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7 Best SERP Tracking Tools for 2025 [In-Depth Review]

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How do you track movement in the SERPs?

Do you keep a manual spreadsheet that you update diligently every day? Maybe you only have access to weekly data?

Neither option is ideal, especially when you want to track a large volume of keywords, competitors and SERP features across multiple clients and different search engines.

SERP tracking tools allow you to enter all the keywords you want to monitor, along with their respective SERP features.

No more manual (and probably inaccurate) spreadsheets. And no more waiting for fresh data.

In this post, we’ll explore the key features to look for in SERP tracking software, and look at a shortlist of tools to consider and how they stack up against each other.

The best SERP Trackers:

  1. AccuRanker – fastest and most accurate standalone daily SERP tracker, but more expensive.
  2. Semrush Position Tracker is an accurate daily SERP tracker that’s part of a leading all-in-one SEO platform. The SERP Gap Analyzer app can analyze multiple data points across thousands of SERPs to identify existing and new content opportunities and provide actionable recommendations for improving rankings. 
  3. ProRankTracker – cost-effective standalone SERP tracking solution with solid reporting capabilities.
  4. Advanced Web Ranking (AWR) – advanced standalone SERP tracker with excellent white-label reports.
  5. SERPWatcher – affordable SERP checker part of Mangool’s SEO suite.
  6. SE Ranking – cost-effective rank tracker part of an all-in-one SEO toolset.
  7. Nightwatch – accurate and affordable daily rank tracker.

If you want to skip ahead to a specific section in the post, please use the jump links below:

Disclosure: There are some affiliate links in this article. If you decide to purchase a tool through one of those affiliate links, I will receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support.

Why Should You Invest in SERP Tracking Software?

One of the leading indicators to validate your efforts, and justify an investment in SEO, is the ability to accurately track the movements of your SERP features and positions across different search engines, locations, and devices.

You need to be able to show progress. And the right SERP tracking software can help you do that at a granular level, and tie it back to key business objectives (more on this later).

SERP trackers will enable you to:

  • Monitor rankings across devices, locations, search engines and intent buckets.
  • Notify you when your ranking drops, so you can react quickly and fix any problems.
  • Track competitor performance, so you can identify their strengths and weaknesses.
  • Track where you are gaining and losing visibility across a range of SERP features – featured snippets, carousels, videos and more.  
  • Show the correlation between rankings, traffic, and conversions/ revenue.

And a lot more.

9 Features to Look for in SERP Tracking Software

In this section, we’ll highlight the essential features you need to consider when looking for the best SERP tracking software.

#1. Access accurate on-demand ranking updates

SERP positions change fast, so you’ll need a SERP tracker that’s frequently updated with the latest accurate ranking data. You don’t want to have to wait days for tools to update. You need access to real-time on-demand data.

AccuRanker (aff) is a leader in this category. The software updates your keyword sets automatically every 24-hours, and if you want, you can refresh the rankings data on-demand with the click of a button:

#2. Monitor performance across SERP features

When you’re looking to rank in Position #0 or grab a specific SERP feature – AI Overviews, featured snippets, PAAs, video carousels, knowledge cards, etc – you first need to know which keywords trigger them and then find out which actions are needed to steal them from the competition.

For instance, keywords with existing top 3 rankings often only require minor content updates to grab a SERP feature.

With AccuRanker’s SERP Analysis tool, you can track the movement of 50+ different SERP features across all of your keywords in a single view, so you know exactly where all the opportunities are and how to capitalize on them.

AccurRanker’s dashboard will show you how many SERP features you’ve gained over time, and provide a filterable breakdown of the different types.

#3. Track SERP movement across all major search engines

Many SERP tracking tools will only allow you to track keyword rankings on Google.

But if you want to monitor your SEO correctly, especially if you have clients in countries like China and Russia, then you’ll need to track SERP movement across all the major search engines.

AccuRanker (aff) lets you choose from Google, Bing, Baidu, Yandex, and YouTube search engines:

#4. Granular tracking (by location and device)

You’ll also need to look for SERP tracking software that offers granular details as well as a high-level dashboard.

For example, you may want to track SERP movements for international or national campaigns, and all the way down to the zip code level so you can serve local clients.

Plus, you’ll also want the option to differentiate between mobile and desktop rankings.

Semrush (aff) lets you track keyword rankings at country, state, or city level, and compare keyword positions for desktop and mobile:

#5. Map SERP movements to traffic and revenue/ conversions

Tracking changes in your SERP positions is absolutely necessary. But how do you correlate higher rankings with traffic, conversions and revenue?

AccuRanker’s Landing Pages report helps you find out which URLs are driving the most traffic and revenue for your business.

AccuRanker integrates with Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics to provide deeper insights into landing page performance.

The Landing Pages report combines AccuRanker data – keywords, search volume, Share of Voice etc – with Google Analytics data – organic visitors, bounce rate, goals, revenue, load time etc – into one report so you get a complete picture of how SERP movements are affecting your bottom line:

#6. View historical rank performance

Most SERP trackers will only provide a “point-in-time” rankings update.

But with a tracker like AccuRanker, you can view the full rank history of a given term to see how performance has been trending over time, and compare rankings against your competitors: 

#7. Run competitor comparisons

Rankings are always fluctuating, so it’s crucial to be able to track where you are gaining and losing ground to your competition to identify threats and opportunities.

Semrush distributes keywords into groups or buckets by position – e.g. 1-3, 4-10, 11–50, etc. – so you can track progress and compare ranking distribution against competitors:

Robbie headshot

Editor’s Note: 
My agency uses Databox to bring in rank distribution data from tools like Semrush to show the impact SERP movements are having on organic traffic and converions:

#8. Tag and segment rankings data

Most SERP tracking tools include keyword tagging functionality. But not all keywords are created equally, so you need to be able to view SERP performance by topic, funnel, content/ asset types, and devices.

AccuRanker allows you to segment and analyze SERP data across a host of metrics, including Share of Voice, Search Engine, Location, Rank Change, and a list of others:

#9. Generate white-label reports

Aside from accessing on-demand SERP data, you’ll also want to be able to put together an easy-to-digest report that clearly shows progress, either natively or through a third-party connection with a tool like Google Data Studio or Databox.

AccuRanker includes native white-label reports that can be scheduled to out to clients:

And also integrates with third-party tools like Google Data Studio:

AccuRanker Google Data Studio integration

“The thing that really got me using them heavily in the last month or two is their Google Data Studio connector.

Combining the tag feature, as well as the Share of Voice metric from AccuRanker has been a big help in making these reports immediately digestible.”

Ian Howells
Co-Founder, Traffic Think Tank

7 Best SERP Tracking Tools to Consider in 2025

There’s countless SERP tracking tools on the market. But we’ve done the research to provide a shortlist of the best SERP trackers that provide most, if not all, the features listed above.

In this section, we’ll take a look at three dedicated SERP trackers, as well as three SERP tracking tools that are part of leading all-in-one SEO platforms, in case you don’t want to pay for a separate SERP tracker. 

#1. AccuRanker

AccuRanker home page

AccuRanker (aff) is a standalone SERP tracking tool
used by SEO agencies and consultants to track rankings, monitor the competition and tie movements back to the traffic and conversions with the fastest and most accurate SERP data.

