Did you know you might miss out on opportunities by focusing solely on Google-first SEO?
While Google continues to dominate the search landscape, it’s essential to recognise the growing significance of other search engines and, increasingly, how people are bypassing traditional search engines altogether.In Summary:
- Google’s grip is loosening – Its market share has dropped to 83.5%, and nearly 40% of young people now skip it entirely, heading straight to ChatGPT or Perplexity instead.
- AI answers are killing clicks – Around 77-92% of AI search results don’t lead to website visits, but being the recognised brand in those answers still influences decisions.
- Each platform has its quirks – Bing favours social signals and older domains, DuckDuckGo prioritises security, whilst AI platforms prefer brands with strong authority and original content.
- Generic content is dead – AI can handle basic explainers, so what matters now is genuinely useful stuff: original research, detailed case studies, and expertise only you can provide.
The Search Landscape is Fragmenting
As of April 2025, Google’s share of the global search engine market has decreased to 83.5%, down from 91.7% in April 2012. In contrast, Bing’s market share has risen to 9.5%, and DuckDuckGo has grown to 3.2%.
But here’s what’s more significant: research from HubSpot shows that 31% of Gen Z now use AI chatbots to find information, and almost 40% of young people don’t start with Google when searching for something. They’re asking ChatGPT for recommendations, using Google’s AI Mode, and getting answers from Perplexity.
This means your visibility strategy needs to work across traditional search engines AND the AI systems that are increasingly answering questions directly.
Growth beyond Google
Bing & Yahoo
Bing and Yahoo remain significant players, especially in the U.S., with 24.2% market share. Bing powers Yahoo’s search, so optimising for Bing effectively covers both platforms.
Bing has been proactive in integrating AI into its search algorithms. Notably, it adopted BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) as a ranking factor before Google did, and on a larger scale. More recently, Bing has integrated ChatGPT-powered search features, putting AI-generated answers front and centre.
Key differences in Bing’s ranking factors include:
- Domain Age and Type: Bing places greater importance on a website’s age and type, often favouring government and educational sites.
- Local Search: Bing tends to favour small businesses in local searches, aligning with users’ intent to find local services.
- Social Signals: Bing integrates social signals more deeply than Google, considering factors such as Facebook reviews and content-sharing patterns.
- Browser Compatibility: Bing’s search performs consistently across all browsers, whereas Google’s optimisation can sometimes be Chrome-centric.
What this means for AI visibility: Research from SE Ranking found that sites with strong social signals and clear local business information are more likely to be cited by AI systems. Optimising for Bing’s priorities naturally supports visibility in AI-generated answers.
DuckDuckGo
In an era of heightened privacy concerns, DuckDuckGo has positioned itself as a secure alternative by not collecting or storing personal information.
The platform’s usage has seen significant growth:
- 2019: 15.08 billion searches
- 2021: 35.30 billion searches
- 2024: Over 50 billion searches
DuckDuckGo’s ranking factors emphasise:
- Location Cues: Because user tracking is absent, incorporating location-specific information in your content and site listings is vital.
- Quality Backlinks: High-quality backlinks remain a significant factor in achieving higher rankings.
- Site Security: Ensuring your website is secure, with no mixed content or outdated maintenance, is crucial.
DuckDuckGo has also launched DuckDuckGo AI Chat, allowing users to interact with various AI models (including GPT-4o, Claude 3, and others) privately. This positions DuckDuckGo at the intersection of privacy-focused search and AI-powered answers.
Ecosia: The Eco-Friendly Search Engine
While smaller in market share, Ecosia is significantly impacting sustainability and changing user search habits.
Founded in 2009, Ecosia uses the profits it earns from search ads to plant trees in biodiversity hotspots worldwide. As of May 2025, Ecosia has planted over 200 million trees, supporting reforestation projects across 35+ countries.
Why consider Ecosia in your SEO strategy?
Although Bing powers it, Ecosia appeals to a values-driven audience—especially Gen Z and Millennials, who prioritise ethical, environmentally responsible tech.
Key considerations for Ecosia:
- Same search results as Bing: Since Ecosia uses Bing’s search index, optimising for Bing also supports visibility on Ecosia.
- Eco-conscious audience: If your brand focuses on sustainability, ethical practices, or social good, being discoverable via Ecosia may reinforce your values alignment with users.
- Browser extension & default search options: Ecosia is often set as the default search engine with millions of installs, especially in purpose-driven workplaces and educational settings.
By including Ecosia in your search engine awareness, you don’t just increase reach – you show your brand is conscious of its impact, and tuned into emerging user behaviours.
