The Real Challenge in Search Marketing: Consumers Search Everywhere Before They Decide
Understanding Consumer Search Behaviour and Omnichannel SEO Strategy is The Real Deal
Visibility is no longer enough. Influence is the new SEO
AI Isn’t the Real Challenge, Consumer Behaviour Is
Ask any SEO or PPC specialists what the biggest challenge in search marketing is right now, and most will instantly say AI.
They are not wrong to worry. Chatbots like ChatGPT and Perplexity have become go-to tools for quick answers, while zero-click searches on Google, those instant snippets and featured answers, keep users from ever visiting websites, right?
But while AI initially disrupted traditional SEO, it is no longer the real threat. The real challenge to search marketing today is how people search and make decisions, consumer behaviour
After all, what’s the point of ranking number one on Google if visitors land on your site and still don’t take action?
What this means is, visibility without influence achieves nothing, so the true challenge for businesses today is not being found, but being chosen.
Recent trends and data show that modern consumers no longer follow a neat, linear path, or what was once popularly called the marketing funnel.
Instead, consumers jump between TikTok, Google, Amazon, Reddit, AI chat interfaces, and Maps, picking up pieces of information at each stop before making a purchase. Search has become multi-platform, multi-moment, and highly fragmented.
The New Reality: Consumers Search Everywhere Before They Decide
A single buyer journey now looks like this:
TikTok for inspiration → Google for reviews → Amazon for price checks → AI chat for quick summaries → social proof on Instagram or Trustpilot → then, finally, your website.
That’s half a dozen touchpoints, all influencing perception and trust before conversion.
Why Does This Matter
Today’s consumers don’t follow a straight path to purchase; each platform, channel, and interaction plays a distinct role in guiding their decisions.
- TikTok and Instagram generate awareness and curiosity through short-form, engaging content.
- Google provides in-depth information and research, helping consumers evaluate options.
- Amazon verifies product value with listings, reviews, and recommendations.
- AI chat tools summarise choices and answer questions instantly
- Maps and local listings confirm convenience and accessibility.
The problem is that traditional attribution models can’t keep up. If your metrics only track last-click conversions, you are undervaluing the content that builds awareness, trust, and consideration at the top of the funnel.
Those initial touchpoints, social discovery, educational blog posts, and short videos often plant the seed that eventually leads to a sale.
Trust is now built in fragments. Consumers may watch a quick demo video, read a credible review, or glance at a clean FAQ section; each micro-moment nudges them closer to a decision. Ignoring these fragments risks leaving a huge part of your influence untapped.
In short, if your SEO or PPC strategy doesn’t account for these pre-decision touchpoints, you are only playing half the game; you may be visible but not earning from your strategy.
To win today, your approach must be omnichannel, multi-platform, and designed to influence every micro-moment along the path to purchase.
How to Adapt: Omnichannel SEO Strategies That Drive Real Decisions
1. Map the Multi-Platform Decision Path
Identify where your audience discovers, compares, and converts. Use analytics, surveys, or heatmaps to map those moments. Then align your content — short-form videos for inspiration, comparison pages for evaluation, and testimonials for reassurance.
2. Create Channel-Specific Micro-Content
Tailor content for intent:
- Short-form video (TikTok, Reels): for early awareness
- Search-optimised blogs: for comparison and evaluation
- Reviews, trust badges, and landing pages: for final decisions
Ensure your brand story and tone are consistent across platforms, it reinforces recognition even if discovery happens elsewhere.
3. Connect First-Party Data Across Touchpoints
Use analytics integrations and CRM data to understand your users across devices and platforms. This will help bridge the gap as third-party cookies disappear and keep your retargeting accurate.
4. Rethink Measurement: Beyond Last-Click Attribution
Switch to multi-touch attribution or media-mix modelling to capture how early interactions drive conversions. Treat top-funnel and social discovery as assistive conversions, not wasted impressions.
5. Optimise for Discovery Everywhere
AI and zero-click search favour structured content. Use:
- FAQ schema for visibility in snippets
- Clear formatting for AI and voice surfaces
- Concise summaries so assistants can quote your content directly
You’re not optimising for Google anymore; you are optimising for every interface where consumers seek answers.
6. Show Trust at Every Step
Add reviews, user videos, and testimonials to product pages, metadata, and even social captions. People cross-check instantly, so your reputation must be visible everywhere.
