Using transition words in your writing can help you enhance the readability of your content. They help your text flow and show readers the relationship between phrases and paragraphs. That’s why the readability checks in Yoast SEO provide feedback on your use of transition words. But what are transition words, and why are they so important? And how should you use them?
Transition words like ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘so’, and ‘because’ are words that show readers the relationship between phrases. Or sentences or even paragraphs. In a way, transition words act like the glue that holds your text together. Without them, your text is a collection of sentences. But with them, the individual parts come together to form one whole.
Let’s look at an example: I pushed the domino. As a result, it fell over.
When you start a sentence with ‘as a result’, your reader will immediately know two things: First, what happened in the first sentence caused something. Second, the sentence after that will describe the effect. By using the phrase ‘as a result’, you show that the two separate sentences are related to each other and should be read together.
Transition words can be used to connect short phrases, sentences and paragraphs. When you use them to start a new paragraph, this allows you to showcase the relationship to the former paragraph. This helps keep your text flowing and readers understand what direction the next paragraph is going into. Examples of transition words for starting paragraphs are ‘for example’, ‘firstly’, ‘likewise’, ‘however’ and ‘to sum it up’.
Transition word at the end of a sentence
You don’t always have to place transition words at the beginning of a sentence. You can also add a transition word at the end to change it up or when it feels more fitting. For example:
He’s a very nice guy. He took us out to dinner yesterday, for instance.
Even though ‘for instance’ is placed at the end of the sentence, it still provides the reader with information on how the two sentences relate.
Why you should use transition words
You might be wondering: are transition words really that important? Let’s look at a text (Text A) where we don’t use them and the same where we do (Text B).
Text A I’m going to discuss a few reasons why practice is important to learning skills. The only way to truly master a skill is by actually doing what you’ll have to do in the real world. I think practice can be a fun way of putting in the necessary hours. There are people who disagree. It is said that people tend to remember only 10-20% of what they’ve heard or read. That number rises to as much as 90% when you put theory into practice. Following up explanation with practice is key to mastering a skill.
Text B In this paragraph, I’m going to discuss a few reasons why practice is important to mastering skills. Firstly, the only way to truly learn a skill is by actually doing what you’ll have to do in the real world. Secondly, I think practice can be a fun way of putting in the necessary hours. There are, however, people who disagree. Thirdly, and most importantly, it is said that people tend to remember only 10-20% of what they read or hear. Moreover, that number rises to as much as 90% when you put theory to practice. In conclusion, following up explanation with practice is key to mastering a skill.
Text A is not a terrible paragraph. But it’s not the easiest to read, is it? Plus, text B does a better job of showing there are three separate arguments to support the statement with a definite conclusion. The reader never has to wonder whether a sentence still belongs to the previous argument or a new one. It even shows the relationship between sentences within one argument. In conclusion, most people will find text B easier to read, so they’ll stay on your page longer.
Types of transition words
Transition words can be divided into several categories, based on the type of connection you want to make. There are often several transition words available for the most common kinds of relationships between texts, or transitions as we call them in the table below. Sometimes, they mean the same; sometimes, there are slight differences. If you’re not a native speaker or are not familiar with these words, you’ll probably have to study and practice their use.
Transition/type of relationship
Example word/phrase
Example sentence
Cause and effect
Therefore, as a result, so, consequently
I’m tired. Therefore, I’m going to bed.
Clarification
That is to say, in other words, to clarify
We’re letting you go. In other words, you’re fired.
Contrast
But, however, on the other hand
I am not fond of fruit. However, I do like bananas.
Example
For example, for instance
In the evening, I like to relax. For instance, I enjoy watching TV.
Emphasis
Above all, most importantly, certainly
There are many reasons to exercise regularly. Above all, it keeps you healthy.
Enumeration
Firstly/secondly, further, and, moreover, in addition
Today, I’m going to write a post. In addition, I’m recording some video lessons.
Time
Meanwhile, during, subsequently, after that
I’ll start by telling you what transition words are. After that, I’ll tell you why you should always use them.
Similarity
Likewise, similarly, in the same vein
She tried really hard to entertain her guests. Similarly, he put all his heart and soul in cooking a great dinner.
Summarize/conclude
In conclusion, to sum up, in short
In conclusion, transition words are an important aspect of SEO copywriting.
Table 1: transition words with example sentences
Why are they important for SEO?
As we’ve just seen, transition words make it easier to read and understand a text. They’re one of the key factors to readability. And readability is very important for SEO. Nobody likes to read a text that’s difficult to follow or boring. Your focus might be on creating a text that’s easy to understand for search engines, but that’s not how SEO works anymore. You need to write for people first and one of the ways to do that is to guide them through the text with easy language and well-placed transition words.
This fits in nicely with the idea of holistic SEO. If you write a text that’s hard to understand, people won’t find what they need. What’s more, you’ll end up with unsatisfied visitors who bounce back to Google right when they hit your site. Google sees this as a sign of bad user experience, resulting in lower rankings. So make sure to write for your audience and search engines will follow.
Moreover, these helpful words play a crucial role in structuring your text. Well-structured text is easier to understand, making your blog easier to read. This helps to retain readers and, therefore, contributes to SEO.
What does the transition word check in Yoast SEO do?
The transition words check in Yoast SEO assesses whether or not you use enough of these linking words. If at least 30% of the sentences in your text contain a transition word, the traffic light will be green. You get an orange light if you use them in more than 20% or less than 30% of your sentences. The light will be red if less than 20% of the sentences of your text contain a transition word. That would be less than 1 in 5 sentences.
The readability analysis in Yoast SEO showing a red traffic light for the transition words check.
Want to read more on how we came to the exact measurements of the transition words check and the other readability checks? Then you should read our article about the methodological choices of the readability analysis.
How to improve your usage
While most of us use transition words here and there, not everyone uses them frequently enough. That’s why it’s important to know when you can use them, and that you’re aware of the relationship between your sentences or paragraphs.
Know the words (and when to use them)
This sounds obvious, but it’s good to know all (or most of) the different transition words you can use. Even if you’re familiar with a language, it pays off to refresh your memory occasionally. Especially if you also write in other languages than your own. We have a few examples per language (that we offer in Yoast SEO right now) to help you get started. Or look online for examples and their meaning to get some inspiration, examples from literature and fiction can be a fun way to learn the words and when you can use them.
Understand the relationship between sentences
One of the tips we often give when writing a text is to just start writing a first draft and put everything in there that you want to say. After that, you can look at the structure of the text and what needs to be elaborated on or removed. This phase of ‘cleaning up’ is also where the addition of transition words comes in. When you’re happy with the order of your paragraphs and sentences, you can reread your text and spot opportunities to tie them together with the right transition words. This will probably come quite naturally to you when rereading, as that often helps you figure out which parts end too abruptly or could use a good transition.
If it doesn’t come that naturally to you, or if you just want to make sure that you use them enough, our transition words check in Yoast SEO (free or Premium) will help out with that. This checks if you use enough transition words, depending on how long your content is. It will give you a green, orange or red traffic light to indicate your use of transition words and improvements that can be made in that regard.
