When I’m floating around the interweb, sometimes I see statements like…
- SEO is dead.
- Keywords don’t work.
- Google & SEO is irrelevant.
And then I notice other people getting swept up in that, continuing the shitty (not true) narrative.
Which then just holds MORE people back from getting their business found in the places their audience is already looking.
As an SEO expert helping hundreds of clients & students getting their websites found by search-powered marketing, I used to get SUPER frustrated by this…
Ready to roll up my sweatshirt sleeves and become a keyboard warrior, preparing myself to try to change their perspective by responding to their comment on social media.
LOL has that ever successfully worked?????
And then I realized something.
People who think “SEO or *keywords* are dying” — don’t understand the DEPTH of SEO, and how deeply it’s truly intertwined with the internet…
Why? Because SEO is not only referring to Google.
The practice of SEO actually pre-dates Google.
A lot of the time, us SEO experts mainly talk about Google because it has the biggest market share (yes, still in 2025)
But SEO is an optimization strategy for ALL SEARCH ENGINES.
AI, YouTube, Pinterest, Etsy, Amazon, ChatGPT Search, eBay, etc.
Because think about how you interact with those platforms…
You type something in, giving context clues about what solution you’re looking for, and then the search engines show you solutions that *hopefully* closely match what you’re looking for.
That’s how we use & browse the internet.
Search engines & search capabilities are everywhere, because they HAVE to be. Otherwise we wouldn’t find jack shit online.
And it’s been like that since the internet first became a thing…
I remember using Ask Jeeves in elementary school LOL
We’ve always needed a way to find what we’re looking for.
So as a business owner, paying attention to discoverability, credibility, and conversions, won’t really ever *go away* – regardless of how much SEO annoys you LOL
But now it’s really time to think about SEO from a wider perspective.
It’s not just Google.
It’s anywhere your ideal people could be searching – and making buying decisions.
Especially since ChatGPT & AI showed up!
And as a user, I’m stoked about this, especially because it’s forcing Google itself to EVOLVE. The way Google was set up previously was ARCHAIC.
Like I have to click on 17 options to get my question answered????
I love that AI tools & features are making it WAY more seamless.
And some people are freaking out because their traffic is dropping.
But the *freak-out* needs CONTEXT, especially if you’re a business owner.
What keywords are you losing traffic on? Are they the ones that were driving actual conversions?
Because if I google something like “How to boil an egg” and click on a recipe blogger’s “hard boiled egg recipe” — I was ONLY sifting through there to find the length of time in which I need to boil an egg. I just needed factual information. I was never going to sign up for their free ebook OR purchase their homesteading course.
So aside from ad revenue (which DOES rely on traffic numbers), losing me as a visitor isn’t as big of a deal as some people make it out to be.
Because I wasn’t there to convert.
I just needed a quick answer.
BUT if I’m on Google looking to hire a public speaking coach, you know DAMN well I’m taking the time to click on 10 different websites & check the people out. I’m gonna look at their website, read their copy, check out their services, look at their pricing, and overall see if they’re a good vibe for me.
Do you see the difference?
This is why USER INTENT matters now more than ever.
Because the way we search is evolving.
We’re using more than one platform & we’re getting more specific on the kind of answers we want.
Let’s talk about SEO for specific platforms though…
SEO on YouTube:
Your next client might find you on YouTube before Google.
Searchers use YouTube for answers, walkthroughs, and tutorials like mine — especially when they want to understand how something works before committing to spending any money.
- A coach could share quick mindset shifts on YouTube shorts.
- A creative entrepreneur could make entertaining vlogs.
- A shop owner could show exactly how to use one of their products.
Ranking on YouTube = just as good as ranking on Google.
⚡️ SEO Tip for YouTube: Mention your target SEO keywords naturally in your video (the algorithm looks at your video transcript!), in your video title, in the description, and within your added video tags.
For a complete step-by-step, >>> Grab the YouTube SEO Starter Kit <<< (it has everything you need to get your videos seen while growing your channel).
SEO for eCommerce Platforms
eCommerce platforms like Amazon, Etsy, and eBay aren’t just online marketplaces – they’re search engines for buyers ready to hit *add to cart*.
If you’re selling physical products, digital ones (like printables or ebooks), or vintage ones, eCommerce SEO matters because it’s how those marketplaces are able to connect YOUR products with the keywords users are searching for.
And shoppers often start on these eCommerce platforms before they search Google. If they do happen to kick off their search with Google, listings on all of the marketplaces show up in search results too so it’s really a win win win when you optimize accordingly.
⚡️SEO Tip for eCommerce Platforms: For better product rankings, focus on keyword-rich product titles, detailed descriptions, and good quality images with a filled-out ALT text.
SEO for AI Bots (ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, etc)
Searches happening with AI bots & platforms are changing the game.
And you wanna know what index ChatGPT Search is using to pull its data from? Bing.
ChatGPT Search uses Bing’s index and its own algorithm to decide what should show up for users. So when it comes to optimizing things to get found, SEO best practices are *still* coming into play.
