In this episode of The Visibility Brief, Yext SVP of Marketing Rebecca Colwell is joined by Heather Physioc, Chief Discoverability Officer at VML, for a conversation about how search has expanded far beyond Google — and why brands must rethink what discoverability really means.

For years, “search” was shorthand for one thing: Google and the ten blue links. But today, consumers move fluidly between social platforms, retail sites, video search, maps, and AI search depending on what they’re trying to accomplish. So what does it mean to show up consistently when discovery no longer happens in one predictable place?

Drawing on her journalism background and years leading cross-channel search strategy, Heather reframes SEO as something broader and more human: the practice of meeting real human needs – wherever and however they surface.

The episode breaks down:

• Why brands must move beyond optimizing for a single engine
• How consumer intent changes depending on context
• How LLMs handle complex queries better than traditional search
• Why trust is becoming the real competitive edge
• How structured data and consistency matter more than ever
• How to rethink measurement in a world where discovery is fragmented
  

If you’re a marketing leader navigating a world where search happens everywhere (not just in a browser), this episode will help you rethink how your brand connects with customers across today’s search journey.