The SEO shift you can’t ignore: Video is becoming source material

A subtle but profound transformation is underway – one that’s redefining how people search and what content Google considers worth finding.

We’ve all seen the headlines and the data: younger users are turning to TikTok and YouTube for discovery. 

• Looking to style wide-leg jeans? TikTok. 
• Curious about how to unclog a drain? How to set up tracking codes? YouTube has you covered. 

But what were once considered “micro search engines” are now shaping the results of the main player in the game: Google.

With the rise of AI Overviews, Google is pulling from a broader set of content than ever before, including video. And not just video hosted on owned-and-operated platforms like YouTube.

Increasingly, user-generated content from platforms like TikTok, Reddit, and YouTube are shaping Google search results.

The line between search and social is blurring even faster than many brands realize.

Video’s evolution: From nice-to-have to must-have

To understand why this moment matters, let’s rewind.

Google and YouTube have been intertwined since 2006, when Google acquired YouTube. Over time, SERP real estate dedicated to video has grown substantially. Think video carousels, rich snippets, and “Key Moments” highlights.

But for most brands, video was still considered optional. A nice-to-have.

That’s no longer the case.

AI Overviews, which began rolling out in 2024, represent Google’s biggest change to the search experience in over two decades. Instead of serving only the traditional “10 blue links,” AI Overviews provide AI-generated snapshots at the top of the results page, designed to answer complex queries quickly by pulling from multiple sources across the web.

And here’s the kicker: those sources aren’t limited to neatly structured blog posts and webpages anymore.

AI Overviews are pulling from a wider mix of sources than ever before. Everything from Reddit threads and Quora discussions to TikToks, Instagram Reels, and of course, YouTube videos.

And these aren’t tucked away in a carousel halfway down the page. They’re showing up front and center, shaping the way Google responds to user questions. It’s core to the way Google answers queries.

Google is redefining what counts as “credible” source material.

Google’s shift from text to video-first search

Historically, Google has heavily relied on written content. Structured websites, optimized blog posts, and long-form guides have long been the currency of SEO.

But with AI Overviews and the emergence of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), we’re seeing a wider range of sources feeding Google’s index, many of them video-based. 

This evolution presents a few key implications:

Video is becoming the source material

AI Overviews summarize from a variety of sources (e.g., forums, how-to articles, blog posts, etc.) and increasingly, video content.

Google is treating video as a credible, authoritative answer source, especially for experiential, tutorial, or product-related searches where visual demonstration serves users better than text.

For example, a query like “how to tie a bow tie” might have once surfaced text-based step-by-step instructions. Today, the AI Overview is far more likely to pull from YouTube videos, TikTok tutorials, or both.

Short-form is influencing long-form

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels aren’t just for entertainment anymore. They’re now considered discovery engines in their own right.

Google is citing discovery engines in its results, mining them for key takeaways, and using them to validate intent. This is especially true for younger audiences like Gen Z or Gen Alpha, who value quick, visual answers.

This doesn’t mean long-form content is dead. But it does mean short-form is helping set the agenda for what users expect to find.

Traditional SEO isn’t enough

Optimizing a blog post alone won’t get your brand into an AI Overview. To get there, you need greater variety in your content:

• Video.
• Visuals.
• Transcripts.
• Structured data.
• Images.

Ultimately, you need a presence on the platforms where your audience is already talking.

This requires a mindset shift: from optimizing pages to optimizing content ecosystems.

Do all brands really need to be on TikTok?

Short answer: maybe. 

Longer answer: The value of your content is still what matters most. But brands need to think like publishers, not just marketers.

If your audience is showing a preference for video-based answers, and if Google is surfacing those videos as authoritative source material, then your content strategy needs to meet that moment. 

