With the Rise of AI and Social Media-Driven Search, How Can Businesses Adapt Their SEO Strategies? – entrepreneur.com
Copyright © 2025 Entrepreneur Media, LLC All rights reserved. Entrepreneur® and its related marks are registered trademarks of Entrepreneur Media LLC
By Rachel Sterling Edited by Micah Zimmerman
Share
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
We’re witnessing a pivotal moment in the evolution of search. Search engine optimization (SEO) has become more complex and dynamic than ever as Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) and other AI-powered summary tools become the face of the search experience.
With the rise of AI and social media platforms as primary search channels, traditional SEO tactics are falling short. If AI summaries become the new gatekeepers of online discovery, your brand’s visibility depends on more than just ranking on page one. You’ll need to optimize for how these algorithms synthesize, repurpose and favor content. That means prioritizing credibility, clarity and domain relevance.
In this regard, 2025 is shaping up to be a turning point. As the SEO landscape shifts, brands need to rethink everything from their domain strategy to their presence in AI-generated search results to stay competitive. Ultimately, if your brand isn’t seen as a clear expert in your field, you risk becoming invisible online.
As AI-driven search continues to evolve, brands will face a choice: Invest in more intelligent, AI-optimized SEO or become increasingly overlooked in search results. Brands are confronting heightened competition for limited visibility within AI-generated results. In response, forward-thinking brands are approaching AI search as a distinct optimization channel.
This approach requires updating the website structure and content to align with how AI systems parse information. As a result, brands will want to make fresh content part of their SEO strategy. This involves regularly updating cornerstone pages, refreshing stats and maintaining an active publishing cadence because AI craves relevance and recency. On the technical side, they’ll also need to invest in optimizing their sites with structured data, schema markup and clear metadata to make content easier for AI models to understand, surface and cite.
One of the easiest ways to stand out in AI-generated search is by leveraging a strategic domain name. In an AI-powered ecosystem, short, descriptive and memorable domains can provide an edge by standing out, signaling relevance and credibility to both prospective customers and algorithms.
By adopting a domain closely aligned with the interests of your target audience, you’re helping generative AI search better identify the purpose of your website, while strengthening the authority and clarity of your services for AI.
Today, social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram are channels where people — especially Gen Z — begin their search journeys. Why? They want to see a product, hear about it and watch someone use it.
To meet this increase in social search, work to align your SEO, marketing and social media strategies around shared messaging and content. Starting this July, Instagram will allow public posts to be indexed by search engines. Brands that treat social media content as a standalone channel, separate from SEO, may miss out on this discoverability opportunity. An integrated, cross-platform strategy reinforces your authority across all discovery channels, AI included.
But here’s the wildcard: with more discussion around regulation and algorithm shifts, social media platforms are also becoming increasingly unpredictable. So what happens if platforms get banned for certain users or decline in popularity? Will more consumers default back to Google and Amazon? The answer isn’t clear, but one thing is: Those that align and optimize for visibility across all search channels will be better positioned for success.
At its core, SEO has always centered around making your brand easier to discover. But in this new age of AI and social-driven discovery, clarity, credibility and relevance matter more than ever.
That’s why businesses need to treat their digital identity and everything it touches — including their domain, content and brand messaging — as a holistic ecosystem. Your domain name should reflect who you are. Your content should prove what you know. And your online presence should signal relevance, credibility and authority to machines and humans alike.
The brands that thrive in this new search era will be the ones that adapt quickly, invest smartly and make their digital identities crystal clear.
We’re witnessing a pivotal moment in the evolution of search. Search engine optimization (SEO) has become more complex and dynamic than ever as Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) and other AI-powered summary tools become the face of the search experience.
With the rise of AI and social media platforms as primary search channels, traditional SEO tactics are falling short. If AI summaries become the new gatekeepers of online discovery, your brand’s visibility depends on more than just ranking on page one. You’ll need to optimize for how these algorithms synthesize, repurpose and favor content. That means prioritizing credibility, clarity and domain relevance.
In this regard, 2025 is shaping up to be a turning point. As the SEO landscape shifts, brands need to rethink everything from their domain strategy to their presence in AI-generated search results to stay competitive. Ultimately, if your brand isn’t seen as a clear expert in your field, you risk becoming invisible online.
The rest of this article is locked.
Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.
Already have an account? Sign In
Entrepreneur Leadership Network® Contributor
Chief Marketing Officer
Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.
Knowing exactly what the chief executive's role entails is critical for steering a company to success.
Your business isn't stuck — you're just asking the wrong questions.
Nikki Seaman began work on her business when the pandemic led to grocery store shutdowns.
Autopilot stores aren't just income streams. They are passports to freedom, flexibility and finally working and living on your own terms.
We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.
Despite all the tools promising speed and efficiency, most companies are working harder and getting less done. The culprit isn't the technology; it's how we use it.
Successfully copied link
We'll be in your inbox every morning Monday-Saturday with all the day’s top business news, inspiring stories, best advice and exclusive reporting from Entrepreneur.
Copyright © 2025 Entrepreneur Media, LLC All rights reserved. Entrepreneur® and its related marks are registered trademarks of Entrepreneur Media LLC
