Google-Only SEO Is Outdated. Embrace "Search Everywhere."

I’m the founder of an SEO agency. For the past decade, I’ve built my business (and that of my clients) on top of Google traffic. In the MENA region, in particular, Google has always been the go-to search engine, owning 96 percent of the search engine market share in the UAE and 97 percent in Saudi Arabia. Since the search giant’s inception, getting steady search traffic was simple: rank high on their search results, and you’re set.

Today, that approach doesn’t cut it. Consumers now search on a dozen different platforms, meaning if we focus only on Google, we’re ignoring users and growth.

It’s time for a candid wake-up call and a new playbook—what I call “search everywhere optimization,” a reimagination of search engine optimization (SEO). In this article, I’ll share why Google-only SEO is past its prime, and how MENA startups can win by optimizing for search everywhere.

The SEO Wake-Up Call

I’ll be blunt: organic traffic from Google is harder to come by now than ever. Studies show that nearly 60 percent of Google searches end without any click.

People often get their answer right on the results page; so, they never visit your site. And when users do click, a big chunk goes to Google’s own properties like YouTube or Google Maps. This means fewer visitors for everyone else.

On top of that, Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) “overview” provides answers that summarize information for the searcher. These AI snapshots give users what they need instantly, which denies websites those clicks they used to get.

The result? Even a #1 Google ranking might not drive the traffic it did a few years ago.

The search results page (SERP) is also packed with distractions: ads, answer boxes, maps, and shopping listings. It’s a crowded bazaar, and our humble website links fight for attention.

As an SEO agency CEO, I’ve seen clients baffled when their Google rankings stayed solid, but clicks dropped. The reality is that Google often answers queries directly, so users don’t bother clicking through.

And let’s not forget: one Google algorithm update can wipe out years of work. Depending solely on Google SEO is risky business. We need to diversify our search strategy or put our visibility at risk.

The New Discovery Journey

Today’s customers have a fragmented discovery journey. They don’t just “Google it,” especially younger consumers. For example, nearly 40 percent of Gen Z users prefer searching on social media platforms like TikTok or Instagram over Google.

Think about that. If you’re launching a fintech app or a fashion e-commerce marketplace in the MENA, a big slice of your target audience might not even touch Google in their early research. Instead, they’re on social platforms, video sites, and AI chat tools.

Let me walk you through a typical multi-platform search journey in 2025.

Imagine a shopper in Dubai interested in a new health tech gadget. She might start on TikTok, watching a quick unboxing video of the device. Then, she might search the product name on Instagram or Snapchat to see real user photos and reviews.

Next, she heads to an e-commerce site like Amazon to compare prices and read ratings. For more in-depth insight, she might watch a YouTube review. Perhaps she even asks ChatGPT or another AI assistant for a quick comparison or troubleshooting tip.

By the time she Googles anything, her choices are already narrowed down. Google might just be the final step in finding a company’s official site or address.

This is not a far-fetched scenario—it’s happening every day. People hop between platforms to get the info they need. In fact, search is bigger than Google now.

In the MENA region, where social media usage is sky-high, this shift is even more pronounced. 68 percent of MENA consumers use social media as their main news source—a sign that people here trust social platforms for information.

The bottom line: your potential customers are everywhere online, not just on Google. We need to meet them where they search.

Why MENA Startups Can't Ignore This

If you’re a startup founder in the MENA, you might be thinking: “We have limited budget and bandwidth— can we afford to chase all these platforms?”

I’d argue you can’t afford not to. Marketing budgets are tight these days (MENA startup funding in 2023 dropped significantly), so every dollar needs to work harder. Search everywhere optimization is a cost-effective way to capture high-intent traffic in places your competitors might be overlooking.

Crucially, many of these “everywhere” channels still have relatively low competition. While everyone else is fighting for Google keywords, you could be one of the first movers on, say, TikTok SEO in Arabic, or answering industry questions on Reddit.

That means you can gain visibility without burning huge ad budgets. And the traffic you get from these channels often has strong intent.

For example, a user searching on the App Store is likely ready to download, and someone asking for recommendations on a niche forum is likely close to a decision. These are golden opportunities for customer acquisition.

MENA startups also have a chance to gain a first-mover edge. Truth be told, in our region, many brands are still catching up to basic SEO, let alone multi-platform search.

If you embrace search everywhere optimization now, you can leapfrog slower competitors. There’s also a local language advantage: Arabic content online is massively underdeveloped, and only 0.6 percent of web content is in Arabic.

By creating content in Arabic on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, or Quora, you can become the go-to source in your niche. Meanwhile, the region’s population is young (63 percent of Saudis are under 30), and these digital natives practically live on social media and mobile.

