Search Engine Land

<div><img width="800" height="457" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/03/google-future-robots-1920-800x457.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/03/google-future-robots-1920-800x457.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/03/google-future-robots-1920-592x338.jpg 592w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/03/google-future-robots-1920-198x113.jpg 198w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/03/google-future-robots-1920-768x439.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/03/google-future-robots-1920-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/03/google-future-robots-1920.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>In a newly published profile, Google's Head of Search Elizabeth Reid also said the Google search bar will become less prominent over time.

<div><img width="800" height="457" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/03/google-future-robots-1920-800x457.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/03/google-future-robots-1920-800x457.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/03/google-future-robots-1920-592x338.jpg 592w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/03/google-future-robots-1920-198x113.jpg 198w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/03/google-future-robots-1920-768x439.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/03/google-future-robots-1920-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/03/google-future-robots-1920.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>
<p>A new profile of Elizabeth Reid, the <a href="https://searchengineland.com/liz-reid-google-new-head-of-search-438519">head of Google Search</a>, confirms that Google is moving away from its longstanding model of sending its users to websites. As one former unnamed senior executive put it: &#8220;Giving traffic to publisher sites is kind of a necessary evil.&#8221;</p>



<p>As for the iconic Google Search bar? It will slowly lose prominence in the Google Search experience, due to the continuing growth of voice and visual search, Reid said.</p>



<p><strong>Necessary evil.</strong> Google has been increasingly focused on keeping users inside Google properties, reducing the need to click through to external sites. A former Google senior executive told Bloomberg that supporting publishers was incidental to Google’s larger aims:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>“Giving traffic to publisher sites is kind of a necessary evil. The main thing they’re trying to do is get people to consume Google services.&#8221;</li>



<li>“So there’s a natural tendency to want to have people stay on Google pages, but it does diminish the sort of deal between the publishers and Google itself.”</li>
</ul>



<p>Alphabet CEO <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-search-profoundly-change-2025-448986">Sundar Pichai said</a> in December Google spends a lot of time &#8220;thinking about the traffic we send to the ecosystem.&#8221; But, of late, he has stopped short of promising that Google will send more of it to websites – and there&#8217;s probably good reason for that.</p>



<p>Instead, Pichai now mentions how AI Overviews are <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-ceo-says-ai-overviews-are-increasing-search-usage-439983">increasing search usage</a>. (Even though, I thought the whole point of AI Overviews was to reduce the number of searches – remember the idea of &#8220;<a href="https://blog.google/products/search/generative-ai-google-search-may-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">let Google do the searching for you</a>&#8221; to get &#8220;quick answers&#8221;?)</p>



<p>As a reminder, Google sees more than <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-5-trillion-searches-per-year-452928">5 trillion searches per year</a>. But for every 1,000 Google searches, only 360 clicks in the U.S. go to the open web (Context: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-search-zero-click-study-2024-443869">Nearly 60% of Google searches end without a click</a>).</p>



<p><strong>Google Search hovering.</strong> The Google Search bar won&#8217;t go away, according to Reid. However, it will become less prominent over time as Google prepares for the rise of voice and visual searches. Here&#8217;s the full section from the Bloomberg article (<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-03-24/google-s-ai-search-overhaul-racing-chatgpt-for-the-web-s-future">Google Is Searching for an Answer to ChatGPT</a>):</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>&#8220;Reid predicts that the traditional Google search bar will become less prominent over time. Voice queries will continue to rise, she says, and Google is planning for expanded use of visual search, too. Rajan Patel, a vice president for search experience, demonstrated how parents can use Google’s visual search tools to help their kids with homework, or to surreptitiously take a photo of a stylish stranger’s sneakers in a coffee shop to buy the same pair (something Patel did recently). The search bar isn’t going away anytime soon, Reid says, but the company is moving toward a future in which Google is always hovering in the background. &#8216;The world will just expand,&#8217; she says. &#8216;It’s as if you can ask Google as easily as you could ask a friend, only the friend is all-knowing, right?'&#8221;</p>
</blockquote>



<p><strong>Other Reid quotes of note. </strong>For what is being considered a &#8220;profile&#8221; of Reid, the article didn&#8217;t contain many direct quotes. Here are the few interesting quotes from the piece:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>“We learned what people really wanted two months faster” (on launching early features in her Google Maps days).</li>



<li>“[Search is a] constant evolution [rather than a complete overhaul].&#8221;</li>



<li>“Things start slowly and then quickly. Suddenly the combination of the tech and the product and the use and the understanding and the polish and everything comes together, and then everyone needs it.”</li>



