Your biweekly dose of content marketing news and advice to help you grow your audience, level up your content game, and get your site to the top results in Google.
Hey Reader,
The new year is here, and 2025 is already shaping up to be full of exciting opportunities in search and content marketing.
In this week’s newsletter, we’re covering why some brands dominate AI-generated answers, how JavaScript impacts search visibility, and the actionable steps you can take to stay ahead.
Here’s what you need to know:
What's The Buzz?
Christina Blake shares fascinating insights on what influences brand mentions in AI-generated answers. Her research analyzed 10,000 questions through OpenAI’s GPT-4 API, focusing on factors like Google/Bing rankings, backlinks, and content types. Key findings include strong correlations between search visibility and mentions, but weaker ties to backlinks and domain rank.
Take a look at Christina’s post for more details and share your thoughts on what she should explore next!
THE STATE OF AI OVERVIEWS -- According to a study from Ziptie, Google’s AI Overviews is transforming search by shifting from traditional keyword queries to immersive user journeys and conversational interactions. Now appearing in around 12.7% of popular queries, AI Overviews prioritize sources outside the top 10 traditional search rankings (63% of sources). Positioned at the top of search results, AI Overviews fulfill user intent without requiring clicks, posing challenges for businesses reliant on organic traffic while creating opportunities for smaller players to gain visibility.
With adoption in over 100 countries, AI Overviews are particularly impactful in health (54%), finance (21.2%), and jobs (16.6%). To thrive, businesses must create content tailored to answer user questions directly, optimize technically for AI Overviews, and cover all stages of the user journey.
GOOGLE'S TAKE ON JAVASCRIPT -- In the latest Search Off The Record podcast, Google’s Search Relations team highlighted challenges with JavaScript in the modern search environment. While JavaScript was initially designed to make websites as dynamic as mobile apps, its overuse has become a concern.
Martin Splitt of Google explained that websites now range from simple pages to complex web applications, but developers often rely on JavaScript unnecessarily. This over-reliance can hinder AI search engines like ChatGPT Search, which struggle to process JavaScript-rendered content.
Key takeaways:
Server-Side Rendering: Essential for AI crawlers that can’t execute client-side JavaScript.
Content Accessibility: Ensure critical content is in the initial HTML.
Balance Features & Accessibility: Use JavaScript selectively to maintain both modern functionality and search visibility.
As AI-driven search tools grow, adapting your site for both traditional engines and AI crawlers is vital for long-term success.
NEW PODCAST EPISODE -- We've released another episode on the Growth Machine Marketing Podcast! In this one, we're sharing our very own success story: How we took our blog from aimless to intentional. Based on our case study, you'll learn all the details on how we started taking our SEO efforts seriously and how it paid off through higher search engine rankings and increased website traffic. Listen on Apple, Spotify, and other streaming platforms!
While we love a good external link, that’s just one part of your SEO strategy. Internal linking is a smart and simple way to increase organic traffic with just a few clicks. In this guide, we’ll explain why every business needs an internal linking strategy and share our five favorite internal linking best practices to boost your rankings in no time.
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