Over 32,000 companies trust the platform, including HubSpot, IKEA, and Kinsta. 

“It’s by far the best keyword ranking tracker in the market and has a ton of great reporting functions. If you want visibility on large volumes of keywords housed within a nice dashboard – this is for you.”

MATTHEW HOWELLS-BARBY
Co-Founder, TrafficThinkTank

Best SERP Tracking Features

AccuRanker has all the typical SERP tracking features, but it stands out from most other tools, as you can:

  • Run accurate on-demand updates of ranking data.
  • Assess market performance with its Share of Voice (SoV) metric.
  • Track rankings across all major search engines, including Google, Bing, YouTube, Baidu, and Yandex.
  • Track 50+ SERP features available for all of your keywords with the aggregated SERP analysis.
  • View historical rank performance (most just give a point in time snapshot).
  • Integrate with third-party software to allow you to bring traffic, goal, and revenue data into your ranking reports, and then visualize it beautifully in native reports or tools like Google Data Studio. 
  • Check local rankings for any address, city, or state.
  • Filter and segment ranking data with tags, notes, and dates.
  • View desktop and mobile rankings separately.
  • Monitor the rankings of up to 10 competitors per domain.
  • Analyze video ranking performance across different search engines.

Bonus resource: AccuRanker Review

Who is it for?

Agencies, SEO professionals, enterprise businesses and brands who need the most up-to-date and accurate ranking data, competitor monitoring, SERP analysis, and API access across all locations, devices and major search engines. 

Pricing

AccuRanker has a range of subscription plans (aff) based on the number of keywords you want to monitor, starting at $116/month for up to 1,000 tracked keywords.


Start a 14-Day Free Trial

#2. Semrush Position Tracker and SERP Gap Analyzer

Semrush Position Tracker

Semrush (aff) is an all-in-one SEO toolset for digital marketing professionals. Over 10 million users from leading brands such as Samsung, Vodafone and Booking.com use the platform.

Its Position Tracking Tool allows you to monitor SERP movements from an international level down to the local map pack across all device types.

Semrush boasts one of the most accurate daily rank trackers, making it easy to track competitors, monitor which URLs are gaining visibility in the SERPs, and segment ranking performance across tags, devices, location, and different SERP features. 

Best SERP tracking features

The accuracy of Semrush’s Position Tracker rivals all the standalone SERP trackers, which is impressive considering it’s just one of the platform’s many SEM tools.

In fact, 70 SEO experts nominated Semrush as the best rank tracker.

Semrush lets you:

  • Monitor national, regional, and local search engine positions for any keyword.
  • Check the Visibility index (based on the average position of the domain’s ranking pages) to gauge how your target keywords perform.
  • Run side-by-side competitor comparisons.
  • Set a date range of 7, 30, 60, or 90 days to view historical rank changes.
  • Monitor SERP feature movements – videos, reviews, snippets, knowledge panel and more – and quickly spot new opportunities.
  • Collect accurate daily SERP ranking data of domains, subdomains, subfolders, or URLs for any keyword, including desktop and mobile rankings.
  • See the complete list of keywords appearing in the local pack of the SERPs.
  • Analyze your video rankings to instantly spot gains and losses in your YouTube SEO campaigns.
  • Generate branded or white-label SERP tracking reports.

Bonus SERP analysis feature:

SERP Gap Analyzer (aff) can be accessed in the Semrush App Center. The app scans Google’s SERPs for a topic and finds under-optimized content that you can improve on. 

You can also enter your domain and scan thousands of SERPs to quickly uncover keywords that could benefit from optimized content. This can save you hours on manual keyword research and SERP analysis. 

After submitting your domain with a seed topic, the app will return insights related to:

  • Ranking difficulty 
  • Keyword suggestions
  • Weaknesses of competing websites

You can then expand on sections to uncover the specific weaknesses of competitors:

  • Missing keywords
  • Slow load times
  • Poor content depth
  • Low readability scores
  • Outdated content (6+ months old)
Semrush SERP Gap Analyzer

Source

The SERP Gap Analyzer also integrates with Google Search Console to quickly uncover low-hanging fruit keywords and, based on the analysis of multiple SERP data points, provides actionable recommendations for optimizing content to improve rankings. 

Semrush SERP Gap Analyzer Search Console integration

Source

Semrush’s SERP Gap Analyzer is a unique app that goes beyond standard SERP tracking. It will identify areas to improve existing content, add new content, and provide actionable recommendations based on in-depth SERP analysis. This app could save your team hours on tedious manual analysis each month. 

Who is it for?

Digital marketing professionals, SEO agencies, ecommerce brands, and large enterprises looking for a cost-effective all-in-one SEO platform that also provides an accurate, scalable SERP tracking solution.

Pricing

Semrush’ SEO platform has a range of subscription plans (aff), starting at $139.95/month.


Start a 14-Day Free Trial

#3. ProRankTracker

ProRankTracker is a cost-effective standalone SERP tracking, analysis, and reporting tool used by 60,000+ customers.

Best SERP tracking features

  • Get daily automatic updates of rankings, plus on-demand requests (depending on your plan).
  • Track rankings across most major search engines, including Google, Yahoo, Bing, YouTube and listings on Amazon.
  • Analyze the Top 100 SERP results for any of your keywords.
  • View historical data and assess competitor performance.
  • Track videos on YouTube and Google Videos.
  • Track ecommerce sites/products on Amazon.
  • Generate a variety of reports, including current ranking, progress, comparison, and benchmarks.

Who is it for?

SEM agencies, international companies, ecommerce brands and video marketers who want to get accurate SERP data across any location, across all devices in multiple different languages.

Pricing

ProRankTracker has a selection of pricing plans, starting at $39/month.


Start a 7-Day Free Trial

#4. Advanced Web Ranking (AWR)

Advanced Web Ranking home page

Advanced Web Ranking (AWR) is a standalone SERP tracker used by thousands of SEOs and brands such as Microsft to track SERP movements across devices and locations, plus build customized white-label reports.

Best SERP tracking features

  • Get fresh, accurate keyword rankings across all major search engines – Google, Yandex, Baidu, DuckDuckGo, Amazon, YouTube and more-  in 170+ countries on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
  • Track SERPs regardless of niche, location, or device.
  • Measure market share and perform in-depth competitor SERP analysis.
  • Monitor the aggregated list of websites you’re competing against for each keyword.
  • Segment data and build in-depth, white-label reports.
  • Integrate SERP data with third-party tools, such as Google Data Studio.

Who is it for?

In-house teams, agencies, and enterprises who want reliable SERP tracking data, competitor rankings, and comprehensive reports use AWR.

Pricing

AWR has a range of subscription plans, starting at $99/month.


Start a 30-Day Free Trial

#5. SERPWatcher

SERPWatcher (affiliate) is the SERP tracking tool from Mangool’s all-in-one SEO platform. It is an affordable, easy-to-use tracker that is trusted by some of the world’s largest brands, including airbnb and adidas. 

