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Generative AI use surging among consumers for online shopping: Report

AI retail traffic

Traffic from generative AI surged to U.S. retail sites over the holiday season and that trend has continued into 2025, according to new Adobe data.

Between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, traffic from generative AI sources increased by 1,300% compared to the year prior (up 1,950% YoY on Cyber Monday). 

This trend continued beyond the holiday season, Adobe found. In February, traffic from generative AI sources increased by 1,200% compared to July 2024. 

The percentages are high because generative AI tools are so new. ChatGPT debuted its research preview on Nov. 30. 2022. Generative AI traffic remains modest compared to other channels, such as paid search or email, but the growth is notable. It’s doubled every two months since September 2024.

By the numbers. Findings from Adobe’s survey of 5,000 U.S. consumers found AI generates more engaged traffic:

  • 39% used generative AI for online shopping, with 53% planning to do so in 2025. 
  • 55% of respondents) use generative AI for conducting research.
  • 47% use it for product recommendations.
  • 43% use generative AI for seeking deals.
  • 35% for getting gift ideas.
  • 35% for finding unique products. 
  • 33% for creating shopping lists.

One of the most interesting findings from Adobe covers what happens once generative AI users land on a retail website. Compared to non-AI traffic sources (including paid search, affiliates and partners, email, organic search, social media), generative AI traffic shows:

  • More engagement: Adobe found 8% higher engagement as individuals linger on the site for longer. 
  • More pages: Generative AI visitors browse 12% more pages per visit
  • Fewer bounces: They have a 23% lower bounce rate. 

Yes, but. While engaged traffic is good, conversions are better.

  • Adobe found that traffic from generative AI sources is 9% less likely to convert than traffic from other sources.
  • However, the data shows that this has improved significantly since July 2024, which indicates growing comfort.

Generative AI for travel planning. In February 2025, traffic to U.S. travel, leisure and hospitality sites (including hotels) from generative AI sources increased by 1,700% compared to July 2024. In Adobe’s survey, 29% have used generative AI for travel-related tasks, with 84% saying it improved their experience. 

The top use cases amongst AI users include:

  • General research, 54% of respondents.
  • Travel inspiration, 43%.
  • Local food recommendations, 43%.
  • Transportation planning, 41%.
  • Itinerary creation, 37%.
  • Budget management, 31%.
  • Packing assistance, 20%. 

Once users land on a travel site, Adobe Analytics data shows a 45% lower bounce rate.

Gen AI for financial services research. In February 2025, traffic to U.S. banking sites from generative AI sources increased by 1,200% compared to July 2024. 

Adobe’s survey of U.S. consumers found 27% have used generative AI for banking and financial needs. The top use cases include:

  • Recommendations for checking and savings accounts, 42%.
  • Asking for explainers on investment strategies and terminology, 40%.
  • Creating a personalized budget, 39%.
  • Understanding the tax implications of financial decisions, 35%. 

Once generative AI traffic lands on a banking site, visitors spend 45% more time browsing (versus non-AI sources).  

About the data. Adobe’s data comes from the company’s Adobe Analytics platform and is based on more than 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail sites. Adobe also launched a companion survey of more than 5,000 U.S. respondents to understand how they use AI daily.

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9 Ecommerce Website Optimization Tactics [Expert Insights]

Want to 2X, 3X, or even 4X your ecommerce sales?

Start by diagnosing what’s working on your site and what isn’t.

Then, apply targeted fixes based on real data. Not hunches.

In this guide, I’m sharing my lessons and strategies from 10+ years in digital marketing.

Plus, I interviewed four leading ecommerce website optimization experts for their best conversion-driving insights:

  • Leigh McKenzie from UnderFit (also head of SEO @ Backlinko)
  • Rishi Rawat from Frictionless Commerce
  • Anna Bolton from Conversion Copy Co.
  • Kurt Philip from Convertica

Leading ecommerce website optimization experts

Let’s start by identifying the biggest roadblocks standing between you and more revenue.

Phase 1: Analyze and Diagnose Your Site’s Existing Issues

Every effective ecommerce website optimization strategy starts with a solid, data-driven diagnosis.

As economist W. Edwards Deming once said:

“Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.”


Quantitative Research: Finding Patterns in the Numbers

Quantitative research focuses on analyzing data to identify trends and behaviors.

It helps you answer questions about your online store’s performance, such as:

  • Where are visitors dropping off in the funnel?
  • What are users actually doing on each page (scrolling, clicking)?
  • How does behavior differ across traffic segments (e.g., mobile vs. desktop, organic vs. paid)?

The good news:

There are many tools to help you with this analysis.

Quantitative Research – Data & Key metrics

Google Analytics (GA4)

Google Analytics provides helpful insights into user behavior and website performance.

Including how visitors from different traffic sources behave.

For example, to uncover drop-off points during checkout:

Navigate to Reports > Monetization > Checkout journey.

Google Analytics purchase journey

This lets you examine the flow from checkout to purchase.

And analyze abandonment rates for each stage to identify potential bottlenecks.

For example, a high abandonment rate on the payment page might signal technical issues.

Or trust barriers, such as last-minute doubt about product quality.

Pro tip: There’s no universal definition of a high abandonment rate. It varies by industry, funnel, and goals. Compare it against your historical data to see if there’s a problem.


Hotjar

Hotjar, a heatmap and behavior analytics tool, is incredibly powerful for qualitative research (more on that soon).

Hotjar – Homepage

It gives you a clear picture of how online shoppers interact with your site.

And lets you uncover friction points that frustrate users.

For example, click tracking reveals where visitors interact with your site.

And which elements get the most engagement.