Want to know more?
If you want to learn more about transition words and how to write great content in general, then our SEO Copywriting course can help you. You can preview this course for free, but if you choose to use Yoast SEO Premium, you get access to the full course (along with 15 other courses). If you use Shopify and want to work on the readability of your site, you can check out our Yoast SEO for Shopify app.
Conclusion
Transition words are important for the readability of your text. They explain, give examples, and help your readers understand your texts. They guide them through it. If you still need to get it into your system to use them more often, remember to add the step to your writing process! In addition, pay attention to the structure of your text. If you understand the point and goal of your paragraphs, it will be easier to pick the best transition words available.
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The internet is full of recycled lists claiming to reveal the “most profitable blog niche ideas.”
But most lack any actual data to back up their recommendations.
That’s why we decided to do something different.
We analyzed 100 blog niches using a comprehensive methodology to identify the top 25 opportunities based on cold, hard numbers.
This included:
Search volume data
Keyword difficulty scores
Average cost per click (CPC)
Search intent
Short- and long-term growth trends
For each winning niche, we created a detailed scorecard that ranks its performance across three critical dimensions:
Growth, monetization, and ranking potential.
These metrics are presented on a five-point scale to help you quickly assess each niche’s strengths and challenges.
Whether you’re launching your first blog or your fifth, these insights will help you make smarter decisions about where to invest your time and energy.
Each niche received a total score based on these weighted metrics, allowing us to identify the top 25 blog niche ideas.
Now that you see how we evaluated these niches, let’s find the right one for YOU with our Three Ps framework.
How to Choose and Validate Your Blog Niche
Want to know the secret to long-term blogging success?
It all comes down to the three Ps: Passion, Potential, and Profitability.
The most successful blogs hit this trifecta.
They’re built around topics you genuinely care about, have substantial audience interest, and offer clear paths to revenue.
Here’s how to find your perfect match.
Step 1: Consider Your Passions
Passion for your blog niche isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a competitive advantage.
Why does this first “P” matter so much?
When you genuinely care about your topic, you’ll:
Stick with it when growth is slow (and trust me, every blogger faces plateaus)
Develop deeper insights that casual researchers miss
Create high-quality content that naturally displays E-E-A-T (expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) signals that Google rewards
Create authentic content that resonates with fellow enthusiasts
Think about what topics you find yourself researching for fun, discussing with friends, or already have experience with.
These are your passion indicators.
Pro tip: You’ll be creating hundreds—if not thousands—of articles on this topic. Make sure it’s something that won’t feel like a chore six months from now.
Step 2: Research the Niche’s Long-Term Potential
Found a topic you love? Great.
Now let’s evaluate the second “P”—Potential—to make sure this niche has staying power.
First, verify there’s an actual audience for your niche.
Here’s how:
Visit online communities where your potential readers hang out:
Facebook Groups: Check member count and weekly post volume
Quora: Analyze question frequency and follower counts
Reddit: Look for subreddits with at least 10,000 members
For example, when I searched “gardening” on Reddit, I found this active subreddit with 7.8 million members.
Pay attention to:
Common questions people ask
Problems they’re trying to solve
Language they use to describe their challenges
Products or solutions they’re already using
Now, let’s look at whether your niche is growing or declining.
For example, “garden design” gets 6.6K searches per month in the United States.
While not as high as some, niching down from the broad category of “gardening” has clear benefits.
This includes much lower difficulty (65% vs. 90%).
Next, look at the “CPC” report.
(The higher the CPC, the more advertisers are willing to pay for clicks, signaling stronger monetization opportunities.)
“Garden design” has a CPC of $1.78, which shows monetization potential.
Pro tip: What’s a “good” CPC? After analyzing CPC data across 100 blog niches, I found the average was $2.09. While this benchmark is useful, don’t chase high CPCs alone—weigh them against competition levels and search volume to find your ideal niche.
With the three Ps as your guide, you can confidently identify a blog niche that’s personally fulfilling and financially rewarding.
Now, let’s explore the top 25 blog niche ideas for 2025.
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
In a surprise to no one, “AI” is the #1 blog niche for 2025.
Despite the relatively modest $1.24 CPC, the off-the-charts search volume (1M) makes this an incredibly lucrative opportunity.
But you’ll need to bring your A-game.
This means expert content that demonstrates a deep understanding of the topic.
This is true whether you focus on breaking artificial intelligence news and trends before others do.
Or providing in-depth tutorials and tool reviews to help the everyday person understand and use AI.
Or you could niche down further.
Like the successful AI blog Machine Learning Mastery.
This blog teaches developers “how to get better results, faster” with practical AI tutorials.
Machine Learning Mastery is a great example of how to monetize in this space.
They use display advertising and sell multiple machine learning ebooks and tutorials.
Monetization paths: AI tool affiliate partnerships, display ads, online courses, consulting services, paid newsletters with industry insights
Success requirements: Tech fluency, talent for simplifying complex topics, constant learning mindset, firsthand experience with emerging tools
With 426% growth over the past decade and a substantial 165,000 monthly searches, this space offers clear potential to turn your blog into a reliable revenue stream.
But the competition is no joke.
Even the subniches like SEO and content marketing have 100% keyword difficulty.
To stand out in this highly competitive space, you’ll need to create content competitors can’t easily replicate.
Think case studies, original research, firsthand insights, and expert interviews.
For example, Search Engine Journal (SEJ) has found success in the SEO and search marketing subniches with data-backed content written by industry experts.
While there are many ways to monetize a digital marketing blog, SEJ’s strategy includes syndicated content opportunities and banner ads.
Success requirements: Verifiable security credentials, ability to explain technical concepts clearly, commitment to staying current with evolving threats
4. Meal Prep
Meal prep has seen remarkable growth (457%) over the past decade.
And it has no signs of slowing down.
It’s also slightly more accessible than some top niches, with 75% keyword difficulty.
(Plus, check out that healthy $5.24 CPC).
But what makes this niche particularly attractive is its evergreen appeal.
People will always need convenient, healthy eating solutions that save time and money.
Success here hinges on authenticity.
Thoroughly test your recipes, document each step visually, and provide specific troubleshooting tips from your own kitchen experiences.
Combine high-quality photography with practical, real-world advice that readers can’t find in generic recipe collections.
Note: “Food” is one of the most profitable blog niches, averaging $9,169 per month in revenue, according to a RankIQ study.
For example, Sweet Peas and Saffron, a popular meal prep blog, features step-by-step directions and storage and reheating instructions for each recipe.
They also monetize their blog in a few tasty ways:
Success requirements: Relevant credentials or personal transformation story, ability to cite research accurately, consistent content that builds trust
6. Home Remodeling
Love to DIY home projects?
The home remodeling blog niche offers enticing numbers:
60% keyword difficulty (lower than many of our top niches)
$5.22 CPC
Consistent growth: 41% YoY; 65% 5Y; 39% 10Y
To shine in this niche, demonstrate real expertise, whether you focus on home decor or kitchen redesigns.
