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Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Guide

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is transforming how brands show up in AI-powered search. Explore insights, strategies, and best practices to help your content rank and resonate across conversational engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Explore insights and strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help your brand stay visible and discoverable in AI-powered search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Blog Collection | Meltwater

Media monitoring helps organizations stay informed about what’s being said across online news, print, broadcast, podcasts, and other media channels. Whether you're tracking brand mentions, measuring PR performance, monitoring competitors, or identifying emerging trends, our expert guides, best practices, and industry insights will help you build a smarter media monitoring strategy and make more informed communications decisions.

Discover expert media monitoring guides, best practices, and industry insights to track brand mentions, monitor competitors, and stay ahead of the news.

Media Monitoring: Guides, Best Practices & Industry Insights

Every day billions of conversations take place on social media: tweets, posts, comments, blogs, reviews, podcasts, and much more.

Learn how to use social listening to make sense of all of that data.

On our social listening category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around social listening and social media monitoring. Read more.

Social Listening Blogs | Category

Business Reputation Management: What does it take to add reputation management to your marketing strategy? More importantly, how do you keep your reputation sparkly and shiny? Here’s your all-access guide to online reputation management for the long term.

On our reputation management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around business reputation management. Read more.

Reputation Management Blogs | Category

From your brand's logo to your website, your social media presence to your customer support—these elements combined are what constitutes a brand in the minds of customers. But, there are thousands of other businesses that have a logo, website, social media presence, and website. So, how can you position your business on the market and make it stand out from the competition?

The key to success is branding & brand management!

On our brand management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around brand management. Build your strategy and reach your goals!

Brand Management Blogs | Category

Competitive intelligence and the act of collecting competitive data can be seen as growth drivers for a company. Our guide will help you understand the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) by answering questions such as: What is the definition of competitive intelligence? How is competitive intelligence useful to organizations? What is the goal of competitive intelligence? And more.

On our competitive intelligence category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around competitive intelligence. Learn how to stay ahead.

Competitive Intelligence Blogs | Category

Let’s dive into the customer journey framework and how to optimize the process by creating a customer journey map and using metrics that matter when analyzing the customer journey.

On our customer journey category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Customer Journey Blogs | Category

How do customers interact with my newly launched product?

How do I increase the productivity of my employees?

How do I know if my marketing efforts are working?

We have just two words for you...Data analytics!

On our data analytics category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around AI and data analytics. Technical and still easy to understand.

AI & Data Analytics Blogs | Category

Public relations and media relations can add impact to any marketing strategy. It’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach beyond traditional sales messages. PR helps to shape the image you want people to have of your brand.

So, what is PR and how do you use it? This guide shows you everything you need to know to build a strong public relations foundation.

On our public relations (PR) category page, you find all our blogs covering public relations and communications topics. Step up your PR game.

Public Relations (PR) Blogs | Category

We all know exactly what the roles of sales or accounting are in a company, right? We might even have a slight idea of what the IT guys are doing.

But there is another business discipline, that plays a crucial role in organizations, even more so during the pandemic – internal communications!

But what exactly do we mean by that, what purpose does it serve and what steps can you take to ensure you and your employees will communicate effectively?

On our internal communications category page, you find all our blogs about internal comms topics. Learn about the intranet, internal newsletters, and more.

Internal Communications Blogs | Category

As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online, it’s no surprise that content has maintained its hold on marketers.

Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever in our digital-first economy.

On our content marketing category page, you find blogs about content marketing topics. Learn about strategies, KPIs, tips, and more. Make your content king!

Content Marketing Blogs | Category

The rise of the influencer marketing space – today a $10 billion industry, growing 50% per year – is one of the clearest examples of how social media is transforming traditional marketing. These days having a business website, presence on social, PR coverage, and your own content isn’t enough to compete.

We'll dive into the intricacies of influencer marketing to help ensure that you're equipped with the insights needed to be successful in this space.

On our influencer marketing category page, you find blogs about influencer marketing topics. Build your strategy, find influencers, and measure results.

Influencer Marketing Blogs | Category

Have you just launched a new product or service that you want to get the word out about? Maybe you want to share with consumers why it is awesome and how it is so much better than the one your competitors offer.

Well, then, there is one thing you can't do without...Marketing!