Hotjar – Click tracking

Scroll heatmaps show you how far users make it down a page. And where they drop off.

Warm colors (like red) indicate higher engagement.

And cool colors (like blue) signal lower engagement.

Scroll heatmap

Move heatmaps track how shoppers move their mouse across the page.

This reveals areas of interest and hesitation.

Heatmaps – Areas of interest

Session replays let you watch real user recordings, showing exactly how visitors navigate your site.

Watch this in action below:

Semrush Site Audit

Semrush’s Site Audit tool uncovers technical issues that affect SEO and the user experience (UX).

For example, it flags crawl errors, which are usually caused by broken links or incorrect redirects.

Site Audit – Spoke – URL with a temporary redirect

These dead ends confuse users and make it harder for search engines to crawl your pages.

(And if Google struggles to crawl them, your ranking can take a hit.)

The tool also identifies slow-loading pages that frustrate visitors.

Site Audit – Spoke –Errors & Warnings

It can also identify code bloat (aka too much JavaScript or unused CSS) that makes pages sluggish.

This can cause delayed interactions that lower conversion rates.

Site Audit – Sephora – Site Performance

Qualitative Research: Uncover the “Why” Behind the Data

Qualitative research helps you understand why customers behave the way they do.

Including their pain points, motivations, and desires.

It also helps you identify barriers to conversion, such as hesitations about buying.

And learn about other products your web visitors are considering.

Quantitative Research

Qualitative Research Methods

There are many data sources for qualitative insights.

And each one can reveal different issues and opportunities:

Research Method What to Look For Effort level
Recorded sales calls Patterns in customer questions, objections, or recurring themes Low
Live chat transcripts Common pain points, frequently asked questions, or sources of confusion Low
Customer reviews Trends in positive and negative feedback. This includes specific phrases or words that highlight desires, frustrations, or expectations Low
Online surveys Customer sentiment toward brand messaging and tone and reasons for abandonment Low to medium
Customer interviews Insights into customer motivations, needs, anxieties, and desires in their own words Medium to high
User testing sessions Usability issues, unexpected user behaviors, or areas where users struggle to complete tasks High

But you don’t need to go all-in on every qualitative method right off the bat.

Start with the data you already have.

Then, gradually level up as time and resources allow.

Turn Your Research Into Actionable Insights

You’ve got the research.

Now, you need a system to organize it.

As Anna Bolton, chief CRO and conversion copywriter of Conversion Copy Co., says:

The challenge isn’t just gathering research—it’s making sense of it. Whether you’re analyzing heatmaps, surveys, or reviews, you need to turn that data into meaningful insights. This starts with proper analysis to identify key patterns and trends. And then you need to understand that data in context—what it means for your business, audience, and goals. That’s what turns raw data into results.


So, what do you do?

Build a research repository to bring all your insights together in one place.

Think of it as a living database of findings and insights. This way, it’s easier for you to act on data.

But you don’t need anything fancy.

Start with a simple spreadsheet.

Include everything from customer research (interviews, surveys) to conversion rate optimization (CRO) results and survey data.

For example, Anna and I use a spreadsheet like the one below for one-off client projects.

Spreadsheet – Research repository

For larger-scale projects, use UX research tools like Aurelius Lab and Dovetail.

These tools offer more advanced ways to store, categorize, and retrieve insights.

Aurtelius Lab – Analysis board

Phase 2: Apply Ecommerce Website Optimization Fixes to Increase Conversions

The ecommerce website optimization best practices we’re about to cover are designed to do one thing:

Improve the customer experience.

And when you do that, conversions naturally follow.

Side note: If you’re here for SEO tips, stick around. While I’m focusing on conversion rate optimization, CRO and SEO are becoming increasingly intertwined. Anything you do to make your site better for humans will also make Google happy.


As Leigh McKenzie, head of SEO at Backlinko and owner of UnderFit, says:

“Conversion rate optimization is becoming more and more an SEO responsibility. Google heavily rewards websites that deliver a positive user experience. It’s no longer about just bringing traffic. It’s also about what happens when people get there.”


1. Boost Page Load Times

Fast-loading pages are non-negotiable for a great user experience.

Ignore speed, and conversions and bounce rates will suffer.

But increase speed. And good things follow.

Take Vodafone, for example.

After optimizing their Core Web Vitals, they saw:

  • 8% more sales
  • 11% boost in cart-to-visit rates
  • 15% jump in lead-to-visit rates

Vodafone's Core Web Vitals improvement results 

Test your site speed (and Core Web Vitals) with tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights.

PageSpeed Insights – LCP

Here’s what to aim for:

For Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) target under 2.5 seconds.

Google's largest contentful paint guidelines

For Interaction to Next Paint (INP), 200ms or less.

Google's Interaction to Next Paint Guidelines

And for Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), keep it below 0.1.

Google's cumulative layout shift guidelines

How to Optimize Page Speed

Not hitting Core Web Vitals benchmarks?

Here’s how to fix that:

Start with a content delivery network (CDN) like Cloudflare or AWS CloudFront.

It speeds up your site by delivering content from servers closer to your users. This reduces lag and load times.

Implement a CDN to boost speed

Next, upgrade to high-performance hosting to minimize server response delays.

Plus, use tools like Tinify to shrink uncompressed images while preserving quality.

Tinify – Compression tool

Then, clean up unnecessary code.

You can do this with tools like Terser, which helps improve rendering speeds.

Terser – Homepage

Lastly, don’t forget browser caching.

Activate browser caching

This helps repeat visitors load your site faster by storing assets locally.

