2025: A Year of Challenges and Opportunities

Google Search Losing; Meta AI Profiles; Calculators = Traffic; Free SaaS Tools; YouTube Shorts for Brands; AI Content Experiment; Affiliate Marketing Alternative; and Much More!

Author

Yoyao
January 04, 2025 • Est. Learning Time: 13 minutes

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FIRST …

Happy New Year and welcome to 2025!

This year brings exciting changes and endless possibilities.

The digital space has shifted as Google’s search dominance wanes - and I see it only accelerating.

Change is uncomfortable. It sucks …

BUT … it also opens the door to fresh, innovative ways for people to connect, discover, and thrive online.

Search, content, and digital marketing is overflowing with more opportunities than ever, and together, we’ll discover new paths to success.

It’s our chance to embrace what’s next. 2025 is our time to innovate, create, and grow.

And hey - if Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory can change, we can too.

Let’s get to work! 🚀

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SEO

In the latest Search Off the Record episode, the Google Search team reflects on 2024, unpacking their global outreach, the evolution of SEO, and the growing intersection of AI and Search. Some of the interesting takeaways:

  • Gary Illyes says “SEO has been dying since 2001” and predicts the first article in 2025 will be “about how SEO is dying again” 🤣 

  • The country Turkey changed its name to Türkiye a couple years ago 😲 and “a lot of people [there] that describe themselves as very experienced actually had a bunch of questions that were kind of like…” (that feels pretty common 😂 ). John Mueller says “it’s a good thing we have a YouTube series called SEO Made Easy.”

  • The Google Search team must’ve had a bunch of eggnog as there was more commentary in this episode than in past ones from what I remember 🍻 

Marie Haynes analyzes the December Google core and spam update, and how they may (or may not) have affected your site. She explains why many site owners mistakenly attribute performance drops to these updates and provides actionable advice to evaluate your situation and decide on the next steps.

SEO Ripples

  • John Mueller says simply slapping country codes onto URLs, like /shoes-es, won’t boost rankings for specific regions. In fact, it might cause temporary ranking fluctuations due to the URL change but offers no long-term benefits. Instead, John recommends considering ccTLDs for clear country separation or focusing on better content and structure.

AI

Google CEO Sundar Pichai revealed a 2025 strategy that puts AI apps like Gemini front and center, potentially relegating the iconic search box to the background. The plan focuses heavily on consumer-facing AI tools, including a Chrome AI prototype called Project Mariner that can integrate data across platforms (imagine pulling TripAdvisor reviews directly into Google Maps). There’s also Project Astra, Google's "universal assistant" that promises to work across any topic, format, or device. For SEOs, this means expanding our horizons beyond traditional search optimization and considering how content will be discovered through the new AI-powered touchpoints.

Jake Peterson exposes Meta's bizarre experiment with AI-generated social media accounts that's causing quite a stir. Created in 2023 but recently rediscovered, these verified profiles feature fictional characters like "Liv," a self-described "proud Black queer momma of 2," who posts AI-generated images of non-existent family moments. While Meta includes AI watermarks on images, the accounts' tone-deaf personas and fabricated life stories have sparked backlash. Meta is now quietly deleting content from these abandoned profiles. It's a reminder in authenticity: even the most sophisticated AI can't replace genuine human connection.

AI Ripples

  • NVIDIA released their ChatRTX app that lets you personalize a GPT LLM based on your own content on your computer. It runs locally if you have the right system requirements: Windows, NVIDIA GeForce™ RTX 30 or 40 Series GPU or NVIDIA RTX™ Ampere or Ada Generation GPU with at least 8GB of VRAM, etc.

MARKETING

Jason Levin dives into the trend of free tool marketing—a tactic commonly used no for SaaS lead generation. Forget outdated eBooks, today’s marketers are creating mini tools to captivate audiences and drive signups. These tools act as “loss leaders,” offering just enough functionality to draw in users while nudging them toward premium products. He breaks down how to identify the right tools to build and maximize their impact, including leveraging low-difficulty keywords to identify tools that attract organic traffic with minimal competition.

To follow that up, Chris Haines shares online calculators like mortgage or calorie trackers to drive millions of organic clicks for sites. Chris explains how these tools provide value, solve specific problems, and boost visibility in competitive niches. Some good insights into diversifying your traffic strategy using programmatic SEO and simple coding tips.