On our marketing category page, you find blogs about marketing topics. Learn about all the different angles and types of marketing and improve your results.

Marketing Blogs | Category

Building a following and using social media platforms to reach a wider audience requires a well-planned social media marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll be looking at why social media marketing is so essential and how you can make it work for your business.

On our social media marketing category page, you find blogs about social media marketing topics. Learn how to get the highest paid social ROI!

Social Media Marketing Blogs | Category

In the fast-evolving realm of digital marketing and public relations, utilizing the right tools is crucial for success. Our interdisciplinary category showcases all the pertinent tools for digital marketing & PR. These tools help in enhancing your online presence and effectively reaching target groups, whether through reputation management, influencer marketing, or social media management.

On our digital marketing and PR tools category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Digital Marketing & PR Tools Blogs | Category

AI adoption is no longer the challenge—trusted context is. Most organizations have AI tools, but many still rely on disconnected, stale, or unverified data, limiting the quality and trustworthiness of AI-generated outputs. Meltwater MCP brings trusted, real-time intelligence into AI assistants.

Your Best Context is Already in the Room

Today, PR teams aren’t just tracking media coverage and share of voice. They’re also measuring how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers, search summaries, and large language models (LLMs). This new LLM visibility layer is quickly becoming a critical part of PR performance.

15 Must-Have PR KPIs and How to Track Them

See how one platform can power every decision across PR, communications, and marketing.

The Meltwater Blog

Blog Topics: Generative Engine Optimization, Media Intelligence, Media Relations, Social Listening, Consumer Intelligence, Influencer Marketing

Find out how you can leverage Facebook to boost your brand's online presence and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

Facebook Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage Instagram to boost your brand's visual appeal and gain a competitive edge. Explore our category page today!

Instagram Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage LinkedIn to grow your professional network and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

LinkedIn Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage TikTok to elevate your brand with creative content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

TikTok Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage X / Twitter to engage your audience effectively and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

X / Twitter Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage YouTube to create engaging video content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

YouTube Blog | Meltwater

Reddit is unlike any other social platform.

Since its launch in 2005, the site was known as the front page of the internet, while today it’s more accurately described as the heart of the internet, a place where highly engaged users can dive into anything. It’s a sprawling network of communities built for people to discuss the topics they care about, ask honest questions, and share unfiltered opinions that shape culture, purchasing decisions, and brand perception.

Research based on Meltwater’s GenAI Lens GEO analytics platform shows that Reddit is the most commonly cited social media platform in LLM responses, accounting for 32% of all social media citations. That’s why brands that want to perform well in AI need to engage authentically with relevant Reddit communities. 

Today, we’re excited to announce that Meltwater has joined Reddit’s Official Data Partner program. This partnership reinforces Meltwater’s continued access to Reddit’s rich ecosystem of real-time public sentiment and strengthens our ability to translate authentic consumer sentiment into meaningful, actionable insights for brands.

"Reddit has been a core source of consumer insight within the Meltwater platform for more than a decade, and we’ve seen its influence grow significantly over that time,” said John Box, CEO of Meltwater. “Joining Reddit’s Official Data Partner program is a natural extension of our long-standing relationship and reflects our shared commitment to delivering trusted, high-quality data. We look forward to deepening our collaboration with Reddit to continue providing customers with insight into the authentic public conversations shaping consumer behavior.”

Why Reddit Matters for Consumer and Brand Intelligence

With 121.4M Daily Active Users and more than 100K+ interest-based communities, Reddit is where people go to research products, validate decisions, and learn from others who truly care about a topic. In fact, consumers consistently rank Reddit as their preferred social platform for researching products and making decisions, often before they visit a brand website or speak with a salesperson.

Reddit is especially powerful for insights teams, marketers, and communicators, both because of its scale and how the platform works. 

Built for authentic, insight-rich conversations

Reddit’s structure naturally creates high-quality signals that are difficult to find elsewhere:

Interest-based communities create structured insight
Each subreddit is organized around a shared interest, lifestyle, product category, or passion. That structure makes it easier to uncover insights, signals, and trends by research area, whether you’re exploring skincare routines, financial planning, gaming culture, or enterprise software.

Passionate audiences who truly care
Reddit attracts people who are deeply invested in what they’re discussing. These aren’t casual, drive-by comments, they’re detailed experiences, comparisons, and recommendations from people who care enough to contribute thoughtfully.