<li>“It’s really exciting to work on search at a time when you think the tech can genuinely change what people can search for.”</li>



<li>&#8220;[Before generative AI] people did not go to Google Search and say, ‘How many rocks should I eat per day?’ They just didn’t.'&#8221; (Context: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-overview-fails-442575">Google AI Overviews under fire for giving dangerous and wrong answers</a>)</li>
</ul>



<p>And one indirect quote, where Bloomberg summarizes her thoughts on AI:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>&#8220;Google’s generative AI products still carry disclaimers that the technology is experimental. Testing tools in public helps them get better, Reid says. She’s convinced that, as with other changes to search, AI will get people to use Google even more than they did before.&#8221;</p>
</blockquote>



<p><strong>Why we care.</strong> Many websites started to lose traffic when Google launched AI Overviews last May and as AI Overviews expanded. Google was a fairly reliable source of organic search traffic for over two decades – but the rules are changing. No, SEO isn&#8217;t dead. But old SEO strategies and tactics will need to evolve and playbooks will need to be rewritten.</p>


A new profile of Elizabeth Reid, the head of Google Search, confirms that Google is moving away from its longstanding model of sending its users to websites. As one former unnamed senior executive put it: “Giving traffic to publisher sites is kind of a necessary evil.”
As for the iconic Google Search bar? It will slowly lose prominence in the Google Search experience, due to the continuing growth of voice and visual search, Reid said.
Necessary evil. Google has been increasingly focused on keeping users inside Google properties, reducing the need to click through to external sites. A former Google senior executive told Bloomberg that supporting publishers was incidental to Google’s larger aims:
“Giving traffic to publisher sites is kind of a necessary evil. The main thing they’re trying to do is get people to consume Google services.”
“So there’s a natural tendency to want to have people stay on Google pages, but it does diminish the sort of deal between the publishers and Google itself.”
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said in December Google spends a lot of time “thinking about the traffic we send to the ecosystem.” But, of late, he has stopped short of promising that Google will send more of it to websites – and there’s probably good reason for that.
Instead, Pichai now mentions how AI Overviews are increasing search usage. (Even though, I thought the whole point of AI Overviews was to reduce the number of searches – remember the idea of “let Google do the searching for you” to get “quick answers”?)
As a reminder, Google sees more than 5 trillion searches per year. But for every 1,000 Google searches, only 360 clicks in the U.S. go to the open web (Context: Nearly 60% of Google searches end without a click).
Google Search hovering. The Google Search bar won’t go away, according to Reid. However, it will become less prominent over time as Google prepares for the rise of voice and visual searches. Here’s the full section from the Bloomberg article (Google Is Searching for an Answer to ChatGPT):
“Reid predicts that the traditional Google search bar will become less prominent over time. Voice queries will continue to rise, she says, and Google is planning for expanded use of visual search, too. Rajan Patel, a vice president for search experience, demonstrated how parents can use Google’s visual search tools to help their kids with homework, or to surreptitiously take a photo of a stylish stranger’s sneakers in a coffee shop to buy the same pair (something Patel did recently). The search bar isn’t going away anytime soon, Reid says, but the company is moving toward a future in which Google is always hovering in the background. ‘The world will just expand,’ she says. ‘It’s as if you can ask Google as easily as you could ask a friend, only the friend is all-knowing, right?'”
Other Reid quotes of note. For what is being considered a “profile” of Reid, the article didn’t contain many direct quotes. Here are the few interesting quotes from the piece:
“We learned what people really wanted two months faster” (on launching early features in her Google Maps days).
“[Search is a] constant evolution [rather than a complete overhaul].”
“Things start slowly and then quickly. Suddenly the combination of the tech and the product and the use and the understanding and the polish and everything comes together, and then everyone needs it.”
“It’s really exciting to work on search at a time when you think the tech can genuinely change what people can search for.”
“[Before generative AI] people did not go to Google Search and say, ‘How many rocks should I eat per day?’ They just didn’t.'” (Context: Google AI Overviews under fire for giving dangerous and wrong answers)
And one indirect quote, where Bloomberg summarizes her thoughts on AI:
“Google’s generative AI products still carry disclaimers that the technology is experimental. Testing tools in public helps them get better, Reid says. She’s convinced that, as with other changes to search, AI will get people to use Google even more than they did before.”
Why we care. Many websites started to lose traffic when Google launched AI Overviews last May and as AI Overviews expanded. Google was a fairly reliable source of organic search traffic for over two decades – but the rules are changing. No, SEO isn’t dead. But old SEO strategies and tactics will need to evolve and playbooks will need to be rewritten.

