In a digital landscape where search behaviors are rapidly evolving, brands must move beyond traditional SEO to embrace a holistic strategy that includes social search and content discovery. Iman Putra, Head of Search & Innovation, shares insights into how brands can navigate these changes by understanding shifting preferences, adapting visibility factors across platforms, and aligning with emerging AI-driven search dynamics. With more users turning to diverse search methods, the path to successful brand visibility lies in a well-integrated, adaptive approach.
How can brands effectively transition from traditional SEO strategies to a more integrated approach that includes social search and discovery?
Iman Putra, Head of Search & Innovation said:
To effectively transition search strategies, brands should consider the following structured approaches:
- Understanding the Shift in Search Preferences
It’s crucial to understand the magnitude and location of the shift towards AI-powered chatbots. Although AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, and others have around 1 billion cumulative active users worldwide, traditional search engines still dominate with 4.9 billion users in 2024. This gap highlights the continued relevance of traditional search engines despite the growth of AI chatbots. Recognising where and how fast users are shifting can help prioritise optimisation efforts. - Visibility Factors on Different Platforms
Currently, the optimisation strategies for AI chatbots and AI-enhanced search features (such as Google AIO and Search GPT) are not fully understood. Brands need to adopt a proactive approach by experimenting and measuring outcomes to identify key visibility factors and metrics that AI chatbots utilise for referencing content and sources. - Adjusting to New Search Behaviors
The transition from searching using specific queries to sequential prompts is the anticipated shift in the search behaviour of AI Chatbot users. This change suggests a need to adapt content strategies to accommodate more complex and detailed information that is likely to be engaged and cited by AI search engines. - Correlation Between Traditional and AI-Driven Search Results
Based on a case study that we’ve been observing, there is a strong correlation between domains that rank in the top 10 of traditional search results and those referenced by AI-powered tools. This may be subject to change, but as of now, it indicates that maintaining high traditional search rankings could potentially benefit visibility in AI-driven searches. (Source: Kevin Indig)
What are some of the most effective ways brands can leverage social selling to enhance their marketing strategy and drive authentic engagement with their audience?
Que Ramli, Head of Social said:
Brands must understand their audience search behaviors – WHAT are they searching for and HOW they are searching for answers, and start with defining your objectives and having a single-minded positioning:
- Define Clear Objectives: Ensure your social selling efforts align with your broader marketing goals, such as increasing brand awareness penetration, generating leads, or boosting sales.
- Have a Strong Messaging: Maintain consistent brand messaging across all channels to reinforce the brand’s identity and values.
- Identify and Understand Your Target Audience: Develop detailed profiles of your ideal customers to tailor your messaging and content accordingly – and the platforms where your target audience is most active
Create Insight-Driven Content and Leverage on Content Creators / Influencers
Utilize search insights to identify and collaborate with the right creators (who are already your brand advocates) to share authentic content that would resonate with your audience and drive purchase consideration.
Measure and Analyze Performance
- Track key metrics: Monitor metrics such as engagement rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to assess the effectiveness of your social selling efforts. You’re also now able to track SEARCH Traffic referrals of your TikTok content. Dive into the performance of your TikTok videos and understand how users are discovering your content.
- Make data-driven decisions: Use analytics to identify areas for improvement and optimise your strategy.
- Experiment and Adapt: Experiment with different social selling tactics, messaging, and platforms to see what resonates best with your audience.
How should brands adjust their content and search strategies to cater to the different search behaviors observed across generational groups, particularly among Generation Z?
Fe Husaint, Managing Director at Greenpark APAC said:
To cater to different generational search behaviors, brands need a tailored content and search strategy, focusing on two key aspects:
- Understand where they search
While traditional search engines still play a major role across all generations, Gen Z and Millennials are leading the shift toward omni-channel search. They often turn to TikTok for product discovery, YouTube for reviews, Instagram for brand research, and marketplaces for product-specific queries. By recognizing these platform preferences, brands can effectively target and engage their audience where they are most active.
- Understand what they search and the intent behind it
Search behavior overlaps across platforms, but user intent often differs. For example, how-to content performs better on platforms like YouTube, where users prefer long-form videos, as opposed to traditional search engines where written guides may be preferred. Recognizing these nuances helps brands align content formats with user expectations.
By focusing on where and how different generations search, brands can efficiently optimize their content strategy, ensuring they deliver the right content on the right platforms to meet user intent.