Anonymous profiles enable honest feedback
Because Reddit prioritizes anonymity, users are more likely to share candid opinions, including frustrations, workarounds, and unmet needs they may not express elsewhere. That kind of honesty is invaluable for brands. 

Signal rises above noise
Reddit’s moderators, admins, and community voting systems help surface the most relevant, credible contributions. Upvotes and downvotes naturally elevate thoughtful responses and filter out low-quality content.

Long-form discussions add depth
With fewer character limits, Reddit fosters depth that goes far beyond surface-level reactions. The result yields richer contextual sentiment that uncovers the collective “why” and drivers behind trends, exactly what insight discovery depends on.

Turning Reddit Conversations Into Practical Insights

Through Reddit’s Data API, Meltwater surfaces and enriches public Reddit posts and comments across the platform’s 100K+ communities, transforming them into structured, searchable intelligence.

When paired with Meltwater’s leading AI analytics and listening searches, organizations can move quickly from raw sentiment to clear insight, without losing nuance. Here’s how teams are putting Reddit insights to work:

Consumer insights and lifestyle understanding
Access authentic consumer insights and decision-making, without surveys or focus groups.

Consumer journey analysis
Identify moments of friction, discovery, and delight across the purchase journey by analyzing public sentiment about researching, comparing, and choosing products.

Product innovation and unmet needs
Spot emerging use cases, creative workarounds, and gaps in the market that signal opportunities for innovation.

Cultural and category trends
Identify the cultural topics and public dialogue capturing attention, and translate those insights into sharper positioning, campaigns, and content.

Brand and competitive intelligence
See how consumers really experience your brand, products, and services, then run the same analysis on competitors to understand strengths, weaknesses, and white space.

Rising risks and reputational issues
Detect early warning signs of product concerns, customer experience breakdowns, or negative sentiment before they escalate.

For consumer insights teams
Reddit delivers deep visibility into lifestyle trends, market gaps, and real-world decision-making, grounded in organic public sentiment. These discussions reveal the “why” behind behaviors, helping insights teams move beyond surface metrics to understand the drivers and friction points shaping the market. The result is richer context for research, segmentation, and strategic recommendations.

For marketers
Reddit insights help teams understand cultural context, refine positioning, and benchmark against competitors using the same language as their customers. By tapping into organic sentiment around products, categories, and trends, marketers can create messaging, campaigns, and content that feels relevant, credible, and in tune with the moment, not forced or overly polished.

For PR and brand teams
Reddit offers early visibility into reputational risks, emerging issues, and customer experience challenges, enabling faster, more informed responses. Because public conversations often surface here first, comms teams can identify potential issues early, understand how narratives are forming, and respond with clarity and confidence before stories escalate elsewhere.

A Partnership Built on Continuity and Trust

This new designation formalizes Meltwater’s role in Reddit’s Official Data Partner program, reinforcing our commitment to responsible, high-quality data access. Importantly, this partnership continues our existing access to Reddit data, customers are not missing out on past insights, and data quality remains consistent. What changes is the clarity and confidence this partnership brings as Reddit’s influence continues to grow.

"Reddit is the most human place on the internet and home to the most authentic, interest-led conversations," said Jonathan Flesher, VP of Business Development at Reddit. "By partnering with Meltwater, we’re providing brands with the tools to responsibly tap into those insights, helping them move beyond just listening to really understanding and connecting with our communities in a meaningful way."

Bringing the Full Market Picture Into Focus

Reddit is a critical piece of today’s fragmented media landscape, but it’s most powerful when viewed in context.

By analyzing Reddit data and pairing it with AI analytics, listening searches, and comprehensive coverage across social, reviews, news, and more, Meltwater helps brands see the most complete and accurate picture of their brand, market, and consumers.

The result is faster insight, smarter decisions, and greater confidence in how you show up, wherever public perception is shaped.

Use the form below to book a Meltwater demonstration with one of our consultants, to discover exactly how your brand can unlock the power of Reddit data for consumer insights. 

Meltwater Becomes an Official Reddit Data Partner

Note: This blog is based on the Global Digital Report 2026 (Digital 2026 Australia) – produced in partnership with Meltwater and We Are Social. Download the Global Digital Report 2026 for free.

