#seo

#seo

Three weeks ago, I tested something that completely changed how I think about organic traffic. I opened ChatGPT and asked a simple question: "What's the best course on building SaaS with WordPress?" The answer that appeared stopped me cold. My course showed up as the first result, recommended directly by the AI with specific reasons why it was valuable. I hadn't paid for advertising. I hadn't done any special promotion.

Producing blog posts is a surefire way to connect with consumers and provide them with much-needed information, like FAQs or product guides. But writing posts that cut through requires an understanding of what consumers are searching for and an awareness of what makes a good story. The Good Marketer's senior content manager Tess Luke shares some tips for improving this process.

Despite the rise of AI-generated summaries, ranking for key search terms remains essential, and authentic video content will become even more valuable for SEO and GEO visibility. SEO won't be going anywhere, GEO will still use top ranking results as one of the parameters when looking for references, so it's still important to rank on important keywords that are relevant to business.

It's increasingly important for publishers to understand when, how and why their content is being used as a source inside AI tools and platforms (often without attribution or traffic). The search landscape has changed exponentially this year, as more people turn to AI tools and platforms like ChatGPT to get information. And though referral traffic from AI platforms is still minuscule, many publishers are starting to track where they are cited in AI-generated responses to users' queries.

This Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it's more likely shoppers turn to ChatGPT to help with their holiday wish lists. Over the past year, AI platforms have gone mainstream with more users using them to research products, compare brands, hunt for deals and even automate purchasing. The changes in how people shop online has caused marketers to reconsider their SEO strategies to maintain brand visibility in the new zero-click search landscape.

In today's hyper-connected world, a brand's digital identity is paramount. As the online realm becomes increasingly saturated, businesses are seeking innovative ways to differentiate themselves and forge authentic connections with their audiences. They're strengthening their branding by moving beyond legacy conventions and embracing distinctive new Top Level Domains (TLDs). This shift isn't new, but it's accelerating rapidly. New TLD usage has grown by 50% in the past five years, with 745.5 million global registrations forecasted by 2030.

Adobe is acquiring Semrush for $1.9 billion. The creator of Photoshop and Acrobat wants to expand its marketing offering with SEO and AI search capabilities. The acquisition should help Adobe give companies better insight into their online visibility. Adobe is paying $12 per share, a premium of 77.5 percent over Tuesday's closing price. Semrush shares rose 55 percent before the market opened, a logical consequence of the news.

For your company and your products, your logo, packaging, and the impression you make via search engines and digital channels are the first things that clients and consumers will register. Controlling your brand image is linked to your success, and a polished professional look is vital. Design needs today aren't restricted to graphic design - they also include effective website and UX/UI design.

Blogs, the dusty digital diaries of the early 2000s, were once places where individuals shared their thoughts, passions, and stories with the world. Back then, blogs were hubs of navel-gazing, authenticity, creativity, and personal connection. These online journals were also a breath of fresh air, offering a glimpse into the lives and minds of everyday people. But today, sadly, their purpose and function have become muddled.

What part of SEO would be different from any of these CMSs vs WP? They make HTML, it's crawlable. CMSs have evolved a lot since the early days; it's no longer 2018 where some of these used JS or Flash (though those kinds of sites were interesting in their own ways too :-)). There's also managed WP hosting. Anyway, from my POV for the average content-y site, there's no fundamental SEO difference between mainstream CMSs, even static hosting with modern frameworks is fine.

So far this year, in 2025, we had only two core updates. We had a March 2025 core update and a June 2025 core update. In fact, we only had three search updates in total this year, if you include those two core updates and then the August 2025 spam update. Sure, I can see Google release maybe two core updates by the end of the year, if they rush things.