In a newly published profile, Google's Head of Search Elizabeth Reid also said the Google search bar will become less prominent over time.

Ex-Google exec: Giving traffic to publishers ‘a necessary evil’

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/08/maps_local_1920-800x450.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/08/maps_local_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/08/maps_local_1920-600x338.jpg 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/08/maps_local_1920-200x113.jpg 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/08/maps_local_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/08/maps_local_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/08/maps_local_1920-150x84.jpg 150w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/08/maps_local_1920-550x310.jpg 550w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/08/maps_local_1920.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>How does geotagging photos affect local SEO? A 10-week study reveals surprising effects on 'near me' vs city-based Google ranking.

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/08/maps_local_1920-800x450.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/08/maps_local_1920-800x450.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/08/maps_local_1920-600x338.jpg 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/08/maps_local_1920-200x113.jpg 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/08/maps_local_1920-768x432.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/08/maps_local_1920-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/08/maps_local_1920-150x84.jpg 150w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/08/maps_local_1920-550x310.jpg 550w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/08/maps_local_1920.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>
<p>How does adding coordinates to the EXIF data affect local rank? Our team wanted to find out. That&#8217;s why we recently conducted a 10-week study on the effects of <a href="https://evergrowmarketing.com/geotagged-image-ranking-effect-google-profile-research-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">geotagging for local rank</a>.</p>



<p>The geotagged images seemed to only affect the ranking for “near me” queries in the areas the EXIF data coordinates specified. Their impact on those queries in those areas was positive and statistically significant.</p>



<p>However, the study also found that queries that mentioned specific towns saw a decrease in ranking during the same period.</p>



<p>In other words, when EXIF data targeted Salt Lake City, Utah, the query [lawn care near me] saw a significant increase in rank.</p>



<p>For the same targeted area, the query for [lawn care salt lake city utah] saw, on average, decreases in rank.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-geotagging-debate">The geotagging debate</h2>



<p>SEOs have argued for years about whether adding coordinates to image EXIF data (known as geotagging) affects a business’s Google Business Profiles (GBP) rank.</p>



<p>The theory is that if a business owner or customer takes a photo from their phone and uploads it to a GBP, Google reviews the EXIF (metadata) of that image and uses the location of where it was taken as a ranking signal.</p>



<p>Phones automatically use location details to input EXIF data on each photo taken from the device.</p>



<p>It&#8217;s speculated that Google uses the EXIF location data before stripping it.</p>



<p>On the surface, it makes sense.</p>



<p>However, skeptics don&#8217;t believe Google does this. This is because this data can easily be manipulated using any free EXIF editor.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="373" height="491" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/exif-editor.png" alt="" class="wp-image-453545" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/exif-editor.png 373w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/exif-editor-257x338.png 257w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/exif-editor-86x113.png 86w" sizes="(max-width: 373px) 100vw, 373px" /></figure></div>


<p>Google&#8217;s John Mueller said it was<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/bigseo/comments/132fha6/comment/ji5ngce/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> unnecessary for SEO</a> purposes, two years ago on Reddit. </p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>“No need to geotag images for SEO.”</li>
</ul>



<p>Mueller also told me he didn&#8217;t know much about what GBPs do, in February <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/jakehundley.bsky.social/post/3libhgfbmrm27" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on Bluesky</a>.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" width="1080" height="1397" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/john-mueller-exif-gbp.png" alt="" class="wp-image-453546" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/john-mueller-exif-gbp.png 1080w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/john-mueller-exif-gbp-261x338.png 261w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/john-mueller-exif-gbp-464x600.png 464w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/john-mueller-exif-gbp-87x113.png 87w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/john-mueller-exif-gbp-768x993.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px" /></figure>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Joy Hawkins, owner and president of local SEO agency Sterling Sky,<a href="https://www.sterlingsky.ca/geotagging-photos-impact-ranking/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> performed a test</a> on this in January 2024. She tested five GBP locations and saw no measurable increases over several weeks.</li>



<li>A month later, consultant Tim Kahlert, CEO of Hypetrix,<a href="https://hypetrix.com/blog/geotagging-images-google-business-profile/"> performed a test</a>. He also concluded that “this tactic currently has no effect on local rankings.”</li>
</ul>



<p>These tests were better than nothing, but still weren&#8217;t enough. Plus, the sample sizes of the locations tested were quite small.</p>



<p>Those who say geotagging works <a href="https://localranking.com/blog/does-geotagging-photos-help-seo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">never post their data</a> or case studies, only offering anecdotal evidence.</p>



