Most search strategies begin with a technical question: SEO, GEO, paid media, or all of the above.
By 2026, this approach will be outdated. A successful search strategy starts not with channels, but with business objectives.
Research is not a tactic. It is a strategic lever that must serve profitability, growth, and risk reduction.
Why leaving the canals is a mistake
The channels don't understand your goals
SEO, GEO or advertising don't know if your goal is to increase LTV, reduce CAC or stabilize growth.
Without a clear business framework, channels optimize what they can measure, not what really matters.
The canals create silos
When thinking in terms of channels, each lever optimizes its local performance, often at the expense of the overall system.
A good search strategy optimizes the entire system, not an isolated channel.
Step 1: Define business objectives before any research strategy
The real objectives need to be clarified
- revenue growth
- profitability and margin
- reduction of commercial risk
- LTV stability or acceleration
Without these answers, any research strategy becomes speculative.
Linking objectives to LTV and CAC
LTV defines what you can afford to invest to acquire a customer.
An aligned search strategy must always answer this question:
What type of search attracts the most profitable customers, not just the most numerous?
Step 2: Position the search within the business funnel
TOFU: Target the qualified persona, not the market
At the top of the funnel, research serves to educate and structure understanding.
- qualified but out-of-market personas
- latent problems
- framework for reflection
Business objective: reduce future CAC and prepare high-value clients.
MOFU: Capture active intention
In the middle of the funnel, research becomes a lever for qualification.
- comparison of approaches
- evaluation of compromises
- Natural filtering of bad customers
Business objective: to improve conversion rate and sales efficiency.
BOFU: Supporting the brand and securing the decision
At the bottom of the funnel, research no longer aims for volume, but for reassurance.
- credibility validation
- perceived risk reduction
- confirmation of choice
Business objective: to protect and increase LTV.
Step 3: Choose the search levers according to the objectives
When to prioritize SEO
- long-term objectives
- creation of sustainable assets
- improvement in perceived value
When to integrate GEO
- structuring understanding for AI engines
- influencing without depending on clicks
- strengthen brand authority
When to use paid search
- quickly test an intention
- accelerate the capture of existing demand
- to support short-term objectives
Levers are tools. Strategy determines their role.
Differences between service and product companies
Service companies
- Research influences credibility before contact
- The quality of the leads is more important than the volume.
- Misaligned research increases commercial costs
In services, research should reduce sales effort, not increase it.
Product companies
- Research shapes perceived value
- it influences price sensitivity
- It supports loyalty and repeat purchases
In terms of products, research prepares the arbitrage before price comparison.
The role of governance in a research strategy
CEO View
Quality of demand, risk reduction, impact on profitability.
Marketing direction view
Consistency of messages, strategic coverage, growth of influence.
Operational view
Performance by intention, qualitative signals, field friction.
Common mistakes
- choose the channels before the objectives
- optimize for volume rather than value
- separate the research from the rest of the organization
Key points to remember
An effective search strategy begins with business objectives.
Research goes through the funnel, it is not limited to it.
The channels serve the strategy, never the other way around.
Conclusion: Research as a strategic management tool
By 2026, winning companies will no longer be asking which channel to use, but what role research should play in their growth.
Structuring research around business objectives is what distinguishes tactical execution from strategic expertise.