Best SERP tracking features

SERPWatcher’s Performance Index shows your website’s organic traffic potential across all tracked keywords, in addition to ranking and volume metrics.

Use SERPWatcher to:

  • Get daily ranking updates and check them in the SERP previews.
  • Track historical data by any time frame, such as weekly, monthly, and quarterly.
  • Get notified of all important rank changes via email alerts.
  • Track rankings in 52,000+ locations (states, cities, counties, DMAs), on any device.
  • Share interactive reports with clients and colleagues, plus schedule reports and set event-based alters via email.
Robbie headshot

Editor’s note:

The Mangools toolset also includes SERPChecker, a SERP analysis tool that helps you:

  • See all strengths and weaknesses of your competitors with 45+ SEO metrics.
  • Evaluate SERP positions.
  • Compare your website with competitors.
  • Scan Local Search results for 50,000 locations.
  • Detect Google SERP features influencing organic search results.

Who is it for?

Agencies, SEO professionals, startups and small business owners who want simplified SERP tracking and other easy-to-use SEO tools in one package use SERPWatcher by Mangools.

Pricing

Mangools has a range of subscription plans starting at $29.90/month.


Create a Free Account

#6. SE Ranking

SE Ranking is an all-in-one SEO toolset with a Position Tracking Tool that monitors keyword rankings in all the major search engines, across all locations and all devices.

Best SERP tracking features

SE Ranking claims to collect and store 100% accurate data by simulating user behaviour in a particular search engine and for a precisely targeted location.

You can use SE Ranking to:

  • Track SERPs in Google, Yahoo, and Bing for any location and device.
  • Track Google SERP features, Maps results, and Google Ads positions.
  • Perform side-by-side comparisons of your rankings with up to 5 competitors.
  • Get a visibility rating with all your search competitors (sorted by visibility score) based on your keywords.
  • Get a retrospective view of the Top 100 search results and features.
  • Share rankings with clients via a custom domain labeled with your brand.

Who is it for?

Digital agencies, SEO professionals, and small business owners who want accurate SERP tracking and other SEO tools in one package use SE Ranking.

Pricing

SE Ranking has a range of subscription plans, starting at $52/month. (Based on daily SERP updates for 500 keywords).


Start a Free Trial

#7. Nightwatch

Nightwatch rank tracker

Nightwatch is one of the most accurate daily SERP trackers and is trusted by companies of all sizes, including Shopify, Scotiabank, and Coinbase. The tool lets you discover your exact search engine rankings from 107,296 locations worldwide.

Best SERP tracking features

  • Track your critical keywords in 107,296 locations worldwide across the search engine results page and map pack.
  • Track local SERP and map pack rankings down to a zip-code level with daily updates.
  • Access any Google Data Center on the planet for accurate local rank tracking.
  • Keep an eye on daily rankings on all the major search engines, including DuckDuckGo and Bing.
  • Track your SERP features and discover placements to rank globally and locally.
  • Identify decaying content and “low-hanging fruit” ranking opportunities using custom segments.
  • Analyze the performance of transactional keywords, groups of pages, and more.
  • Import data from Google Analytics and Search Console to bolster reporting.
  • Create eye-catching, easy-to-interpret white-labeled reports using the drag-and-drop editor.

Who is it for?

Nightwatch has three different plans – Starter, Optimize and Agency – that cater to the needs of companies of all sizes, from freelancers and SMBs to agencies and larger enterprise businesses. 

Pricing

Nightwatch offers a 14-day free trial, and paid plans start at $32/month for up to 250 keywords.


Start a 14-Day Free Trial

Which SERP Tracking Tool is Right for Your Business?

SERP tracking software is essential for monitoring your SEO performance, competitors, and spotting new organic growth opportunities.

We looked at the seven top SERP tracking tools – four standalone trackers, plus three SERP trackers that are part of all-in-one SEO toolsets.

My recommended standalone SERP tracker is AccuRanker (aff). But if you’re looking for a solid tracker that’s part of a leading all-in-one SEO platform, I recommend Semrush (aff).

At a minimum, when you’re evaluating a SERP tracking solution, remember to check for these key features:

  • Access accurate on-demand ranking updates
  • Track SERP movement across all major search engines
  • Granular tracking (by location and device)
  • View historical rank performance
  • Run competitor comparisons
  • Tag and segment rankings data
  • Generate white-label reports

Let us know in the comments which SERP tracker you’re using.

The post 7 Best SERP Tracking Tools for 2025 [In-Depth Review] appeared first on Robbie Richards.

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Marketplace SEO tips to improve product listing visibility

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You can sell your products online in many marketplaces, and all these platforms benefit from SEO. From improving your photos to writing better product descriptions, on-page SEO is key if you want your product listings to rank in search.

Table of contents

What is marketplace SEO?

Marketplace SEO is about making a platform with many sellers — like Airbnb, Etsy, or Amazon — easy to find on search engines. It means improving product details, organizing the site well, and using customer reviews and content. Optimizing the listings on these platforms helps more people find the products and increases sales for everyone involved.

For instance, Etsy gives store owners plenty of options to improve their product listings by writing detailed product descriptions or adding great images. As a result, every well-optimized, handcrafted item ranks in the search results. Similarly, Airbnb allows property owners to update their listings with local keywords so that they appear when users search for accommodations in specific areas.

Effective marketplace SEO means that when someone searches for “vintage leather bags,” Etsy listings are among the top results. Or when a traveler looks for “secluded cabin in Vermont,” Airbnb’s optimized listings pop up. The result, of course, is to quickly connect marketplace buyers and sellers.

an airbnb listing appearing in google search for the term secluded cabin vermont
An Airbnb listing appearing in a Google search for a key term

On-page SEO for marketplaces

You can use on-page SEO as a tool for marketplace SEO. Doing so directly impacts how easily potential customers find your listings. Take the time to optimize elements like titles, descriptions, and images. Ultimately, you’ll find that your marketplace listings will be more visible in search results. This visibility, of course, should hopefully lead to more clicks and more sales.

When each page is optimized correctly, search engines better understand your content, which improves your rankings. This means your marketplace appears in front of the right audience at the right time.

Optimizing images

For marketplace SEO, you need good images to capture attention and show the quality of your products. If possible, make sure that your images are high-resolution and professionally shot. All your images should be relevant and showcase the product from more than one angle to give buyers a good feel for it.

Add clear alt text like “handmade ceramic mug” to make your images more accessible and to help search engines recognize what the image shows. This improves the SEO of your marketplace listings and makes them more appealing to users who use speech-based browsers.

Don’t forget to optimize the image itself. Compress files to maintain quality while reducing load times, as slow-loading images can drive users away. Tools like Squoosh can help with compression without losing quality. Ensure file names are descriptive and include keywords where appropriate, such as “organic-cotton-shirt.jpg,” to boost search visibility further.

Great photography and branding make your products stand out

Create great titles and meta descriptions

Titles and meta descriptions can draw users from search engine results. Crafting an engaging title means more than just adding keywords; it should capture what the page is about. Keep it short but descriptive, like “Elegant Summer Dresses – Affordable Fashion Online.” This approach catches users’ attention and clearly tells them what to expect. Ensure the titles aren’t too long so they appear fully in search results without getting cut off.