Readers want detailed cost breakdowns, material recommendations, and step-by-step instructions that result in successful outcomes.
High-quality before/after photos and video tutorials will separate your blog from competitors.
Young House Love is a prime example of home remodeling niche mastery.
They document real renovation projects with detailed cost breakdowns and process photos that show every step.
They’ve also monetized through multiple book deals.
And have their own lighting line at a major retailer, showing the diverse money-making potential of this niche.
Monetization paths: Tool/material affiliates, online courses/tutorials, digital downloads, sponsored content
Success requirements: Construction/remodeling experience, step-by-step tutorial ability, video production capabilities
Pro tip: Diversify your blog monetization strategy. Multiple income streams not only help you earn more overall, but they also provide crucial protection if one revenue source slows down.
7. Debt Management
Talk about the sleeper hit of blog niches.
Debt management has an eye-popping $15.50 CPC—the highest on our list.
Despite a relatively modest search volume (2,900 monthly searches), this niche presents a golden opportunity for monetization.
Plus, the 63% keyword difficulty makes it more accessible than many top niches.
But here’s the catch:
As a Your Money, Your Life (YMYL) topic, Google holds financial content to much higher standards.
You’ll need to demonstrate legitimate expertise to rank.
Success requires establishing E-E-A-T signals through author credentials (financial certifications help), expert contributions, and comprehensive, accurate advice backed by authoritative sources.
Trust is everything here.
Focus on transparency, avoid get-rich-quick promises, and show readers a clear path to financial improvement.
Personal stories (with receipts) will be a differentiator in this niche.
Note: Finance blogs are popular and profitable. According to RankIQ, bloggers in this niche earn an impressive average of $9,100 per month, making it one of the most lucrative blogging categories.
While there are plenty of smaller blogs in this niche (with low traffic) many of the major players are blogs run by financial institutions.
Like this one:
But with a solid SEO strategy and high-quality content, you’ll have a good shot at breaking through on the SERPs.
Productivity has a surprisingly high CPC of $9.80—the third highest on our list.
Even better?
This blog niche has shown consistent growth across multiple timeframes:
17% YoY
58% over five years
44% over the last decade
Clearly, our collective obsession with doing more in less time isn’t fading.
But at 93% keyword difficulty, you’ll face stiff competition from established productivity giants.
Success here demands more than rehashing the same time management tips everyone’s already heard.
Develop and test original productivity systems, create custom tools your audience can’t find elsewhere, and share firsthand stories of how you maintain productivity.
The Zen Habits blog is a stellar example of this.
Its creator focuses on habit formation from their firsthand experiences.
Like writing a novel, tripling their income, running marathons, and much more.
While the blog’s design is minimal and doesn’t feature display ads, Zen Habits has multiple monetization paths.
This includes books and a paid membership with workshops and video courses.
Success requirements: Personal wellness experience, consistency in practice, ability to balance science with accessibility
16. Career Development
Career development has emerged as a standout niche, with 107% growth over the past five years.
The strong growth and relatively approachable competition (61% keyword difficulty) make it an attractive option, whether you’re a new or seasoned blogger.
Specificity and actionable advice are the keys to success in this niche.
Focus on particular industries, career stages, or workplace challenges where you have firsthand experience.
Document real career transitions, share authentic workplace stories, and create practical resources.
Like resume templates and interview scripts.
For example, The Muse, a well-known career blog, shares advice on everything from skill development to team building.
They also feature company profiles and job listings.
When it comes to monetization, The Muse offers a variety of revenue streams designed to help readers land their dream jobs.
This includes personalized resume reviews and career coaching services.
Monetization paths: Resume services, career coaching, professional course affiliates, job board partnerships
Success requirements: Professional experience, networking abilities, understanding of hiring processes
17. Green Technology
Green technology offers a rare combination: moderate competition (58% keyword difficulty) and solid monetization potential ($5.01 CPC).
But the relatively low search volume (1,900 monthly searches) means success hinges on attracting highly targeted, high-intent website traffic.
To make the most of this niche, focus on content that aligns with user intent.
Readers want the science behind green technology and actionable ways to reduce their carbon footprint in their own homes.
This is why product reviews will be big in this niche.
Stay ahead of emerging trends and policy changes to position your blog as a forward-thinking resource.
For example, CleanTechnica covers energy efficiency, geothermal energy, Tesla products, and more.
They also provide in-depth electric vehicle reviews.
To monetize, CleanTechnica leverages multiple revenue streams, including display ads and an ecommerce store.
So, they can generate income while continuing to champion sustainable tech.
Monetization paths: Eco-friendly product affiliates, sustainable technology reviews, green living courses, consultation services
Success requirements: Environmental knowledge, technical understanding, ability to make complex innovations accessible
Pro tip: Interested in joining an ad network to monetize your blog? Pay special attention to niches with high monthly search volume. You’ll need 50,000 monthly sessions just to qualify for Mediavine, the ad platform used by 40% of bloggers earning $2K+/month (RankIQ).
18. B2C Sales
Business-to-consumer (B2C) sales shows promising growth (+300% over the last 10 years).
But it also has surprisingly low competition at just 32%.
This provides an accessible entry point for bloggers with B2C sales experience.
While the search volume is low (720 monthly searches), the ease of ranking makes this an attractive option.
Share specific sales scripts, customer journey maps, and proven conversion optimization techniques backed by real-world experience.
Consider specializing in particular sales channels (ecommerce, retail, subscription services) or customer segments where you have hands-on experience.
With such minimal competition, you have a genuine opportunity to establish authority relatively quickly compared to more crowded niches.
Now, let’s look at a successful blog in this niche.
Sales Gravy helps sales professionals sharpen their skills, close more deals, and navigate sales slumps with confidence.
To monetize, Sales Gravy offers virtual sales workshops and online courses.
This lets them turn their expertise into valuable training resources for their audience.
Success requirements: Technical knowledge, testing methodology, clear communication of complex features
20. Health
The health niche pulls in a whopping 368,000 monthly searches.
Not to mention that juicy $4.67 CPC.
But don’t start drafting “10 tips for better health” articles just yet.
As a YMYL topic, health content faces Google’s toughest quality filters.
Without medical credentials or expert partnerships, you’ll struggle to gain traction.
Your best bet?
Niche down to specific health conditions where you have firsthand experience or certified knowledge.
And back everything with scientific research and insights from medical professionals.
This is what Healthline, a popular blog in the health niche, does.
Their articles are written by health writers and reviewed by medical professionals, which helps establish trust and credibility.
To monetize, Healthline uses multiple revenue streams that align with its audience’s interests.
This includes advertising, sponsored content, and affiliate links.
Monetization paths: Health product affiliates, wellness programs, supplement partnerships, telehealth referrals, digital downloads/plans
Success requirements: Medical/health credentials, research skills, ability to translate complex information responsibly
21. Books
What this evergreen category lacks in CPC ($0.68), it makes up for in passionate audience engagement.
(Check out that 368,000 monthly search volume).