Jasmine Williams shares creative ideas to elevate your brand's YouTube Shorts strategy. Some of the real brand examples she shares that deliver results, include these tips:

  • Use trending sounds and themes to stay relevant and capture attention.

  • Create behind-the-scenes content to humanize your brand.

  • Share quick tips or hacks that solve audience pain points.

  • Highlight user-generated content to build trust and community.

  • Experiment with humor and relatable moments to increase shareability.

Ross Simmonds shares tips to help marketers connect authentically, build trust, and drive meaningful results. Some of the key takeaways:

  • Start by observing: Identify subreddits where your audience gathers and study their rules and culture.

  • Add value first: Share insights, answer questions, and avoid overt self-promotion.

  • Leverage karma: Build credibility by contributing quality content and engaging meaningfully.

  • Utilize Reddit’s formats: Combine AMAs, text posts, and images to foster engagement.

  • Avoid common pitfalls: Skip spammy tactics and respect each subreddit’s unique norms.

Google reviews are a powerful tool to boost your business's online presence. Tan Siew Ann shares nine strategies to help you get more reviews, improve credibility, and drive new customers. She covers easy-to-implement tips like sharing direct review links to must-do tactics like responding to reviews (even negative ones!):

  • Ask directly: Politely request reviews from happy customers.

  • Make it simple: Share a direct link to your Google review page.

  • Respond to reviews: Show you care by replying to every review.

  • Deliver stellar service: Exceptional experiences naturally lead to positive reviews.

  • Time your ask: Request reviews shortly after a great interaction.

Marketing Ripples

  • MegaLag’s YouTube exposes the Honey influencer scam. Honey is the PayPal-owned browser extension, revealing a web of alleged deceptive practices targeting both influencers and users. While marketed as a money-saving tool, Honey allegedly hijacks affiliate links, steals commissions, and promotes selectively curated discounts. Influencers unknowingly encouraged their followers to install a tool that undercut their own earnings.

CONTENT

SE Ranking tested the power of AI-generated content by publishing 2,000 AI-driven articles across 20 new domains and comparing them to six AI-assisted blog posts. The experiment gave some interesting results:

  • ~71% of the 2,000 AI-articles were indexed. 11 sites were fully indexed with their 100 articles.

  • AI content with human editing saw 25-40% higher click-through rates and improved dwell time by 20-30%.

  • Hybrid posts achieved 35% more organic traffic compared to fully automated content.

  • Articles targeting keywords with monthly search volumes of 1,000-5,000 ranked faster.

  • 50% of AI-only articles failed to sustain rankings due to lower engagement metrics

Rachael Nicholson explains why content monitoring isn’t just about tracking performance metrics—it’s about using those insights to make smarter, faster decisions for your content. She shows how you can benchmark, track, and refine your efforts to maximize ROI.

LINK BUILDING

Vince Nero breaks down the art of reactive PR, a strategy where brands capitalize on breaking news and trending topics to gain visibility, often referred to as “newsjacking.” He contrasts it with proactive PR, which involves planned campaigns around events like product launches or seasonal trends. Vince provides insights on when and how to leverage each approach effectively.

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

  • Apple TV+ is free to stream this weekend. Go binge if you’ve never watched. Ted Lasso is my favorite! ⚽️ 

  • Matt Diggity’s The Affiliate Lab course will be sunset in 6 months. Matt announced in the private group earlier today. Course sales had been closed for about 8 months now and following Authority Hacker, Affiliate Lab will take their course offline in 6 months. If you’re a student, go watch those videos you’ve been putting off or rewatch others.

Aleyda Solis has a nice looking Looker Studio Dashboard to spot rankings changes and shifts in top queries and pages after an update and for monthly SEO assessment

BUSINESS IDEAS

Joshua Hardwick says affiliate marketing as we know it is dying. He breaks down why Google’s new priorities—like favoring Reddit, big brands, and even AI-generated recommendations—are squeezing out independent publishers. He also highlights shifting consumer trust, with more people relying on YouTube or TikTok for product reviews. Instead of starting an affiliate site, Joshua suggests pivoting to eCommerce.

My Take: This makes sense and was something that many who did affiliate marketing would evolve to ecommerce naturally with private labeling their own products. I remember talking about that 4-5 years ago on a podcast. With affiliate sales data, you can analyze what products are best sellers and start creating your own products.

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