With the rise of social platforms as search tools, what challenges and opportunities do you see for brands trying to stay visible and relevant to younger audiences?
Brands can effectively navigate the generational shift in search behavior by aligning their strategies with the evolving preferences and habits of younger audiences, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, to stay relevant and highly visible online.
Understand the New Search Habits of Today’s Digital Consumer:
- Where are they searching?
- What are they searching for?
- How are they searching across different platforms?
- What is the total search opportunity for your brand?
- Who owns the share of visibility across the search landscape?
- How does your brand currently fare against competitors?
Conducting thorough omni-channel keyword research is essential to gain a comprehensive view of the search landscape across Google, social media, and marketplaces. This will help identify search opportunities and optimise your brand’s visibility.
How can brands ensure they maintain a strong presence on search engines while also embracing social platforms as part of their content discovery strategy?
Brands can maintain a strong presence on search engines while embracing social platforms by adopting an omni-channel approach. This strategy allows brands to assess content opportunities holistically — identifying the size of the market across platforms, understanding which entities are capitalizing on these opportunities, and recognizing content gaps between what’s produced and what consumers demand.
This is crucial because the search journey is no longer linear. Consumers move fluidly across different platforms, each serving a distinct purpose in the content consumption process. For example, social platforms like TikTok or Instagram may drive discovery, while traditional search engines like Google remain central for deeper research.
To win in these content spaces, brands can leverage Greenpark’s “share of visibility” framework to identify key players — whether they’re brands, media outlets, KOLs, or influencers who dominate specific markets. Being present across the entire search funnel ensures that brands can effectively capture consumers at various stages of their journey.
Finally, to thrive in an omni-channel environment, brands must shift from solely producing and optimizing content in-house to more collaborative approaches, such as partnerships and influencer collaborations. By doing so, they can seize opportunities not just on search engines but across social platforms, staying visible and competitive wherever consumers are searching
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What trends do you anticipate will shape the future of search and content marketing, and how can brands prepare to stay ahead of these changes?
The future of search and content is expected to be shaped by several key trends and technological advancements, leading to a more personalised, intuitive, and integrated digital experience.
From searching on one source – Google, to now searching Omni-Channel across multiple platforms – Google, Social Media, Marketplaces and even AI Chatbots, consumers are now more than ever hungry for quick answers to their burning questions. They want answers delivered to them quickly, almost immediately and in a digestible manner.
- Expansion of Discovery Channels – Search beyond search
Content discovery is evolving beyond active searches to include more passive forms, such as personalised feeds on social media platforms. This shift will influence how content is produced and optimised. For example, as Google, social media, marketplaces, and AI chatbots become increasingly integrated into our daily digital interactions, the strategies for engaging users will need to be more dynamic. This approach will require content to be adaptable across different platforms, ensuring it can drive visibility in a variety of traffic sources. - Content Lifecycle and Format Diversification
As search algorithms prioritise fresh and relevant content, there will be a greater emphasis on regularly updating and repurposing content to keep it relevant and valuable.- Short-Form Video: With platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels leading the way, short-form video content will dominate. Brands and creators will need to produce content that is engaging, snackable, and shareable.
- Shoppable Content: As e-commerce continues to merge with social media, shoppable content will grow in importance, allowing users to purchase products directly from search results or within content.
- Interactive and Dynamic Content: Static content will evolve into more dynamic formats, including polls, quizzes, and interactive stories, increasing engagement and time spent on content.
- Community-Generated Content: Consumers now trust creators and brand advocates who share genuine experiences; a shift from celebrity endorsements to leveraging real people (the consumers) and authentic community-generated content (CGC). This new wave of influencer marketing can be utilised across various channels, such as social media, ads, and offline events, fostering community engagement, authenticity, and driving product conversions.
- Influence of AI-Personalisation
Modern search technologies, especially AI-driven platforms like social search engines and chatbots, are heavily influenced by personalisation. How content ranks on social search platforms or gets cited by AI chatbots will largely depend on user preferences and past behaviours. Therefore, in addition to creating high-quality content, brands must intensify their focus on identity and brand building.
Establishing a recognisable and authoritative presence across Omni-Channel in their niche is more crucial than ever. This means brands must craft content that not only informs and engages but also establishes their market position as thought leaders and trusted sources. In addition, brands should also consider alternative ways such as partnership and collaboration to drive visibility on these platforms.