Note: Use the Semrush Site Audit Tool to identify and fix Core Web Vitals issues. Get a 14-day Semrush trial here.

Site Audit – Homebase – Core Web Vitals – Metrics


2. Optimize High-Impact Pages First

Want to see results fast?

Begin with the pages that offer the quickest wins, such as product and checkout pages.

This is what Rishi Rawat, product page optimization specialist at Frictionless Commerce, does.

I work exclusively on bestselling product pages because they have the highest impact. My goal is to turn first-time visitors into buyers. Since these pages already drive a big share of the store’s revenue, I don’t spread optimization efforts thin. Instead, I improve the sales pitch and sharpen the product story. And then I make what’s already working even more persuasive.


So, how do you identify your site’s high-impact pages?

Look at where a page fits in the marketing funnel.

Consumer Goods Marketing Funnel

Start with the pages closest to the sale.

These are the pages that attract visitors in the decision and action stages. Such as product pages or the cart page.

But you might also include other pages based on user behavior.

For example, optimize the product and cart pages if your site has high cart abandonment.

GA – Purchase journey

This ensures the product page sets the right expectations.

So, when shoppers get to checkout, they feel confident in their choice.

But, if your goal is to boost mobile sales, optimize the mobile experience first.

Want to maximize paid ads conversions? Make product landing pages a priority.

3. Make Navigation and Search Intuitive

Shoppers don’t always leave because they dislike your products.

Sometimes, they leave because they can’t find what they’re looking for.

That’s why navigation plays a big role in ecommerce website optimization.

If your navigation makes users rethink their next step, you’re already losing them.

For example, imagine you’re searching for dog crates on pet company Chewy’s website.

Chewy – Intuitive navigation

You sort the results by price.

Chewy – Filter – Price low to high

But now, the first products you see are lock latch replacements and crate pans—not dog crates.

Chewy – Filtered by price – Low-to high – Results

That’s a bad user experience.

And it might cost them the sale.

The solution?

Always test filters before launch to ensure they work as expected.

And design navigation to adapt to various browsing behaviors.

Make backtracking easy with breadcrumbs and a “Recently Viewed” section.

Plus, use AI to suggest relevant filters, related categories, and top products.

Chewy – Related Searches

Navigation also impacts SEO.

As Leigh put it,

Good navigation isn’t just about getting users to a page. It’s about keeping them engaged in the shopping process. Shoppers want to see product variations, compare options, and refine their choices easily. When they do, they stay longer. And that’s what Google values. It favors sites where users engage rather than bounce back to search results. That’s why you want to optimize for getting people deeper into the experience.


4. Fix Product Page Issues

Have low-converting product pages?

They might be missing key information, like sizing or dimensions.

So, don’t give shoppers reasons to doubt the purchase.

Provide vital details clearly and compellingly.

Product page issues

Here’s what I mean.

For clothing and shoes, essential buying criteria include fit, size, and return policies.

Include details like aggregate “fit” subscore (a summary of how well an item fits based on user reviews). Especially for items like jeans.

The clothing site Everlane includes user-reported fit data right on their product pages.

Everlane – Reviews

For furniture, you’d want to include dimensions, materials, assembly, warranty information, and more.

But displaying this information isn’t enough. It needs to be easy to find and absorb.

That’s why Wayfair includes a clear, at-a-glance product details section.

Wayfair – Furniture key informations

For food and supplements, ingredients and nutrition details are non-negotiable.

Supplement company AlgaeCal prominently displays these details right in the hero section.

AlgaeCal – Product details

Your product image gallery is another potential reason for low conversions.

But don’t just show your product. Use it to tell its story.

I love how Huel, a plant-based food company, does this.

It adds key selling points directly onto product photos.

Like nutrition facts and product benefits.

Huel – Nutrition facts & product benefits

User-generated content (UGC) also works well as an addition to your photo gallery.

It can also boost credibility by showing your products in real life.

Popov Leather – Product – UGC

Videos provide an even richer view.

Clothing company ASOS includes short video clips that show how clothing moves and fits on real people.

5. Make Checkout Easy

Checkout is a fragile part of the conversion funnel.

It’s the moment when the customer is closest to buying.

And most likely to hesitate.

That’s why 65% of shoppers abandon their carts before completing a purchase. Ouch.

Abandonment

So, what should you do?

Make the checkout process effortless.

Consider Amazon’s one-click checkout.

Amazon – Product – Buy Now button

The less thinking required and the faster the process, the higher the conversions.

One way to do this?

Strip the checkout process down to the essentials.

For example, only ask for the bare minimum in your checkout form.

  • Name
  • Email
  • Delivery address
  • Billing address
  • Payment details

Nike – Checkout form

If you must ask for additional details—like a phone number—explain why.

Transparency reduces friction.

Felix Gray – Product checkout – Phone question mark

If checkout requires many steps, use a progress indicator. It shows shoppers how far they are in the process.

This reduces uncertainty and keeps them moving forward.

Booking – Checkout process

Guest checkout is non-negotiable.

Why?

Forcing users to create an account hurts conversions.

Over 26% of shoppers abandon checkout when forced to create an account.

Abandon – Checkout statistics

Let them buy first.

Then, invite them to create an account after the purchase.

That’s what Boots, a health and beauty retailer, does.

Boots – heckout as guest

As Kurt Philip, CEO of Convertica, says:

Forcing people to create an account is an unnecessary barrier. You can just auto-generate one for them. Let them check out first, and then send them a confirmation email with their details. And a ‘Set Your Password’ option later. That way, the process stays frictionless, and they still get an account without effort.


But consider this:

Your job doesn’t stop when someone adds an item to the cart.