Descriptions provide more details about your listing. A good meta description should highlight features and benefits. It should also mention why people should click on your listing instead of your competitors. Here’s a good example: “Discover our range of elegant summer dresses crafted from breathable fabrics for comfort and style. Perfect for any occasion, at prices you’ll love.” This has all the keywords, and it speaks to the customer. Keep it short, accurate and engaging.

Writing great product descriptions

Product descriptions sell your products. If you want to sell your products, you must invest plenty of time in writing great product descriptions. Start by understanding your target audience and use those insights to address their needs and concerns. Write naturally and incorporate all the keywords you want the product to rank for.

Many sellers simply list features, but explaining these in context is better. Here’s an example: “This eco-friendly bamboo toothbrush is designed for comfort and sustainability, reducing your carbon footprint while providing a gentle clean.” By writing this way, you set your products apart from your competitors.

Another way to make your products stand out is through storytelling or vivid language that paints a picture. Here’s one: “Imagine sipping your morning coffee from this handcrafted ceramic mug, its unique glaze reflecting the artisan’s touch.” Instead of simply listing details, you appeal to the buyer’s emotions. This also offers a way to make the shopping experience more personal.

Whatever you do, try to avoid using the text provided by the manufacturer, as these will be used on thousands of sites. Try to make it unique for you and your customers.

An example of a good product description for an Etsy item

Using product specifications properly

You must list specifications to help customers decide if they want to buy this specific product. It’s important to list these product specifications with care. Make sure to present details such as product identifiers, dimensions, materials, weight, and compatibility in a way that’s easy to scan.

This makes it easy for customers to find the information they need quickly. It also helps search engines index your content more effectively. Including specifications can give customers more confidence in buying the product, as they know exactly what they are purchasing.

Additionally, think about the unique features that specifications can highlight. For instance, computer shoppers would love to know what kind of processor a laptop has. Shoppers use these details to compare products based on specific technical attributes. Where applicable, use bullet points to present data clearly and concisely.

Implementing Schema markup

You can’t live without a schema markup if you want to improve your marketplace SEO. Schema markup adds structured data to your products, which helps search engines understand and interpret your products. If you do it well, your products might get rich results, like added star ratings, pricing, and availability.

For instance, an item with a product and reviews markup might show a 4.8-star rating and price directly in Google. These listings appeal to customers and could lead to a better CTR.

If you want to add schema to your products, you need to use specific types of markup relevant to your marketplace, such as Product, Review, and Offer schemas. Tools like Yoast SEO can implement schema code for you automatically. Whatever you do, don’t forget to test your structured data to make sure it’s correctly implemented and up-to-date.

Properly set up products with structured data will get rich results in Google

Use Yoast SEO for Shopify

Working on your online store can be tiresome, but luckily, there are tools to help you. Yoast SEO for Shopify is a great app that makes managing it much easier. It has content optimization features, AI tools for creating awesome titles and meta descriptions, and many schema enhancements. Together, these features help your store’s visibility in search

Conclusion to marketplace SEO

For your marketplace to succeed, you need on-page SEO. Work on product visibility and engagement by improving images, creating clear meta tags, and refining product details. Tools like Yoast SEO for Shopify simplify this process. These methods can attract more visitors and improve your marketplace’s performance.

The post Marketplace SEO tips to improve product listing visibility appeared first on Yoast.

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Start 2025 strong with data-driven strategies for retail success by Edna Chavira

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Join our experts for this live panel discussion.
Join our experts for this live panel discussion.

The new year is the perfect time to sharpen your strategies and set the foundation for success. Join Data-Driven Strategies for Retail Success and learn how to harness the power of data and technology to elevate your marketing efforts.

Learn how leading brands are using cutting-edge techniques to drive results—and how you can apply these insights to your own strategy. Our expert panel will cover:

  • Optimizing shopper journeys with actionable data.
  • Using A/B testing to make impactful decisions.
  • Delivering personalized experiences at scale with AI.
  • Lessons from the past peak season to inform your 2025 plans.

Whether you’re a digital marketer, merchandiser, or executive, this webinar is your chance to start the year with a strategy that drives measurable growth. Save your spot here!

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Google Search faces new UK probe

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The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened an investigation into Google’s search dominance, marking the first major probe under new digital market rules.

The investigation could force changes to Google’s search business in the UK, where it controls over 90% of general search queries and serves 200,000+ advertisers.

The big picture. This probe follows the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent move to break up Google’s search monopoly and comes as AI reshapes online search.

Key details:

  • The investigation falls under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC).
  • CMA will assess if Google has “strategic market status.” Such a designation would give regulators the power to mandate changes.
  • The agency is concerned about Google’s impact on news publishers and emerging AI search competitors.

Why we care. This investigation could change how Google displays and ranks ads in search results, potentially affecting ad costs and visibility. If regulators force Google to be more transparent or alter its search algorithms, it could impact ad targeting capabilities and ROI on search advertising spend.

What they’re saying. “We want to ensure there is a level playing field for all businesses, large and small, to succeed,” said Sarah Cardell, CMA chief executive.

Google “looks forward to engaging constructively and laying out how our services benefit UK consumers and also businesses, as well as the trade-offs inherent in any new regulations”, the company responded in a statement today.

What’s next. If designated with strategic market status, Google could face new restrictions on how it operates search and handles user data in the UK.

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Google’s search market share drops below 90% for first time since 2015

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Bing vs Google

Google’s share of the global search engine market fell below 90% for the first time since 2015, according to Statcounter. Google’s global search market share was under 90% during each of the final three months of 2024.

The data. Here’s a screenshot of the 2024 search market share, showing Google dipping below 90% – to 89.34% in October; 89.99% in November; and 89.73% in December:

Search engine market share worldwide January to December 2024

And here’s the last three-month stretch where Google’s search market share was under 90%, in 2015: 89.62% in January; 89.47% in February; 89.52% in March:

Search engine market share worldwide 2015

Why we care. As the old saying goes, one’s a dot, two’s a line, and three’s a trend. Cleary, we’re seeing a trend here with Google losing search market share.

Where’s the drop? Google’s search market share appeared to be fairly consistent in most regions except Asia, which appears to have been a big reason for Google’s overall drop.

U.S. drop? Google’s U.S. search market share peaked at 90.37% in November, but fell to 87.39% in December. In the other months of 2024, Google’s U.S. search market share was fairly consistent, varying between 86-88%.

The big picture. Google has been under attack for nearly two years over the growing unhelpfulness of its search results despite dominating thanks to its illegal monopoly status with a commanding and consistent 90-92+% share for nearly a decade.

  • Are we now finally starting to see the beginning people moving away to other search engines? This will be an area of interest to watch in the coming months.

Where did searchers go? Did they go to AI answer engines, like ChatGPT Search and Perplexity? Well, not the way Statcounter measures things. Statcounter mainly tracks Microsoft Bing, Yandex, Yahoo and Baidu, but also has another grouping called “other,” which includes the likes of DuckDuckGo and Ecosia.

Bing, Yandex, and Yahoo each gained some of Google’s lost share. Second-place Microsoft Bing hovered at or just under 4% for the final five months of 2024.

