The post Digital Marketing Predictions for 2025 (HISTORIC Changes Coming) appeared first on Thinkplus.

Here’s what most marketers are missing about the future of search: By 2026, Gartner predicts organic traffic from traditional SEO could drop by up to 50%. Even conservative estimates suggest a 25% decline in the next 1-2 years. The reality? Most businesses aren’t just unprepared for this shift – they’re actively investing in strategies that won’t serve them in an AI-first search landscape.

Before we get into the details, here are the more important timestamps from this recording:

Timestamps

01:07 – What is GEO?

02:20 – Are marketers thinking about GEO enough?

03:57 – Are we starting to see the impact of generative engines in analytics and traffic?

05:31 – How is the spread of generative AI impacting Google itself?

07:44 – How important is the new skill set of GEO for SEOs and marketers?

09:38 – How important is GEO for business owners, CEOs, and CMOs?

12:45 – How do generative engines work?

21:07 -What are the differences between SEO and GEO?

28:40 – How is the spread of generative AI impacting digital PR?

34:06 – How do we measure the effectiveness of GEO?

38:49 – How can marketers communicate the importance and effectiveness of GEO to their superiors?

41:38 – What are the tactical steps to optimize content for generative engines?

55:50 – How can a marketer strategise an initial GEO strategy for 2025?

59:31 – How should a promotional/PR strategy be approached for GEO?

The Hidden Reality of Modern Search Behavior

Let’s break down what’s really happening in search right now. Search Console data reveals something fascinating: users aren’t just changing where they search – they’re fundamentally altering how they interact with search engines. Queries are becoming longer, more conversational, and increasingly mirror the way people interact with AI chatbots.

The analytics tell a clear story: before someone ever reaches your website through Google, they’ve likely had multiple touchpoints with AI platforms. These conversations are shaping purchase decisions, building brand perceptions, and influencing search behaviour in ways that traditional analytics completely miss.

Breaking Down GEO vs SEO: The Real Differences

Traditional SEO focuses on individual pages and backlinks. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) evaluates your entire digital footprint.

Here’s what that actually means in practice:

Content Evaluation — Traditional SEO looks at pages. GEO analyses data points across multiple sources. While Google might focus on your product page, AI platforms synthesise information from reviews, social media, forum discussions, and industry mentions to form a complete picture of your offering.

Ranking Factors — Recency matters more in GEO. Content from six months ago might rank well in Google, but AI platforms show a strong preference for fresh, current information. They’re also more sensitive to user-generated content and third-party mentions than traditional search engines.

Content Structure — AI platforms excel at parsing structured content but need clear context. Instead of optimizing for keywords, a successful GEO strategy focuses on providing explicit context for every piece of information. “Vegan beauty products” performs better than just “vegan products” because it gives AI platforms clear category context.

The Process That Actually Works

Starting with AI Interviews: The foundation of effective GEO isn’t content creation – it’s understanding how AI platforms currently perceive your brand. This means conducting systematic interviews across multiple AI platforms:

Basic Identity Questions:

• What services does [company] provide?
• Where does [company] operate?
• What makes [company] different from competitors?

Competitive Analysis:

• Who are the leading providers in [industry]?
• What differentiates [company] from [competitor]?
• What are [company’s] main strengths and weaknesses?

Customer Perception:

• Who would benefit most from [company’s] services?
• What do customers say about [company]?
• What problems does [company] solve best?

Once you’ve completed the process, you can then move on to more tactical work, such as:

• Content Optimisation — After understanding AI perception, focus on content structure.
• Clear Section Headers — Use descriptive headers that explicitly state what follows. AI platforms use these for context and categorisation.
• Contextual Clarity — Don’t assume knowledge – state relationships explicitly. If you’re discussing a musical, specify “Oklahoma the musical” rather than just “Oklahoma.”
• Format Diversity — Unlike traditional SEO, GEO benefits from diverse content formats. Include videos, podcasts, data tables, and various media types where relevant.
• External Linking Strategy — The old SEO fear of linking to competitors doesn’t apply in GEO. Linking to complementary content can actually help your visibility in AI responses.