But you’ll need a distinctive angle that sets you apart from established literary blogs to break into this competitive space.
Consider niching down to underrepresented genres, specialized reading guides for particular audiences, or unique book curation approaches.
Authentic book reviews and recommendations are crucial here. Insightful commentary and humor also work well.
For example, Book Riot stands out in this niche with diverse book coverage, literary-themed product reviews, and multiple themed newsletters.
They’ve also taken a creative approach to monetization with their own book subscription box.
Curated by Book Riot editors, each box delivers hand-selected books tailored to the customer’s preferences.
Monetization paths: Book affiliate programs, product recommendations, subscription book clubs, author partnerships, premium reading guides
Success requirements: Genre expertise, analytical reading skills, consistent content production
22. Cryptocurrency
Thinking about riding the crypto wave?
This niche has skyrocketed with a mind-blowing 700% growth over the past decade.
With 135,000 monthly searches, there’s no shortage of people hungry for crypto content.
Here’s the catch
You’re facing 100% keyword difficulty.
Google won’t let just anyone rank here—this is serious YMYL territory.
Focus on educational content that helps readers understand blockchain fundamentals or risk management strategies.
Share your personal experiences (both wins and losses) to build authenticity.
Success requires genuine expertise through technical accuracy, responsible advice, and transparent disclosure of your own involvement with digital assets.
The CoinDesk blog is a powerhouse in crypto news.
Backed by financial journalists and technical experts, they cover the latest trends, regulations, and market moves.
CoinDesk monetizes its blog with a solid mix of methods:
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AI-powered search is drastically changing the way people find information. For years, ranking well in Google and Microsoft Bing has been the foundation of search visibility.
But as AI-driven search gains traction, is that ranking priority shifting or staying the same?
We’re in an era of uncertainty we haven’t seen since the early days of SEO – when search engines rose and fell in a battle for relevance.
Time will tell which AI answer engine wins the game. SEO is still relevant, but AI is rewriting the rules.
This article will break down:
Six AI search players to watch and how they source content.
Market share and usage trends that show where search behavior is shifting.
How AI answer engines still depend on traditional search engines.
What businesses should do now to optimize for AI-driven search.
Here’s what you need to know.
AI models and real-time search
Before we move forward, a quick note on how these AI platforms generally work. AI models are trained on data available up to specific cutoff dates.
For instance, Google’s Gemini 2.0 Pro had a knowledge cutoff in August 2024, while OpenAI’s GPT-4o extended its training data up to June 2024. Yes, it can change daily.
This means that for recent events or emerging trends, among other things, these models rely on real-time data retrieval rather than their internal knowledge base.
In other words, their ability to provide accurate and up-to-date results is directly tied to their ability to access and process new information from the web. That is key.
Another thing to note is that AI search engines can build their own web indexes.
For instance, Perplexity AI’s PerplexityBot crawls the web directly, creating its own content database rather than relying on Google’s or Bing’s indexes. But even so, AI search engines can and do still rely on search engine results, too.
Website owners who want to control how AI search engines access their content can manage these crawlers in their robots.txt settings.
Now let’s discuss the different ways AI search engines are relevant to SEO today.
Google: AI Overviews
AI Overviews represented a huge shift in Google Search.
Google’s AI-generated responses – powered by Google’s Gemini AI model – are designed to provide quick but comprehensive answers by pulling information from multiple sources.
For SEO professionals, this introduced both opportunities and challenges.
AI Overviews rely on Google’s search index to determine what information to present, but they also change how users interact with search results.
How AI Overviews work
Google’s Gemini 2.0 AI model powers AI Overviews, generating instant summaries for certain queries.
AI-generated responses appear at the top of Google’s search results, often before traditional organic listings.
Anecdotal data from my SEO agency suggests you need to be in the top 20 for a better chance of inclusion in AI Overviews. There are outliers, and some resources cited in AI Overviews will rank outside of what we would traditionally call “being ranked at all.”
Inclusion in AI Overviews can boost clicks to the cited sources and, according to some research, harm performance for those that don’t show up. For instance, for transactional queries, webpages included in AI Overviews had 3.2 times as many clicks as pages that were excluded. For informational queries, webpages with a presence in AI Overviews had 1.5 times as many clicks compared to webpages excluded by AI Overviews.
If your content doesn’t rank well in Google, it’s unlikely to appear in AI Overviews, reinforcing the need for strong SEO. There are many opinions on which tactics you need to succeed. I advocate continuing to stay the course with a strong SEO program with a balanced mix of technical SEO, on-page optimization and excellent content.
Website owners can control whether their content is included in AI-generated answers. Google-Extended is an opt-out setting that allows websites to block Google from using their content for AI models like Gemini, while still allowing Googlebot to crawl their site for search rankings. Blocking Google-Extended won’t affect your rankings in Google Search, but it will stop Gemini from using your content in AI-generated responses.
Take note: Research shows that inclusion in AI Overviews can be more volatile than the organic search results.
Takeaway: AI Overviews aren’t replacing traditional search, but they are changing how search results are consumed. For now, the strategy remains the same: Optimize for Google Search, and AI Overviews will follow.
Google: AI Mode
In March 2025, Google announced AI Mode, an optional feature designed to offer a more AI-driven search experience.
Unlike standard Google Search, where AI Overviews appear alongside organic results, AI Mode allows users to toggle into a search environment where AI-generated answers take center stage.
Image credit: The Keyword blog, Google
How AI Mode works
A separate search option where AI-generated responses are more detailed, conversational, and visually enhanced. Reminiscent of Bing’s Copilot toggle.
AI Mode “brings together advanced model capabilities with Google’s best-in-class information systems, and it’s built right into Search. You can not only access high-quality web content, but also tap into fresh, real-time sources like the Knowledge Graph, info about the real world, and shopping data for billions of products. It uses a ‘query fan-out’ technique, issuing multiple related searches concurrently across subtopics and multiple data sources and then brings those results together to provide an easy-to-understand response,” according to Google (announcement link above).
Google told Search Engine Land that, like AI Overviews, AI Mode surfaces relevant links to help people find webpages and content, and that Google teaches the model to decide when to include hyperlinks in the response. For example, if it’s likely that users want to take action on a website (like booking tickets), then links would be useful. AI mode will also decide when to prioritize visual information, such as images or videos, for queries like how-to searches.
What this means for SEO
Google says that AI Mode “is rooted in our core quality and ranking systems, and we’re also using novel approaches with the model’s reasoning capabilities to improve factuality. We aim to show an AI-powered response as much as possible, but in cases where we don’t have high confidence in helpfulness and quality, the response will be a set of web search results.”
AI Mode is now in testing. Whether it will impact click-through rates in the same way as AI Overviews remains to be seen.
Takeaway: AI Mode signals an ongoing shift towards AI-dominated search results. For now, we can assume that the importance of ranking well in traditional search remains the same.
Gemini is Google’s competitor to ChatGPT and other generative AI tools. Gemini functions as both an independent chatbot and the power behind AI Overviews in Google Search.
