The phrase “search engine optimisation” is starting to sound too narrow. An April 2026 trend report from SEOBoost argues that modern SEO is better understood as Search Everywhere Optimisation: the practice of making your brand discoverable wherever a potential customer asks a question, whether that is Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Reddit, TikTok or a voice assistant.
This shift matters for any UK business that relies on organic visibility. Rankings on a traditional results page are still useful, but they are no longer the whole game.
From ten blue links to answer engines
Google’s AI Overviews now summarise answers directly on the results page. ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot answer questions in plain language, often without sending the user to a website at all. Voice assistants read a single answer aloud. Social platforms are increasingly used as search tools, especially for how-to, review and local queries.
Each of these surfaces behaves differently. A page that ranks well on Google may never be cited by Perplexity. A product review that performs on Reddit may outperform a polished corporate blog post. The question is no longer just “how do we rank?” but “how do we become the source these systems choose?”
What Search Everywhere Optimisation looks like in practice
Start by mapping where your audiences actually search. A B2B buyer may use ChatGPT and Perplexity for due diligence. A consumer may use TikTok or YouTube for visual inspiration. A local customer may use voice search for opening hours and directions. Each channel needs a tailored presence, not a one-size-fits-all page.
Structure matters. AI engines favour clear, factual content that can be extracted and summarised. Use concise headings, answer questions directly, publish original data and cite authoritative sources. Schema markup helps machines understand what each page represents.
Reputation and authority travel across platforms. Strong reviews, expert commentary, media coverage and forum participation all increase the likelihood that an AI engine will mention your brand or recommend your product. This is not about gaming algorithms; it is about being genuinely useful in the places where your market asks questions.
The practical priority for marketing teams
Most teams do not have the resources to dominate every surface. A better approach is to identify the two or three channels that matter most for your audience, make sure your content is discoverable there, and then expand. For many UK B2B firms, the immediate priority is generative search on Google, ChatGPT and Perplexity, because those are where high-intent research questions increasingly happen.
The underlying principle is unchanged: answer the user’s next question before they have to ask it. Only now you have to do it in more places.