<p>Geotaggers aren&#8217;t publishing their tests and skeptics aren&#8217;t conducting them at scale. Google flip-flopping on their position doesn&#8217;t help either.</p>



<p>It was time this test was done justice.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-methodology-and-testing">Methodology and testing</h2>



<p>Our test included 27 of our lawn care business clients. All SEO efforts were paused for the sole purpose of this test.</p>



<p>Every week on Tuesday and Thursday, we would post a client-owned image to their GBP (two images per week).</p>



<p>We then selected two towns in their service area grid that needed improvement. We based these on a baseline report taken from Local Falcon at the beginning of the test period. We kept these towns moderately far apart to avoid any kind of bleedover.</p>



<p>In this example, we might have selected “Little Falls” and “Garrisonville.”</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="500" height="500" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/service-areas.png" alt="" class="wp-image-453547" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/service-areas.png 500w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/service-areas-338x338.png 338w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/service-areas-113x113.png 113w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/service-areas-95x95.png 95w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></figure></div>


<p>During the test period, coordinates would be added to the EXIF data of the images. On Tuesday’s image, we’d add the center of Little Falls. On Thursday’s image, we’d add the center of Garrisonville.</p>



<p>We ran a report, monitored position changes, and charted them, every week</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="569" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/position-changes.png" alt="" class="wp-image-453548" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/position-changes.png 1024w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/position-changes-600x333.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/position-changes-800x445.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/position-changes-200x111.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/position-changes-768x427.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>For each location, we tracked three keywords. Following the example above, we tracked:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>“Lawn care garrisonville”</li>



<li>“Lawn care little falls”</li>



<li>“Lawn care near me”</li>
</ul>



<p>For [lawn care near me] we monitored how it affected position changes in both of the target towns.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-control-period">The control period</h2>



<p>Establishing a proper control period was crucial.</p>



<p>The control period had to run for the same duration as the test period (five weeks). To establish consistency and isolate variables, we:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Maintained the image posting schedule. This ensured adding images on different days didn’t influence rank.</li>



<li>Stripped all EXIF data to ensure the only variables in the test period were the coordinates.</li>



<li>Monitored the same keywords to set a baseline.</li>



<li>Paused all SEO efforts for all 27 locations.</li>
</ul>



<p>We continued as normal when the control period ended. The only change was adding town #1’s coordinates to Tuesday’s image and town #2’s coordinates to Thursday’s image.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-findings">Findings</h2>



<p>Most of what we found validated the skeptics&#8217; statements. But that doesn’t mean we ignored the geotaggers.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-service-city">Service + city</h3>



<p>In our example, when images were geotagged with their coordinates, both Garrisonville and Little Falls saw decreases in rank for “lawn care garrisonville” and “lawn care little falls.”</p>



<p>The conclusion? Geotagging had no impact whatsoever.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-service-near-me">Service + near me</h3>



<p>This one surprised me – and it had statistical significance. Garrisonville and Little Falls saw an overall increase in rank for [lawn care near me] queries.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-service-near-me-coa">Service + near me (CoA)</h3>



<p>Local Falcon also produces reports on Center of Business Address. This monitors the rank of your target keywords where the business pin is actually located.</p>



<p>The end result: EXIF data had no effect on the business’s actual location for “near me” queries. Ranking dropped a lot more when EXIF data was added to the images targeting different areas.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-service-city-atrp">Service + city (ATRP)</h3>



<p>Average Total Rank Position is the average position in the target area. This is seen if only adding images targeting those two areas affects the rest of the service area.</p>



<p>The end result: There was no impact. When EXIF data was added for the full-service areas, the average rank of those areas decreased further.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-service-near-me-atrp">Service + near me (ATRP)</h3>



<p>The “near me” queries for ATRP yielded the same result as above.</p>



<p>No impact, yet rankings plummeted further with geotagging.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-service-city-solv">Service + city (SoLV)</h3>



<p>Share of Local Voice is another metric Local Falcon tracks. It shows how often a location shows in the top 3 positions of the map pack for the target queries.</p>



<p>The results started to deviate from Center of Address and ATRP reports. However, not by much.</p>



<p>The final result was that geotagged images had no impact. However, this time, the ranking didn’t continue to plummet during the test period.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-service-near-me-solv">Service + near me (SoLV)</h3>



<p>We had the same results with “near me” queries on both images as we did with the [service] + [city] queries.</p>



<p>Geotagged images had no impact here.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-final-thoughts">Final thoughts</h2>



<p>Out of the seven metrics we looked at:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Only one saw an improvement.</li>