This is your chance to remove any last-minute hesitation and get the sale.

Ridge Wallet, an accessories manufacturer, does this well.

It displays social proof at the top of the checkout page by highlighting its “100K+ 5-star reviews.”

It also includes trust boosters like a risk-free trial and fast shipping.

Rdge – Product checkout – Social proof

Outdoor gear company Patagonia highlights its “Ironclad Guarantee” on the checkout page.

This reassures buyers that buying is risk-free.

And it also strengthens Patagonia’s credibility.

Patagonia – Ironclad Guarantee

Clothing company Everlane also understands the power of timing.

It reminds shoppers of first-time buyer discounts at checkout to encourage them to take advantage of savings.

Helping to reduce cart abandonment.

And convert hesitant buyers.

Everlane – Checkout savings

6. Write Copy That Educates and Persuades

Conversion copy isn’t just about clever wording.

It’s about guiding shoppers to action through clear information and persuasive web design.

Clarify Your Message

First-time visitors should instantly understand what you sell and who it’s for.

Boom Beauty’s product page is a great example.

Their copy clearly communicates both product purpose, ideal customer, and benefits:

  • “Three multitasking beauty essentials”
  • “Three sticks. Endless Possibilities.”
  • “Simplify your beauty routine”

Boom Beauty – Product description

Layer Persuasion Principles into Every Page

Preemptively address objections with persuasion principles.

Kitchenware company Caraway does this by answering a key question upfront:

“Is this cookware safe?”

Caraway – Persuasion principles

Right away, shoppers see “Non-Toxic Coating.”

And the copy underneath provides more details about the toxic materials you won’t find in their cookware.

Balance Benefits and Features

As they browse, shoppers are constantly thinking:

“What’s in it for me?”

That’s why you need to list benefits along with features.

Menswear brand Spoke London does this well.

On their homepage, they highlight what makes their menswear different.

Like a “flawless fit” and “uncompromising design.”

Spoke – Copy

Use Design to Support Your Copy

Strong copy needs equally strong visuals.

When I wrote copy for a face mask product page, the design amplified my key messaging by:

  • Showing how the mask is worn
  • Using close-ups to prove quality claims
  • Creating a clean, scannable layout

Together, they created a more persuasive shopping experience.

Irestore – Design supports copy

7. Optimize for Mobile Buyer Behavior

Mobile shoppers think, browse, and buy differently than desktop users.

In fact, there are four key behavioral differences, according to a study.

This includes their search behavior, cognitive effort, engagement, and position in the funnel.

Behavioral Differences Mobile Shoppers Desktop Shoppers
Search Behavior Less diverse searches More diverse searches
Cognitive Effort Prefer tasks requiring less cognitive effort Have the patience for tasks that involve more research or exploration
Engagement Fewer visits and fewer searches per visit More visits and more searches
Position in the Funnel Tend to be more advanced in the conversion funnel More evenly distributed between research and decision stages

This means you can’t just shrink your desktop site and call it mobile-optimized.

Instead, design for how mobile users actually shop.

First, reduce cognitive load—the mental effort required to complete a task.

It’s higher on mobile due to smaller screens and limited navigation options.

Show only essential information first, then reveal more as needed.

This “progressive disclosure” keeps pages focused and reduces overwhelm.

Sephora is a great example of this.

Sephora – Progressive disclosure

Like many ecommerce sites, they first used a hamburger menu to simplify navigation.

But, their research showed users were still experiencing friction.

So, they replaced the hamburger menu with a scrollable navigation and pop-up filters.

Top categories appeared first, and more filters were accessible as needed.

Sephora – Mobile – Homepage

The result? A measurable increase in mobile engagement and conversions.

Another way to improve the mobile experience is by minimizing typing and input friction.

You can do this by:

  • Auto-switching to the right keyboard (numeric for credit cards, email for logins)
  • Enabling autofill for addresses and payment details to reduce manual typing
  • Using dropdowns and prefilled options to speed up form completion
  • Ensuring buttons and links are large enough to tap easily without zooming

Sephora – Mobile – Prominent button

Mobile users also want fast search and filtering options.

Use predictive search with auto-suggestions based on past searches and popular queries.

Sephora – Mobile – Search – Blush

8. Personalize the Shopping Experience

Forty percent of ecommerce customers expect a personalized experience.

Personalize the shopping experience – Study

But you don’t have to personalize everything.

The goal is to make shoppers feel like you understand their needs. Not that you’re watching their every move.

For example, motorcycle gear company Revzilla dynamically adjusts shipping information based on user behavior and location.

The banner updates instantly when I visit, displaying region-specific shipping details.

Though it’s a U.S.-based site, it tailors content for my location in Croatia.

Revzilla – Shipping

It’s one small change.

But it resolves a key concern before it even becomes a question.

This reduces friction in the buying decision.

So, what else can you personalize?

Here are some examples.

Tiffany & Co. has a slide-in window for returning visitors that welcomes you back.

And encourages you to “continue shopping” by reminding you of the products you’ve viewed.

Tiffany & Co. has a slide in window for returning visitors

Amazon personalizes its homepage based on your buying behavior, displaying:

  • Products you’ve viewed and bought
  • Deals related to your past interactions

Amazon – Homepage

Effective personalization relies on four key data types to create tailored experiences:

  • First-party data (profiles, quizzes, preferences): This lets you personalize recommendations based on customer input
  • Browsing behavior (page views, search patterns, cart activity): Helps adapt content in real-time
  • CRM data (buying history, abandoned carts): Powers retargeting campaigns and perfectly timed offers
  • Predictive insights: Uses AI to analyze patterns and predict needs

9. A/B Test to Learn. Not Just to Win.

At the heart of ecommerce website optimization is A/B testing.