Building Digital Authority That Matters

Modern GEO requires a broader approach to digital PR. The data shows successful brands aren’t just chasing high-authority backlinks – they’re building a genuine presence across multiple platforms.

Diverse platform presence means strategic engagement where your audience actually spends time: industry forums, professional networks, review sites, and knowledge-sharing communities like Reddit and Quora. Each platform adds a different dimension to how AI platforms understand your brand authority.

Active engagement in industry discussions goes beyond promotional content. It means contributing genuine insights, sharing unique data, and participating in technical conversations that demonstrate real expertise. AI platforms evaluate not just what you say, but how you engage with industry challenges and developments.

Strategic review management shapes how AI platforms understand your real-world impact. This means systematically soliciting reviews after positive interactions, responding professionally to every piece of feedback, and creating a clear record of customer support and problem resolution.

Authentic community participation requires consistent, valuable engagement in relevant online spaces. This isn’t about quick promotional hits – it’s about building long-term relationships through genuine expertise sharing and community support.

The goal isn’t just backlinks – it’s creating a consistent, authoritative presence across platforms where your audience engages. When AI platforms see this pattern of genuine expertise and engagement, they develop a more complete understanding of your brand authority, leading to better representation in AI-driven search results.

Measuring Success in the AI Era

Traditional SEO metrics tell only part of the story in GEO. Most marketers track rankings and organic traffic, completely missing the deeper patterns that reveal GEO success.

Here’s what actually matters: Direct measurements start with referral traffic from AI platforms. These show up as distinct sources in your analytics – ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity. But that’s just the beginning. Branded search volume tells a deeper story about how AI platforms influence discovery. When you see search terms growing more complex in Search Console, that’s a clear signal of AI-influenced research behaviour.

The indirect indicators reveal even more. Watch how search intent patterns evolve. Sales teams report prospects arriving with deeper product understanding. Brand perception shifts across platforms. And most tellingly, direct brand searches spike after major AI platform updates.

The most successful implementations show steady improvements across both direct and indirect metrics over 3-6 months. By month three, expect to see more nuanced customer questions. By month six, watch for shorter sales cycles as prospects arrive better informed through AI interactions.

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How To Optimise for AI Overviews

AI Overviews are not just another feature at the top of search results. They represent a complete transformation in how Google displays information, and most businesses are approaching them entirely wrong.

The data shows something fascinating about how these overviews work. While traditional search results create winners and losers, AI Overviews combine information from multiple sources. A small healthcare provider can appear alongside Mayo Clinic and the NHS in the same overview. This isn’t theory – it’s happening right now for businesses that understand how to contribute to these conversations.

Most businesses fail at overview optimisation because they’re stuck in an outdated competitive mindset. The data shows successful businesses take a completely different approach. Instead of trying to outrank industry leaders, they focus on adding unique insights that complement existing information. When they appear in these overviews, the trust transfer is immediate – being mentioned alongside industry leaders builds instant credibility.

Here’s what the numbers reveal: AI Overviews appear overwhelmingly for informational searches. While you might occasionally see them for commercial terms, they dominate the top of search results when users are seeking knowledge rather than products. This creates a clear opportunity for businesses that understand how to position their expertise.

We’ve earned a lot of great results over the past year for our clients through extensive testing and we’ve figured out a few areas of optimisation you can take care of to earn real results for your business too:

Building Complementary Content — Standard advice tells you to compete with existing content. The reality? AI Overviews favour content that fills information gaps. When a business adds genuine value to existing conversations – like a regional bank adding local market insights to general financial advice – they appear alongside industry leaders.

Demonstrating Deep Expertise — Most businesses try to cover everything superficially. The numbers show that focused, deep expertise in specific areas drives better overview inclusion. A healthcare provider seeing consistent overview appearances focuses exclusively on explaining complex procedures in simple terms, rather than trying to cover every health topic.

Creating AI-Friendly Structure — While traditional SEO focuses on keyword placement, overview success requires clear information architecture. This means presenting information in a way that helps AI understand relationships between concepts. Label sections explicitly. State relationships clearly. Make connections obvious.

Maintaining Fresh Relevance — The data shows AI Overviews heavily favour recent, updated content. But this isn’t about making minor tweaks – it’s about consistently adding new insights and expanding valuable information. Regular, meaningful updates outperform sporadic overhauls every time.

