Search behavior isn’t what it used to be—and if your SEO strategy hasn’t kept up, you could be missing out on a huge chunk of potential customers. From the way people type queries (keywords/questions into Google) to the tools they use to find answers, the landscape is shifting fast.
Two trends stand out right now: the rise of longer, more conversational searches and the growing use of AI-powered search features—especially among Gen Z.
Let’s break it down.
How is Search Behavior Changing in 2025?
Search behavior is rapidly changing. Gen Z is reshaping search by embracing AI tools and social platforms, as trust in AI rises and search patterns fragment by generation and purpose.
A full research study done by Claneo showed some interesting findings for 2025:
- Search is getting more specialized, with platform choice driven by the type and complexity of the query.
- For simple searches, 47% use search engines; 28% use AI chatbots and 23% use AI search.
- But for complex information, search engines drop to 36%; 27% use AI chatbots and 21% use AI search.
- Gen Z favors platforms like YouTube (68%), Instagram (65%), and TikTok (58%) over search engines like Google.
What does this mean for SEO? It actually means it’s more important than EVER, but we need to ensure our strategy is robust, multi-platform, and adapting.
We analyzed the recent data and have the breakdown of what’s happening so you can adjust your 2025/2026 marketing strategy.
People Are Searching in Full Sentences
Searches with five or more words are growing 1.5x faster than shorter queries.
Users are no longer typing short, choppy keywords like “best running shoes”. They’re asking full, natural-sounding questions like:
“What are the best running shoes for flat feet and knee pain?”
“Where can I buy eco-friendly running shoes near me?”
And – they aren’t only using a keyboard to do this. Around 10% of Gen Z search journeys now begin with AI-powered features like voice search or image search.
In fact, Gen Z Is Skipping the Search Bar Entirely
Gen Z (aged 18–24) is the fastest-growing group of searchers—but they’re not always starting with a Google search box.
Aside from using image or voice search more often, Google Lens is booming—and 1 in 5 Lens searches now carries commercial intent. Meaning, 1 in 5 folks using lens search are ready to buy something.
What this means for your business:
If your SEO only caters to traditional, text-based searches, you’re leaving money on the table.
People are using their phone camera to shop, compare, and buy directly from visual search results. Youtube and TikTok are driving searches alongside Google and now Google is indexing more social media content.
To reach a growing multi-modal search audience, you should definitely be implementing all of the following strategies.
All SEO and ADA Best Practices Still Apply
As usual, optimize images with descriptive file names and alt text. Of course, this is an SEO standard and no-brainer. Especially since this is extremely important for accessibility and ADA compliance. Explaining what an image is on the page helps visually impaired folks use screen readers to better understand your content. Same goes for semantic and ordered HTML. Your page structure matters from both an SEO and an ADA standpoint. An SEO tech audit can help you understand if your website is meeting these requirements. This is especially important in government, finance, or law. These websites need to be ADA compliant.
Use structured data to help Google understand your products and visuals.
Schema markup can help search engines understand what your site is about. If you have an FAQ page, use FAQ schema. For video assets, ensure the proper structured data is added so the video can be indexed by Google and used or seen on search engines. Understanding the back-end details of SEO is going to be even more important moving forward in an AI-focused world.
Create content that works well for voice and image queries.
Content needs to answer longer, more precise questions.
AI search uses things like fan-out query to give deeper answers and dive more into topics. So, the more in-depth your content is, the better chance you have of showing up when folks ask questions around your target topic for that piece of content.
A well-rounded content strategy will map your keywords and your customer journey, understanding questions your potential customers ask as well as the search intent behind what they type, speak (or input with their camera) into Google.
Use a robust cross-platform content strategy.
If you haven’t noticed, Google is now indexing full instagram posts. What used to be just a profile, can now be an actual post.
Meta confirmed in July 2025 that Instagram content from professional accounts is now indexed by Google. Meaning, you can create an Instagram post and it can show up in Google search if the post matches the intent. It’s time to consider social media as an actual SEO result and align your strategies once and for all if you haven’t already.
Does Your Strategy Align with Search Behavior Changes?
Search has not been “just keywords” for a long time, but now it’s more important than every to understand this. It’s about understanding how, where, and why people search, then showing up in the right format on the right platform.
From conversational queries to AI-powered tools and social-first search, the brands that adapt now will win later.
At Well Optimized SEO, we help businesses build future-proof, multi-platform strategies that work in today’s changing search landscape. If you’re ready to reach your audience wherever they’re searching and turn those searches into leads, book a call with us today and let’s make it happen.