But here’s the thing:

Your goal isn’t just about finding a “winning variation.”

It’s to learn more about the psychology of your buyers.

As Jonny Longden, chief growth officer at Speero, puts it:

When you run a test, whether it wins or loses is in some ways irrelevant because you can learn something from it. Some of the most successful tests that you will run happen as a result of a test that lost. When you chase winners, you ignore that fact.


For example, if a trust badge increases conversions, the real takeaway isn’t just that the badge works.

It’s that customers need more reassurance before they give you their credit card.

This insight goes beyond checkout.

It suggests that trust signals should be reinforced earlier in the buying journey. On product pages, in the cart, and even in post-purchase messaging.

Why?

If hesitation exists at checkout, it likely started long before.

One more thing.

A/B testing only works if you have enough traffic to reach statistical significance.

Kurt says your test page should receive at least 10,000 visits per month.

This gives you meaningful insights in a reasonable timeframe.

But traffic alone isn’t enough.

What matters is whether you can reach statistical significance. This ensures your results aren’t just due to chance.

To determine the right sample size, use Optimizely’s A/B Test Sample Size Calculator.

Optimizely – Sample size calculator

Now, if your traffic is too low, A/B testing may not be the best tool yet.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t optimize your ecommerce website.

Here’s what you can do instead:

Multi-armed bandit (MAB) testing dynamically directs traffic to better-performing pages.

It doesn’t wait for statistical significance.

Instead, it continuously reallocates traffic in real time to maximize conversions as data is collected.

AB vs Bandit Testing

Another alternative is pre/post testing.

Instead of splitting traffic, test one variation for a set period and then switch to another.

Finally, make high-impact changes like a full rewrite and redesign of a product page.

These larger changes are more likely to yield noticeable improvements.

Ways to optimize for low traffic sites

Transform Your Ecommerce Site into a Sales Machine

The bottom line:

You could be leaving thousands of dollars on the table with your ecommerce site.

Optimize it the right way, and you could double—or even triple—your revenue.

Remember, diagnose first and then make strategic, high-impact changes.

Want more proven ecommerce website optimization strategies to boost your sales?

Our definitive guide to conversion rate optimization includes:

  • A/B testing basics
  • A blueprint for high-converting landing pages
  • Conversion copy tactics that persuade

The post 9 Ecommerce Website Optimization Tactics [Expert Insights] appeared first on Backlinko.

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How to write valuable content that your clients will love

As an agency owner, you need skills to write content that your clients and audiences will love. Luckily, you can learn how to do it with proper steps and helpful tools. Here, we’ll discuss how to plan, write, and optimize the content work for your clients. If you have your process down, you’ll easily create content that aligns with the client’s needs and brings in results. One of the tools we’ll use is the Yoast SEO plugin, which helps your content production. 

Understanding what makes content valuable

Good content always has a goal — it could answer questions, solve problems, or offer critical information. If readers find your clients’ content valuable, they will likely feel listened to. They will understand that the advice and ideas are meant for them, which helps you build a bond with them. Writing valuable, high-quality content isn’t just for filling your client’s websites but a way to help and inspire them to improve their business. 

There are many options to get results from the content you produce for your clients. So, what are some of the more popular goals you can target with your client’s content?

  • Building brand recognition: Share brand stories and values so people understand who your clients are.
  • Teaching the audience: Create articles and videos showing how products and services work.
  • Getting leads: Write content to get people to subscribe, download items, or contact your client. 
  • Driving traffic: If your client’s content is valuable, readers will likely click on their site.
  • Increasing engagement: Make content to spark conversations and get feedback. 

Keep writing focused and clear, with your eyes on the ball. You should focus intently on your clients’ current issues, challenges, and opportunities. Take the time to write well-researched pieces, as these can empower your readers. Once you do this, they will likely see your clients as subject matter experts they can trust. Straightforward, high-quality content can inspire readers and bring much value to you as an agency. 

Strategic planning is the foundation

Much of the writing process is about planning. Before you write for your clients, clearly define the goals for that content piece. Find out what questions your clients’ customers are struggling with and how your answers can help them. Research their target audience to understand their daily struggles. This way, you can make your content much more relevant to readers. 

It’s advisable to spend plenty of time doing keyword research. This process is very helpful, giving you many insights into your client’s audience and the words they use to find things. Ultimately, these findings will help you build content strategies for your clients.

The next step is to create a content plan. First, make a simple calendar or a list of topics your client wants to cover. Your plan will guide them and help them keep track of their audience’s themes and recurring concerns. 

Don’t forget to use tools that integrate directly into their content. For instance, the Yoast SEO plugin has integrated keyword research features — among many other great features. It can highlight keywords and trends related to current topics, which will help your clients plan the current piece of content but could also inform the next. 

Ideation and content planning

After researching, it’s time to start generating ideas for your client’s content. Don’t tie yourself up too much; brainstorm freely. Write down every topic that pops up and then organize these ideas to match the client’s needs. Mind mapping is a fantastic way to sort and visualize these ideas. Of course, you can always use a simple list or whatever works for you. Seeing these ideas together helps your client see the connection between them. 

Before starting to write, it’s a good idea to think about the structure of the content. Break down the article into introductions, main sections, and conclusions. This way, it’s easier to structure the content and keep the writing focused and readable. From there, write and edit the first draft — editing helps the content shine.

Optimize your writing for readability

Good writing is all about clarity. Use direct language and try to avoid passive voice. Vary your sentence length to keep the client’s articles engaging. Start with a bold statement or an inverted pyramid-style intro. In the rest of the article, use detailed explanations to build on and prove the main point. 