The Rise of AI-First Search Platforms
Perplexity
Perplexity has emerged as a significant AI-first search platform, directly competing with Google by providing conversational, cited answers. Unlike ChatGPT (which has a knowledge cutoff), Perplexity searches the web in real-time and provides sourced answers with inline citations.
Analysis from Amsive/Profound tracking brand visibility across AI platforms found that the brands appearing most frequently in Perplexity results are those with:
- Strong domain authority and backlink profiles
- Clear entity recognition (comprehensive schema markup)
- Original, authoritative content that demonstrates expertise
- Regular mentions on industry authority sites
ChatGPT Search
OpenAI launched ChatGPT Search in 2024, allowing the AI to search the web and provide current information with citations. Early analysis suggests that recognised brands with established authority are cited far more frequently than unknown sources.
Critically, research shows that ChatGPT mentions brands differently: Wikipedia is cited three times more often than it is mentioned in answers, whilst YouTube is mentioned 250% more often than it is cited.
Being mentioned in the answer itself (not just buried in citations) is far more valuable because that’s what users actually read and remember.
Google's AI Mode
Google’s own AI Mode represents the search giant’s response to AI-first competitors. Research from Semrush found that 92-94% of AI Mode sessions result in zero clicks to external websites.
User behaviour studies show that people spend 52-77 seconds reading AI-generated answers but rarely click through to sources. Yet they trust these answers highly – research found 4.3 out of 5 trust scores – and make decisions based on them.
What this means: brand authority now influences decisions without necessarily driving clicks. When your brand is the one users recognise in AI-generated answers, you influence their choices even without website visits.
Optimising for AI Discovery Across All Platforms
Focus on Additive Content, Not Just Evergreen
Wikipedia lost 90 million visits between February and October 2025 as AI systems started answering questions directly. Why? Because evergreen content (basic definitions, generic how-tos, established facts) is now a commodity, AI can provide those answers instantly.
What’s gaining value is additive content: original research and proprietary data, detailed case studies with specific outcomes, expert analysis based on real experience, and practical guides reflecting actual implementation knowledge. If ChatGPT could write your content without your specific expertise, it’s not valuable enough.
Build Brand Authority Signals
All platforms – traditional search engines and AI systems – favour authoritative brands. This means:
- Earn quality backlinks from trusted sources in your industry. Research shows these signals are authoritative to both search engines and AI systems.
- Implement comprehensive schema markup so systems clearly understand who you are, what you’re an expert at, and how your content relates to broader topics. Clear entity recognition matters enormously.
- Build a consistent presence across platforms. Use the same NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information everywhere. Inconsistency confuses both search engines and AI entity recognition.
- Get mentioned on industry authority sites, even without links. Brand mentions help AI systems understand your expertise and authority.
Optimise for How People Actually Search
Different platforms favour different signals:
- Google: Still rewards comprehensive content, strong backlink profiles, positive user signals, and brand authority
- Bing: Places additional emphasis on social signals, domain age, and local business information
- DuckDuckGo: Prioritises site security, quality backlinks, and location-specific information
- AI platforms (ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Mode): Favour clear entity signals, structured data, authoritative sources, and original content
The good news? Strong foundational SEO-quality content, clear site structure, comprehensive schema, excellent user experience – benefits all platforms. You don’t need entirely separate strategies, just awareness of where emphasis differs.
Track Visibility Across Platforms
Monitor your presence beyond just Google:
- Traditional search engines: Track rankings in Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo using tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs
- AI platforms: Tools like Profound can track your brand mentions in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI systems
- Brand search trends: Watch for growth in branded searches and direct traffic – often indicates discovery through AI answers
- Citation vs mention rates: Are you just being cited (buried in footnotes) or actually mentioned in AI-generated answers?
The Zero-Click Reality
Here’s what you need to understand about the current landscape: 77.6% of AI Mode sessions result in zero external clicks. Users spend significant time reading AI-generated answers but rarely click through to sources.
Does this make visibility worthless? No – it makes brand authority more valuable than ever.
Research on user behaviour found that recognised brands were consistently chosen in decision-making tasks, even when other alternatives were equally presented. Brand familiarity drives choices even without clicks.
Your goal isn’t just traffic anymore – it’s influence. When your brand is the one users recognise and trust in AI-generated answers across any platform, you influence their decisions even without website visits.
Diversifying your visibility strategy isn't optional
Strong foundational work, authoritative content, clear entity signals, comprehensive schema, and quality backlinks benefit all platforms.
Focus on building genuine brand authority through original expertise, and you’ll be positioned for visibility regardless of where your audience searches.