Social media usage statistics in Australia

Digital marketing statistics in Australia

What’s ahead for social media in Australia?

FAQ: Social Media Statistics for Australia 2026

Social media statistics in Australia show a steadily growing and ageing population, accommodated by strong literacy rates.

A quick snapshot of Australia's demographics

Before looking at trends, it’s worth grounding ourselves in the current landscape. The population now sits at 27 million, with 97.1% online and 77.7% active on social media - both showing steady year-on-year growth. Urbanisation is at 86.9%, and mobile usage continues to rise, with 34.1 million mobile connections recorded, 0.2% more than last year.

Australia’s total population is 27 million, the year-on-year population change is +1% (259,000 people).

The population is evenly split with 50.4% female, 49.6% male.

Adult literacy stands at 99%, with no disparity between genders. 

The median age of Australia’s population is at 38.3 years old, while life expectancy at birth is 84.2 years old.

Age distribution of Australia's population

Australia’s population is focused on the 25-44 year old segment. 

Below are the five largest age demographics currently shaping Australia’s population:

Ages 35–39: 1.97 million people (7.3%).

Ages 30–34: 1.96 million people (7.3%).

Ages 40–44: 1.88 million people (7.0%).

Ages 25–29: 1.81 million people (6.7%).

Ages 50–54: 1.69 million people (6.3%).

The country’s population leans toward a more mature profile. Social media statistics in Australia aligns closely with this, reflecting a median age of 38.3 years. When planning digital strategies and marketing campaigns, it is essential to account for this mature demographic’s high level of digital literacy and distinct consumer behavior.

Internet usage in Australia remains high, with nearly the entire population online.

Below is an overview of internet usage statistics in Australia:

Total Internet Users: 26.2 million Australians (97.1% of the population)

Annual Growth: +1.0% increase, adding 252,000 new users.

While 95.7% of users access the internet via smartphones, a significant 74.1% still rely on laptops and desktops.

Time Spent: Australians are online for an average of 41 hours and 3 minutes per week (roughly 5 hours and 52 minutes daily).

These figures underscore the necessity of a cross-platform approach given that the usage remains high across both mobile and desktop mediums, sustaining engagement across all touchpoints is a critical priority for Australian marketers.

Note on Data Accuracy: It is worth noting that current figures may actually under-represent the true scale of digital adoption. As Simon Kemp explains in Digital 2026: Australia, “the latest published figures for internet use may under-represent current realities, and actual rates for internet adoption and year-on-year growth may be higher than the figures shown here suggest.”

What are the main reasons for using the Internet in Australia?

Australians primarily use the internet to find information, connect, and research.

Below are the top five reasons Australians go online:

Finding Information (71.2%): This remains the primary driver for internet usage across the country.

Staying Connected (67.5%): A significant majority use digital platforms to keep in touch with friends and family.

Self-Guided Learning (65.9%): Australians frequently research "how-to" content, reflecting a highly digitally literate population with a preference for independent problem-solving.

Entertainment (64.5%): Streaming videos, TV shows, and movies remains a core pillar of the digital experience.

News and Current Affairs (56.4%): The internet plays a vital role in spreading awareness and keeping citizens informed on local and global events.

Given these statistics, brands should focus on content that informs, connects, and entertains. Australian consumers clearly value utility and leisure in equal measure. Furthermore, the strong DIY culture suggests that educational and "value-add" content is a powerful way to capture attention and build trust across digital platforms.

What are the top types of websites and apps used in Australia?

Australians use social networks and messaging apps the most, followed closely by search, email, and shopping platforms.

According to the latest social media statistics in Australia, these are the five most frequently used digital environments:

Social Networks (95.3%): Social media remains the heartbeat of Australia’s online activity.

Chat and Messaging Apps (91.2%): Reflecting a strong preference for direct connection with friends, family and businesses.

Search Engines & Web Portals (87.6%): Australians rely heavily on these platforms for quick information and research.

Email (87.2%): Email remains a critical tool for both professional and personal uses.

Shopping, Auction or Classifieds (69.5%): Driven by high usage sites such as Amazon, Kmart and Bunnings.

For brands to remain competitive, campaigns must be designed for seamless integration across social and messaging platforms. As Australian users move fluidly between these mediums, a "cross-channel" approach utilising both broad social reach and the relevancy of messaging is essential for capturing attention and driving conversion.

