Search everywhere: What place marketers can do in the age of AI?
The era of opening browsers, typing keywords and starting the online experience on Google has begun is ending.
Search in 2025 has evolved into something far more sophisticated and, frankly, more challenging for place branding and marketing organisations trying to get noticed. Today's search experience is conversational, contextual, and happening just about everywhere – traditional search, large language models, chat forums and across social media.
This evolution requires new strategies for places to remain visible and relevant to executives and talent. Actionable steps to take include:
Structuring content for AI consumption with updated, well-sourced information
Targeting high-intent keywords as AI discovery still drives traditional search
Adding FAQ sections for AI-friendly content formats
Prioritizing updates to existing content over constant new creation
Optimizing for three new search optimization pillars: AEO, GEO, and SXO
We break it down below.
How search has transformed
Here is what we know about how search has fundamentally changed. It is no longer just about matching keywords to content. AI now interprets intent, delivers personalized results, and increasingly provides answers without requiring users to visit websites at all.
The numbers tell the story. Zero-click searches—where users get their answers directly in search results—now account for 60% of all queries. Meanwhile, 41% of Gen Z bypass traditional search engines entirely, starting their research on social platforms instead.
When a potential investor searches for "best locations for tech startups," or a software engineer researches "cities with best work-life balance," they might get their answer from an AI overview that summarizes multiple sources, or from a LinkedIn discussion thread, or from a TikTok video—without ever visiting your carefully optimized website.
Paid search faces similar disruption. AI-generated summaries now dominate the top of search results, pushing traditional ads below the fold. This creates a double challenge: increased competition for fewer visible ad spots (driving up costs) and audience fragmentation as searches spread across multiple platforms.
The response isn't to abandon paid advertising, but to be smarter about where and how you deploy it. This means combining AI-driven bid automation with human creativity in ad copy, while focusing on platforms where your target audience actually conducts research.
For place marketing organisations, this often means expanding beyond Google Ads to include LinkedIn's sophisticated targeting capabilities, Reddit's community-driven discussions, and even emerging platforms where business decision-makers and international talent are increasingly active.
Search optimisation in the AI-era
To stay relevant, place marketing organisations need to think beyond traditional SEO and embrace complementary strategies.
One of those is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), the practice of formatting your content so that AI tools and search engines can easily understand and cite it when answering questions. The goal is to have your information featured as a trusted source in AI-generated responses.
Another is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), which aims to establish your organisation as a go-to expert for AI-generated content. This involves producing thorough, credible, and well-documented resources that AI systems will consistently reference as authoritative.
While traditional SEO focuses on ranking higher in search results by optimizing for algorithms—using keywords, backlinks, and site performance—AEO and GEO align your content with how AI tools consume, interpret, and generate information. Instead of just improving visibility in search, these strategies position your organisation as a trusted source in machine-generated answers.
It’s important to note that achieving top search rankings with traditional SEO often lays the foundation for AEO and GEO success. Content that earns high organic positions is already well-optimized for quality, relevance, and authority—the same factors that AI-driven answer engines prioritize when citing and summarizing information.
In other words, if you’re excelling at SEO, you are better positioned to have your content excerpted in answer boxes, featured snippets, and AI-generated responses, giving you visibility not just to searchers, but to the intelligent engines shaping user journeys today.
Practical steps for place marketing teams
Making the transition to “search everywhere marketing” doesn't require a complete overhaul of your existing strategy. As we’ve just noted, many of the best practices that worked before are fundamentally still driving results now. However, taking the next step requires some focused adjustments.
Structure content for AI consumption with updated, well-sourced information. Use clear headers, bullet points, trusted original sources, and Q&A formats that AI tools can easily parse and reference. When creating content about your location's advantages, think about how an AI would summarize your key points.
Continue targeting high-intent keywords strategically. While AI increasingly handles “discovery” searches that used to be done on Google, people still use traditional search when they're ready to take action. Keywords like "invest in [location]," "relocate to [city]," or "[industry] incentives [region]" remain valuable as they capture users in transaction mode rather than research phase. Is your place ranking near the top for those?
Add comprehensive FAQ sections to your website. FAQ formats are naturally AI-friendly, providing direct question-and-answer pairs that AI tools can easily reference. Structure these around common questions from both investors and international talent, covering practical concerns like visa processes, tax incentives, cost of living, and quality of life factors.
Focus on updating existing content over creating new material. Trust signals are incredibly important in the AI era. Outdated information makes your organisation appear behind the times, reducing both AI citation likelihood and user confidence. Regular content refreshes often deliver better results than constantly producing new material, as updated pages maintain their SEO authority while gaining fresh relevance.
Engage in community discussions. Rather than just broadcasting your message, participate in conversations where investment and relocation decisions are actually being discussed. Answering relevant questions on Reddit or Quora might not get stakeholders talking like the marquee billboard ad, but they could provide tremendous value to anyone seeking more information about business expansion and talent mobility both now and for years to come.
The place marketing industry can sometimes be about showing up in the right place at the right time. In the AI era, that means being present not just when your audience searches, but where they search as well.
Need help with place marketing?
C Studios is the marketing agency for places. We can help raise visibility, establish credibility and reach international audiences.