<li>Six had no impact.</li>



<li>Of those six, four of them saw a decrease in rank when images were geotagged</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" width="800" height="1310" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/do-geotagged-images-affect-local-google-ranking.png" alt="" class="wp-image-453549" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/do-geotagged-images-affect-local-google-ranking.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/do-geotagged-images-affect-local-google-ranking-206x338.png 206w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/do-geotagged-images-affect-local-google-ranking-366x600.png 366w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/do-geotagged-images-affect-local-google-ranking-69x113.png 69w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/do-geotagged-images-affect-local-google-ranking-768x1258.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></figure>



<p>The last five metrics focused on the service area as a whole, not the specific areas where the EXIF data was pointing. </p>



<p>I can draw one main conclusion from this:</p>



<p><strong>Although it helps the “near me” queries in those targeted areas, it hurts everywhere you don’t add geotagged images.</strong></p>



<p>The solution?</p>



<p>Upload tons of images to every town in the area to combat that. But you’re going to run into two problems if you do this:</p>



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Your GBP will be spammed with low-quality images for the sake of adding images.</strong> Wouldn’t it be better to just make sure the GBP is using good photos? Adding images for the sake of rank diminishes the user-facing quality.</li>



<li><strong>You’re still losing rank for queries that use the target city in the keyword. </strong>It’s a trade-off that only looks at one version of a search term. The other version appears to have negative consequences.</li>
</ol>



<p>For these reasons, our agency won&#8217;t geotag our clients’ GBP images. Instead, we’ll focus on things that have a greater impact on local rank.</p>


How does adding coordinates to the EXIF data affect local rank? Our team wanted to find out. That’s why we recently conducted a 10-week study on the effects of geotagging for local rank.
The geotagged images seemed to only affect the ranking for “near me” queries in the areas the EXIF data coordinates specified. Their impact on those queries in those areas was positive and statistically significant.
However, the study also found that queries that mentioned specific towns saw a decrease in ranking during the same period.
In other words, when EXIF data targeted Salt Lake City, Utah, the query [lawn care near me] saw a significant increase in rank.
For the same targeted area, the query for [lawn care salt lake city utah] saw, on average, decreases in rank.
The geotagging debate
SEOs have argued for years about whether adding coordinates to image EXIF data (known as geotagging) affects a business’s Google Business Profiles (GBP) rank.
The theory is that if a business owner or customer takes a photo from their phone and uploads it to a GBP, Google reviews the EXIF (metadata) of that image and uses the location of where it was taken as a ranking signal.
Phones automatically use location details to input EXIF data on each photo taken from the device.
It’s speculated that Google uses the EXIF location data before stripping it.
On the surface, it makes sense.
However, skeptics don’t believe Google does this. This is because this data can easily be manipulated using any free EXIF editor.

Google’s John Mueller said it was unnecessary for SEO purposes, two years ago on Reddit. 
“No need to geotag images for SEO.”
Mueller also told me he didn’t know much about what GBPs do, in February on Bluesky.





Joy Hawkins, owner and president of local SEO agency Sterling Sky, performed a test on this in January 2024. She tested five GBP locations and saw no measurable increases over several weeks.
A month later, consultant Tim Kahlert, CEO of Hypetrix, performed a test. He also concluded that “this tactic currently has no effect on local rankings.”
These tests were better than nothing, but still weren’t enough. Plus, the sample sizes of the locations tested were quite small.
Those who say geotagging works never post their data or case studies, only offering anecdotal evidence.
Geotaggers aren’t publishing their tests and skeptics aren’t conducting them at scale. Google flip-flopping on their position doesn’t help either.
It was time this test was done justice.
Methodology and testing
Our test included 27 of our lawn care business clients. All SEO efforts were paused for the sole purpose of this test.
Every week on Tuesday and Thursday, we would post a client-owned image to their GBP (two images per week).
We then selected two towns in their service area grid that needed improvement. We based these on a baseline report taken from Local Falcon at the beginning of the test period. We kept these towns moderately far apart to avoid any kind of bleedover.
In this example, we might have selected “Little Falls” and “Garrisonville.”