Read more: SEO copywriting: the ultimate guide 

Format your client’s text to improve readability. Always use headers to introduce new sections and short paragraphs to make it easier for readers to follow the ideas. The same goes for using lists and bullet points to break up walls of text. Make sure that every element of your client’s layout allows the reader to understand your writing quickly.

During this phase, you also need to consider on-page SEO optimizations. Watch how you use your focus keywords and logically structure your client’s content. As you might know, Yoast SEO is a fantastic tool for this. It gives you feedback on sentences, passive voice use, and keyword use and distribution. As a result, this feedback helps publish high-quality content, especially under a tight deadline.  

Read more: What is high-quality content and how do you create it? 

Using Yoast SEO in your content process

Yoast SEO is an SEO plugin/add-on for WordPress, Shopify, and WooCommerce. It’s designed with simplicity in mind while also offering a solid set of SEO features. It also lives within your post editor to give you feedback on your writing. For instance, it offers real-time suggestions on how you use keywords and the structure of your article. Thanks to this, you can focus on the writing part without sacrificing the SEO and technical aspects of making content your clients will love.

Yoast SEO is an industry standard for agencies. It’s a helpful tool that guides users in writing engaging, valuable content for all clients. As it’s aimed at ease of use, the feedback is practical and insightful. Also, Yoast SEO Premium comes with AI-powered suggestions that make this process even easier. Using this SEO plugin in your agency helps you build a consistent content process to write, review, and optimize high-quality content. 

Inspiring through actionable content

Help your readers out and show how little things can make a big difference. Don’t forget to give your clients the tools and processes needed to succeed. For instance, share your best practices and guidelines for writing content and creating the valuable material everyone seeks. Share stories of how your agency helped clients reach their content goals, as these insights help potential new clients choose you over the competition.

Inspiration can come from many places, but it’s not always a given. When you get inspired, your client’s content can reach a whole new level. Content can also reach new heights when writing with a clear purpose and using tools that support your writing process. This way, you can turn a simple set of ideas into content your clients will love. 

Wrapping up

Creating content your client loves depends on many things, especially having good plans, writing clearly, and regular improvements. As always, everything starts with research to build a solid plan. After that, start creating relevant content for your clients with clear writing and text structure. Finally, optimize your work with helpful tools like the Yoast SEO plugin, which gives relevant feedback and improvements. 

You should also treat it as a learning process and improve as you go. This way, your clients eventually have a solid foundation that gets more engagement and deeper connections with their audience. Try it out and see how it can change your client’s next project. Every article will strengthen your client relationship while showing your expertise and experience.

The post How to write valuable content that your clients will love appeared first on Yoast.

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AI search engines often make up citations and answers: Study

AI search engines and chatbots often provide wrong answers and make up article citations, according to a new study from Columbia Journalism Review.

Why we care. AI search tools have ramped up the scraping of your content so they can serve answers to their users, often resulting in no clicks to your website. Also, click-through rates from AI search and chatbots are much lower than Google Search, according to a separate, unrelated study. But hallucinating citations makes an already bad situation even worse.

By the numbers. More than half of the responses from Gemini and Grok 3 cited fabricated or broken URLs that led to error pages. Also, according to the study:

  • Overall, chatbots provided incorrect answers to more than 60% of queries:
    • Grok 3 (the highest error rate) answered 94% of the queries incorrectly.
    • Gemini only provided a completely correct response on one occasion (in 10 attempts).
    • Perplexity, which had the lowest error rate, answered 37% of queries incorrectly.

What they’re saying. The study authors (Klaudia Jaźwińska and Aisvarya Chandrasekar), who also noted that “multiple chatbots seemed to bypass Robot Exclusion Protocol preferences,” summed up this way:

“The findings of this study align closely with those outlined in our previous ChatGPT study, published in November 2024, which revealed consistent patterns across chabots: confident presentations of incorrect information, misleading attributions to syndicated content, and inconsistent information retrieval practices. Critics of generative search like Chirag Shah and Emily M. Bender have raised substantive concerns about using large language models for search, noting that they ‘take away transparency and user agency, further amplify the problems associated with bias in [information access] systems, and often provide ungrounded and/or toxic answers that may go unchecked by a typical user.’” 

About the comparison. This analysis of 1,600 queries compared the ability of generative AI tools (ChatGPT search, Perplexity, Perplexity Pro, DeepSeek search, Microsoft CoPilot, xAI’s Grok-2 and Grok-3 search, and Google Gemini) to identify an article’s headline, original publisher, publication date, and URL, based on direct excerpts of 10 articles chosen at random from 20 publishers.

The study. AI Search Has A Citation Problem

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As AI scraping surges, AI search traffic fails to follow: Report

AI search crawlers, user agents, and bots

AI-powered search engines (e.g., OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Perplexity) are failing to drive meaningful traffic to publishers while their web scraping activities increase. That’s one big takeaway from a recent report from TollBit, a platform that says it helps publishers monetize their content.

CTR comparison. Google’s average search click-through rate (CTR) was 8.63%, according to the report. However, the CTR for AI search engines was 0.74% and 0.33% CTR for AI chatbots. That means AI search sends 91% fewer referrals and chatbots send 96% less than traditional search.

Why we care. This is bad news for publishers because it shows AI search won’t replace traditional search traffic. As AI-generated answers replace direct website visits, you should expect to see this trend continue.

