The standards of search optimisation have risen. Search is no longer confined to traditional engines like Google. Today, platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Amazon are redefining how consumers discover brands and their products.
Unlike traditional SEO, which primarily focuses on search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing, a multi-platform approach recognises that users are increasingly turning to social media and e-commerce platforms for their searches. Whether browsing YouTube for product reviews, scrolling through TikTok for recommendations, or tapping into Instagram for inspiration, a cohesive multi-platform strategy is key to reaching today’s consumer across all channels.
This approach ensures any brand or content remains widely visible, aligning with the search behaviours and unique algorithms of various platforms. It is optimising content for visibility across multiple digital platforms, ensuring discoverability wherever your audience is searching.
A Shift Towards Alternative Search Platforms
Social platforms have emerged as powerful search tools in their own right with 74% of Gen Z now using TikTok as a preferred search engine, to discover new products, travel recommendations, and tutorials.
Video content, particularly short-form, has surged in popularity in recent years. Brands have begun to adapt to this shift by directing their focus on creating engaging, ‘shareable’ videos that are optimised for both search and discovery.
E-commerce platforms like Amazon are also becoming increasingly popular as search engines, with users searching directly within these platforms for products. To ensure a listing is fully optimised, a product must incorporate strategic keywords, high-quality images, and detailed descriptions to improve search rankings within the platform.
The rise of these alternative search platforms means expanding efforts to optimise content in ways that accommodate the specific dynamics of each platform. For example, TikTok’s algorithm rewards trending, engaging content, while Instagram relies heavily on appealing visuals and relevant hashtags, and YouTube requires keyword-rich titles and descriptions to increase visibility. Becoming aware of these specificities is essential to remain relevant and reach audiences across a variety of search platforms.
Creating Coherence Across Platforms
Mastering multi-platform SEO isn’t just about broadening reach, it also has a direct impact on strengthening overall SEO performance. By creating a stream of interconnected content across multiple channels, businesses can drive traffic back to their core platforms, boost engagement, and generate valuable backlinks.
For example, a brand that maintains a consistent presence on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok can leverage each platform’s unique strengths to funnel users back to its primary website or e-commerce store. In doing so, they not only increase visibility but also create more opportunities for conversion.
Adapting to Ever-Changing Algorithms
One of the key challenges of multi-platform SEO is anticipating and adapting to ever-evolving algorithms that drive each platform. While keyword optimisation is the foundation of Google’s SEO, social platforms prioritise engagement metrics such as likes, shares, comments, and views.
Given this, a successful multi-platform SEO strategy requires thoughtful content customisation. Each platform has its own distinct style, with TikTok thriving on fast-paced, short-form content, while YouTube users value in-depth, long-form videos. However, this doesn’t mean businesses need to create entirely new content for each platform. Instead, they can repurpose and tailor the content to adapt to the format and requirements of each channel, all whilst maintaining consistency in their overall branding.
Understanding and tailoring content for each platform ensures a brand maintains a strong presence, regardless of how consumers are searching. With algorithms constantly evolving and social media platforms becoming increasingly popular, the question is no longer whether a brand needs multi-platform strategy, but how effectively they’re implementing one.