During the test period, coordinates would be added to the EXIF data of the images. On Tuesday’s image, we’d add the center of Little Falls. On Thursday’s image, we’d add the center of Garrisonville.
We ran a report, monitored position changes, and charted them, every week




For each location, we tracked three keywords. Following the example above, we tracked:
“Lawn care garrisonville”
“Lawn care little falls”
“Lawn care near me”
For [lawn care near me] we monitored how it affected position changes in both of the target towns.
The control period
Establishing a proper control period was crucial.
The control period had to run for the same duration as the test period (five weeks). To establish consistency and isolate variables, we:
Maintained the image posting schedule. This ensured adding images on different days didn’t influence rank.
Stripped all EXIF data to ensure the only variables in the test period were the coordinates.
Monitored the same keywords to set a baseline.
Paused all SEO efforts for all 27 locations.
We continued as normal when the control period ended. The only change was adding town #1’s coordinates to Tuesday’s image and town #2’s coordinates to Thursday’s image.
Findings
Most of what we found validated the skeptics’ statements. But that doesn’t mean we ignored the geotaggers.
Service + city
In our example, when images were geotagged with their coordinates, both Garrisonville and Little Falls saw decreases in rank for “lawn care garrisonville” and “lawn care little falls.”
The conclusion? Geotagging had no impact whatsoever.
Service + near me
This one surprised me – and it had statistical significance. Garrisonville and Little Falls saw an overall increase in rank for [lawn care near me] queries.
Service + near me (CoA)
Local Falcon also produces reports on Center of Business Address. This monitors the rank of your target keywords where the business pin is actually located.
The end result: EXIF data had no effect on the business’s actual location for “near me” queries. Ranking dropped a lot more when EXIF data was added to the images targeting different areas.
Service + city (ATRP)
Average Total Rank Position is the average position in the target area. This is seen if only adding images targeting those two areas affects the rest of the service area.
The end result: There was no impact. When EXIF data was added for the full-service areas, the average rank of those areas decreased further.
Service + near me (ATRP)
The “near me” queries for ATRP yielded the same result as above.
No impact, yet rankings plummeted further with geotagging.
Service + city (SoLV)
Share of Local Voice is another metric Local Falcon tracks. It shows how often a location shows in the top 3 positions of the map pack for the target queries.
The results started to deviate from Center of Address and ATRP reports. However, not by much.
The final result was that geotagged images had no impact. However, this time, the ranking didn’t continue to plummet during the test period.
Service + near me (SoLV)
We had the same results with “near me” queries on both images as we did with the [service] + [city] queries.
Geotagged images had no impact here.
Final thoughts
Out of the seven metrics we looked at:
Only one saw an improvement.
Six had no impact.
Of those six, four of them saw a decrease in rank when images were geotagged




The last five metrics focused on the service area as a whole, not the specific areas where the EXIF data was pointing. 
I can draw one main conclusion from this:
Although it helps the “near me” queries in those targeted areas, it hurts everywhere you don’t add geotagged images.
The solution?
Upload tons of images to every town in the area to combat that. But you’re going to run into two problems if you do this:
Your GBP will be spammed with low-quality images for the sake of adding images. Wouldn’t it be better to just make sure the GBP is using good photos? Adding images for the sake of rank diminishes the user-facing quality.
You’re still losing rank for queries that use the target city in the keyword. It’s a trade-off that only looks at one version of a search term. The other version appears to have negative consequences.
For these reasons, our agency won’t geotag our clients’ GBP images. Instead, we’ll focus on things that have a greater impact on local rank.

How does geotagging photos affect local SEO? A 10-week study reveals surprising effects on 'near me' vs city-based Google ranking.

How geotagging photos affects Google Business Profile rank: Study

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/03/shutterstock_702508357-800x450.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="open_business_1920" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/03/shutterstock_702508357-800x450.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/03/shutterstock_702508357-600x338.jpg 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/03/shutterstock_702508357-200x113.jpg 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/03/shutterstock_702508357-768x432.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/03/shutterstock_702508357-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/03/shutterstock_702508357-150x84.jpg 150w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/03/shutterstock_702508357-550x310.jpg 550w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/03/shutterstock_702508357.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>There seems to be an issue with phone numbers preventing you from creating new business profiles and also phone numbers being removed from some existing business profiles.

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/03/shutterstock_702508357-800x450.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="open_business_1920" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/03/shutterstock_702508357-800x450.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/03/shutterstock_702508357-600x338.jpg 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/03/shutterstock_702508357-200x113.jpg 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/03/shutterstock_702508357-768x432.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/03/shutterstock_702508357-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/03/shutterstock_702508357-150x84.jpg 150w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/03/shutterstock_702508357-550x310.jpg 550w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/03/shutterstock_702508357.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>
<p>If you try to add a new business to Google Business Profiles today, you may run into difficulties.  When you get to the screen where you add your phone number and website address, Google won&#8217;t let you proceed to the next step.</p>



<p>It is unclear if there is an issue with phone numbers in general, which may be causing this bug, or not. But there are also businesses reporting their phone numbers are being removed and also rejected from their Google Business Profiles.</p>