A Timeline for Implementation for Your Business

You have a lot of work ahead of you for capitalising on all of the emerging generative engines, including Google’s AI Overviews — but you don’t have to do it all on Day 1. If you’re running solo, you can break the work down into different months and quarters, but if you’re working with an in-house team or external agency, you should be able to do this at scale much quicker.

Here’s the month-to-month breakdown of work you can complete:

Month 1:

• Conduct comprehensive AI platform interviews
• Document current brand perception
• Identify critical gaps and opportunities
• Map competitor mentions and positioning

Month 2:

• Update core service page content structure
• Address identified perception gaps
• Begin systematic review management
• Implement clear contextual markers in content

Month 3:

• Expand presence across relevant platforms
• Develop a complementary content strategy
• Start monitoring AI Overview appearances
• Track changes in AI platform responses

Months 4-6:

• Scale successful content approaches
• Build a consistent cross-platform presence
• Deepen expertise content in key areas
• Monitor and adjust based on response data

Evolve Your Content’s Structure

The future of content structure isn’t just about keywords anymore – it’s about creating an interconnected web of valuable information that AI platforms can confidently reference and share. While traditional SEO had us obsessing over title tags and keyword density, GEO demands something far more sophisticated: content that adds genuine value to existing digital conversations.

Think about your content like building blocks in a larger conversation. Each piece needs clear signposts that tell AI platforms exactly what you’re contributing and how it connects to the bigger picture. This means being explicit about categories and relationships – don’t just write about “Oklahoma,” specify “Oklahoma the musical” if that’s what you mean.

Your content architecture matters more than ever. Use descriptive headers that actually preview what follows, not clever wordplay. Break complex topics into clear, logical sections. But here’s what most marketers miss: GEO thrives on diversity. Mix in videos, podcasts, data tables – AI platforms are far better at parsing varied content formats than traditional search engines ever were.

Freshness isn’t just a ranking factor anymore – it’s a fundamental requirement. Regular updates signal that your content remains relevant and accurate. And perhaps most importantly, stop trying to outcompete everyone. Focus instead on complementing existing conversations with unique insights that fill information gaps. This collaborative approach is what gets you noticed in AI-driven search.

Ready to optimize your content for generative engines? Here’s your action plan:

• Start by auditing your existing content. Review your headers – are they descriptive or just clever? Look for opportunities to add explicit context. Remember, AI platforms need clear signals about what your content is discussing.
• Next, enrich your content structure. Break down complex topics into well-labeled sections. Add summary blocks at the top of important pages. Create clear relationships between ideas and concepts. And don’t forget to mix in different content formats – tables, video transcripts, and structured data all help AI platforms better understand your content.
• Finally, develop a regular update schedule. Fresh, current information isn’t optional anymore – it’s essential for maintaining visibility in AI-driven search results. And when you update, focus on adding complementary insights that fill gaps in existing conversations rather than trying to replace what’s already working.

Review and Reputation Management

Your digital reputation isn’t just about star ratings anymore – it’s becoming the backbone of how AI platforms understand and represent your brand. While traditional SEO might let you hide a few negative reviews in the depths of page four, AI platforms synthesise everything said about your brand across the entire digital landscape. Every review, comment, and mention shapes how these platforms understand – and ultimately recommend – your business.

Key Reputation Factors in the GEO Era:

• User-generated content now carries substantially more weight
• AI platforms analyse sentiment patterns across all platforms
• Review responses matter as much as the reviews themselves
• Community engagement signals build brand authority
• Third-party mentions influence brand perception more than self-promotion

Think about it like your digital brand’s DNA. Each customer interaction becomes part of a larger narrative that AI platforms use to build their understanding of your business. And here’s the kicker: they’re not just counting stars – they’re analysing sentiment, tracking response patterns, and evaluating how you handle both praise and criticism.