By the numbers. AI bot scraping doubled (+117%) between Q3 and Q4 2024. Also:

  • The average number of scrapes from AI bots per website for Q4 was 2 million, with another 1.89 million done by hidden AI scrapers.
  • 40% more AI bots ignored robots.txt in Q4 than in Q3.
  • ChatGPT-User bot activity skyrocketed by 6,767.60%, making it the most aggressive scraper.
  • Top AI bots by share of scraping activity:
    • ChatGPT-User (15.6%)
    • Bytespider (ByteDance/TikTok) (12.44%)
    • Meta-ExternalAgent (11.34%)
  • PerplexityBot continued sending referrals to sites that had explicitly blocked it, raising concerns about undisclosed scraping.

Context. One company, Chegg, is attempting to sue Google over AI Overviews. Chegg claims Google’s search feature has severely damaged its traffic and revenue.

About the data. There’s no methodology section, so it’s not entirely clear how many websites were analyzed, just that it’s based on “all onboarded ToolBit sites in Q4.” Toolbit says it “helps over 500 publisher sites.”

The report. TollBit State of the Bots – Q4 2024 (registration required)

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Google expands Message asset to Performance Max

Top 5 Google Ads opportunities you might be missing

Google is adding more engagement options to Performance Max campaigns, adding Message assets alongside those already available in Search campaigns.

What’s new:

  • The Message assets functionality, previously exclusive to Search ads, was spotted by digital marketer Emirhan Bayutmuş and is now available in Performance Max campaigns.
  • This feature allows users to initiate conversations with businesses directly from ads, enhancing engagement.
  • Google has updated their message asset help document to reflect this update.

Why we care. The expansion gives advertisers another way to connect with potential customers directly through chat-based interactions, potentially improving conversion rates.

What to watch. Expect further integration of conversational ad formats as Google continues to refine its AI-driven ad experiences.

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SEO isn’t just 10 blue links anymore by Edna Chavira

Search has transformed. AI-powered results, featured snippets, “People Also Ask,” and Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) are redefining how — and where — visibility happens.

Join Wayne Cichanski, Vice President of Search & Site Experience at iQuanti for SEO Beyond Just the Ten Blue Links! He’ll share a data-driven SEO 2.0 framework designed to help brands systematically claim high-impact search shelf-space — and convert visibility into measurable results.

In this live session, you’ll learn:

  • How to analyze and win across modern SERP features
  • A blueprint for aligning structured data, content, and intent
  • Real-world strategies for navigating SEO volatility

Whether you’re leading digital strategy or scaling performance SEO, this session will reshape how you think about search. Save your spot today!

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Google Search is 373x bigger than ChatGPT search

Giant robot vs little robots

Despite being a popular talking point, people aren’t (yet?) abandoning Google Search and using ChatGPT search or other AI chatbots.

In fact, the number of Google searches increased year over year, and Google Search handles 373 times more searches than ChatGPT, according to a new analysis by SparkToro co-founder Rand Fishkin.

Why we care. Many search marketers, users, and analysts have speculated that AI tools are reducing Google’s dominance in search. However, this research finds no evidence that vast numbers of searchers are abandoning Google for ChatGPT and other AI search engines and chatbot experiences.

By the numbers. Even if all ChatGPT’s 1 billion messages per day were search-related, its total share of the search market would be less than 1%. (ChatGPT used search to answer 46% of queries, and only 30% of ChatGPT prompts fell into “traditional” search-like behavior, according to a Semrush study.)

  • Google saw more than 5 trillion searches in 2024, or about 14 billion per day, giving it a 93.57% market share.
  • ChatGPT saw an estimated 37.5 million search-like prompts per day, giving it a 0.25% market share. That’s less than Microsoft Bing (4.10%), Yahoo (1.35%), and DuckDuckGo (0.73%).
  • Google saw ~373 times as many searches as ChatGPT in 2024.

More Google searches. The number of Google searches grew 21.64% in 2024, compared to 2023, based on Datos data.

  • This data seems to confirm what Alphabet/Google CEO Sundar Pichai said about AI Overviews increasing search usage (“we are seeing an increase in search usage among people who use the new AI Overviews…”).

But. Just because people are searching more doesn’t necessarily mean Google is sending as many clicks or as much traffic to websites. As a reminder, an estimated 60% of Google searches ended without a click in 2024. That means more than 3 trillion searches in 2024 ended without a click.

Dig deeper. Survey: 54% of people look through more search results vs. 5 years ago

The report. New Research: Google Search Grew 20%+ in 2024; receives ~373X more searches than ChatGPT.

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How to use ChatGPT Tasks for SEO

How to use ChatGPT Tasks for SEO

ChatGPT Tasks might be the most underrated tool in SEO today.

It can turn a single employee into a vast team – but only if you know how to use it.

And in this article, you’re about to see the future of SEO.

What is ChatGPT Tasks?

ChatGPT Tasks is a tool within ChatGPT designed to automate various tasks, including those related to SEO, such as content generation, keyword research, and link building.

This feature allows users to schedule tasks to run at specific times, either as one-time events or recurring actions, enhancing workflow efficiency and productivity.

As of writing, it’s in beta and rolling out to users on the Plus, Pro, and Team plans.

How to use ChatGPT Tasks: The basics

The key to maximizing ChatGPT Tasks is to approach it strategically and leverage its capabilities fully.

Start by identifying specific tasks you want to automate, such as:

  • Creating blog post outlines.
  • Generating meta descriptions.
  • Researching competitor backlinks. 

Then, explore the tool’s features and experiment with different prompts to find the most effective workflows for your needs.

ChatGPT Tasks is powerful, but it’s not a magic solution. 

You must carefully review and refine the output to ensure it aligns with your brand and SEO strategy.