Over the coming months, Google plans to upgrade virtually all Assistant-enabled devices – from phones to smart home gadgets – to use Gemini as the default assistant.
This shift shows Google’s long-term commitment to AI as a core part of search and user interactions.
How Gemini works
Gemini pulls from Google search results and third-party content partners (for example, AP) to generate responses, integrating search rankings into its answers.
Gemini can also personalize results based on a user’s Google search history, YouTube activity, and app usage, making responses adaptive rather than purely search-driven.
Market share and adoption
According to Statista, Gemini ranks No. 3 on the most downloaded gen AI apps globally as of January 2025, with approximately 9 million downloads.
Similarweb data shows that the majority of users are aged 25 to 34 (approximately 30%), with the second highest usage among 18- to 24-year-olds at about 21%.
Ranking in Google Search is still crucial, but there’s more. Gemini pulls from Google’s search index, but it also sources data from content partnerships.
Consider content that’s optimized for natural language queries, structured data to help enhance context and education-focused content (where teaching something is front and center).
When Gemini personalizes responses based on user history, visibility in Gemini answers may vary between users. For example, if a user frequently engages with a particular brand’s YouTube channel, Gemini might be more inclined to mention or draw from that brand’s content when that user asks a related question.
Click-through rates from Gemini remain uncertain, as Gemini doesn’t always provide direct links. Gemini comes in third for referral traffic as compared to ChatGPT and Perplexity, according to one study.
Takeaway: Visibility in Gemini means business as usual in terms of having an excellent site that can rank in Google Search, but it also adds complexity with Gemini’s AI-driven personalization and conversational search trends.
Microsoft: Bing Copilot
Bing was the first major search engine to integrate AI directly into its results, launching Bing Copilot (formerly Bing Chat) in February 2023. It’s no surprise Bing beat Google here, as Microsoft has been a big investor in OpenAI since 2019.
How Bing Copilot works
Powered by Microsoft’s Prometheus model, which builds on OpenAI’s GPT-4.
Generates AI summaries based on real-time Bing search results and external data sources.
AI-generated responses appear at the top of search results, sometimes before traditional web listings.
You can also click on “Deep Search” for more in-depth AI-powered answers. These answers are also linked to sources found on the web.
In addition, there’s a Copilot toggle in Bing for a more interactive, fully powered AI search mode.
While small compared to Google, it’s possible that Bing’s market share may grow more in the future due to its early adoption of AI-powered search and the reliance of other AI platforms on Bing results.
What this means for SEO
Unlike Google’s AI Overviews, Bing Copilot is more likely to cite sources outside the top-ranked pages, but ranking higher still increases the likelihood of inclusion.
A study by Rich Sanger found that over 70% of URLs included in Bing Copilot summaries rank in the top 20 Bing search results.
Bing may present a growing opportunity as AI search adoption increases.
Takeaway: Bing may no longer be just an afterthought in many companies’ SEO strategies. You’ll want to continue to have a robust SEO program that takes into account ranking signals for Bing.
OpenAI: ChatGPT Search
ChatGPT search is OpenAI’s initiative to enhance traditional search by integrating AI-powered real-time web search into ChatGPT.
It was initially launched as the SearchGPT prototype in mid-2024 and later integrated into ChatGPT, allowing users to access live search capabilities rather than relying solely on pre-trained knowledge.
By October, OpenAI fully integrated SearchGPT into ChatGPT, enabling it to perform real-time web searches and provide more current, sourced information for user queries.
This positioned ChatGPT search as a direct competitor to traditional search engines, offering users an AI-powered alternative to platforms like Google and Bing.
But here’s the kicker: It still relies on search engine results.
How ChatGPT search works
Powered by a fine-tuned version of GPT-4o, post-trained using synthetic data-generation techniques. This includes distilling outputs from OpenAI’s o1-preview model, meaning some responses are AI-synthesized rather than directly retrieved from the web.
SearchGPT pulls data from multiple sources, including third-party search providers like Bing and direct content partnerships that supply proprietary information.
Market share and adoption
ChatGPT is the most widely used text generation AI tool, holding nearly 20% of the global generative AI user share in 2023, according to Statista.
ChatGPT’s weekly active user base doubled in six months, with 400 million weekly active users now relying on its search capabilities, according to TechCrunch.
Image credit: “Leading generative artificial intelligence (AI) text tools market share of users globally in 2023,” Statista.com
What this means for SEO
Since SearchGPT relies on Bing’s indexing system, ensuring your content ranks in Bing is essential. Content not indexed by Bing is unlikely to appear in SearchGPT’s responses.
Chatter in the SEO industry suggests that SearchGPT might favor trusted, high-ranking sources in Bing but that it also relies on sources outside the top rankings in Bing.
The conversational nature of ChatGPT is changing how users search and consume information. Continuing to emphasize helpful content can only make a website more competitive.
In the early days of SEO, search engines were highly susceptible to simple manipulation tactics. Similarly, ChatGPT’s AI-powered search may be vulnerable to manipulation, with tests showing that it could be influenced to return misleading or biased results.
Takeaway: ChatGPT could be the biggest threat to search engine usage. However, SearchGPT’s reliance on Bing means SEO strategies must prioritize Bing to improve the chances of being surfaced in AI-generated results as well.
Perplexity AI
Perplexity AI is an independent, AI-powered search engine that blends large language models with real-time web data to provide concise AI-powered responses with direct citations.
The citations piece is probably one of the more compelling things about Perplexity.
In an interview with Lex Fridman, Perplexity’s founder Aravind Srinivas said:
“When I wrote my first paper, the senior people who were working with me on the paper told me this one profound thing, which is that every sentence you write in a paper should be backed with a citation, with a citation from another peer-reviewed paper, or an experimental result in your own paper. Anything else that you say in the paper is more like an opinion.
“It’s a simple statement, but pretty profound in how much it forces you to say things that are only right.
“We took this principle and asked ourselves, what is the best way to make chatbots accurate, is force it to only say things that it can find on the internet, and find from multiple sources.”
Launched in late 2022, it has positioned itself as an alternative and direct competitor to traditional search engines like Google.
How Perplexity works
Perplexity AI operates as an independent search engine, actively crawling and indexing the web to provide real-time, AI-generated responses to user queries.
Instead of building a massive index like Google’s, Perplexity prioritizes indexing high-quality, frequently searched topics based on user behavior. By focusing on trusted and helpful sources, it optimizes for accuracy and truthfulness while maintaining efficiency.
Each response includes direct source links, differentiating Perplexity from AI chatbots that provide answers without attribution.
Perplexity relies on trusted sources from the web. This means you must have an authoritative presence on the web.
One study showed that 60% of Perplexity citations overlap with the top 10 Google organic results.
Other research indicates that Perplexity has a group of favored, authoritative sources on the web to pull from.
Because Perplexity is an independent search engine, ranking factors will be different from Google or Bing.
Content formatted in a certain way may have a leg up, including clear headings, well-organized sections and succinct answers like FAQs embedded in your content—all of which can be quickly understood and extracted by Perplexity’s model.