Action Steps to Strengthen Your Digital Reputation:

Step 1

1. Conduct regular AI platform audits
2. Ask direct questions about your brand
3. Document current perceptions
4. Identify gaps and misconceptions

Step 2

1. Implement proactive review management
2. Respond thoughtfully to all reviews, positive and negative
3. Create systematic review collection processes
4. Address concerns publicly and professionally

Step 3

1. Build an authentic community presence
2. Share genuine industry insights
3. Participate in relevant discussions
4. Focus on value over promotion

Remember: Every digital interaction is an opportunity to shape how AI platforms understand and represent your brand. Focus on building a rich tapestry of positive, authentic engagements that give these platforms confident, accurate information to draw from.

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Building Authority Across Platforms

Think of your digital presence like a constellation – each platform is a star that contributes to your overall visibility. But here’s what makes the difference: AI platforms don’t just see these points of light, they understand the connections between them.

Here’s where your authority really lives:

• Professional Networks (LinkedIn, industry associations)
• Knowledge-Sharing Communities (Quora, Reddit, Stack Exchange)
• Review Platforms (Industry-specific + general)
• Industry Forums & Discussion Boards
• Specialised Content Hubs

Most businesses spread themselves too thin, chasing presence on every platform possible. Stop. Focus instead on meaningful engagement where it matters most. Quality always trumps quantity in the AI era.

How To Build Your Cross-Platform Authority

Start small but go deep. Choose two platforms where your audience is most active and become an invaluable community member. Share insights that only you can provide. Answer questions thoughtfully. Build relationships that matter.

Pro Strategy: Map out your expertise areas and match them to specific platforms. Technical knowledge? Stack Exchange awaits. Industry insights? LinkedIn’s your stage. Customer success stories? Review platforms need your voice.

Remember, AI platforms are getting smarter at recognising authentic authority. They can tell the difference between drive-by posting and genuine community contribution. Build your presence with purpose, and the algorithms will take notice.

Quick Win: Pick your top-performing case study and adapt it for three different platforms this week. Track how AI platforms start connecting these pieces of your authority puzzle, analyse the impact, and then make a decision on how you can build on this or improve your work to get a better result.

You can learn more about how to establish your authority across the internet by following Google’s existing E-E-A-T guidelines. Watch this video to learn what E-E-A-T stands for.

Future-proofing Your Strategy

Let’s talk about future-proofing your digital strategy. Because here’s the reality: the shift to AI-driven search isn’t just another algorithm update – it’s a complete reimagining of how people discover and interact with information online.

Think about how you searched for information five years ago versus today. The change is stunning, isn’t it? But what’s happening now makes those changes look microscopic in comparison.

Search is evolving beyond keywords and backlinks into something far more sophisticated: an interconnected web of signals that AI platforms use to understand, evaluate, and recommend your business. Getting this right isn’t optional anymore – it’s survival.

Consider this: When was the last time you typed a perfect keyword phrase into Google? We’re all starting to search the way we think – in natural language, with context and nuance. AI platforms aren’t just keeping up with this shift; they’re accelerating it.

Here’s a future-proofing checklist you can follow:

First 30 Days

• Conduct comprehensive AI perception audits
• Document current digital footprint
• Map content structure gaps

Next Quarter

• Implement continuous monitoring systems
• Refine content architecture
• Build strategic review frameworks

Six Months

• Expand platform presence strategically
• Develop response systems for emerging AI tools
• Create feedback loops for continuous improvement

The Hard Truth: Playing catch-up in 2025 will be exponentially harder than starting now. The businesses that thrive won’t be the ones with the biggest budgets – they’ll be the ones that understood this shift early and adapted accordingly.

Start small, but start now. Choose one aspect of your digital presence to optimise for AI platforms. Test, learn, and expand. The future of search is being written right now – make sure you’re part of the story.

In Summary

The shift to AI-driven search represents the biggest transformation in digital visibility since mobile changed the game. Traditional SEO could see up to a 50% traffic drop by 2028, but this creates unprecedented opportunities for businesses that understand the new rules: AI platforms evaluate your entire digital footprint, not just individual pages and backlinks. They’re analysing sentiment, measuring engagement patterns, and building a comprehensive understanding of your brand’s authority across every platform where you appear.

Success in this new landscape isn’t about outspending competitors – it’s about adapting faster and smarter.

The businesses winning right now are focused on distributed authority, genuine engagement, and contextual clarity over traditional ranking factors. They’re teaching AI platforms exactly how to represent their brands through strategic, multi-platform presence.