⚡️ SEO Tip for AI Bots: SEO best practices work for AI too, but keep in mind that sometimes these AI bots will only crawl the first 1,000 words of a blog post or page, so don’t bury the answer or bury the helpful content at the end. Instead, focus on being helpful from the start.
⚡️⚡️ Extra Tip: Experiment with AI tools yourself. See how your content is interpreted, and where your brand shows up (or doesn’t). This kind of research can be humbling LOL but also informative. You go from not knowing what you don’t know to knowing lots!
SEO for Other Search Engines (Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Yandex, etc)
Speaking of Bing, it still accounts for 4% of worldwide searches and while that may not sound like a lot, as of 2025, the total number of internet searches conducted worldwide across all search engines is estimated to be approximately 10.5 million searches per minute.
And 4% of 10.5 million is….. probably a fucking ton, right? LOL
The good news about these more *standard* search engines, is that the best practices for them are pretty similar to Google. They all have a different ranking system to decide what makes it to page #1, but the foundations are the same.
So if you’ve been focusing on Google, your results will likely trickle into these too.
⚡️ SEO Tip for Other Search Engines: Make sure you let these search engines know your website is a thing, if they have that option. For example, you can sign up for a free Bing Webmaster Tools account & submit your sitemap for easy crawling. Here’s a YouTube tutorial I filmed to walk you through the process.
SEO for Social Media Platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, etc)
Social media platforms have their own search features, so SEO strategies can apply here too!
The other cool thing is that posts from social media platforms are also starting to show up on page #1 of search results annnnnnd in AI recommendations.
Pinterest though is pretty unique in that it functions more as a search engine – while still officially being in the social media category. And hey, 80% of Pinterest users say the platform makes them feel good (Which is honestly more than we can say about most social media apps, ya knowwwww?!)
⚡️ SEO Tip for Social Media Platforms: Add SEO keywords to your social media bios, inside the captions of your posts, and (depending on the platform) within hashtags.
(SIDE NOTE: Aside from Pinterest, I don’t consider social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Threads, etc. to be “search engines”. They have search “features”, for SURE! But they’re not advanced enough in those features (yet) to be considered a *search engine* IMO.)
Voice Search (Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, etc)
If it feels like Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant are taking over everything… it’s probably just because voice search is growing. (fingers crossed)
When someone asks their smart device a question, the search engine wants to serve up a direct, helpful answer. Since 50% of all searches happen on voice search and many people prefer to get quick answers without pausing what they’re doing to type, most search queries are longer and sound more conversational.
Writing FAQs that are helpful AF is one way to help your content rank in the world of voice search. Keeping online directories like Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), Yelp, Apple Maps, or Bing Places is another.
⚡️ SEO Tip for Voice Search: To optimize for voice search, use natural language, FAQs, and structured data markup to help search engines understand your content.
SEO & Earned Media/PR (mentions in articles, listings, and resources, etc)
I’m talking about the kind of exposure you don’t control directly on your own website, but that absolutely boosts your credibility across the internet, like:
- Mentions in articles or podcasts
- Reviews or testimonials on third-party sites
- Shares, tags, comments, followers on social media platforms
- Guest spotlights
When you make sure your name pops up in places that aren’t just Google, you’re actually building a reputation across platforms, which is known in the SEO world as “Brand Authority” – how authoritative is your brand across the web?
And the best part is that even if the other websites don’t directly BACKLINK to you, search engines are still noticing brand mentions if they use your name/business name!
⚡️ SEO Tip for Earned Media/PR: To focus on SEO growth with earned media & PR, you could offer to guest post for highly authoritative blogs in your industry, request social proof from your happy customers, pitch yourself to be a guest on someone else’s podcast – and that’s just for starters!
⚡️ SEO Tip for PR and Press: Once you’ve got a few mentions under your belt, it’s worth creating a press page for your website. Even if you’re just getting started with PR, it still makes good SEO sense bc anyone can talk about themselves on their website, but press allows you to borrow credibility from well-known platforms.
Different platforms reward different content strengths.
- Google is technical and authority-driven.
- YouTube rewards clarity and watch time.
- eCommerce platforms prioritize keyword-rich product listings and reviews.
- Bing favors backlinks and on-page content.
- Pinterest is a visuals-first platform, favoring high-quality appealing images.
By understanding where your content strengths lie (video, product listings, images, written guides), you can lean into the platforms that give you a better return.
So, if SEO is more than *just* Google, what’s the priority, as a business owner?
Wherever your people are searching, the goal is to be FINDABLE there.
It comes down to discoverability.
Always.
On socials. On search engines. Inside of AI tools.
So if you’re asking yourself “Should I Still Prioritize Google?”, my answer is:
You should prioritize SEO everywhere.
It’s about paying attention to the right things & learning how SEO actually works, so you can start getting more organic traffic to your website on autopilot – whether that’s from YouTube, Etsy, Pinterest, Voice Search, or hey, even Bing!
SEO success happens when you start infusing SEO-friendly habits into the things that you’re already doing and when you’re strategic about how your website is set up.
And that’s EXACTLY what I walk you through in this SEO 101 workshop…
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