discuss Stop Focusing On Google, It’s Time to Focus On Being Visible

[Cpvr]

Remember when “Just Google it” was the solution to all your search needs? Unfortunately, those days are changing fast.

While Google remains the king of search, the ground beneath its feet is shifting as brands, marketers, and end users are noticing that there are some new sheriffs in town.

The search ecosystem that puts all your eggs in the Google basket might not be a wise move anymore.

Today’s search landscape isn’t just about algorithm updates and being visible on Google. It’s about recognizing that your audience exists across multiple touchpoints from traditional search engines, i.e., from Bing and Google to AI chatbots, from social platforms to specialized marketplaces like Amazon, etc.

The businesses that thrive won’t be the ones waiting to see what happens; they will be the pioneers already establishing a strong presence across this expanding universe of search.

Google Still Dominates, But It Is Being Challenged​

Google is facing some competition.

StatCounter shows Google’s global search share dropped below 90% and remained there throughout the last quarter of 2024, marking the first such decline in nearly a decade.

This shift coincides with significant legal headwinds.

In 2025, Google faces multiple antitrust challenges, with a judge recently finding that Google has a monopoly in search and has acted to maintain it.

These legal troubles might cause Google to change its business practices and may have an impact on its market dominance, allowing other social and AI platforms to capture more of Google’s market share.

This does not mean that Google is going down; it just signifies that Google is no longer the only game in town, and therefore relying on Google only could be increasingly risky.

For example, if you’re an ecommerce retailer that generates 60-80% of your traffic from Google and your site experiences a temporary drop in visibility during a core update for creating AI content, you would be in big trouble.

If your marketing strategy does not have any alternative traffic sources, your revenue could potentially decrease by 40% or more in a matter of weeks.

Meanwhile, if your competitors have diversified their digital presence across multiple platforms, including AI shopping assistants and social commerce channels, they might experience only minor fluctuations in their traffic and sales.

It’s An Omnichannel World​

Your audience does not think in terms of platforms; they think in terms of their needs.

For example, a user might ask ChatGPT for information on sustainable materials, browse Instagram for some home design inspiration, check Amazon for product comparisons, and then Google specific brands before making a purchase.

This changing customer journey means that businesses must be acutely aware of where their traffic originates and how much traffic comes from various sources.

The days of relying on and checking only your Google Analytics for Google traffic are over.

In order to succeed, you must have a holistic view of your visibility across the entire digital landscape.

For example, my friend Claudia has an outdated kitchen and is looking to get a new one after 20 years of living in her home with her family.

Here is what Claudia’s journey looked like in this new ecosystem:

• Claudia started out by going to ChatGPT and typing in “best kitchen design brands,” and found some information mentioning several designer brands.
• Since the intent behind kitchen design is image-based, Claudia then searches on Pinterest for visual inspiration, and saves some images from the designer brands that she found in ChatGPT.
• Claudia then looks to Reddit to gather feedback about specific brands and learn from others’ experiences.
• She checks YouTube for installation tutorials but decides she needs a professional.
• Claudia then Googles local contractors with high ratings and reviews, contacts one of them, and gets a quote.

Screenshot from ChatGPT, April 2025
Now, if you’re a business that is only focused on Google, guess what? You would not gain Claudia and other clients because you would miss multiple touchpoints in their user journey, as she searched on different channels and platforms. You must have content that enforces your brand at every stage.

Don’t Fall Behind​

The time is now to adopt an omnichannel strategy, stay ahead of trends, experiment with different platforms, and maintain a strong performance on established channels like Google so we won’t be left behind.

Imagine if the following scenarios were to occur; what would happen to your business?

• A loss of 30% of your traffic overnight.
• You’re not finding where your customers are spending time before they make purchase decisions.
• You’re not visible on ChatGPT, Bing, YouTube, Reddit, etc.

One of the brands I consulted with in the financial industry noticed that searches about retirement planning were being asked for on AI platforms and in Google.

Source: https://www.searchenginejournal.com...le-its-time-to-focus-on-being-visible/545453/

 

[Shawn]

It's time to focus on branding.

Build a brand. Develop brand loyalty. Work your ass off to keep your followers loyal and obsessed with you. Reap the rewards for all that hard work.

Now is more important than ever to start building a mailing list. Then create a community and convert your subscribers to join (or pay to join) your community. After that, work on giving them everything they've ever wanted, whether it is free or you're selling to them.

AI and algorithms can't breach your mailing list and community, yet.

