Don't risk becoming invisible to modern buyers | SEW Weekly Digest

Learn how to prepare yourself for the AI-centric search landscape

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Highlights from today's newsletter:
šŸ“Š Create SEO reports for clients in 2025
šŸš€ 15 proven DIY SEO tactics that boost startup visibility and backlinks
šŸ¤– Google AI Overviews cite fewer top organic results after a core update

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TOP OF THE SERPS šŸ†

SEO is shifting again—quietly but fundamentally. As agentic AI systems move from theory to reality, search engines aren’t just summarizing content anymore—they’re executing tasks, comparing data, and making purchasing decisions.

This piece breaks down how these autonomous systems are changing the rules of visibility, from how content is structured to how attribution is tracked. Brands relying on keyword strategies alone are losing ground to those optimizing for machine-led decision journeys. Early adopters are already using internal agents to generate outlines, filter SERPs, and adapt content at scale.

AI & SEO šŸ–±ļø

SEARCH TECHNOLOGY
Google AI Overviews Cite Fewer Top Organic Results After Core Update
Following Google’s March 2025 core update, AI Overview citations of pages ranking in the top 10 organic results dropped from 16% to 15%, with industries like travel, entertainment, and restaurants seeing notable increases in regular citations.

This shift means pages outside the top 10 now have improved chances of being referenced in AI Overviews, but traffic from these summaries remains minimal and click-through rates are declining. Search marketers must now track both AI Overview citations and traditional rankings for comprehensive search visibility analysis.

INNOVATIVE MARKETING TECHNOLOGIES
AI-Powered Lead Generation Demands Visibility, Credibility, and GEO
AI-driven lead generation now requires brands to optimize for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) by using structured data, long-tail keywords, and establishing digital credibility across web platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini.

Case studies show up to a 70% increase in leads using these technical and content-driven methods. Companies unprepared for this AI-centric search landscape risk becoming invisible to modern buyers.

SEARCH OPTIMIZATION TRENDS
Optimizing Search in 2025 Demands FAST Content, Multichannel Focus, and Brand Authority
Marketers optimizing for search in 2025 face a multichannel landscape where social content, short-form video, and generative AI influence Google’s results, while off-site trust signals and brand authority play expanded roles.

With ChatGPT and social feeds drawing hundreds of millions of weekly users, reliance solely on Google-driven traffic is increasingly insufficient. Actionable focus: build multiformat, trusted, and expert-backed content for visibility across both search engines and social platforms.

EXTRA CLICKS FOR THOUGHT šŸ’”

TECHNICAL SEO
My Content Can’t Be Seen When I Disable JavaScript – Will This Affect My SEO?
Disabling JavaScript often reveals that crucial webpage content loaded dynamically is invisible to search engines, posing SEO risks—especially since not all search platforms or bots efficiently render JavaScript.

To ensure search visibility, main content should exist in static HTML, favoring server-side rendering when possible. Regular diagnostics using tools like Google Search Console, Chrome Developer Tools, and reviewing robots.txt are essential to identify and mitigate these technical issues.

SEO REPORTING
Create SEO Reports for Clients in 2025
A well-structured SEO report for clients in 2025 must prioritize data clarity, actionable insights, and client-relevant metrics, spanning 13 essential sections including traffic, keyword performance, and conversion tracking.

Using AI tools and a customizable template, agencies can streamline reporting and directly connect SEO efforts to measurable business outcomes. This approach is crucial for agencies and freelancers seeking to clearly communicate progress and next steps in a rapidly evolving SEO landscape.

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
15 Proven DIY SEO Tactics That Boost Startup Visibility and Backlinks
Solo founder Dima Maslennikov replaced a $2,000-per-month SEO agency by implementing 15 DIY SEO strategies that increased PitchBob.io’s organic visibility, such as technical audits, ABC link exchanges, content clustering, multilingual optimization, forums, data-driven press releases, and leveraging partnerships.

Each tactic provided measurable gains in backlinks and domain authority without cold outreach or high costs. This resource directly benefits bootstrapped founders by demonstrating that disciplined, data-focused SEO efforts can yield strong online growth without hiring agencies.

SOUNDS OF SEARCH šŸŽ§

Verifying your Google Business Profile (GBP) in 2025 is essential but more complicated, requiring precise steps like video verification to avoid common pitfalls.

This process ensures increased local visibility, vital for businesses seeking to improve their search engine rankings. Understand the detailed guidance in this podcast to navigate verification effectively.

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