What are the most visited websites in Australia?

Australians are on search, entertainment, and social media platforms when they use the internet.

According to Similarweb, here are Australia’s top websites by average monthly visits:

Google ranks 1st with 1.39 billion monthly visits.

YouTube is also widely used by Australians, with 504 million monthly visits.

Facebook ranks 3rd, with 219 million monthly visits by Australians.

Instagram is also a popular social media platform in Australia, with 132 million monthly visits.

Reddit rounds out the list of the top five most-visited websites in Australia, with an average of 122 million monthly visits, reflecting a growing Australian preference for community-led discussions and authentic reviews.

Whether it's Google for information, social media for staying in touch, or YouTube for content, Australians are deeply integrated into the digital world. With Google and YouTube leading online traffic, traditional SEO is no longer the finish line. To truly connect with Australian audiences in 2026, brands must master two critical evolutions: GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)/AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) and SXO (Search Experience Optimisation) to ensure maximum visibility in the zero-click reality.

Social media remains a primary daily habit for over 21 million Australians.
Social media statistics in Australia show a steady rise in online identities:

21 million Australians use social media (77.7% of the population)

The number of social media users grew by +0.5% over the previous year, adding 100,000 new users.

87.0% of Australians aged 18 and above are active on social media.

80.0% of Australian internet users use social media platforms.

The average time Australians spend on social media each week is 19 hours and 28 minutes.

Australians use an average of 6.6 social media platforms each month, a 3.1% increase from last year.

Gender distribution is near-equal: 50.8% female and 49.2% male.

What is the demographic profile of Meta’s adult audience in Australia?

Meta’s largest adult audience in Australia is aged 25–34.

Below are the top age groups that make up Meta’s adult audience in Australia:

Adults aged 25–34 make up the largest share, with an equal split between 12.9% female and male users.

Adults aged 35–44 follow next, representing 9.6% of female and 9.2% of male users

Adults aged 18–24 rank 3rd, with 9.2% female and 7.6% male users.

Adults aged 45–54 account for 7.2% of female and 6.3% of male users.

Adults aged 65+ remain meaningfully engaged online, accounting for 6.5% of female and 4.8% of male Meta ad reach.

Meta’s strongest ad audience sits within the 25–34 age range, making it an essential demographic for brands looking to engage Australia’s social media audiences. 

While the 25–44 group forms the core audience on Meta, both younger and older users remain highly active. Campaign effectiveness will rely on segment-specific targeting across adult age groups.

What are the main reasons for using social media in Australia?

Australian social media habits are driven by three core needs: interpersonal connection, entertainment and content discovery.

Below are the top five reasons Australians use social media:

59.2% use social media to keep in touch with friends and family.

45.8% go online to fill spare time, showing social media’s role in the daily lives of Australians.

29.1% use platforms to find content such as short-form videos on Instagram or Tiktok.

Social Media Statistics for Australia [Updated 2026]

What started out as a lip-syncing app has now turned into a full-fledged social media platform where people can share short videos on just about anything. Given its massive popularity, it’s no surprise marketers are seeking new ways to stand out and get their content noticed. That’s where TikTok hashtags come in.

Similar to using hashtags on Instagram, TikTok hashtags make it easier for users to find content they like. Content sharing the same hashtags others use may appeal to the same audience, helping your content to travel farther and faster than not using hashtags.

Sure, you could create your own hashtags or use any made-up variations. But wouldn’t it be better to use the top TikTok hashtags that tons of other people are already using?

We thought so, too, which is why we’ve rounded up some of the top TikTok viral hashtags to help you get ahead. Consider this your ultimate guide to popular hashtags on TikTok.

List of the Top Trending TikTok Viral Hashtags

Tip: Take a look at the viral phrases of 2023.

TikTok hashtags are text-based additions to TikTok video captions, starting with the hash symbol (#) followed by a word or phrase.

The Meltwater Blog

Meltwater Becomes an Official Reddit Data Partner

Social Media Statistics for Australia [Updated 2026]

The Best TikTok Hashtags For More Views

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Ultimate Guide to 2026 Social Media Holidays

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AI in Social Media Marketing

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Social Media Statistics for China [Updated 2025]