Floyi Changes the Game for Content Strategy

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SEO

Top SEO Tips for 2025: Brand Authority Takes Center Stage

Chima Mmeje shares a roadmap for SEO success in 2025, highlighting that brand building is no longer optional - it's critical. As AI search features like Google's Overviews reshape organic traffic patterns, success demands a multi-channel approach that builds brand authority while diversifying traffic sources. While Google claims you can't optimize for AI search, savvy SEOs are finding patterns in what ranks well in AI-generated results, particularly content that's both simple to read and comprehensive in depth.

My Take: If you’ve taken my Topical Maps Unlocked 2.0 course, you’ll find this very familiar.

Mark Zuckerberg's Insights Reveal Why Google Updates Can Be So Unpredictable

Glenn Gabe analyzes an insight from Mark Zuckerberg's Joe Rogan interview that perfectly relates to why some websites get unfairly hit by Google updates. Through the lens of Meta's content moderation systems, he explains how AI classifiers work: the higher the confidence threshold, the fewer false positives but also fewer actual problems caught. Lower that threshold, and you'll catch more issues but create more collateral damage. This same principle applies to Google's algorithms, explaining why perfectly good sites sometimes get caught in update crossfire, and why we're seeing more frequent, smaller updates instead of massive core ones.

Confirmed: Google Is Requiring JavaScript to Block SEO Tools

Roger Montti reveals Google’s new approach to blocking bots and scrapers: requiring JavaScript in search. This move may increase costs for SEO tools, as they’ll need advanced techniques like headless browsers to scrape effectively. Google claims the change enhances user protection and search relevance, but for SEOs, it introduces challenges in maintaining tool efficiency and affordability.

To learn more about what was happening, read Roger’s prior article on Google cracking down on scrapers, leaving SEO tools like Semrush and SE Ranking struggling to deliver fresh data. By blocking automated queries and enforcing strict anti-scraping measures, Google is disrupting rank and keyword tracking across the globe.

SEO Ripples

• Google has updated their full Search Quality Rater Guidelines on January 23,2025. Look for that date on the top-right to make sure you have the latest version. I haven’t gone through it myself yet and didn’t see any analysis of the differences either in my feeds. I’ll share one next week if I come across one, but you can download it above with that direct link.

• Carlos Silva breaks down how click-through rates can make or break your SEO success. With Google's recent confirmation of using click data to inform rankings, your CTR isn't just about traffic – it's a direct ranking factor. He shows that while the top position averages a 22% CTR, you don't need to rank first to improve performance. His research proves that small CTR improvements at any position can dramatically impact traffic.

• Barry Schwartz reports on Google’s latest update to its site reputation abuse policy and manual actions section. These changes clarify existing guidelines, ensuring webmasters understand how to handle third-party content and maintain site integrity. While these are editorial updates with no impact on behavior, they provide practical steps for managing policy violations and avoiding broader penalties.

• Google’s John Mueller continues to say, unless your site has a manual action or a history of questionable linking practices, disavowing links offers little value. Spammers benefit from you waiting time disavowing. Instead, focus on more impactful changes like optimizing your site’s calls-to-action.

• Google's Circle to Search got updated so that when you circle something on your Android screen, you'll get AI-powered overviews for a broader range of content - from artwork to landmarks. The tool now instantly recognizes and makes clickable any numbers, email addresses, or URLs you circle. This is why it’s important to have good images and alt text on your site.

AI

DeepSeek Claims Its ‘Reasoning’ Model Beats OpenAI’s o1

Kyle Wiggers explores DeepSeek’s bold claim that its reasoning AI model, DeepSeek-R1, rivals OpenAI’s o1. With 671 billion parameters and impressive performance on benchmarks like AIME and SWE-bench, R1 showcases the potential of reasoning models in science, math, and programming. The open-source model is available on Hugging Face under an MIT license. While R1’s reliability shines, it faces limitations from Chinese regulations restricting sensitive topics. DeepSeek also undercuts competitors with pricing up to 95% lower than OpenAI’s.

My Take: I spent a few minutes playing with it and I’m impressed by it too. Definitely one that I’m going to look into more - it’s crazy cheap too. $0.14/million input tokens and $2.19/m output. For comparison, gpt-4o is $2.50/m input and $10/m output. o1? $15/m input and $60/m output.

Having lived in China for over 7 years, I do have one concern though as it’s a Chinese LLM: how much access does the Chinese government have to the data? I wouldn’t be doing any politically sensitive work with it.

Are People Clicking Links in ChatGPT Search? Brands Say Yes

Matt G. Southern shares that brands are seeing real traffic and sales from links in AI-driven search results, like ChatGPT and Google Gemini. Brands like Viv and Joe & Bella report significant growth, with AI tools highlighting their content to users. One of the key takeaways is that AI search thrives on detailed, educational content, and brands that embrace this can gain an edge.

