This will impact your business.
Hi, this is Nigel. I’m sharing these updates for SEO in a newsletter style format because the topic is important and pretty long to update via Whatsapp.
*This post has been curated over a period of 2 months!
What has been changing in the new Search Landscape?
Over the past few months from Jun’25, we’ve observed significant shifts in search behavior and search conversions that impact your SEO results, even if the traffic maintains.
We’ve noticed increasing volatility in Google organic results. Many clients still hold top/good rankings, yet conversions remain flat. I have assigned my SEO team (including me) to do a deeper analysis across the internet and across all our use cases to find out and conclude on your behalf the changes we want to propose in the below detail sharing.
What can you expect?
If you have been with us and have worked with us and Nigel long enough, we firmly believe in providing values and quality service to our customers. This includes trying to resolve issues out of the scope as much as logically possible with the team’s technical knowledge, while trying to keep up with the increasing expenses.
Good News
- Expect no changes to the existing services that we are providing, we are only changing the way we optimize your website internally like ramping up with more tools and internal training to ensure it can rank / remain competitive.
- The fundamentals of our work remains, indirectly it does help for rankings on other platforms.
However, we need to be realistic about the actual conversions that you will receive. Before the AI boom, close to a 100% of SG users search via Google. Now and as time progresses, about 52% are now using platforms outside of Google for their searches. (based on global estimates), which means even as we continue what we are doing, we are overall capturing lesser audiences even though our efforts are the same.
Things to Consider – Be ahead of your competitors
We have prepared a summary of the different platforms and their purposes that can be worked on for search impressions. (Be surprised that ChatGPT relies on Bing result!)
Google = foundation (visibility for transactional intent).
ChatGPT = clarity/citations (validation of facts).
YouTube = education (deep learning).
Reddit = trust (real opinions).
TikTok = emotion/impulse (buying influence).
iTechstudio Playbook (In Progress)
Think of playbook as a checklist for respective platform and how it can apply to your business
| Playbook | Purpose / Focus |
|---|---|
| 1. Google SEO (Visibility & Technical) | Indexing, keyword rankings, technical SEO health monitoring |
| 2. Bing SEO (Microsoft Ecosystem) | Crawl reports, keyword insights, backlink data (important in SG since Bing powers Edge/Windows search & ChatGPT retrieval) |
| 3. AI / ChatGPT SEO (Authority & Validation) | Prompt-driven insights, keyword validation, AI competitor checks, model visibility testing |
| 4. YouTube SEO (Education & Trust) | Video SEO optimization, metadata research, competitor benchmarking, trend analysis |
| 5. Reddit SEO (Trust & Reviews) | Brand & keyword mention alerts, community discussion monitoring, trust signals |
| 6. TikTok SEO (Emotion & Discovery) | Trend monitoring, competitor campaign analysis, hashtag performance insights |
| 7. Core Client & Reporting | Unified dashboards, cross-platform performance reporting |
| 8. Creative Tools (Cross-Platform Assets) | Graphics, ad creatives, thumbnails, TikTok/YouTube visual prep |
Playbook
Even with AI & new search trends, Google is still 70–80% of transactional searches in SG.
Tactics:
On-page SEO: Technical fixes (Core Web Vitals, schema, site structure).
High-intent content: Service pages, local SEO, long-tail commercial keywords.
E-E-A-T: Build Expertise, Experience, Authority, Trust via author bios, case studies, citations.
Local SEO: Google Business Profile optimization (reviews, posts, Q&A).
Bing SEO (Visibility & AI Relevance)
Continue focused best practices:
Indexing via Bing Webmaster Tools, including proper sitemaps and crawlable content.
Keyword optimization, particularly for Windows search and Edge browser users.
Backlink quality, especially from authoritative Microsoft ecosystems or Q&A sites that Bing values.
Maintain structural clarity, fast load times, and semantic HTML to ensure Bing can crawl and surface your content effectively.
Emphasize rich metadata and schema (FAQ, reviews, product, etc.)—these help Bing understand context and increase the chance of being surfaced in AI-driven answers.
IMPORTANT – Relevance for AISEO: ChatGPT and its ChatGPT Search features rely heavily on Bing’s index. Pages not indexed by Bing will not appear in ChatGPT’s web-based answers
A study also found that 87% of SearchGPT’s citations match Bing’s top search results, meaning higher visibility on Bing directly translates to higher AI prominence.
These models don’t “crawl websites” in the same way as Google; they generate answers by pulling from trusted citations, structured data, and authority mentions.
