Google still wins the volume. Your customers don’t all start there. In 2025, search is spread across AI engines, social platforms, and regional portals. If you only optimise for Google, you’ll nail rankings and miss revenue. This article shows where different audiences actually search (and how to show up for them).
Why Marketers Need To Look Beyond Google
Google’s share has softened, and user behaviour has shifted. It remains dominant, but more people are trying alternatives; often for speed, privacy, community insight, or regional relevance. Treat “search” as a set of behaviours, not a single website. Your job isn’t to be everywhere; it’s to be where your buyer already is.
Why it matters for marketers
- Different engines reward different content formats (answers vs links, video vs text, forum signals vs authority).
- Social discovery now functions like search for younger cohorts.
- AI engines prefer clear, citable explanations over keyword stuffing.
AI-Powered Search Engines
(These tools synthesise answers rather than list 10 blue links. That favours brands publishing citable explanations.)
ChatGPT Search: Conversational answers with citations
ChatGPT maintains context across turns, returns inline citations, and can surface relevant images with attribution. It’s well-suited to multi-step research where the follow-up question matters as much as the first.
Who you’re reaching & how they search
Researchers, strategists, and knowledge workers who type full questions, compare options, and expect receipts. Queries are longer, more conversational, and iterative.
Ship this
- A canonical Explain / Compare / Decide page per offer (definitions, pros/cons, decision table).
- Short, citable sections with clear labels and named sources.
What to track
- Referrals from citation links, time on page from AI-engine traffic, and assisted conversions.
Recommended Read: ChatGPT Prompts for Marketing Content
Perplexity.ai: Real-time answers with sources
Positions itself as an “answer engine”, returning synthesis with clickable citations. “Deep Research” runs multi-query sweeps and compiles a report; useful for time-sensitive topics.
Who you’re reaching & how they search
Time-poor professionals who want current answers fast and will click through to primary data.
Ship this
- Frequently updated “What changed this month?” posts in your niche.
- Executive summaries with outbound links to standards, docs, and studies.
What to track
- Crawl frequency, recency signals, new linking domains after updates.
You.com: Customisable and developer-friendly
Routes queries to suitable models and offers modes for research, creation, and computation. API options return citation-ready outputs across a wide crawl.
Who you’re reaching & how they search
Technical users and teams who want templates, workflows, and integrations.
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- Technical guides with code snippets and clear examples.
- Rich schema, strong headings, and copy blocks that are easy to quote.
What to track
- API referrals, developer forum mentions, and documentation dwell time.
Privacy-Focused Alternatives
(These users reject heavy tracking and personalisation. Win with clarity, not cookies.)
DuckDuckGo: No tracking, clean interface
Blocks trackers, doesn’t save personal data, and extends privacy with its browser features. Some results still draw on Bing’s index.
Who you’re reaching & how they search
Privacy-conscious consumers and professionals who prefer neutral, non-profiled results.
Ship this
- Evergreen explainers with transparent sources; minimal bloat; fast load.
What to track
- Direct + DuckDuckGo growth, brand queries, mentions from privacy communities.
Startpage: Google-quality results with privacy
Acts as a privacy shield to fetch Google results without passing user identifiers; it offers an “Anonymous View” proxy. EU-based and aligned with GDPR.
Who you’re reaching & how they search
Users wanting Google-level relevance without the data trade-off.
Ship this
- Tight titles and intros, precise intent matching, strong on-page fundamentals.
What to track
- Organic clicks from Startpage, branded search lift, proxy-view referral patterns.
Brave Search: Independent index
Built its own index and cut reliance on Bing; “Discussions” surfaces forum conversations that matter.
Who you’re reaching & how they search
Users who value independence from big ad networks and like community-validated answers.
Ship this
- Publish assets that earn forum citations: benchmarks, teardown posts, original research.
What to track
- Forum links, “Discussions” appearances, referral quality.
Mojeek: No tracking, experimental angles
Crawler-based, strict no-tracking stance, including an “emotion” search experiment; runs on sustainability-minded infrastructure.
Who you’re reaching & how they search
Privacy purists and early adopters exploring beyond mainstream engines.
Ship this
- Opinionated, original pieces with unique data points; fewer, better pages.
What to track
- Niche backlinks, citations from privacy/sustainability sites.
Mainstream Alternatives Still Holding Ground
Bing: Copilot and Microsoft integration
Second globally by share, with strong desktop use. Copilot brings conversational summaries; tight integration with Windows, Edge, and Microsoft 365 makes it common in workplaces.
Who you’re reaching & how they search
Office users on corporate devices, IT-managed environments, and enterprise buyers.
Ship this
- Procurement-style comparison pages (“vendor vs vendor”, “requirements checklist”).
- Rich results: FAQs, how-to schema, downloadable spec sheets.
What to track
- Bing Webmaster keyword movement, M365/Edge referral mix, corporate ASN traffic.