To reach them, you must expand beyond one big search engine. The payoff for doing so is not just more traffic, but resilient traffic. Diversifying where you get found means no single algorithm change can sink your growth.

What Is Search Everywhere Optimization?

Search everywhere optimization is exactly what it sounds like: showing up everywhere your customers are searching. It’s the next evolution of SEO.

Instead of only optimizing for Google’s algorithm, you optimize your presence on all relevant search platforms. That could mean Amazon’s product search, TikTok’s in-app search, YouTube’s search suggestions, LinkedIn’s content search, app store search, voice assistants—any place someone might look for the solutions you offer.

Search everywhere optimization ensures you’re not invisible. It’s about creating platform-specific content that matches user intent.

On Google, that might be traditional blog posts or landing pages. On TikTok or Instagram, it means short, engaging videos with the right hashtags and keywords in captions. On YouTube, it’s tutorials or demos with titles and descriptions optimized for what your audience might query. On Amazon, it’s well-optimized product listings with relevant keywords, great images, and lots of reviews. On forums or Q&A sites, it might be providing genuinely helpful answers (not sales pitches) to establish credibility.

How To Get Started

Ready to expand your SEO beyond Google? Here’s how to begin applying search everywhere optimization in your startup:

1. Map your customer’s search habits. Start by identifying where your target audience searches for information. Talk to your customers or observe online communities. Are they searching on YouTube for product reviews? On LinkedIn for B2B recommendations? On Noon or Amazon for products?

Focus on 2–3 key platforms beyond Google that fit your niche and audience demographics. A fintech software-as-a-service might prioritize LinkedIn and YouTube, whereas a fashion e-commerce marketplace might focus on Instagram, TikTok, and local marketplaces.

2. Optimize content for each platform. Treat each platform as a distinct search engine and learn its rules. Optimize your profile or presence there, and create content tailored to that platform’s format. Use relevant keywords and native features.

For example, on YouTube, include the keyword in your video title and description, and create an eye-catching thumbnail. On TikTok, incorporate keywords into your video captions and hashtags, but also follow trending sounds to boost visibility. On Amazon, ensure your product titles, descriptions, and backend keywords match what shoppers search for. Match the intent—if people go to Pinterest for inspiration, make content inspiring; if they go to Reddit for honest answers, be transparent and helpful.

3. Measure and iterate. Each platform has its own analytics. Track your performance using the native metrics available. This might be views, engagement (likes/ comments/shares) and follower growth on social platforms, search ranking or conversion rate on Amazon, or downloads and reviews in an app store. Set simple key performance indicators for each channel (e.g. “Get 1,000 TikTok views within a month” or “Rank in top 5 for a category keyword on App Store.”) Monitor what content performs best and adjust your strategy.

The goal is to find which platforms yield the best return on investment on your effort— double down on those, and don’t be afraid to pull back on a channel if it’s not delivering results after a fair try.

4. Repurpose smartly to save time. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel for every platform. Repurpose your existing content into new formats.

For instance, if you wrote a strong blog post for Google SEO, turn it into a short infographic for Instagram, a series of quick tips on Twitter, or a how-to video for YouTube. One webinar or whitepaper can spawn a dozen pieces of micro-content across different sites. This way, you maintain a presence everywhere without having to create everything from scratch. Just be sure to adapt the content to fit—a 10-second TikTok summary of your blog should have a hook and maybe subtitles, whereas the LinkedIn post of the same content might highlight a compelling statistic to spark discussion.

By following these steps, you’ll gradually build a multi-platform search presence. Start small and build up. The point is to break out of the Google-only silo and treat each relevant platform as an essential part of your SEO strategy.

Final Takeaway

The way people search is changing fast—and that’s actually great news for agile startups. It levels the playing field. You don’t need a huge budget to win across these emerging search channels; you need creativity and a willingness to meet your customers where they are.

So, my challenge to you, founder-to-founder, is this: rethink your single-platform SEO mindset. Don’t obsess only over Google rankings while your future users are discovering brands on TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, or voice search. Start applying search everywhere optimization now, even if it’s one new platform at a time.

The companies that show up everywhere their customers search will be the ones that thrive in the next decade.

About The Author

James Reynolds is fanatical about all things search, social, and content on the web. James is the founder of SEO Sherpa, a conversion-first SEO agency specializing in technical search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC), digital public relations (PR), conversion rate optimization (CRO), and search everywhere optimization. SEO Sherpa is a Global Search Awards Best Large SEO agency and a five-time MENA Search Awards Best Large SEO Agency winner. James earned MENA Search Personality of the Year for outstanding contribution to the search engine marketing industry.

This article first appeared in the June 2025 issue of Inc. Arabia magazine. To read the full issue online, click here.