<p><strong>More details. </strong>As <a href="https://www.seroundtable.com/google-business-profile-setup-stuck-39129.html">noted</a>, on this screen, the &#8220;Next&#8221; button, simply won&#8217;t take you to the next screen:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" width="2048" height="1461" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-business-profile-next-contact-broken-1742897572.png" alt="" class="wp-image-453556" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-business-profile-next-contact-broken-1742897572.png 2048w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-business-profile-next-contact-broken-1742897572-474x338.png 474w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-business-profile-next-contact-broken-1742897572-800x571.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-business-profile-next-contact-broken-1742897572-158x113.png 158w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-business-profile-next-contact-broken-1742897572-768x548.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-business-profile-next-contact-broken-1742897572-1536x1096.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></figure>



<p>Google product expert, Vinay Toshniwal, <a href="https://support.google.com/business/thread/333488058/issue-with-%E2%80%9Cnext%E2%80%9D-button-while-creating-google-business-profile-phone-number-website-section?hl=en">wrote</a> in the Google Business Profile forums:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>I’ve come across several posts about users facing issues when creating a Google Business Profile—specifically where the “Next” button becomes unresponsive after entering the phone number and website details.</p>



<p>Please note that I’ve already escalated this issue to the Google team. I’ll share any updates here as soon as I receive more information.</p>
</blockquote>



<p>Vinay Toshniwal also <a href="https://x.com/ivinaytoshniwal/status/1904422246325846246">noted</a> that phone numbers are disappearing from some Google Business Profile listings.</p>



<p><strong>Why we care. </strong>If you are trying to get a new business added to Google Business Profiles and run into this issue, you should know that this is impacting everyone.  There seems to be a bug with Google where you cannot add new businesses right now. I suspect this will be fixed in the coming hours or days.</p>


If you try to add a new business to Google Business Profiles today, you may run into difficulties.  When you get to the screen where you add your phone number and website address, Google won’t let you proceed to the next step.
It is unclear if there is an issue with phone numbers in general, which may be causing this bug, or not. But there are also businesses reporting their phone numbers are being removed and also rejected from their Google Business Profiles.
More details. As noted, on this screen, the “Next” button, simply won’t take you to the next screen:




Google product expert, Vinay Toshniwal, wrote in the Google Business Profile forums:
I’ve come across several posts about users facing issues when creating a Google Business Profile—specifically where the “Next” button becomes unresponsive after entering the phone number and website details.
Please note that I’ve already escalated this issue to the Google team. I’ll share any updates here as soon as I receive more information.
Vinay Toshniwal also noted that phone numbers are disappearing from some Google Business Profile listings.
Why we care. If you are trying to get a new business added to Google Business Profiles and run into this issue, you should know that this is impacting everyone.  There seems to be a bug with Google where you cannot add new businesses right now. I suspect this will be fixed in the coming hours or days.

There seems to be an issue with phone numbers preventing you from creating new business profiles and also phone numbers being removed from some existing business profiles.

Google Business Profile bug prevents adding new businesses

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/10/How-to-evolve-your-organic-approach-for-the-rise-of-the-answer-engine-800x450.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="How to evolve your organic approach for the rise of the answer engine" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/10/How-to-evolve-your-organic-approach-for-the-rise-of-the-answer-engine-800x450.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/10/How-to-evolve-your-organic-approach-for-the-rise-of-the-answer-engine-600x338.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/10/How-to-evolve-your-organic-approach-for-the-rise-of-the-answer-engine-200x113.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/10/How-to-evolve-your-organic-approach-for-the-rise-of-the-answer-engine-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/10/How-to-evolve-your-organic-approach-for-the-rise-of-the-answer-engine-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/10/How-to-evolve-your-organic-approach-for-the-rise-of-the-answer-engine.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>Learn six AI search players to watch (Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT search, and beyond), how they source content, and what it means for SEO.

Learn six AI search players to watch (Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT search, and beyond), how they source content, and what it means for SEO.

Answer engine optimization: 6 AI models you should optimize for

<div><img width="800" height="457" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/02/google-lens-robot-ai-1920-800x457.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/02/google-lens-robot-ai-1920-800x457.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/02/google-lens-robot-ai-1920-592x338.jpg 592w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/02/google-lens-robot-ai-1920-198x113.jpg 198w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/02/google-lens-robot-ai-1920-768x439.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/02/google-lens-robot-ai-1920-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/02/google-lens-robot-ai-1920.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>For the first hour or so, the invites to try out AI Mode from Google did not work - but now it does.