Turning Omnichannel Content into Conversions
A UK consumer electronics brand coordinated a one-week campaign combining:
- Three short Reels showing the product in use
- A blog post comparing it with competitors (with FAQ schema)
- Amazon A+ content updates
- A Google Ads remarketing campaign for comparison-page visitors
Result: traffic doubled, and conversions increased by 37%, driven mainly by users who first discovered the brand on TikTok but purchased later via Google. The omnichannel journey didn’t just attract clicks; it shaped decisions.
Key Takeaway
Ranking number one still matters, but ranking alone doesn’t win sales. The future of search marketing lies in understanding intent across platforms and influencing users before they ever reach your site.
Success now means showing up in every micro-moment: in feeds, snippets, chats, and reviews, and ensuring your message, tone, and proof of value stay consistent.
FAQ
What is consumer search behaviour?
It’s how people find and research information online before making decisions or purchases. Today’s consumers search not only on Google but also on social media, voice assistants, and even visual or AI tools to gather information
How have consumer search habits changed recently?
They’ve shifted from “just Google” to multi-platform research. Users increasingly turn to social media, mobile apps, voice assistants, and AI chatbots for discovery. Therefore, search strategies must span beyond traditional web searches.
Why is understanding search behaviour important for marketers?
It lets brands meet customers where they are. By knowing which platforms and devices people use to search, marketers can tailor content and SEO. This helps improve visibility and ROI at key decision moments.
How common is social search?
Social media is a big search channel. About one-third, or 31%, of consumers use social platforms to find answers or products. This means optimizing content for discoverability on networks like TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube is essential. It allows you to capture queries that don’t go through Google.
Why is mobile search becoming more important?
More than half of global web traffic now comes from mobile devices. That mobile-first trend (especially among Gen Z and millennials) makes mobile optimization essential for any SEO strategy.
What role does AI play in future search behaviour?
AI-powered search is rising quickly. About 72% of consumers plan to use generative AI, like chatbots, for shopping in the near future. As Google and others embed AI overviews into results, brands should optimise content for AI-driven answers and featured snippets.
How do younger generations search differently?
Younger users lead new habits. About 29% of Gen Z and Millennials prefer searching on social media. They choose this instead of a traditional search engine. Roughly 80% of Gen Z use their mobile phones as their primary search device.
How important is local search?
Very important. Studies show most people do a substantial share of searches with local intent – e.g. around 71% of searches are location-based. Roughly one in five consumers uses map apps. Examples include Google Maps. They use these as their main search tool for places and businesses.
Is visual search trending?
Yes. Interest in visual (camera/photo) search is growing: about 42% of consumers say they’re interested in using image-based search. Google Lens and other tools now handle billions of visual queries per month. Many of these queries are related to shopping. Optimizing product images can drive discovery.
What is omnichannel SEO?
It’s the practice of optimising your SEO. It also involves content strategy across all digital channels. The goal is for users to get a seamless brand experience everywhere. A customer may find you on your website, a social post, an email, or an app. They should receive consistent messaging. The message should be uniform across all platforms. Discovery should also be easy.
How does omnichannel SEO differ from traditional SEO?
Traditional SEO focuses on ranking a single website. Omnichannel SEO is different. It spans multiple platforms, such as social media, email, mobile apps, local listings, and even AI assistants. This strategy aims to create a unified customer journey. This broader scope builds deeper engagement, since customers often interact with brands in many places before buying.
Why adopt an omnichannel approach?
Because customers use many touchpoints to research and buy, a consistent omnichannel strategy builds trust and loyalty. By aligning content and keywords across web, social, email, ads, etc., brands ensure customers get the same message wherever they search. In short, omnichannel marketing meets people in all the channels they use.
How can marketers implement an omnichannel SEO strategy?
Integrate SEO with all your channels. For example, write SEO-friendly blog posts or guides. Share them via social media and email newsletters. Make sure to use targeted keywords throughout. Support those efforts with paid ads for extra visibility. Consistent branding will help customers recognise your brand. Coordinating keywords and analytics across channels ensures they find you. They will locate you no matter where they look.
What’s the difference between omnichannel and multichannel marketing?
Omnichannel means all channels are connected and coordinated for a unified experience, while multichannel means you use several channels independently. In practice, omnichannel marketing ensures your message and branding are consistent. It remains uniform no matter how a customer switches channels. Multichannel often delivers fragmented or different messages on each platform.
How should brands prepare for AI-driven search?
SEO is expanding to include AI optimisation. Many marketers are already building strategies for AI-powered search. A 2025 HubSpot report found ~19% of marketers are optimising for generative AI answers. Brands should create clear and factual content. Structured answers and FAQs are important. This way, AI tools and voice assistants can easily surface their content as direct answers.
Struggling to stay visible as consumers search across every channel?
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