,” featuring Montirex shirts, cargos, jewelry, hydration packs, and bucket hats – everything to inspire and convert.
• Don’t skip Google. Create a structured product listing page with step-by-step guides, FAQs, and strong internal linking.

Want to show up in AI/LLM-powered search? Then:

• Structure your content with proper product schema.
• Build Reddit mentions and participate in threads.
• Encourage creator content across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
• Secure placements in relevant articles and listicles on festival fits.

These moves send the right signals to improve LLM citation visibility.

When you start with the discovery moment – the user’s intent – and focus on where you can make the greatest impact with your brand at the center of that moment, you unlock platform-fit creativity.

That’s how you become the preferred choice – and avoid falling into the trap of a ‘spray and pray’ search strategy.

Don’t just show up – show up where it counts

Search everywhere was never about being everywhere for everyone.

It’s about showing up with purpose – where the conversation is happening, where your brand is relevant (or can become relevant), and where your audience is actively searching.

What we’ve unpacked here isn’t a semantic shift. It’s a strategic one.

It’s the difference between:

• Filling every channel vs. fitting each platform.
• Repeating content vs. responding to context.
• Being seen vs. becoming preferred.

Search has been democratized – we all recognize that in 2025. Now, our thinking has to catch up.

Audiences search through visuals, voices, conversations, and community threads – not just typed queries in a Google box.

And as LLMs increasingly surface brand visibility from every corner of the internet, your discoverability strategy must stretch across formats, behaviors, and trust signals.

So next time someone says “search everywhere,” pause and ask:

• Are we targeting the right discovery moments?
• Are we aligned with platform-native behavior?
• Are we building toward presence – or preference?

Because if you’re not showing up with strategy, you’re not being found. You’re just adding to the noise.

Now’s the time to stop chasing platforms – and start earning attention where it matters most.

That’s what it really means to search everywhere.

Dig deeper: Your 2025 playbook for AI-powered cross-channel brand visibility