Key Strategic Shifts:

• Content needs explicit context and clear signposting
• User-generated content carries unprecedented weight
• Cross-platform authority builds compound visibility
• Fresh, current information trumps historical performance
• Brand reputation is evaluated across the entire digital ecosystem

Your Next Steps:

• Conduct AI platform perception audits
• Build systematic reputation management processes
• Structure content for AI understanding
• Develop a strategic platform presence
• Monitor and adapt to emerging AI tools

The opportunity in GEO isn’t about quick wins or technical tricks. It’s about building genuine authority that both AI platforms and humans recognize and trust. The businesses that understand this now will be the ones leading their industries in 2025 and beyond.

Ready to implement a comprehensive GEO strategy? Visit exposure.ninja/geo to learn more about our GEO Game Plan service.

Watch This Next

The post Copy This NEXT-LEVEL GEO Strategy in 2025 appeared first on Thinkplus.

Something unprecedented just happened.

Google LOST search users in the UK.

Not just a few – 1.8 million adults walked away, marking the first decline in the tech giant’s history.

This isn’t a glitch or a temporary blip. It’s a seismic shift.

Let’s talk about what’s really happening.

Traditional search is evolving. Users whisper questions to AI assistants instead of typing queries into search boxes. They’re having conversations with ChatGPT rather than scrolling through pages of results. And this change? It’s accelerating faster than anyone predicted.

Adobe’s latest analytics tell a fascinating story. Q3 2024 saw an explosion in AI-referred traffic – and here’s the kicker – this surge happened before Google’s reported user decline. Imagine what the next quarter’s numbers will show.

Behind Google’s Brave Face

On paper, Google looks unstoppable. Their Q2 2024 ad revenue hit record highs, jumping 10% when Wall Street least expected it. The champagne corks were popping in Mountain View. But beneath this celebration lies an unsettling truth: the ground is shifting beneath their feet.

What This Means for Your Marketing Strategy

Take a deep breath. Your organic traffic isn’t about to vanish overnight.

But change is coming, and it demands our attention.

Consider this: people haven’t stopped buying. They haven’t stopped searching. They’ve simply found new ways to discover what they need. Some businesses are already seeing leads flow in from unexpected places – ChatGPT referrals appearing in analytics, Perplexity.ai clicks converting to sales.

The game is changing, and here’s how to play it:

First, understand that SEO isn’t dead – it’s evolving. Traditional optimisation techniques are merging with something new: Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). Think of it as SEO’s sophisticated cousin, speaking the language of AI while honouring the fundamentals that have always worked.

Your paid search campaigns? They need fresh eyes. The landscape grows more competitive by the day, with rising costs squeezing margins tighter. The best PPC specialists still deliver results, but they’re working harder for every conversion.

Your 2025 Action Plan

Start here:

Keep your SEO strong — It’s still your foundation, your bedrock of digital visibility. But don’t stop there.

Embrace GEO as your next frontier — Learn how AI platforms read and recommend content. Understand how they think, how they choose what to share, and why they prefer certain sources over others.

Watch your traffic sources like a hawk — New channels are emerging, bringing visitors from platforms that didn’t exist last year. Each deserves your attention, your analysis, your understanding.

When you see traffic from an AI platform, don’t just celebrate the numbers – study them. What triggered the recommendation? How can you replicate that success?

The Future Is Already Here

We’re witnessing history – the moment when Google’s iron grip on search began to loosen. And in this changing landscape lies opportunity.

Smart marketers will adapt. They’ll learn to speak both languages: the traditional syntax of SEO and the nuanced dialogue of AI. They’ll thrive not because they clung to old methods or blindly chased new ones, but because they understood a fundamental truth: success follows the user.

And those users? They’re exploring new ways to find what they need. The question isn’t whether to follow them into this new frontier, but how quickly you can adapt to meet them there.

Remember: great marketing has always been about connecting with people where they are. Yesterday, they were on Google. Today, they’re somewhere new. Tomorrow? That’s what we’re preparing for.

The music of marketing is changing. Listen carefully. Adapt thoughtfully. And don’t just write for algorithms – write for humans seeking answers in an AI-powered world.