Takeaway: Perplexity AI is another contender that could continue to gain traction in AI search and take users away from major search engines. It’s important to remember that it still relies on sources across the web, making an authoritative site with the right content optimized for AI an important step in visibility.
The future of AI search and SEO
While some predict that the rise of AI will reduce search engine volume significantly (Gartner predicts a 25% drop by 2026), the importance of having a reputable website with trustworthy, optimized content remains critical for the foreseeable future.
Time will tell which AI wins the game. With many AI platforms facing legal challenges (like Google’s AI Overviews and Perplexity’s lawsuits), legal decisions will also likely shape the winners and how AI search ultimately operates.
So, which AI search engine should you optimize for right now?
I suggest gathering research on the potential for referral traffic and the audience demographics using the AI search engine. Does it align with your industry and business?
For those AI search engines that require “extra SEO effort” on top of what you’re already doing, make sure it’s worth it. Track your referral traffic to see if any patterns emerge.
The situation is not perfect, however. While some websites report clicks are up from things like AI Overviews, others are losing big time.
For example, research shows that for queries where AI Overviews appeared in Google, organic CTR fell sharply from 1.41% to 0.64% year over year.
Image credit: Seer Interactive
On the other hand, a different study looking specifically at AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and others found that they send 96% less referral traffic to news sites and blogs than traditional Google Search.
Some data already suggest a basic hierarchy of referral traffic coming from certain AI search engines.
For example, one study found ChatGTP to be a clear winner in referral traffic overall, but things fluctuate based on industry.
Image credit: “SMB websites see rising traffic from ChatGPT and other AI engines,” William Kammer, Search Engine Land
Image credit: “SMB websites see rising traffic from ChatGPT and other AI engines,” William Kammer, Search Engine Land
As we continue to see all this play out, we can relax knowing that the fundamentals of SEO are not going away.
Yes, the approach may change, but the foundation is the same: Put the user first, make a great website that’s optimized for the platforms your target audience uses, and continue to adapt to the different ways you can remain visible in search.
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To some, SEO is technical; to others, it is creative.
Neither of these is 100% right or wrong.
SEO is all of this and more, depending entirely on the unique situation and goals of the business looking to use SEO.
This loose definition leads to some common and fairly troublesome issues.
One of these issues, which we see repeatedly and completely derails the success of projects – even by experienced agencies – is the misunderstanding between SEO strategy and SEO planning.
This article defines these terms and shows a simple way to ensure both strategy and planning are tackled with the rigor that the modern, hyper-competitive search environment demands.
Even Google is confused
The problem here is that Google does not really understand quality.
It knows what people click on. It understands specific authors, sites, and other traditional SEO metrics to help stack the deck.
However, Google does not enforce the true denotation of words in search results and often leans into common misconceptions.
What I am trying to say here is that Google gives people what they want and, by doing so, often accentuates issues where the meaning of a word has shifted.
SEO strategy is a perfect example.
A search here shows many posts optimized around “SEO strategy,” but none of them actually talk about SEO strategy in any detail (or at all).
What they really talk about is SEO goals and SEO planning.
The fact is that almost the entire first page of results conflates strategy with planning – even the AI Overview gets it wrong.
This leads businesses to focus on tactics without a clear overarching strategic vision.
The result?
Well, bad results for most (other than those hawking to rank for SEO strategy).
Why does this matter?
Am I just some pedant upset that the things returned are not truly relevant?
Well, maybe a little bit.
But, more importantly, I believe there is an opportunity for many hidden in the fog of this issue.
SEO (or any marketing) needs to deliver results.
However, when SEO is approached without clear distinctions between goals, strategy, and planning, efforts become reactive rather than proactive.
Businesses chase keywords and rankings rather than trying to offer something new and unique.
This leads to a hamster wheel of tactical SEO rather than building strategic and sustainable long-term visibility.
A better way forward: Goals, strategy, and planning
A solid SEO approach follows a simple, logical three-step sequence:
Define the goal: Where do we want to go?
Craft the strategy: How will we get there?
Develop the plan: What steps do we need to take?
By structuring SEO efforts this way, you can avoid aimless execution and instead build an intentional, well-structured approach to search visibility.
The rest of this article will show you how to tackle this differently and help steer your efforts toward long-term sustainable growth rather than short-term tactical wins.
First, some important definitions
We started by discussing a common misuse of the word “strategy” and how this leads to the strategy being overlooked.
Before we proceed, I feel it is useful to clarify the terms we use quickly so there are no misunderstandings.
This is denotation vs. connotation – the real meaning of a word vs. the common misunderstanding.
Authority building: Will we focus on link-building, PR, or thought leadership?
For example, if a SaaS company wants to dominate organic search, its SEO strategy might focus on thought leadership and topical authority rather than just ranking for high-volume keywords.
SEO planning: The specifics of the journey
Planning is where the tactical details come into play. It’s the nuts and bolts – everything from optimizing page titles to a full step-by-step breakdown of how to execute the strategy.
An SEO plan may include:
Conducting keyword research
Optimizing existing content
Building a backlink acquisition strategy
Developing a content calendar
Implementing technical SEO fixes
Think of planning as the navigation system that breaks your strategy down into actionable steps.
If there is one thing you take from this article, please let it be this:
Strategy is not planning, and planning is not strategy.
SEO strategy is the big picture that defines why your content should rank and outperform competitors.
While planning involves specific tactics like keyword research or content updates, strategy is about positioning your site as the best answer for user queries for a specific reason (the strategy).
This is not to say that standard SEO planning and tactics are not important.
Not at all.
Rather, by having this all backed up by a strategy, you maximize the chance that you will generate and sustain the results you are looking for.
Ultimately, SEO strategy is about why your site deserves to rank, not just how to optimize it.
The key is to remember that SEO success isn’t just about performing SEO tasks – it’s about approaching them with the clarity and structure provided by strategy.
Goals define the destination.
Strategy determines the best path to the destination.
Planning breaks the journey into actionable steps.
Implementing this structured approach can avoid wasted efforts, allow you to focus on what truly moves the needle, and build long-term organic growth.
This is better than the blind chasing of rankings and random acts of SEO that seem to characterize most campaigns.
Define your goal, craft a winning strategy, and execute a focused plan.
That is the kind of strategic SEO that gets results.
Shopify is one of the most impressive internet success stories. According to BuiltWith, the Canadian ecommerce giant now powers almost five million stores worldwide. Merchants choose it for its ease of use, robust features, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Let’s go over the main reasons for choosing Shopify.
Shopify is an ecommerce platform that has everything under one roof. It’s a cloud-based solution that lets merchants create, customize, and manage online stores without issues. Shopify focuses heavily on ease of use and functionality, and with the thought of having businesses run an online business without technical expertise.
The CMS has quickly become one of the most popular ecommerce platforms. For instance, it dominates the US market, with a market share of around 30%. It helps by easily serving businesses of all shapes and sizes, from small startups to large enterprises.
