Thomas Johnson: Why “Search Everywhere Optimization” Is the Future of SEO

Welcome to Market Movers: Building Brands & Links with Linkifi! Your go-to podcast for transforming your business into an unforgettable brand, where branding meets SEO and link-building. I’m Chris Panteli, Co-Founder and CEO of Linkifi, and I’m joined by my co-host and Co-Founder, Nick Biggs.

In this episode, we’re joined by Thomas Johnson, founder of Heroic Digital, to break down what AI search optimization actually looks like in practice. Thomas explains why traditional SEO remains the foundation, how businesses can measure their share of search across Google, Bing and ChatGPT, where AI-specific optimization becomes useful, and why brand positioning, sentiment, citations and clear on-page messaging are becoming increasingly important.

 

Key Talking Points

✅ Search Everywhere Optimization. Thomas prefers thinking about the shift as search everywhere optimization rather than inventing an entirely new discipline, because brands increasingly need to be discoverable across Google, ChatGPT, Gemini and other platforms.

✅ ChatGPT and Gemini Matter Most Right Now. Based on referral data from his clients, Thomas sees ChatGPT and Gemini as the most commercially relevant AI search platforms today, while Perplexity plays a smaller role.

✅ Start With SEO Before AI Search. His first recommendation for most businesses is simple: do the fundamentals well. Technical SEO, strong website architecture, content, links and understanding which pages and keywords actually generate revenue still come first.

✅ Measure Your Share of Search. Businesses should understand how much traffic, revenue and lead generation comes from Google, Bing and AI referrals, rather than making strategy decisions based purely on AI hype.

✅ Run an AI Search Sprint. Once traditional SEO is working, Thomas recommends identifying commercially important prompts related to high-performing keywords, tracking them across AI platforms and comparing the results with traditional rankings.

✅ Find the Gaps Between Google and AI. If a competitor performs poorly in Google but strongly inside ChatGPT or Gemini, look for what is driving the difference. That may include YouTube, media listicles, clearer positioning, stronger citations or more complete website content.

✅ Ask AI What It Thinks About Your Brand. One useful audit is comparing how the company wants to be understood with how AI platforms currently describe its strengths, weaknesses and expertise. The gap becomes a positioning problem to solve.

✅ Clarity Matters More in AI Search. Thomas has seen competitors outperform stronger SEO sites because their homepages explain what they do and who they serve more directly. AI systems often benefit from explicit information rather than having to infer the business model.

✅ Get Featured in Listicles Rather Than Creating Them. The real opportunity is not simply publishing more best-of pages. It is identifying influential third-party lists and earning inclusion on them through PR, relationships, partnerships or genuinely deserving the recommendation.

✅ Prioritize Activities That Make Business Sense Anyway. If a tactic only works because of a temporary AI loophole, it may not be worth building a strategy around. Thomas favors channels such as YouTube, PR and strong industry placements that can generate value even if AI algorithms change.

✅ Link Building Is Becoming More About Relevance. Thomas is increasingly less focused on arbitrary third-party metrics and more interested in whether a placement makes sense from an industry, brand and business perspective.

✅ Gemini Could Eventually Win AI Search. Thomas believes Google’s existing scale, data and distribution give Gemini a strong chance of becoming the dominant commercially relevant AI search platform, even if ChatGPT remains powerful for research and productivity.

 

Notable Quotes & Moments

📌 “For me, I’ve kind of fallen on the search everywhere optimization approach.”

📌 “The step for a large majority of businesses… is do SEO.”

📌 “How frequent is your brand being mentioned, in what context, and what’s your footprint?”

📌 “With AI search, it’s a lot more direct. It’s like, okay, what do you do? Tell me.”

📌 “Anything that’s good for the brand is worth doing.”

📌 “I just wouldn’t bet against Google.”

 

About Thomas Johnson

Thomas Johnson is the founder of Heroic Digital and an SEO specialist with more than nine years of agency, in-house, e-commerce and technical SEO experience.

His approach combines traditional SEO fundamentals with practical AI search analysis, helping businesses understand how they are discovered across Google, Bing, ChatGPT, Gemini and other platforms while focusing on the channels and activities that create measurable commercial value.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-johnson-seo/ 

 

🚀 Build Your Brand with Real Links

At Linkifi, we help ambitious brands scale organic visibility through digital PR, brand storytelling, and SEO strategy. Book your FREE strategy session today:

🔗 https://book.linkifi.io/widget/bookings/pr-discovery-call

👋 Connect with your hosts:

👉 Chris Panteli on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-panteli/

👉 Nick Biggs on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick--biggs/

🎧 Listen to more Market Movers episodes:

🌍 https://marketmoverspod.com