Yahoo: News-heavy, Bing-powered
The portal experience drives behaviour in markets like Japan and Mexico; Microsoft powers search results.
Who you’re reaching & how they search
News-led browsing habits; users click into explainers tied to current topics.
Ship this
- Timely explainers that pair with evergreen “what it means for you” resources.
What to track
- Topic-driven traffic spikes, returning visitor ratio, and dwell.
Ecosia: Eco-focused, Bing backend
Ad revenue funds tree planting; strong in parts of Europe, with transparent reporting and collaboration with Qwant for a European index offer in France.
Who you’re reaching & how they search
Values-driven users who want their clicks to have environmental impact.
Ship this
- Credible sustainability narratives with specifics and third-party proof.
What to track
- Organic traffic from eco-themed queries, referral mentions on impact sites.
Social Platforms As Search Engines
(Social discovery is now search for many users. Treat these channels like engines with their own ranking signals.)
TikTok
Short-form video, creator authority, and geo-intent make it a first stop for “where to” and “how to” among younger audiences.
Who you’re reaching & how they search
Gen Z and younger Millennials searching with natural language and location cues.
Ship this
- 20–40-second “one-intent” videos: Where to eat in [suburb], Best under-$50 skincare for acne, 3 cafés to work from in [city].
- On-screen keywords, captions, location tags; answer the query in the first 3 seconds.
What to track
- In-app search impressions, saves, profile clicks, redemptions tied to TikTok-only codes.
Visual discovery through Explore and keyworded captions; strong for lifestyle, beauty, travel, restaurants, and products.
Who you’re reaching & how they search
Visual shoppers and travellers who trust social proof over SERPs.
Ship this
- Carousel guides (“How to choose a [product] in 5 steps”) with alt text + keywords.
- Reels that answer objections; UGC highlights as social proof.
What to track
- Explore reach, non-follower discovery, link-in-bio CTR segmented by keyworded posts.
YouTube
The web’s de facto “how-to” engine and a massive product research channel.
Who you’re reaching & how they search
DIYers, technicians, and comparison shoppers who want demonstrations and step-by-step.
Ship this
- Titles phrased like queries; chapters; full transcripts; links to deeper guides.
What to track
- Avg view duration, chapter clicks, assisted conversions from video descriptions.
Communities provide peer-reviewed answers and first-hand experience.
Who you’re reaching & how they search
People who value unfiltered opinions and niche expertise.
Ship this
- Be genuinely useful. Share research, frameworks, and how-tos without pushing links.
- Publish resources others want to reference (so they link you in-thread).
What to track
- Subreddit mentions, referral traffic quality, and brand sentiment shifts.
Regional Search Engines That Matter
Baidu (China)
Dominant in China, with a full ecosystem (maps, wiki, forums). Essential for Chinese-language reach.
Who you’re reaching & how they search
Chinese-speaking users navigating within local content norms and compliance.
Ship this
- Native language pages, local hosting where appropriate, Baidu-optimised metadata.
What to track
- Baidu Webmaster data, local SERP features, regional backlinks.
Yandex (Russia & Eastern Europe)
Strong on Russian language handling; broad services beyond search.
Who you’re reaching & how they search
Users expecting precise handling of morphology and local context.
Ship this
- Native copy, local sources, Yandex Webmaster coverage; local directories and maps.
What to track
- Regional keyword movement, local review volume, map pack visibility.
Naver (South Korea)
Portal-style experience deeply tied to Naver Blog, Café, and Ads.
Who you’re reaching & how they search
Loyal local users who stay inside Naver’s network.
Ship this
- Naver-native properties and creator partnerships, not recycled Google content.
What to track
- Naver Blog/Café analytics, brand queries in Korean, creator-led referrals.
Qwant (France)
Privacy-first with EU-aligned practices and growing in-house capabilities.
Who you’re reaching & how they search
EU users valuing privacy and transparent sourcing.
Ship this
- Clarity, citations, and strong accessibility; local case studies.
What to track
- French-language discovery, EU media mentions, privacy-segment conversions.
How To Choose The Right Mix (And Prove It Works)
- Start with your audience, not the channel. Document who you’re targeting, what they search for, and where they prefer to search.
- Map intent to engine. Compare the same query across AI engines, social platforms, and traditional SERPs. Note what “wins” and why.
- Design for answers. Build explainers, comparisons, and checklists that AI engines can cite; package short-form video answers for social search.
- Instrument everything. Use GA4 source/medium, Bing Webmaster Tools, UTM frameworks, and platform analytics to attribute non-Google discovery. Segment by engine to track ROI.
Make Your Marketing Count
Search isn’t a single channel anymore, and that’s good news. When you align content to where your audience actually searches and how they make decisions there, results compound.
At Digital Nomads HQ, we build search strategies that work across Google, AI engines, and social discovery, so your brand shows up, gets chosen, and proves ROI. If you’re ready to make every click count, we’re here to help.
