Future-proof your SEO strategy by increasing the quantity and quality of threads (individual content pieces) that lead both search engines and users to your website.

Search is evolving rapidly, and both consumers and marketers are grappling with major shifts in how it works. In 2025, search feels "broken" to many, with AI-generated overviews and new features on Google eliminating the need to click through to websites. On top of this, users are turning to platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit for their queries.

So how can you ensure your content reaches the right audience wherever they search?

In this article, we’ll introduce the concept of "Search Surface Area," a strategic approach to expand your content visibility and increase the chance of being discovered, no matter where or how people search.

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What is Search Surface Area?

“Search Surface Area” refers to the breadth and depth of your content’s visibility across the internet. Imagine each piece of content—a blog post, video, or social media update—as a thread contributing to the structure of a vast, interconnected web.

Search engines use web crawlers (aptly called spiders) to travel through these threads, indexing pages and building connections between them. This process enables search engines to present relevant results to users by understanding the relationships between different pieces of content.

How Google’s Knowledge Graph Works—Source: Semrush 

For example, Google’s Knowledge Graph functions as a database linking topics, concepts, and entities. So when you search for a brand like "Nike," it might pull together threads from product pages, reviews, blog articles, and YouTube videos demonstrating shoe performance. This comprehensive approach ensures that search engines can present users with a variety of resources that match their queries.

Expanding your search surface area means providing crawlers (not just Google but also YouTube, Instagram, etc.) with a variety of high-quality, interlinked threads so it becomes easier for search engines to discover, understand, and recommend your content.

Adding More Threads Helps Your Business Get Discovered

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of search surface area for brands:

• A fitness brand creates a blog series about workout tips, with each post linking to related articles on the website, such as nutrition advice or injury prevention. 

They also produce complementary YouTube videos and share infographics on Pinterest. Together, these assets create a web of interconnected content that caters to different search intents and stages in the customer journey.

• A restaurant optimizes its Google Business Profile to show up higher on Maps, posts regularly on Instagram, and publishes blog posts about its menu and sourcing practices. This creates multiple touchpoints for local searchers to discover the brand.

It Makes Your Content Travel Further

Applying the same concept, you can also expand the search surface area of a single blog post by repurposing and interlinking across platforms. 

For instance, an e-commerce store selling kitchen gadgets can optimize a blog post titled “How to Make Apple Juice with a Blender” by doing the following:

• Adding recipe structured data to appear in rich snippets

• Uploading images with descriptive ALT text like “Blender making fresh apple juice” to enhance visibility in Google Images

• Filming a YouTube tutorial demonstrating the process and making a shorter version in the style of a quick and engaging TikTok video

• Creating a visually-appealing collage with step-by-step photos and posting it on Pinterest

Presenting the core content in multiple formats collectively increases discoverability, making sure it reaches target audiences wherever they search.

How to Expand the Search Surface Area of Your Content

1. Start with the SEO basics

Make sure your site is properly indexed and adheres to SEO best practices. Always keep things up-to-date with regular SEO checks and fix any technical issues like broken links or slow pages. 

2. Publish content consistently

Posting regularly shows search engines that you’re active and that your content is fresh. Set a doable schedule, whether that’s 2 or 5 blog posts a month, and stick to it!

3. Make use of Google products

Both Google Maps and YouTube come with their own content management and analytics tools that you can use to improve your online presence. For e-commerce platforms like Shopify, there are integrations with Google Merchant Center that can help increase product discoverability on Google Search.

4. Add structured data

Also known as schema markup, using structured data helps search engines identify and categorize your content accurately. This clarifies whether a page is a product listing, FAQ, or blog post for better matching with queries and more chances of appearing in SERP features.

5. Claim your Knowledge Panel

If your brand has a knowledge panel, take ownership of it! Add missing info or correct any mistakes so your audience gets the right details. Learn more about how to claim your panel here. 

6. Go beyond Google Search

Google may be the biggest search engine, but it’s not the only one that exists! It’s also worth understanding how search works on platforms like Bing, ChatGPT, and Perplexity.

Your audience may be on TikTok, Pinterest, and LinkedIn too. Find out which networks they’re active on and repurpose your blog posts into short videos, infographics, or articles that fit these platforms.

7. Build credibility with backlinks

Quality backlinks from trusted sites signal to search engines that your content is worth sharing. Focus on earning links from reputable and relevant blogs and directories, especially for Local SEO.

Wrapping It Up

Think of your search surface area as a web you’re weaving thread by thread. The more threads you weave—across platforms, formats, and channels—the stronger and more visible your presence becomes. 

Focus on the threads that connect best with your audience to capture attention where it matters most and make your brand impossible to miss.