Efficiency gains: The secret to ChatGPT Tasks

One of the reasons ChatGPT Tasks is so powerful is that it optimizes your time.

As an SEO professional using AI, your role will shift from doing work to checking work. That means you need to maximize your efficiency.

In the past, SEOs often outsourced work to overseas staff in different time zones. ChatGPT Tasks changes this.

Now, you can outsource tasks to AI, ensuring they are ready for you when you start your day.

Here’s how I use ChatGPT Tasks: At 7 a.m., AI sends me a batch of completed work.

Beyond that, I’ve also used Tasks to generate content throughout the day.

For example, I set up a content prompt that delivers product description pages to me every 30 minutes. (More on that later.)

Essentially, this feature allows you to maximize “dead time” – periods when you aren’t actively working. 

While it doesn’t mean the tool is working around the clock, it ensures you get what you need when needed. 

For instance, if you ask it to send you something at 7 a.m., it likely generates it at 6:59 a.m.

But I don’t need to know how it works. I just care that I get what I asked for.

Dig deeper: How to use OpenAI’s Deep Research for smarter SEO strategies

How to use ChatGPT for SEO tasks

To use ChatGPT Tasks effectively, think of your role as an army commander.

You are the SEO in charge of 1,000 other SEOs who can complete any task you assign. Your job is to plan efficiently.

Here’s how:

How to access ChatGPT Tasks
  • Go to ChatGPT and select GPT-4o with scheduled tasks.
  • Ask GPT to send you a task and specify when you want to receive it.

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How to think in terms of tasks

One challenge I initially faced was figuring out which tasks to automate.

This will vary by individual, but the key is to think in terms of scale.

What recurring tasks would provide the most value if they were handled automatically?

Here are a few examples:

You should come up with more, but these examples illustrate what’s possible.

Account management

Here’s a sample prompt:

“These are my SEO clients and their tasks: (insert list).

Each day at 5 p.m., send me a list of these clients, ask what work has been completed for the month, and provide an updated task list.

Also, ask me about any new tasks, and add them to the list. Then, each day at 7 a.m., send me an updated list of outstanding tasks.

Your precise output will be:

  • A morning list (7 a.m.) summarizing clients and tasks.
  • An evening list (5 p.m.) with the same summary, plus a request for updates.
  • The next morning, an updated list based on my responses.

Do you understand?”

This prompt acts as a mini account manager – and yes, it works remarkably well.

Content creation

Content creation is essential for SEO, and the quality of AI-generated content depends on the specificity of your prompt.

Initially, I experimented with ChatGPT Tasks, and it worked superbly. 

Every 30 minutes, my inbox received fresh content, from landing pages to product descriptions.

One limitation of Tasks is that you can’t upload a spreadsheet. However, you can provide a list of pages you want to generate content for. 

With a well-crafted prompt, the output is solid.

Are the drafts perfect? No, but they’re good starting points. 

They often require refinement, but they save significant time.

Now, you might wonder – why deliver content every 30 minutes?

I do this to ensure GPT is creating what I want. 

If I received 10 product pages all at once and they were off the mark, I’d have to redo them all. 

With smaller, frequent deliveries, I can monitor quality and adjust as needed.

Dig deeper: Automate SEO analysis with Google Sheets, GSC & ChatGPT API

Page titles

Many SEOs focus on page title optimization, and ChatGPT Tasks makes this process easier.

I use a “dueling” method, where GPT generates multiple page title variations. 

I then run them through a tournament-style evaluation to select the best one based on preset criteria.

Social media post ideas

Generating a steady stream of fresh and engaging social media content can be time-consuming. ChatGPT Tasks can help streamline this process.

Here’s an example prompt:

Social media post prompt

The output of that prompt looks like this:

Social media post output

This is just one of the many prompts I use. 

While I only implement about 5% of the generated ideas, they often lead to new inspiration – especially on days when I’m feeling stuck.

Industry news summaries

Staying on top of industry news is essential for SEO professionals. 

With ChatGPT Tasks, you can automate this process.

Each morning at 7 a.m., I receive a curated list of SEO and AI news from my preferred sources.

The future of tasks

SEO workflows are rapidly evolving with AI, and ChatGPT Tasks represents a significant step forward.

I suspect there’s still untapped potential. Could I schedule an entire week’s worth of SEO tasks in advance?

For example, if I know I need to work on a client’s account on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., could I schedule ChatGPT to conduct research or analyze content beforehand?

Looking further ahead, it may eventually ask you what needs to be done – and then suggest the best way to execute it using Tasks. 

OpenAI may even develop a single model to streamline this process.

While ChatGPT Tasks is still in its early days, I believe it will evolve rapidly.

My advice? Start mastering it now.

Dig deeper: 15 AI tools you should use for SEO

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Google Marketing Live set for May 21

Google is gearing up for its annual Google Marketing Live event, set to stream on Wednesday, May 21, at 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT.

What’s new:

  • Ginny Marvin, Google Ads Liaison, announced the date on LinkedIn and encouraged advertisers to register for the event
  • Vidhya Srinivasan, Google’s VP of Ads, shared a letter previewing the company’s focus on reimagining ads across platforms like Search and YouTube.
  • AI advancements will play a major role in helping advertisers create tailored experiences and improve business outcomes.
  • You can register here.

Why we care. Google Marketing Live is a key event for advertisers, offering insights into the company’s latest ad innovations and AI-driven strategies. As a reminder, here’s everything that was announced at Google Marketing Live 2024.

What to watch. Expect updates on AI-powered ad solutions, measurement tools, and cross-platform marketing strategies as Google continues to evolve its ad ecosystem.

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