Welcome to this week’s edition of “This Week in Digital Marketing,” where we tackle one trending topic, leave you with an actionable tip, and spotlight a tool to make your marketing life easier. Whether you’re an experienced marketer or just stepping into the digital world, this newsletter guarantees practical insights you can use immediately.
This week’s hot question? Is SEO still worth prioritizing, or is it becoming obsolete? Here’s everything you need to know, plus a tip and a tool to optimize your strategy.
What’s New? The State of SEO in 2025
If you’ve spent even two minutes scrolling through digital marketing blogs or LinkedIn debates this week, you’ve likely seen the provocative question, “Is SEO dead?” Unsurprisingly, the answer is a big, confident no. However, SEO as we know it is evolving rapidly.
Traditional search engine results pages (SERPs) are no longer the first or only stop for digital searchers. According to a recent Google report, around 40% of Gen Z users in the US start their searches on TikTok or Instagram instead of Google. Meanwhile, the rise of AI search assistants like chatbots and tools powered by ChatGPT and Bard is changing how people find information.
What does this mean for marketers? Three big takeaways:
- Modern Search = Multi-Channel: Successful SEO strategies must now consider platforms beyond Google. Social media platforms, marketplaces like Amazon, and even YouTube are search engines in their own right.
- Content Quality Matters More: Search engines favor comprehensive, helpful content over keyword-rich fluff. Semrush’s latest analysis showed that high-ranking pages are typically longer, more detailed, and rich with multimedia like videos and FAQs.
- Generative AI Needs Monitoring: Search experiences that offer instant answers (e.g., Google’s AI Snapshots) are moving users away from clicking through to websites. Marketers may need to rethink how they capture that traffic or aim to optimize for featured snippets to remain visible.
SEO isn’t disappearing—but the rules are changing, and marketers have to adapt.
Quick Tip: Refresh Old Content for Quick Wins
One of the fastest (and most budget-friendly) ways to stay competitive in the SEO game is to revisit and refresh your existing content. Why? Because instead of creating brand-new pieces, improving what you already have can deliver results faster.
Here’s a simple 4-step process:
- Identify Your Top-Performing Posts
Tools like Google Analytics or Ahrefs make it easy to pinpoint pages that bring in high traffic or rank decently but could perform even better. Look for content that ranks on pages 2 or 3 of the SERPs for valuable keywords.
- Update Information
If it’s been a year or more since the post was last edited, chances are it contains outdated examples, links, or statistics. Swap in fresh data sources and ensure any advice or tools mentioned are still relevant.
- Add Value with New Formats
Turn a written blog post into an interactive experience by embedding relevant videos, infographics, or step-by-step lists. For example, does your post about Instagram best practices have a short tutorial you can clip from Instagram itself?
- Optimize Keywords
Double-check your headers, meta descriptions, and keyword placement to ensure the post targets audience-relevant search terms without overcrowding. Sprinkle in long-tail keywords that reflect user intent.
Experiment with this process on two to three pieces of your older content this week. Many marketers find this results in higher rankings within days or weeks.
Tool of the Week: AnswerThePublic
Ever struggle to figure out what questions your audience is asking online? Enter AnswerThePublic, a goldmine for keyword research that helps you uncover exactly that.
Here’s how it works:
- Simply type in any keyword related to your niche.
- The tool generates a visual map of real questions people search for on Google, organized into categories like “What,” “Where,” “Why,” and “How.”
For example, if you enter “SEO strategy,” it might show you popular search queries like “What is the best SEO strategy for 2025?” or “How to improve SEO for a small business.” This insight is invaluable for crafting content geared toward what users genuinely want to learn.
Why It’s Helpful:
- It saves time brainstorming new content ideas.
- It ensures your content addresses specific user queries, which improves its chances of ranking for featured snippets.
- It’s free for a limited number of searches (with more robust features available in the paid version).
If you haven’t tried AnswerThePublic yet, it’s time to bookmark it as a go-to for your content planning.
Your Turn
Trends like AI search tools, multi-platform SEO, and social-first search strategies highlight how dynamic digital marketing has become. Staying on top of these changes is the key to helping your business thrive.
What are your thoughts on SEO in 2025? Drop your insights in the comments on our LinkedIn post or tweet us your take.
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Until next week,
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