Dig deeper. ChatGPT’s search surge: 1% market share predicted by 2025

Bug or blip? You may recall much rejoicing in search marketing and SEO adjacent space when it appeared Google lost a significant amount of search market share in April. However, Google’s huge search market share loss wasn’t real and Statcounter revised its data.

In this case, the drop seems believable because Google was consistently under 90% in October, November, and December.

The data. Statcounter’s Search Engine Market Share Worldwide.

Read more at Read More

How to tank your Google Ads account in 10 days

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How to tank your Google Ads account in 10 days

Are you tired of the same snooze-fest PPC “best practices” on improving your Google Ads account?

It’s a new year, and we’re getting creative!

Instead of another optimization guide, let’s explore the fastest path to advertising disaster. 

What if two mysterious marketing execs named Judy make a bet with you that you can’t tank your account in a matter of days? 

Consider this your step-by-step guide to proving them wrong – and a sarcastic tour of common paid search pitfalls along the way.

(Our apologies in advance if any of this ends up in a Google snippet or Perplexity answer.)

Day 1: Make sure nobody wants your offer

If you’re looking to destroy your Google Ads performance, this is the single most effective strategy. 

You can’t bid-manage your way out of an offer that doesn’t convert.

Your offer – the product, price, and positioning – is what someone gets in exchange for converting. 

The less appealing or harder to understand it is, the less likely your ads will succeed.

Here are three sure-fire ways to dial up friction and frustration:

  • Attract the wrong crowd: Use lead magnets and incentives that aren’t specific to your target market. Your sales team will drown in leads who’ve never heard of you and don’t want your services. But hey, your CPL will look amazing!
  • Keep them guessing: Keep landing pages vague. Skip key info like features, benefits, and shipping details. On lead gen forms, don’t explain what happens after someone fills it out. If someone really wants it, they’ll figure it out, right?
  • Avoid product-market fit: Seven words: “If you build it, they will come.” Launch blindly without ever speaking to your target market. Get zero sales. Spend money on ads. Still get zero sales. But since you paid for clicks – voilà! It’s no longer an offer problem; it’s an ads problem!
Wrong offer

Day 2: Champion bad takes

Here’s another foolproof way to sabotage Google Ads without needing a login, and it’s perfect for leadership.

Grab on to the belief that “paid search doesn’t work” and never let go.

When reviewing paid search reports, always ask, “How do we know we couldn’t have gotten that organically?” and don’t even wait for an answer.

Invest in upper funnel campaigns, and demand immediate bottom-of-funnel results. Consider it a failure of the platform when that doesn’t work.

Hyperfocus on click costs. Make CPCs your KPI, and let “clicks should always cost less” be your mantra. Ask why your CPC isn’t lower each time you review the metric.

Set impossible growth goals that aren’t aligned with your ads investment, consumer demand, or past performance. 

Call them “stretch goals,” but become outraged when targets aren’t hit. You’re a luminary – people want this from you.

The important thing is to be uncurious, suspicious, and dismissive at all times. Even a brilliant paid search team can’t succeed if leadership refuses to let them.

Bad takes

Day 3: Trash your conversion tracking

What even is a conversion? Nobody knows.

It’s not standardized, so embrace the chaos and track whatever you want.

Here are some tried-and-true methods to mess up your data:

  • If it fires, it counts. Skip debugging and de-duping. Double the tags, double the sources, double the fun!
  • No judgment. Treat “scroll 50% for 30 seconds” the same as “purchase complete.” Give all actions equal weight, make them primary conversions, and stick to aggregate reporting.
  • What happens offline stays offline.
  • Keep it casual. Use names like “Event 1” or “Test Conversion,” so no one really knows what’s being tracked.
  • Trust, but don’t verify. Use platform data as your source of truth and never compare it to your CRM or actual sales numbers.

Not only will you have no idea what’s working, but Google won’t either, so it’ll optimize for all the wrong outcomes.

Bonus tip: If your conversion tracking breaks, don’t bother with the data exclusions feature. Always forward, never back.

What happens offline, stays offline

Day 4: Say ‘yes’ to every Google Ads recommendation

You’ve spent your whole life playing it safe – proceeding with caution, carefully analyzing, and looking both ways before crossing a busy street. 

It’s time to step into your main character energy and say “yes”… to Google.

Don’t overthink it. Actually, don’t think at all. Just say “yes” to every recommendation that comes your way. 

Broad match keywords? Sure, why not?

Raise your budget? Only one question: How high?

Auto-applied suggestions? Go ahead, Google, live your truth. 

Every word from your account rep is now a mandate. Every low optimization score or ad strength is now your top priority to address.

Watch your account do a complete 180. Because it was never really about the destination, it was about the journey.

Burn your permission slip to say no to Google. This is your moment of “yes.”

Say yes

Day 5: Use AI and ML to overcomplicate everything

“It’s not about refining your workflow; it’s about deploying generative AI at scale without a strategy.” 

Sure, there are smart ways to use AI to learn about your audience, create messaging, and process large data sets. 

But let’s be honest: narrowing in on appropriate use cases takes effort, and effort is so 2015.

Today’s hottest companies are blowing six figures a month on ChatGPT-generated ads with no sales to show for it. But you don’t need those budgets to get the same results!

And why stop at ad generation? 

You can use ML-driven algorithms to overcomplicate your account structure, automate decisions with zero context, and remove humans from tasks that desperately need human oversight. 

You’ll know you’re on the fast track to ruin when someone suggests prioritizing strategy over scaling, and your only response is, “But we’ve already invested so much in the tool!”

Because nothing says “visionary” like being so focused on the future that you let your account implode before you even get there.

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Day 6: Un-structure your account

Your Google Ads account likely includes multiple campaign types, segments, networks, bid strategies, and initiatives. 

Very confusing. Very complicated.

Why not throw it all into one giant, cozy, messy campaign? 

Call it “Campaign 1” for good measure.

Search + Display Network? Combine ‘em!

Top of funnel, competitor and brand terms? Put ‘em all in the same ad group with a DKI ad – let Google sort ‘em out.

There’s no better way to throttle the performance of high-intent, high-converting keywords than to mash them together with high-volume, low-converting keywords into a campaign that’s “limited by budget.”

Your chaotic structure will make it impossible to tell what’s working and what’s not. 

Reporting becomes a beautiful nightmare, and budget optimization is now rightfully impossible.

It’s not disorganized, it’s “hagakure*!”

(*Of course, accounts can also suffer from being overly granular. Hagakure, as a principle, isn’t inherently bad. It’s the blanket permission to abandon structure that turns it into a problem.)

Structure

Day 7: Turn the user journey into a maze

At its core, the paid search conversion sequence is pretty simple:

  • The keyword reflects the user’s intent (“I have a problem”).
  • The ad connects the problem of the keyword to the solution of the offer.
  • The landing page delivers the solution with a clear call to action, inviting a conversion.

Boooooring.

Paid search conversion sequence

Still, it’s a simple path. So how could anyone possibly mess it up? 

The answer is just as simple: misalignment. 

Whether you ignore the user entirely or overcomplicate every step, the result is the same: a chaotic journey that guarantees missed conversions. 