Tactics:
Citations: Ensure your site is well-linked from trusted media, Wikipedia, Quora, Reddit, and industry blogs. AI models love summarizing “commonly cited” sources.
Structured content: Publish clear FAQ-style answers, stats, comparisons, and lists (the type AI likes to quote).
Schema markup: Add FAQ, product, review schema to increase chance of being cited.
Brand mentions: Track and push for mentions across forums and directories—AI models value brand visibility over raw backlinks.
Testing: Ask ChatGPT/Gemini your target keywords and see if your brand shows up in responses. If not, note who is being cited, and build authority in those directions.
Google owns YouTube, but the algorithm is very different from web SEO. It’s more about engagement signals than backlinks.
Tactics:
Keyword optimization: Use YouTube’s trending phrases. Include them in title, description, tags.
Engagement triggers: High watch time, likes, and comments = higher ranking. Encourage interaction in your video scripts.
Consistency: Regular upload schedule signals authority.
Captions & transcripts: Improves search visibility and accessibility (AI pulls text from transcripts for citations too).
Thumbnail optimization: CTR (click-through rate) matters heavily for ranking.
Singaporeans consume tons of video (esp. how-tos, reviews, podcasts).
Optimize titles, descriptions, tags with SG-relevant keywords.
Transcripts + captions for text search.
Consistent video publishing & strong thumbnails.
Cross-post Shorts (YT Shorts + TikTok + IG Reels).
This isn’t traditional SEO at all—it’s reputation building in real communities. But AI and users check Reddit threads for “real opinions,” so it’s a trust hub.
Tactics:
Participate authentically: Don’t spam. Create genuine discussions, answer questions, and add value.
Keyword placement: Optimize thread titles & comments with target terms (naturally). These threads often rank in Google too.
AMA (Ask Me Anything): Build authority by having your team run AMAs in relevant subreddits.
Upvotes matter: High-engagement threads get pulled more often by AI. Encourage organic discussion, not fake engagement.
Monitoring: Track mentions of your brand or industry, then jump in with expert insights.
Increasingly important for “authentic opinions.”
Participate in niche SG/industry subreddits.
Build threads around “best [service/product in Singapore]” type queries.
Encourage organic discussion, don’t hard sell.
Use Reddit mentions as validation points in other channels (AI picks these up).
TikTok is less text-driven but increasingly a search engine for younger demographics.
Tactics:
Search-based captions: Use trending keywords/hashtags (check TikTok Search bar autocomplete).
Native content style: Fast, engaging, authentic—TikTok punishes “ad-like” videos.
Retention rate: Hook in first 3 seconds, aim for rewatch value.
Cross-validation: Repurpose TikToks into YouTube Shorts, IG Reels, etc.
UGC (user-generated content): Partner with micro-influencers to build “validation content.”
Emerging but powerful for Gen Z and lifestyle services/products.
Short-form video hooks for search queries.
Local hashtags (#singaporeSEO, #digitalmarketingSG, #itechstudio).
Educational micro-content (“SEO tips in 30s”).
Leverage micro-influencers for credibility.
LASTLY..
Search Everywhere Optimization: Pricing Explained
“We are proud to be one of the first agencies in SG to shift from traditional Search Engine Optimization to full AI-powered Search Everywhere Optimization (AISEO).”
“We are not adding hidden costs, you can remain status quo with Google SEO.
This changes ensure your brand stays visible across Google, Bing, ChatGPT and AI searches, TikTok, YouTube, and beyond.
Our pricing framework is designed to give you clarity and flexibility: you only pay for the platforms you need, while enjoying the confidence that your investment is driving measurable growth while the work is done by us.”
We will be pricing based on goals, the base service will remain as it is. This will be shared once our playbook is completed.
Why We Will Be Among the First in AISEO in Singapore
Based on our research, while agencies like AEO Agency, DriveIT Digital, Hashmeta, Optidan, and First Page Digital promote AI or Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), their focus remains platform-specific or e-commerce centric.
We are targeting to be among the first to build a system/structure for a holistic Search Everywhere Optimization strategy in Singapore—prioritizing multi-platform visibility, validation, and client ROI in the AI-driven search era.
All the content provided above are for your planning, and if you need a discussion to strategies, feel free to reach out to our main point of contact – Nigel.
As this article is for existing clients only, you would be aware that we do not hard sell our services. We share with you the pros and cons, to let you make the decision.
It has come to a point we are unable to cover cost to provide additional scope as these comes as an additional overhead to us and we need to survive to provide better value/quality services for you.