 

[Cpvr]

It's time to focus on branding.

Build a brand. Develop brand loyalty. Work your ass off to keep your followers loyal and obsessed with you. Reap the rewards for all that hard work.

Now is more important than ever to start building a mailing list. Then create a community and convert your subscribers to join (or pay to join) your community. After that, work on giving them everything they've ever wanted, whether it is free or you're selling to them.

AI and algorithms can't breach your mailing list and community, yet.

Focusing on your brand goes hand-in-hand with building an internet presence as well. You can build a stronger brand name while making it known across the web. If you see people discussing things related to your niche, answer those questions and plug your site as long as it’s not spammy. That kind of engagement will lead to better results across ask/answer engines.

This approach especially helps if you’re not looking to build a newsletter. It opens the door to future success on social media and various other websites. Once your name is established, people will recognize you for who you are and start gravitating toward your projects based on your work and expertise.

It’s not just important, it’s vital and critical when it comes to setting yourself up for success in the ask/answer space.

Reddit, Threads, Bluesky, Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook are all great platforms to build that presence especially if you’re a digital marketer. That’s what search engines are paying attention to, a well-known brand that shows up consistently. The more recognizable your name is, the better your results will be across rankings and the internet as a whole.

It’s more important than a newsletter because you’re making moves across the open web, not locked behind an email list.

 

[Shawn]

Reddit, Threads, Bluesky, Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook are all great platforms to build that presence especially if you’re a digital marketer. That’s what search engines are paying attention to, a well-known brand that shows up consistently. The more recognizable your name is, the better your results will be across rankings and the internet as a whole.

It’s more important than a newsletter because you’re making moves across the open web, not locked behind an email list.

Oh I definitely agree social media is an important marketing channel.

If it wasn't for social, my hiking brand would be no where it's size. But I still feel that building an email list is critical. Social media is something you should choose but it's also something you can lose at any time without notice. It's rented space.

With a mailing list, you have access to your contacts. You OWN that.

 

[Cpvr]

Oh I definitely agree social media is an important marketing channel.

If it wasn't for social, my hiking brand would be no where it's size. But I still feel that building an email list is critical. Social media is something you should choose but it's also something you can lose at any time without notice. It's rented space.

With a mailing list, you have access to your contacts. You OWN that.

That's correct, you also own an email list if you run a forum. Building an email list and user base is vital. Sure, some users don’t check their emails, but that’s why it’s critical to make your content valuable, something worth opening.


Everything’s rented space if you’re not the actual owner, especially social media. When you build on Facebook, Medium, Tumblr, Reddit, whatever, you're handing power over to companies that own those platforms. You don’t control anything there. You’re just helping them grow while they use you. Even if they pay you, which is why it's a good idea to funnel that traffic back to your channels.


The key is to leverage that traffic and push it toward your own channels, which is why it's a good idea to use their platforms to feed yours.


Pay for ads, post your links, whatever works and drive people into your ecosystem. Yeah, you might lose some short-term traffic here and there, but that’s the trade-off. You stay in control. That’s your power. Especially when you have discussions going on, feed your links onto those posts, pin your links at the top of those discussions. That's how you feed your own ecosystems. You're winning in the long term and keeping your system strong at the same time. You're also being visibility at the same time, while not relying on the platforms.


If Facebook disappeared tomorrow, or any of those platforms went down, everything you built on them is gone. I’m not saying don’t build there, I’m saying make sure that traffic is always coming back to your space. When you own the platform, you don’t lose.

 

[Reelz]

To be honest, this topic is an eye opener and it has further boosted my morale to diversify my effort beyond Google and make sure that I build a strong brand and strong community. This is neccesary because the search landscape is really evolving.

 

[Yama]

Ranking on Google is also a method to build your brand and build visibility. Google is still the most used platform to find authentic information, and if you managed to appear on result page, you have improved your visibility. But it is not necessary to be too depended on Google alone.

 

[Shawn]

I think it's also a good idea to figure out some way to get into video.

YouTube is the second largest search engine online and it's owned by Google of course. Right now, it's still working like a traditional search engine where you get results-based pages. Google is doing that still but it's also relying more on AI to give you an answer rather than you clicking a link.

I knew that was going to happen. AI will hurt your SEO in some way. You just have to adapt and getting on YouTube is a way of doing that.

Who here is on YouTube actively creating?

 

[MamaFrankie]

I hate Google. Greedy billionaire corporate.