OpenAI Unveils Operator: Your Personal Web-Browsing AI Assistant

OpenAI introduces Operator, an AI agent that can navigate the web just like a human - clicking, typing, and scrolling through websites to complete your tasks. Currently available to U.S. Pro users (the $200/mo plan), this virtual assistant can handle everything from grocery ordering to form filling, with built-in safeguards for sensitive information. Operator uses its own browser and can interact with any website without needing special integration. While still in research preview, it's already partnering with major platforms like DoorDash and Instacart.

AI Ripples

• Apple suspends its AI news summary feature following multiple accuracy failures. The system's AI-generated alerts made serious mistakes, including falsely reporting a death and misrepresenting crucial news details from major outlets like BBC, Sky News, and the Washington Post. What makes this particularly noteworthy is Apple's rare public retreat, with the company disabling the feature entirely for news and entertainment apps while it works on improvements. But don’t worry, Google and other AI chatbots haven’t suspended anything 😂 

• Following that, Spencer Haws reveals how 'fake news’ sites like Babylon Bee are turning clever jokes into serious cash - up to $15 million annually. What's particularly interesting is that success in this space isn't limited to media giants. From The Onion's legacy operation to smaller players like The Hard Times, there's proof that satirical content can be profitable at any scale. The key isn't just writing funny stories; it's about finding a specific niche, building a loyal following through social media, and diversifying revenue streams beyond just display ads.

• More AI + News news. After partnering with OpenAI, the Associated Press has also partnered up with Google to provide a real-time news feed for the Gemini app.

MARKETING

5 Hidden Money Drains in Your Google Ads (And How to Fix Them)

Michelle Morgan reveals the sneaky ways your Google Ads budget might be leaking without you noticing. These issues are easy to fix once you know where to look. Her most valuable tip: regularly run N-Gram analysis on your search queries to identify problematic word patterns and optimize your negative keyword strategy. Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Accidentally opting into the Google Display Network

• Not checking performance on the Search Partner Network

• Ignoring device performance

• Bidding on low-volume, no-conversion keywords

• Not taking advantage of negative keywords

CONTENT

The Overlooked Reason Your Content Isn't Gaining Traction

Amanda Natividad challenges the notion that underperforming content simply "isn't good enough." Instead, she reveals a more nuanced truth: most content flops because it doesn't match user intent on specific platforms. Think about it - your brilliant headline writing tips might not get traction on Threads because users are there for wildfire updates. The solution? Study your audience's platform-specific behaviors. Whether they're seeking entertainment, connection, or education, your content needs to align with their scrolling goals.

My Take: Audience insights and buyer personas are a core component of what Floyi does and uses for their content strategies. If you don’t know your audience, you can’t effectively create a content plan. This work has been a major part of my topical maps service and what I’ve now brought into Floyi.

14 Types of Keywords (+ How to Create Content Around Them)

Nick Eubanks breaks down 14 keyword types and how to use them effectively throughout the marketing funnel. Drawing from his own experience, he explains how different keywords serve distinct purposes - from informational queries that build trust to transactional terms that drive sales.

SOCIAL MEDIA

18 Social Media KPIs (and How to Track Them)

Asif Ali shares the social media measurements that impact your bottom line. Rather than drowning in data, he organizes 18 critical KPIs into five strategic categories: visibility, engagement, conversion, customer satisfaction, and share of voice. He says that, instead of tracking everything, focus on KPIs that align with your specific business goals. Whether you're driving sales or building brand awareness, this guide helps you pick the right metrics and set SMART goals to measure success.

Meta Threads Takes the Next Step by Launching Ads

Brooke Osmundson reports Meta testing image ads on Threads. This trial in the U.S. and Japan signals the platform’s shift toward monetization, offering brands a fresh playground for creativity.

What Are the Alternatives for Users If TikTok Is Banned?

Greg Jarboe explores what users and creators can do if TikTok faces a ban in the U.S. Platforms like YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and Snapchat Spotlight are emerging as alternatives, each offering unique features for short-form video creators. For creators reliant on TikTok for income, Greg highlights the importance of diversifying revenue streams and repurposing content across platforms.

Social Ripples

• Meta announces a video editing app called Edits to rival ByteDance’s CapCut after the latter’s removal from app stores amid the TikTok ban. Set to launch on iOS next month (Android later), Edits offers tools tailored for creators, including idea tracking, a high-quality camera, and draft-sharing features.

• Do you run a NFL team’s social media? Don’t start that Bluesky team account yet because the NFL has not approved the platform - yet (meaning the NFL hasn’t gotten paid yet).

• Elon Musk sends an email to X staff stating “we’re barely breaking even.” He admits stagnant user growth and revenue struggles. Banks are also preparing to offload $13 billion in debt tied to Musk’s acquisition of Twitter.

EDUCATION

How Fery Kaszoni Grew an $8,000,000/Year Agency in 4 Years

Fery Kaszoni, founder of Search Intelligence, shares the bold moves and chaotic strategies that built his digital PR agency into a $8M/year powerhouse. From ditching contracts to investing $1M+ in bespoke software, Fery embraced risk and rapid innovation to dominate the digital PR landscape. He talks about how he fired 15 staff during a cultural crisis, overcame razor-thin margins, and stayed playful while leading a 90-person team.

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