Choosing the right ecommerce platform is critical to your online success. There are many good reasons to choose Shopify, as it’s versatile, user-friendly, and scalable. It’s a good solution for most businesses and even has an app store with tools like Yoast SEO for Shopify that help you with your content marketing and SEO efforts.
Primary features and services of Shopify
One of Shopify’s main features is hosting and scalability. As a managed hosting solution, the platform offers fast and reliable performance for your pages. Its infrastructure can handle traffic spikes and high-demand sales peaks like those during Black Friday sales.
Next, it is well-known for its template and customization options. The theme store has over 240 themes, all of which are mobile-friendly. You even get a selection of industry-specific themes to help businesses get online quickly.
Another strong aspect of the platform is its tools section and how it integrates with nearly everything. The app store has almost any app you need, from Shopify SEO tools like Yoast SEO to inventory management options. This breadth of options is very impressive.
Lastly, the CMS makes it easy to manage payments and financial transactions. It runs its own payment gateway, Shopify Payments, but it also supports various third-party payment processors.
These options together form a fully formed product that helps merchants with everything from server management to brand building and marketing. No wonder so many merchants choose Shopify as their ecommerce platform.
How does Shopify work?
Shopify’s intuitive platform makes starting and running an ecommerce store very easy. It doesn’t matter if you sell just one product or thousands — the software makes it accessible for every type of merchant.
Simple setup process
One of Shopify’s most impressive aspects is the setup. Entrepreneurs can literally launch an online store within a few hours — without prior technical know-how. The platform offers easy-to-use tools that work by simply dragging and dropping elements. In addition, it offers user-friendly walkthroughs to guide merchants through the process. There are pre-built themes to get started with quickly, and buying premium themes from the Theme Store is also possible.
Effortless management
Shopify has a clearly organized admin dashboard. Store owners can track orders, manage inventory, and check customer data in a single place. Merchants also enjoy the automation features. For instance, it automatically calculates taxes, handles shipping integrations, and manages checkout processes — a huge time saver!
Of course, as we live in the mobile age, the platform offers mobile app access. Merchants can manage their stores on the go, so they don’t have to miss anything when they are out and about. We’ve already mentioned that the store themes all scale with and perform properly on mobile devices.
All of these possibilities make Shopify a very good solution for most stores. Even a solo entrepreneur can build and manage a professional store without issues. This makes it a far more accessible option than platforms like WooCommerce or Adobe Commerce.
7 Key benefits of choosing Shopify
The ecommerce platforms’ impressive features, scalability, and customer-centric design stand out. Here are some key reasons merchants choose Shopify as their preferred ecommerce platform.
1. The user-friendly interface
Time and time again, merchants mention that the clean, intuitive interface is the most important reason for choosing this ecommerce platform. It’s one of the most user-friendly e-commerce builders out there, and it’s intuitive for beginners and powerful for experienced users.
Shopify has an innovative drag-and-drop builder that lets merchants customize the store layout and product pages without coding. The admin interface is clearly organized and simple, even for non-developers. Thanks to the guided setup and well-designed templates, business owners can quickly move from concept to live store. In addition, the admin panel gives an easy-to-understand overview of the store’s performance so merchants can manage orders and inventory without issues.
Shopify’s easy-to-use interface makes it a joy to work with
2. Shopify AI Magic
One of the newest benefits is Shopify Magic, an AI-powered solution that makes work easier and more fun. For instance, it has an image editor that automatically cleans up and optimizes product images, and a content generation tool that uses generative AI to write FAQs, product descriptions, and blogs. Email improvements also help dynamically tailor email campaigns for higher engagement rates.
It also has Sidekick, an AI assistant that can help you get more done in your store. This chatbot answers all your questions and advises you on your specific situation, as it knows everything about your store. As a result, you have more time to focus on important things like strategy.
3. Flexible and scalable
Another big benefit of choosing Shopify as an ecommerce platform is its flexibility and scalability. The CMS can grow with a merchant and offers options for large and small businesses.
It has an affordable pricing structure. The $29/month plan helps small businesses get online quickly without investing too much. For large businesses, there’s Shopify Plus, which supports global enterprise brands like Heinz and Gymshark. This plan offers advanced features like a multi-store setup, custom checkout-out options, and very high API limits. The platform is also very proud of its 99.98% uptime guarantee, which keeps stores online even in the busiest seasons.
4. Integrated payment solutions
Another big advantage is the streamlined payment process for clients worldwide. Shopify Payments, a built-in payment system, eliminates the need for third-party gateways at no extra cost and no set-up fees. Additionally, it supports over a hundred payment integrations, including Stripe and PayPal.
5. Robust app ecosystem
Shopify is a very extendable ecommerce platform. It has an excellent app store, where developers offer a wide range of good apps that improve and expand what the CMS can do. Currently, over 10,000 apps are available in the app store, and new ones are arriving daily.
Many of these apps integrate deeply with the CMS, allowing marketing automation and personalization that can increase sales. Merchants can install apps to recover abandoned carts, upsell related products, or integrate with CRM and advertising platforms.
Merchants can find apps for nearly everything. Some of the most popular ones are Oberlo for dropshipping, Klaviya and Mailchimp for email marketing, Judge.me and Loox for product and store reviews, and PageFly for building custom landing pages.
This extendability helps merchants scale their work whenever they need it most.
Shopify has over 10.000 apps in its app store
6. Comprehensive support
Running an online store is difficult enough without having to worry about technical issues. Luckily, the platform helps remove that worry with 24/7 technical and customer support. Merchants can access professional assistance via live chat, email, or phone. In addition, it offers loads of learning material in the form of Shopify Academy, community forums, and tutorials. Business owners can quickly learn to make the most of their online stores.
7. Yoast SEO for Shopify
The ecommerce CMS comes with all merchants need to run their stores, including tools to improve search engine visibility. While SEO is always in its mind, it is good to think beyond the basics that the e-commerce platform offers. Getting traffic is too important to leave it to chance.
Yoast SEO for Shopify is the perfect tool for merchants looking to get that traffic. This app is built by a team of SEO experts with decades of experience. Yoast SEO has innovative features like real-time SEO suggestions, helping you optimize your pages and products with actionable insights. Or enhanced structured data for your products to make these stand out in Google.
Yoast SEO also helps you write better product content. Enter your focus keyword and use the feedback to make your product descriptions stand out. A readability analysis also helps you make the content as readable for your customers as possible. There’s a Semrush integration to get keyword data from the editor and AI-powered features to automate some parts of the optimization process.
Combining Shopify’s framework with Yoast SEO makes your store accessible to search engines and customers.
Optimize your products with Yoast SEO to make them stand out
Unique selling points
Shopify has a lot going for it as an ecommerce platform, and there are more things it does to stay ahead of the competition.
Multi-channel selling
One reason Shopify could be chosen over the competition is its ability to sell across multiple channels. Multi-channel options allow merchants to sell their products on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, with all the management and insights happening on the main dashboard. It also has point-of-sale options that help merchants offer in-store sales and integrate online and offline.