Watch This Next

The post Google’s WORST NIGHTMARE Just Happened appeared first on Thinkplus.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is undergoing a seismic shift, driven by the rise of Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews are fundamentally changing how people search for information. Businesses can no longer rely solely on ranking in traditional Google search results; they must now optimise for these generative AI tools that summarise and recommend products, services, and content directly to users.

The Evolution of Search

For years, SEO and Google were synonymous. Optimising for Google’s algorithms was enough to ensure visibility. But with AI tools offering dynamic, summarised answers, search behaviour is expanding. Google’s AI Overviews alone are projected to reach over a billion users by the end of the year. Meanwhile, platforms like Perplexity and Claude allow users to ask complex queries, pulling from multiple sources to deliver coherent answers.

This shift means businesses must ensure their information is present in these AI-driven tools, as well as the sources these tools rely on. Simply ranking on Google is no longer sufficient—you must be visible everywhere your audience searches.

Two-Pronged SEO Strategies

Adapting to GEO requires businesses to adopt a dual approach:

1. Top of Funnel SEO
   Focus on being featured in AI summaries during the research phase. AI tools like Perplexity pull content from authoritative websites. By aligning your content with the queries and sources these tools rely on, your business can gain visibility as a trusted expert.
2. Bottom of Funnel SEO
   When users are ready to make purchasing decisions, your business needs to stand out in commercial searches. Optimise product and service content to reflect unique selling points that AI tools can highlight in their summaries.

For example, a business bank might ensure its standout features, like “award-winning customer service” or “innovative budgeting tools,” are prioritised over generic attributes like “no monthly fees.”

Embracing EEAT for Success

Google’s EEAT framework—Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness—is becoming even more critical. AI tools favour content that reflects genuine, first-hand expertise.

How to Implement EEAT:

• Showcase expert authorship with clear credentials.
• Include case studies, first-hand experiences, and multimedia content.
• Collaborate with industry experts to validate your authority.

Small businesses can leverage authentic storytelling and practical knowledge to build trust. Videos, in particular, can be a powerful way to showcase experience and passion in niche industries.

The Future of Search

As voice and visual search continue to grow, businesses must prioritise concise, conversational content optimised for AI tools. However, these searches often remain informational, with commercial intent still tied to more traditional search methods.

By embracing GEO, businesses can future-proof their search strategies and stay ahead of competitors.

Ready to Optimise?

GEO isn’t just the future of SEO—it’s the present. Thinkplus’s GEO Game Plan helps businesses assess their visibility in AI-driven tools and create actionable strategies to dominate the evolving search landscape.

Get started with a free marketing review and ensure your business ranks wherever your audience searches.

Embrace the change. GEO is here.

A Message from our Head of PPC

Last week, Tim had a long conversation about the most common (and expensive) PPC mistakes marketers make and how to avoid them.

After the call, Tom and Tim continued their conversation about how ads will appear in ChatGPT (it’s inevitable).

Tom is predicting that, when ads do come to ChatGPT, they’ll be powered by Microsoft Ads. When you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. The Microsoft Ads platform is already there. It just needs to be ported over and glammed up a bit.

With that in mind, if you start running Microsoft Ads today they’ll be optimised and matured for the any-day-now rollout.

If you’re not yet running Microsoft Ads, then if Tom’s team sets up your account this month (Dec), he’ll be able to get you another 2500 USD/GBP in free ad credit you can use to train your new ads campaign.

With Google already testing ads in AI Overviews, ChatGPT’s ads are surely only a few weeks or months away.

Interested? Send Tom and Tim a message today and they’ll get your proactive ads campaign set up.

The post The Best SEO Strategies for 2025 appeared first on Thinkplus.

In This Episode…

ChatGPT’s 200 million weekly active users immediately make ChatGPT with Search one of the most important search engines for us marketers to optimise for.

In fact, ChatGPT with Search is just one of a number of new generative engines, meaning generative engine optimisation (GEO) is now an important tool in any marketer’s toolkit.

So, your next question is probably, “How do I get this thing to recommend my business, products or services?”

Here at Thinkplus, we’ve been doing some pioneering work in this space for over a year now.

