How to Stay Visible as Search Behaviour Changes
Search behaviour is changing quickly. Customers are still looking for products, services and answers, but they are no longer relying on one route to find them. AI tools, social platforms and traditional search engines now work alongside each other, creating a more fragmented discovery journey for growing businesses.
In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions by Cynergy Bank, Rick Talbot, Director at Totally Digital, explains what is changing in search, why SEO for scale-ups still matters and how businesses can protect organic visibility as AI search becomes more common.
Key takeaways:
Understand that search visibility now depends on a wider mix of channels, not just Google.
Recognise that strong SEO foundations remain essential, even as AI search develops.
Build content around user intent and the specific questions customers are asking.
Use consistency, authority and adaptability to support long-term search performance.
Search is changing, but the fundamentals still apply
New tools may be changing how people interact with search, but the underlying principles remain familiar. Search platforms still need to understand what a business offers, assess whether it is credible and decide if it is relevant to the user.
Good AI visibility is basically just good SEO.
Rick Talbot
Rick explains that AI platforms still rely heavily on search in the background. The interface may be changing, but businesses still need to make sure they can be found, understood and trusted when customers search for what they do.
For scale-ups, this means visibility is no longer just about ranking first. It is about being recognised as a useful, relevant and credible source across the places customers use to research, compare and make decisions.
Visibility is no longer concentrated in one place
Customers are still using search engines at scale, but they are also exploring social platforms, forums and AI tools depending on their needs. In many cases, they are looking for recommendations, reviews and real-world discussion rather than branded content alone.
This shift means businesses need to take a broader approach to organic visibility. Understanding where customers are searching, what questions they are asking and which sources they trust is becoming essential. Conversations happening on external platforms can influence how a brand is perceived and whether it is surfaced in search results or AI-generated answers.
Relying too heavily on a single channel, particularly paid acquisition, can leave businesses exposed. As behaviours shift, visibility can drop quickly without strong organic support and a clear understanding of where audiences are spending time.
Build content around what customers are actually searching for
Customers are becoming more specific in how they search, especially when using AI tools. They expect answers that reflect their exact situation, which creates an opportunity for businesses to develop more targeted content that answers real questions.
You really need to understand what people are searching for, get into the mind of your customers and understand that they might not search for it how you think that they would search for it.
Rick Talbot
Instead of focusing only on high-level keywords, content should reflect how customers describe their needs. A business may think in product categories, but customers often search by use case, problem or context. The more clearly a page answers those specific needs, the easier it becomes for search platforms to understand when that content is relevant.
Structure also matters. Search platforms increasingly extract information directly, so content needs to be clear, focused and easy to interpret. The shift is simple. Move from trying to rank to genuinely helping the user.
Strong SEO foundations still outperform short-term tactics
Despite rapid change, the fundamentals remain the most reliable way to improve visibility. Technical performance, quality content and authority continue to underpin search performance.
If a website cannot be accessed or understood by search platforms, it will not appear, regardless of how strong the business is. Rick gives the example of a company that launched a new website while accidentally blocking Google from accessing it. The result was a sharp drop in traffic and the business not appearing even when people searched for its own name.
Authority is becoming more important too. External signals such as reviews, awards, accreditations, industry mentions and trusted publications help build confidence with both users and platforms.
Get your own house in order. Make sure you’ve fully described everything possible that you can give to the user with your products or service.
Rick Talbot
New tactics will continue to emerge, but they can change quickly. Businesses that prioritise strong foundations are better equipped to adapt as search evolves and avoid chasing short-term techniques that may not last.
Consistency and adaptability create a competitive advantage
Search performance is not built through one-off activity. The businesses that do well are usually those that keep improving, monitor what is changing and make search part of their wider digital marketing strategy.
For scale-ups, this means regularly reviewing performance, refreshing content, strengthening authority signals and making sure the website continues to reflect what customers need. SEO is a long-term play, but consistency helps businesses stay visible as channels, formats and customer expectations change.
A final thought for scaling leaders
Search is not disappearing, but the way customers discover and evaluate businesses is becoming more complex. The organisations best placed to succeed will be those that understand their audience, create genuinely useful content and keep their SEO foundations strong.
With the right approach, scale-ups can stay discoverable across search engines, AI tools and the wider digital spaces where customers are making decisions.