Here are two popular ways to get it wrong.

Option 1: The passive approach

Here’s where you don’t really think about the person behind the search. 

You just throw a bunch of unrelated keywords and ads into the system and hope that Google will serve the “right” message to the “right” audience. 

It’s a beautiful dream!

Option 2: The overcomplexity approach

This one requires a bit more effort and, more importantly, many more buzzwords. It sounds like this:

“Advertising used to be simple: see ad, buy product. But today’s sophisticated consumers need 50+ touchpoints, and the user journey takes a team of PhDs to track.”

Spoiler: Advertising has never succeeded without alignment. 

When you replace a basic understanding of your audience’s motivations with marketing mix models (MMM) and convoluted attribution tools, you end up just as lost as your audience.

Here’s the thing: whether you’re too passive or overly complex, both paths lead to the same questions when performance tanks:

  • Was it the keyword?
  • The ad copy?
  • The landing page?
  • Or just Mercury in retrograde again?

When your user journey becomes a maze, the answer doesn’t matter. Your customer is already gone.

Day 8: Madlib your way to ad copy

Why do your customers choose you over your competitors? 

If you don’t know – or better yet, don’t care – it’s time to throw together a bland word scramble that quietly vanishes into the SERP. Here’s how:

  • Write some cookie-cutter headlines filled with vague superlatives and uninspired CTAs. If that’s too much, let Google Ads auto-create them or get an AI tool to do it for you.
  • Leave your headlines unpinned, since the key to an effective headline is that it delivers the same message backward, forward, and in any random order.
  • Now let Google Ads work its magic by optimizing your headlines for clicks. Google’s revenue model depends on clicks, so it’ll prioritize ad combinations that drive the most clicks, not necessarily those that bring you qualified clicks or …(gross)… conversions.
  • Only measure ad success using metrics like clicks and CTR. These numbers are trending up across Google Ads accounts anyway, so you’ll feel accomplished watching the graph climb, even as your conversions plummet.

It’s a bit of a long game, but this system ensures your ads stay vague, attract untargeted clicks, and burn through your budget without reaching your ideal customers. 

Because really… who needs ‘em?

Madlibs

Day 9: Change everything, all the time

Want to master the art of campaign chaos? Here’s your step-by-step guide: 

  • Try something new.
  • If it doesn’t deliver instant results, panic and immediately reverse it. 
  • When that change doesn’t magically fix things either, try something totally different. 
  • Still no immediate success? Perfect! Pause or delete the campaign entirely. 

Bonus: this approach will keep your bid strategies in an indefinite “learning period.” 

Learning mode is Google’s way of saying, “Let’s experiment with your budget!” 

Expect sky-high CPCs, random placements, and risky behavior any brand manager would faint over as Google flails around trying to make sense of your constant changes.

This roller coaster guarantees maximum frustration, minimum ROI, and a campaign that never, ever stabilizes.

Who needs stability when you can chase the thrill of constant reinvention and keep your results unpredictable?

Shifting gears

Day 10: Expand, expand, expand

Success in Google Ads depends on qualifying, targeting, and speaking directly to your ideal audience.

Achieving the opposite effect is actually pretty easy: Go broad, baby!

Do whatever it takes to get the most impressions – qualified or not. After all, if 100% of the global population sees your ad, and even 0.01% take action, you’ll sell millions! 

  • Don’t limit location targeting to areas where you do business or see results. Be sure to use the default “Presence or Interest” to pay for clicks from locations you’re not actually targeting.
  • Don’t limit languages to the language your ads and offers are written in.
  • Don’t keep your ads from running on irrelevant apps or YouTube videos for minors.
  • Don’t exclude audience segments that are unlikely to convert.

Assume that all views and clicks are equally valuable, even if they’re generated accidentally, in bad faith, or by two-year-olds through the “suitable for families” content loophole.

If reach is the name of your paid search game, you’re definitely playing a losing game.

Expand, expand, expand

There are plenty of other ways to mess with your Google Ads account, but these 10 guarantee a disaster worse than an ad-libbed karaoke duet. Happy failing!

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2025 predictions for top B2B paid media channels

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2025 predictions for top B2B paid media channels

You can say much about 2024, but you can’t call it boring. 

From AI Overviews rolling out (now with ads!) to a feed-choking election to cookies (somehow) sticking around in Chrome to the rise of LLM search, PPC advertisers have had to deal with turbulence in the past year.

What can B2B advertisers expect in 2025? 

I’ll share my predictions for key platforms like Google, LinkedIn, and Reddit, as well as trends in measurement and martech.

While these are just my best guesses, many are based on trends we already see in our client accounts.

2025 Google predictions

Google will lose some of the search market

We’re already seeing searches soar on LLMs like ChatGPT and Perplexity. 

Even if Gemini improves its UX and results, it won’t keep Google from losing volume and changing user behavior. 

Google won’t have to divest itself of Chrome (yet)

This is kind of a layup. No matter what the DOJ pushes for in its antitrust victory from November, it will not happen in 2025. 

Even if the judge agrees that Google needs to sell Chrome, appeals and plenty of red tape will likely keep this from becoming a reality within the next 12 months.

Google will launch at least one promising beta for B2B ads

It has been a long dry run for B2B marketers looking for fun betas and features from Google. 

Today, all updates seem to point to one thing: feeding the algorithm. 

B2B marketers have had fewer opportunities to experiment in search since I entered the field over a decade ago.

That said, I foresee Google throwing us a bit of a bone this year – maybe to counteract the negative momentum it’s carrying into 2025. 

They could shock us by reinstituting some match-type controls, but I doubt it. 

They’ll likely give us some tools that make responsive search ads (RSAs) easier to work with and more transparent about which combinations actually work for advertisers.

Advertisers will more broadly adopt enhanced conversions.

This is cheating a bit since it’s a prediction for Google advertisers and not Google itself, but I think enhanced conversion usage will be much broader in 12 months than it is today. 

In B2B advertising, the key will be finding the right balance between: 

  • Setting AI guardrails through segmentation.
  • Ensuring segments are large enough to maintain data density, as the system struggles when data is limited.

Enhanced conversions are a good tool for helping advertisers port more data into the back end.

This will be essential for training Google to find the right users and keep budget focused on impact.

2025 LinkedIn predictions

Ad types will keep diversifying

Videos, thought leader ads (TLAs), conversation ads, and new ways to promote individual POVs.

We’re seeing promising results from testing all of those in 2024, and I expect LinkedIn to provide more variety in 2025. 

The UX and advertising algorithms will improve

LinkedIn’s UX and bidding and targeting algorithms have both lagged, even as clients shift more budget toward the platform. 

Those areas will receive more attention in 2025, and the algorithm may even improve at detecting and suppressing AI-generated content, including tedious automated comments.

You may also see LinkedIn make it easier for advertisers to collect lead information on the platform.

For instance, adding lead forms to TLAs would be a nice marriage of conversion friendliness and a popular new ad type.

The best ads won’t look like ads

One of the things we’re working on with our clients is getting creative with messaging and tying it to pain points or industry or job lingo. 

In short, we’re doubling down on empathetic messaging and authenticity, which is not unique to LinkedIn. 