So today we’re going to be sharing ChatGPT’s search ranking factors with you in today’s video and podcast.

Timestamps

• 00:00 – How ChatGPT with Search Works
• 04:16 – How to Rank in Search GPT

Resources

• GEO: Generative Engine Optimization
• Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines
• OpenAI’s growing list of partnerships

What to Listen to Next:

• Google’s AI Overviews to Reach 1 Billion Users by Year-End ⁠⁠
• Why GEO is the New SEO (and How It Works) ⁠⁠
• The Best B2B Marketing Strategies for 2025 ⁠⁠⁠

The post ChatGPT Search — The Ranking Factors We Know So Far (#339) appeared first on Thinkplus.

In This Episode…

Welcome to the Dojo, a weekly marketing news podcast by Thinkplus.

This week the spotlight is on:

1. The Impact of ChatGPT Search on Marketers
2. The Viral Power of Crumbl Cookies

The discussion begins with OpenAI’s new web search feature integrated into ChatGPT, which is now available for pro users.

The conversation dives deep into the implications of this feature for businesses, potential shifts in search engine dominance, and the importance of Bing optimisation alongside Google SEO.

The second part of the episode highlights the success of Crumbl Cookies, emphasizing the power of effective branding, scarcity marketing, and visual appeal in building a strong, influencer-driven presence.

The podcast wraps up with actionable recommendations for marketing managers and business owners on leveraging AI and enhancing visual branding to drive results.

This week we talk about:

• The Impact of ChatGPT Search on Marketers
• The Viral Power of Crumbl Cookies

Timestamps

00:00 – The Impact of ChatGPT Search on Marketers
32:38 – The Viral Power of Crumbl Cookies

What to Listen to Next

• Why GEO is the New SEO (and How It Works)
• AI Overviews Hit 70%+ Coverage – What’s Your Strategy?
• FINALLY… ChatGPT content that RANKS (ChatGPT with Canvas)

The post ChatGPT Search is using BING?! – Everything We Know So Far… (Dojo #39) appeared first on Thinkplus.

In This Episode…

Whether you’re a large multinational brand with tons of locations or you’re a single location business, the world of local SEO is evolving fast and you need to keep up.

Not to brag, but the team at Thinkplus has won tons of SEO awards, including in local SEO and in some of the world’s most competitive markets.

So in today’s video and podcast we’re going to be sharing that award-winning knowledge and breaking down exactly how to do future proof local SEO, with some strong strategies for the year ahead.

Thank you to Semrush for sponsoring this week’s video and podcast.

What to Listen to Next

• Google’s AI Overviews to Reach 1 Billion Users by Year-End ⁠
• Why GEO is the New SEO (and How It Works) ⁠
• The Best B2B Marketing Strategies for 2025 ⁠⁠

The post The Best Local SEO Strategies for 2025 (#337) appeared first on Thinkplus.

GEO is one of the main terms being used to describe getting AI chat tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or Perplexity to recommend your business, product, services, or brand.

Previously, if we wanted to find something out, we’d go straight to Google every time.

But more and more these days, people are going to these AI chat tools instead.

Now, of course, Google has noticed this changing user behaviour, and it’s built its own contender in this race, the AI Overviews, which are built into the search results.

Only time will tell whether this is enough to keep people using Google or if it will start to lose some of the market share that it’s built up over years to these other chat tools.

You’re probably thinking — “How do I get these tools to recommend my business, my website, my products and services?”

That’s what we’re going to cover in today’s video and podcast.

What to Listen to Next

• ChatGPT-4o with Canvas Will Change Content Writing Forever ⁠⁠
• AI Overviews Hit 70%+ Coverage – What’s Your Strategy? ⁠⁠
• The Best B2B Marketing Strategies for 2025 ⁠

The post Why GEO is the New SEO (and How It Works) (#336) appeared first on Thinkplus.

In this episode of The Dojo, the team at Thinkplus dives into some of the most important digital marketing topics on the horizon — from the drama surrounding WordPress to the rise of Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). Plus, a powerful conversation about the role of social media in mental health awareness. Let’s get into it.

The WordPress Drama You Need to Know About

Let’s start with some industry drama. WordPress, which powers 40% of the internet and is the backbone for many business websites, is in the middle of a public spat between Automatic (the parent company) and WP Engine (a major hosting platform).