That doesn’t mean every brand has to dance on TikTok. But it does mean every brand should think through these questions:

• Where is my audience searching and what formats do they trust? Gen Z may look to TikTok first, while professionals might prefer YouTube demos or LinkedIn video explainers.
• Can my content answer a complex question better through video than text? If yes, then video should be the default, not an afterthought.
• Are my videos optimized across channels? Clear titles, transcripts, schema markup and captions all help search and discovery engines understand your video content. Without these, even great videos may never surface in AI Overviews. 

The opportunity is less about being everywhere and more about being in the right place, with the right format, at the right time.

Search visibility matters more than virality

One of the biggest misconceptions is that a video needs millions of views to make an impact. It doesn’t. And that’s not the goal. 

The goal is to show up when people are searching for questions your brand answers best. In reality, search visibility works differently.

For brands, that means prioritizing clarity, demonstration, and problem-solving in every piece you create. Think less “campaign” and more “content library.”

Some of the most valuable content you can create may never go viral (and that is A-OK!), but it:

• Can show up in Google’s AI Overviews.
• Can influence purchase decisions.
• Will build trust by answering customer questions better than anyone else.

A 30-second TikTok showing how to measure your dog for a new bed may not break the internet – but if you’re a pet brand, that video could be exactly the kind of content Google wants to surface in an AI Overview for “best bed size for French Bulldog.”

6 ways to align video with your search strategy

Here are a few practical considerations:

1. Audit your content formats. Look at your top-performing keywords and queries. Which ones lend themselves to video answers? Where would a visual or demonstration be more useful than text? And when are videos among the top search results or appearing in AI Overviews?
2. Audit your current presence in video SERPs. Search your brand, your products, and your category. Which videos show up? Are they yours, or someone else’s? If the answer is someone else’s, that’s an opportunity.
3. Invest in video that solves problems. Not every brand needs a TikTok strategy. But every brand should have educational, evergreen video content that solves real customer problems. Start small. Identify the top questions your customers ask, the troubleshooting queries they Google, or the “how-to” moments in your buyer journey. Use that research to create short, clear videos that answer them directly.
4. Optimize for discoverability. This is where we prove the whole “SEO is dead” narrative wrong. It’s still important to use descriptive, keyword-rich titles. Add transcripts for accessibility (and crawlability). Apply schema markup (e.g., VideoObject). Host content on platforms that Google is already pulling from (YouTube is table stakes, TikTok is increasingly relevant).
5. Embrace the larger search landscape. Don’t limit yourself to YouTube. If your audience is on TikTok, experiment there. If user-generated content is already ranking, consider partnerships with influencers who can authentically create for those spaces.
6. Integrate video into your broader content strategy. Don’t silo video. Each piece should tie back to your core brand narrative, support SEO goals, and integrate with other channels. Embed it in blog posts. Share it in email campaigns. Repurpose snippets for social. The more signals you send about a video’s value, the more likely Google is to surface it.

What this means for SEO

We’re entering a new era. SEO is no longer just about being on Page 1. It’s about owning your brand presence across formats.

• For brands: The challenge is building a library of useful, high-quality video content across channels that complements text-based SEO.
• For SEOs: The skillset is expanding. Understanding cross-channel strategy is just as critical as traditional keyword research. As I have written about before, everything from user experience to social media marketing and public relations are now required SEO skills. 
• For users: The experience is richer. They get the “show me” content they want, faster, and in the format they prefer.

What’s next

As AI Overviews evolve, so will Google’s definition of credible sources.

But the throughline is clear: brands can’t afford to ignore video as part of their search strategy.

The future of SEO isn’t just about ranking webpages; it’s about aligning with how people learn, discover, and make decisions. It’s about owning moments of discovery, wherever and however they happen.

If your content educates, demonstrates, or solves a user’s problem better through video than text, it belongs in your ecosystem. And increasingly, it will belong in Google’s rankings.

The brands that embrace this shift now, experimenting with video, optimizing for AI Overviews, and meeting audiences where they are, will be the ones who future-proof their SEO strategy.

In this new era of search, video isn’t just part of the story. It’s becoming the source material itself.