With the feed getting junkier and more AI-formulaic by the day, the more organic you can make an ad look, the more people will pay attention.

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2025 Reddit predictions

Improved testing will roll out as competition grows

For its market share, Reddit made arguably the most significant moves in B2B advertising in 2024. 

With new ad types, audience features, advanced reporting, and enhanced targeting capabilities, Reddit enters 2025 with a growing user base and a spot on the shortlist of must-test platforms for B2B and SaaS advertisers. 

They’ll meet the moment with more testing features, specifically A/B testing functionality that starts mimicking rival platforms.

Tracking and attribution will struggle

Because Reddit is populated by a younger, tech-savvy audience, part of its brand is tied to user privacy (hence usernames, not real names). 

This is great for users with edgy and authentic POVs to share, but it will make life harder for advertisers trying to track the real business impact of their Reddit campaigns. 

(Related prediction: their fairly rudimentary CAPI function will improve quite a bit in 2025.)

Dig deeper: Diversifying your B2B paid media portfolio: When does it make sense?

2025 martech and measurement predictions

Chrome’s third-party cookies will survive 2025 – kind of

Yes, Chrome’s cookies will be severely weakened by the (still-impending) opt-out feature that Google plans to implement. 

But my prediction is that the cookies will be (somehow) clinging to life at the end of 2025 because I don’t see Google and the IAB agreeing on an alternate solution.

CDPs will gain serious momentum

More marketers will move to adopt server-side tracking in 2025 (disclaimer: we’re pushing our clients hard in that direction) as a holistic, privacy-safe transition away from third-party cookies. 

We’re seeing most of our clients getting an artificial increase in “direct” traffic as data is stripped away. 

This will hit a critical point, leading brands to get proactive about server-side solutions.

First-party data enrichment tools will gain prominence

Less third-party data to work with means more emphasis on first-party data and the tools that empower it. 

Look for names like Stape and Pendar, which are beefing up first-party data collected on the server side, to start appearing more frequently in brand conversations.

Dig deeper: 5 PPC measurement initiatives to set yourself up for 2025 success

Anticipating transformations in B2B paid media and martech

There’s room for 2025 to be a more transformative year than 2024 for B2B campaigns – if only because there will be more room for challengers to Google’s market dominance. 

I expect marketers to become more proactive about tracking and measurement solutions because their hands are being forced. 

This should also lead to new scrutiny about which campaigns are actually driving business impact. (Or maybe that’s just something on my wishlist every year.)

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Optimizing LLMs for B2B SEO: An overview

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Optimizing LLMs for B2B SEO: An overview

We’re still in (very) early days for LLM (large language model) search, but fast-increasing user adoption is helping us draw insights on effective tactics for brands to deploy to appear in results on platforms like Perplexity, ChatGPT search, Gemini, and more.

This article looks at those tactics from a B2B lens, broken down by the following SEO initiatives:

Note that many of these tactics – but not all – should be familiar to SEOs who have experience with traditional search engines. 

Content strategy

The first step toward creating effective content for LLMs is to understand the nature of user queries. 

LLMs, more than traditional search engines, are host to conversational queries, like “How can I protect my business from ransomware attacks?” (where a similar Google query might be “ransomware attack protection for businesses”).

To adapt your content strategy, study the nature of the queries and create content that directly answers them. This includes conversational headings like “The best software to protect businesses from ransomware attacks.” 

In B2B, where the purchase journey is longer, it’s not as simple as optimizing for product-related queries; it’s essential to incorporate educational content to ease users into the awareness and engagement stages.

When it comes to the content itself, many of the principles of traditional SEO apply – particularly the need to go both broad and deep to establish authority and relevance. 

Incorporate supporting content like guides, case studies, and user testimonials. 

Make sure you’re working with pillar pages linking to in-depth blogs like “How CRM helps sales teams close deals faster.”

Remember that context matters a ton for LLMs for each piece of content (no matter the format). 

Optimize for nuanced, contextual responses by addressing multiple facets of a topic in the same piece. 

For example, a rich blog post for a fintech company could be titled “What is embedded finance? Benefits and challenges for SaaS platforms,” with subsections for: 

  • Benefits for startups.
  • Use cases in real-world scenarios.
  • Integration challenges and how to overcome them.

Semantic SEO

“Semantic SEO” is a relatively recent SEO initiative that means approaching content with respect to the full topic, not just keyword elements. 

In LLM SEO, the first item of semantic SEO is entity-based optimization, which includes:

For example, a cloud solutions provider can use schema markup to:

  • Mark up product pages with “Product” schema for solutions like “Cloud Data Storage Services.”
  • Build authority by linking to their business profile on Wikipedia, LinkedIn, and/or Crunchbase.

Because semantic SEO widens its focus from keywords, it’s essential to optimize for diverse phrases and synonyms instead of fixating solely on exact-match keywords. 

(You can use tools like Google Natural Language Processing or OpenAI embeddings to understand the relationship between tools.)

Let’s use a marketing automation platform as an example. 

Along with optimizing for a primary keyword, like “lead generation software,” include synonyms and variants like “Automated lead management tools” and “B2B marketing platforms.”

Dig deeper: ChatGPT search vs. Google: A deep dive analysis of 62 queries

Technical SEO

At this point, technical SEO for LLMs isn’t (by my understanding) all that different than technical SEO for traditional search engines. 

To increase your chances of showing up in LLM searches, tackle the following:

Data accessibility

  • Confirm content is crawlable and indexable by search engines and available for API integrations.
  • Optimize page speed and mobile performance for enhanced usability.

Structured data

  • Leverage structured data to signal intent and relevance clearly.
  • Implement detailed schema, such as “FAQPage,” “HowTo,” and “Product,” to improve how LLMs process your content.

User intent matching

Advanced SEO in both traditional search and LLMs incorporates an understanding of user intent into content. 

For B2B, this content should be strategically distributed across all stages of the buyer journey: awareness, education, technical understanding of solutions, and ultimately purchase intent.

For “instant” queries, provide actionable and direct responses, formatting answers in bullet points or concise paragraphs for LLM readiness while providing links to deeper resources. 

For example, a business offering AI-powered analytics can create content like: “What is predictive analytics in B2B?” and provide direct answers such as:

  • “Predictive analytics uses historical data to forecast future trends. For B2B, this helps identify potential leads and optimize sales strategies.”

Dig deeper: How to optimize for search intent: 19 practical tips

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Authority and trust

This is perhaps the area where we see almost no difference (yet) between LLMs and traditional search engines: establishing E-E-A-T principles is critical.

To do this (if you aren’t already), make sure your owned media:

  • Prioritizes experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness in all content.
  • Includes author bios, credentials, and citations to reinforce trustworthiness.
  • Cites reliable sources like Gartner, Forrester, or proprietary data studies.
  • Builds backlinks from authoritative domains to strengthen your site’s credibility.
  • Gains mentions in trusted publications to improve how LLMs perceive your brand.

For example, a logistics software company could secure backlinks from:

  • Industry publications like Logistics Management.
  • Mentions in business-oriented media like TechCrunch or Forbes.