The CMS can sync listings to third-party platforms like Amazon, eBay, or Google Shopping, increasing merchants’ visibility. The platform also has many more options for going omnichannel with your store, which makes it a great fit for managing everything all at once.
Strong security and reliability
Trust is an important aspect of ecommerce. Merchants need to trust ecommerce platforms with their data and trust that they keep it safe and sound. Luckily, Shopify is working hard to provide store owners with a secure shopping environment. It is certified Level 1 PCI-DSS compliant, the highest level of payment security standard, which helps protect customer data. It also has built-in fraud detection features that minimize the risk of chargeback.
Compared to hosted platforms like WooCommerce, Shopify automatically handles almost every security aspect. This gives merchants peace of mind that their customer’s data is safe.
Considerations before choosing
Shopify is an all-around great ecommerce platform, but there are some things to remember when merchants choose between the many other options. Its pricing is decent, with basic monthly plans starting at $29. Still, the cost can add up when you want to add apps, third-party integrations or want to have a custom theme developed. However, the CMS is often easier to set up and cheaper to run than platforms like Adobe Commerce.
Another consideration is the platform’s limitations. Shopify is closed software, so store owners have limited code access. WordPress solutions like WooCommerce might be better if openness is an issue.
These are the main reasons to choose Shopify
Shopify provides a great combination of ease of use, scalability, and features that help merchants thrive. Whether you run a simple store with a small budget or juggle millions of dollars, the commerce platform has the necessary solutions. It grows with your needs and offers you many options and possibilities to make the most of your business. Moreover, if you add Yoast SEO for Shopify to your store, you can boost visibility on Google, hopefully translating to more traffic and business growth.
So, why wait? Sign up for a free trial, add Yoast SEO to your store, and get your business on the road!
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Microsoft has added the ability to compare date ranges within the Search Performance report in Bing Webmaster Tools. This allows you to compare metrics and data points such as clicks, impressions, CTR, keywords, and pages across various date ranges.
“These enhancements enable in-depth analysis, providing invaluable insights for optimizing online presence and improving visibility. This means businesses can now make more informed decisions, identify key trends, and effectively adjust their marketing strategies to achieve better results.”
Microsoft also made user experience improvements in time filters, the company added.
What it looks like. Here is a screenshot showing the new “compare” option in the Search Performance report in Bing Webmaster Tools:
Why is this helpful. Microsoft posted a few ways these comparisons helps you, including:
Identifying key trends and patterns
Evaluating the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns
Gaining insights from seasonal search data
Setting benchmarks and goals using historical data
Identifying areas for improvement in search performance
Why we care. Google has offered comparing data in Search Console for a while, plus all the third-party tools offer this.
But now you can compare this data directly in Bing Webmaster Tools without having to export this data to a third-party tool. This should save you a lot of time, by not having to use another tool to compare your Bing Search data.
When it comes to keyword research, SEO professionals often rely on expensive tools to find the right keywords.
However, Google Search Console (GSC) provides a completely free way to access insights straight from Google itself.
GSC is a powerful and often underused tool that shows exactly what is working on a site and where improvements can be made.
Unlike other keyword research tools that provide generic suggestions and estimated data, GSC delivers real-life search data based on actual searches leading to a website. It can often uncover interesting insights.
Here’s how to use GSC to find valuable keyword opportunities and improve rankings.
Why use Google Search Console for keyword research?
Google Search Console is a goldmine for keyword insights. Here’s why you should use it.
Free and requires no subscriptions: Many SEO tools require costly subscriptions, but GSC is completely free, making it accessible to businesses of all sizes.
Provides real keyword performance data: Most keyword research tools provide estimated search volumes, but GSC shows actual data on searches that lead users to your site, ensuring accuracy.
Helps identify keywords with high optimization potential: Analyzing existing keyword rankings allows you to optimize content and improve visibility with small tweaks.
Uncovers content gaps and new topic opportunities: GSC reveals queries that may not have been intentionally targeted but are already driving traffic, providing ideas for new content.
Tracks keyword performance over time: You can monitor how rankings fluctuate, which keywords are growing in importance, and how search behavior is evolving.
Helps understand search intent: By analyzing query data, you can refine content to better match user intent and increase engagement.
Provides device-specific insights: Performance can vary between desktop and mobile users, and GSC helps fine-tune SEO strategies accordingly.
GSC can also reveal irrelevant search terms bringing traffic to a site. Some queries may drive traffic that does not align with the intended audience, leading to vanity traffic that skews reports.
How to manage irrelevant search terms
Identify keywords bringing in non-relevant traffic that do not contribute to conversions or engagement.
Adjust on-page content and metadata to clarify the intent of the page.
Use negative keywords in paid search campaigns if these terms are also appearing in PPC reports.
Monitor engagement rates and session duration for traffic from these terms to assess engagement levels.
Example
If a bathroom renovation site ranks for “how to clean a kitchen splashback,” that traffic is unlikely to convert into meaningful engagement.
Identifying and minimizing such cases ensures that a site is optimized for relevant search terms.
Step 4: Track overall keyword performance
GSC provides detailed performance tracking without the need for a paid keyword tracking tool.
Key metrics to check
Total clicks: The number of visitors coming from search results.
Total impressions: The number of times a site appears in search results.
Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of users who click after seeing a result.
Average position: The ranking in Google search results.
Branded vs. non-branded search terms: Understanding the balance between brand visibility and new audience acquisition.
Device-specific performance: Identifying whether certain keywords perform better on mobile vs. desktop.
Unlike most SEO tools that limit the number of keywords tracked, GSC offers unlimited data on how a site is performing.
For websites targeting multiple countries, understanding geographic search performance can help refine international SEO strategies and localize content for different markets.
How to use it
In Google Search Console, navigate to Performance > Search Results.
Click on the Countries tab to see a breakdown of traffic by region.
Identify which countries are driving the most organic traffic and how search trends vary between locations.
Google Search Console is a powerful and often overlooked tool for keyword research.
It provides real data directly from Google, showing exactly how a site is performing in search.
Use it to find quick-win keyword opportunities.
Identify new content ideas based on real user searches.
Eliminate vanity traffic that does not convert.
Track performance trends and adjust SEO strategies accordingly.
By using GSC effectively, you can uncover high-impact opportunities, refine strategies, and drive meaningful improvements in search performance – all without spending a penny on keyword research tools.
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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 engagementas individuals linger on the site for longer.
More pages: Generative AI visitors browse 12% morepages 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.
https://i0.wp.com/dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ai-retail-traffic-800x450-pnMjNR.webp?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1450800http://dubadosolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/dubado-logo-1.png2025-03-17 17:09:522025-03-17 17:09:52Generative AI use surging among consumers for online shopping: Report
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
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.
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.
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).
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.
Scroll heatmaps show you how far users make it down a page. And where they drop off.
And cool colors (like blue) signal lower engagement.
Move heatmaps track how shoppers move their mouse across the page.
This reveals areas of interest and hesitation.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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?
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.
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.
You sort the results by price.
But now, the first products you see are lock latch replacements and crate pans—not dog crates.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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