Here’s what’s happening:

• Matt Mullenweg, founder of Automatic, criticised WP Engine for contributing very little to the open-source WordPress community. He even went as far as calling their product “a cancer.”
• In retaliation, WP Engine sued, and 159 Automatic employees left the company in protest.

While this might seem like gossip, it has real implications for businesses. WordPress has been a stable platform for years, but the situation raises questions about its long-term reliability.

Why you should care:
If you’re a marketer or business owner relying on WordPress, keep an eye on this. Should more instability arise, having a contingency plan for your website is crucial. While it’s not time to panic, it’s smart to stay informed and think about your options if the situation worsens.

The Future of Search: What is Generative Search Optimisation (GEO)?

The term Generative Search Optimisation (GEO) might be new to you, but it’s about to be a big deal. As more people turn to AI-driven tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude to answer their questions, businesses need to start thinking beyond traditional SEO.

What is GEO?

GEO is the process of optimising your content for these AI-driven search tools. Instead of just aiming to rank on Google, you now need to consider how your business shows up in AI-generated answers.

Here’s why it matters:

• Personalised search results: AI tools don’t just give the same answers to everyone. Instead, they generate personalised responses based on the user’s preferences and history.
• Limited tracking: Unlike Google SEO, where you can track your rankings, GEO is harder to measure. AI-generated responses are dynamic, which means every answer can be different.

Actionable Takeaways for Marketers:

• Focus on quality content. AI loves comprehensive, well-researched information. Make sure your content is genuinely useful and relevant to your audience.
• Diversify your content formats. Video, blogs, podcasts—cover all your bases to reach a wider audience and appear in various search formats.
• Experiment and track results. While GEO is hard to measure, you can still monitor overall traffic and engagement. Keep testing different approaches.

This shift in search may be in its early stages, but it’s one to watch closely. GEO could reshape the way we optimise content for AI tools, so start adapting your strategy now.

Social Media and Mental Health: A Double-Edged Sword

Next up, special guest Nina Piotrowska shared her insights into how social media has evolved into a powerful tool for mental health awareness, but also a potential risk. Social media is no longer just a place to broadcast content—it’s a community hub where people share personal stories, find support, and spread awareness.

Nina has worked closely with mental health organisations like Mind and Young Minds, who have used platforms like TikTok and Instagram to engage with younger audiences. She highlights how user-generated content (UGC) has changed the way we talk about mental health. Instead of experts pushing information top-down, people are sharing their own experiences in a way that feels authentic and relatable.

However, there’s a flip side:

• Information overload: While platforms like TikTok can spread awareness, they can also fuel anxiety and misinformation, especially for those struggling with mental health issues.
• Echo chambers: Algorithms often feed users more of the same content, which can create echo chambers, amplifying fears or false information.

How marketers can approach this:

If your brand touches on sensitive issues like mental health, it’s essential to focus on authenticity. People crave real stories, not corporate jargon. Engage with your audience in a way that makes them feel heard, supported, and part of a community.

Preparing for the AI-Driven Future

The biggest takeaway from this episode is clear: AI is changing the game. Whether it’s search or social media, the way people find and consume information is evolving fast.

Here’s what you can do now:

• Stay flexible: The landscape is shifting rapidly, and it’s vital to build flexibility into your marketing plans. While AI search is still growing, now is the time to prepare.
• Focus on user experience: No matter the platform—Google, AI, or social media—content that provides genuine value will always perform well. Focus on creating helpful, relevant content that speaks directly to your target audience.
• Don’t wait for certainty: With GEO and AI in their early stages, don’t wait for a perfect strategy. Experiment, test, and iterate based on what’s working right now.

Final Thoughts

This episode shows just how fast the marketing world is changing—from WordPress instability to the rise of AI-driven search and the increasing power of social media. Staying ahead means adapting to these changes, even if they’re not fully understood yet.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by these shifts, Thinkplus can help. Head over to exposureninja.com/review to get a free marketing review and learn how to prepare your business for the future of SEO, GEO, and beyond.

Adapt, evolve, and keep your audience at the centre of everything you do.

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