Dig deeper: Decoding Google’s E-E-A-T: A comprehensive guide to quality assessment signals

AI feature optimization

This initiative is where SEO practices diverge most widely from traditional search engines. 

The way users interact with LLMs differs from how they interact with the Google search bar. 

For LLM-specific content enhancements:

  • Focus on content that answers “People Also Ask” and conversational follow-up queries.
  • Experiment with creating and optimizing content designed for direct API consumption.

For example, a tech consulting firm could create a resource hub for topics like “common cloud migration questions” with detailed Q&A formats that AI can surface easily.

If user behavior continues to feature more structured, question-based queries, make sure your content is designed to answer those directly. 

For example, a company specializing in ERP software can design content to appear for queries like:

  • “What are the best ERP solutions for mid-sized companies?”
  • “What is the ROI of implementing ERP software?”

Some LLMs (and we expect more to move in this direction) are multimedia-focused. 

For those, rich media integration – using videos, infographics, and charts to enhance engagement and improve content retrievability – will help spur inclusion in search results.

For example, a cybersecurity firm can enhance blogs with:

  • Infographics summarizing “5 types of cyberattacks businesses should watch for in 2025.”
  • Embedded videos explaining “How our threat detection tool works in real-time.”

Dig deeper: How to evolve your organic approach for the rise of answer engines

Continuous testing and adaptation

At this relatively early stage of LLM SEO maturity (and our understanding of it), continuous testing, measurement, and adaptation are among the most critical initiatives. 

At our agency, we focus on two fronts:

As you gather more information about what’s working, you can find common themes to deploy across your accounts. 

Dig deeper: How to cultivate SEO growth through continuous improvement

Optimizing for LLM-driven search in B2B

Because LLMs are in their infancy and because user behavior is changing so rapidly across the search landscape, find and regularly reference trusted sources to stay on top of trends and developments. 

In 12 months, this article might look woefully outdated, so it’s best to keep your finger on the pulse to adapt quickly.

Dig deeper: Decoding LLMs: How to be visible in generative AI search results

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Top 10 SEO expert columns of 2024 on Search Engine Land

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Search Engine Land's Top SEO columns of 2024

Since Search Engine Land launched, we have given SEO experts a platform to share their in-depth knowledge and timely insights – with the goal of helping you solve problems, manage challenges and understand the constantly shifting SEO landscape.

What follows are links to the 10 most-read, must-read Search Engine Land SEO columns of 2024 that were contributed by our fantastic group of Subject Matter Experts.

10. The SEO’s guide to Google Search Console

Dive into Google Search Console’s features and reports, plus how to navigate the tool like a pro, from basic setup to advanced SEO analysis. (By Anna Crowe. Published July 8.)

9. 15 AI tools you should use for SEO

Get more done in less time with these must-have AI tools to automate tasks, optimize content and improve your search engine rankings. (By Ludwig Makhyan. Published Sept. 27.)

8. How to use Google Search Console to unlock easy SEO wins

Steps for using GSC to review your traffic, analyze the search landscape and make impactful optimizations for quick results. (By Marcus Miller. Published Aug. 22.)

7. How to make your AI-generated content sound more human

Leverage AI like ChatGPT to generate more human-sounding long-form content. Refine prompts with details to produce engaging articles. (By James Allen. Published Feb. 26.)

6. Google recognizes content creators: A breakthrough for E-E-A-T and SEO

Google now highlights content creators as trusted sources in search results. Here’s why this matters for E-E-A-T and how SEOs can benefit. (By Jason Barnard. Published Sept. 25.)

5. How SEO moves forward with the Google Content Warehouse API leak

Addressing common questions, critiques and concerns following the massive Google Search leak and how your approach to SEO should change. (By Michael King. Published May 30.)

4. What is generative engine optimization (GEO)?

Understand what GEO is, how it’s revolutionizing digital marketing and key strategies to optimize for AI-driven search. (By Christina Adame. Published July 29.)

3. Unpacking Google’s massive search documentation leak

This breakdown unveils potential Google Search ranking factors, including details on PageRank variations, site authority metrics and more. (By Andrew Ansley. Published May 30.)

2. How Google Search ranking works

An in-depth analysis of how Google’s complex ranking system works and components like Twiddlers and NavBoost that influence search results. (By Mario Fischer. Published Aug. 13.)

1. ChatGPT vs. Google Bard vs. Bing Chat vs. Claude: Which generative AI solution is best?

Here’s a comparison of genAI tools ChatGPT, Bard, Bing Chat Balanced, Bing Chat Creative, and Claude based on four metrics. (By Eric Enge. Published Jan. 26.)

Top 10 PPC expert columns of 2024 on Search Engine Land

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Search Engine Land's Top PPC Columns of 2024

Search Engine Land gives PPC experts a platform to share their in-depth knowledge and timely insights – with the goal of helping you solve problems, manage challenges and understand the constantly shifting landscape of paid search, paid social, and display.

What follows are links to the 10 most-read, must-read Search Engine Land PPC columns of 2024 that were contributed by our fantastic group of subject matter experts.

10. Value-based bidding: Why it’s key to boosting your Google Ads

Discover how this bid strategy can optimize your Google Ads campaigns for the most valuable actions and overall profitability. (By Sarah Stemen. Published Feb. 7.)

9. Mastering Performance Max using scripts

Learn to negate poor performers, track disapproved products and exclude spammy placements with Google Ads scripts. (By Nils Rooijmans. Published Sept. 20.)

8. Google is hiding search data from advertisers and profiting

Here’s how it affects your ad campaigns and what you can do to optimize performance despite limited visibility. (By Mark Meyerson. Published Sept. 10.)

7. Google Ads for lead gen: 9 tips to scale low-spending campaigns

Looking to elevate your Google Ads lead gen efforts? Here are nine levers that can boost your PPC campaigns toward significant growth. (By Menachem Ani. Published Jan. 10.)

6. The Performance Max playbook: Best practices and emerging tactics for 2024

Strategies for running Performance Max campaigns in 2024, covering campaign structure, creative, budgeting and conversion tracking. (By Navah Hopkins. Published April 11.)

5. What Google’s query matching update means for future PPC campaigns

Learn about Google Ads’ latest improvements to query matching and brand controls and what it indicates about how keywords will evolve. (By Menachem Ani. Published July 10.)

4. 4 advanced GPT-4 capabilities to level up your PPC efforts

Leverage AI for PPC with improved prompts, data integration via plugins, custom GPTs, and API-enabled actions. (By Frederick Vallaeys. Published Feb. 1.)

3. ChatGPT for PPC: 17 strategic prompts you can use today

Learn how to use ChatGPT to level up your paid search efforts without sacrificing strategy, authenticity and creativity. (By Amy Hebdon. Published Sept. 3.)

2. What 54 Google Ads experiments taught me about lead gen

Two years of experiments reveal key findings on the best-performing bid strategies, keyword match types, campaign settings and more. (By Mark Meyerson. Published Aug. 29.)

1. How to analyze Performance Max search terms insights for PPC success

Google Ads fixed the bug preventing Performance Max search query data from showing in scripts. Here’s how to analyze it PPC optimization. (By Frederick Vallaeys. Published March 13.)