<div><img width="800" height="457" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/02/google-lens-robot-ai-1920-800x457.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/02/google-lens-robot-ai-1920-800x457.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/02/google-lens-robot-ai-1920-592x338.jpg 592w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/02/google-lens-robot-ai-1920-198x113.jpg 198w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/02/google-lens-robot-ai-1920-768x439.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/02/google-lens-robot-ai-1920-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/02/google-lens-robot-ai-1920.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>
<p>Google is now rolling out access to <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-begins-testing-ai-mode-while-rolling-out-gemini-2-0-ai-overviews-452993">AI Mode</a> to its second batch of users. Google first allowed Google One AI Premium subscribers access to AI mode, when it first launched on March 5th.  If you opted into AI Mode and are based in the United States, you may now have access.  </p>



<p><strong>How to access AI Mode. </strong>Once you again access then you should be able to access AI Mode – here is how:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Go to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/">www.google.com</a>, enter a question in the Search bar, and tap the “AI Mode” tab below the Search bar.</li>



<li>Go directly to the AI Mode tab on Google Search at:&nbsp;<a href="http://google.com/aimode">google.com/aimode</a>.</li>



<li>In the Google app, tap the AI Mode icon below the Search bar on the home screen.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>The initial bug. </strong>When Google emailed me and hundreds of other searchers with their invites to try AI Mode at around 5:20pm ET today, many were unable to access it. When you clicked the &#8220;Try now&#8221; button, it told you to opt in and wait to get access.  </p>



<p>I covered these details on the <a href="https://www.seroundtable.com/google-ai-mode-access-bug-39126.html">Search Engine Roundtable</a>.</p>



<p><strong>What is AI Mode.</strong> AI Mode is a new tab within Google Search, right now only for those accepted into the Google Search Labs experiment, that brings you into a more AI-like interface. Google said AI Mode “is particularly helpful for queries where further exploration, reasoning, or comparisons are needed.” AI Mode lets you explore a topic and get comprehensive AI-based answers without you needing to do those comparisons and analyses yourself. We saw rumors of this news and it is finally officially here, for some of you.</p>



<p>I have a detailed write up on <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-begins-testing-ai-mode-while-rolling-out-gemini-2-0-ai-overviews-452993">AI Mode over here</a>.</p>



<p><strong>Why we care. </strong>AI Mode may reveal the future of Google Search and search futures that may be incorporated into Google Search in the days ahead.</p>



<p>So see if you have access and play around with it so you can understand how this new Google Search feature works. </p>



<p><strong>Confirmed. </strong>Google&#8217;s Robby Stein confirmed the expanded rollout of AI Mode:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">2/ We&#39;re going to be adding new features and capabilities soon, like more visual responses, richer formatting and new ways to get helpful web content as shown in this example.</p>&mdash; Robby Stein (@rmstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/rmstein/status/1904315767874818171?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2025</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>


Google is now rolling out access to AI Mode to its second batch of users. Google first allowed Google One AI Premium subscribers access to AI mode, when it first launched on March 5th.  If you opted into AI Mode and are based in the United States, you may now have access.  
How to access AI Mode. Once you again access then you should be able to access AI Mode – here is how:
Go to www.google.com, enter a question in the Search bar, and tap the “AI Mode” tab below the Search bar.
Go directly to the AI Mode tab on Google Search at: google.com/aimode.
In the Google app, tap the AI Mode icon below the Search bar on the home screen.
The initial bug. When Google emailed me and hundreds of other searchers with their invites to try AI Mode at around 5:20pm ET today, many were unable to access it. When you clicked the “Try now” button, it told you to opt in and wait to get access.  
I covered these details on the Search Engine Roundtable.
What is AI Mode. AI Mode is a new tab within Google Search, right now only for those accepted into the Google Search Labs experiment, that brings you into a more AI-like interface. Google said AI Mode “is particularly helpful for queries where further exploration, reasoning, or comparisons are needed.” AI Mode lets you explore a topic and get comprehensive AI-based answers without you needing to do those comparisons and analyses yourself. We saw rumors of this news and it is finally officially here, for some of you.
I have a detailed write up on AI Mode over here.
Why we care. AI Mode may reveal the future of Google Search and search futures that may be incorporated into Google Search in the days ahead.
So see if you have access and play around with it so you can understand how this new Google Search feature works. 
Confirmed. Google’s Robby Stein confirmed the expanded rollout of AI Mode:


2/ We're going to be adding new features and capabilities soon, like more visual responses, richer formatting and new ways to get helpful web content as shown in this example.
— Robby Stein (@rmstein) March 24, 2025

For the first hour or so, the invites to try out AI Mode from Google did not work - but now it does.

Google AI Mode rolling out to second batch of users now

<div><img width="800" height="505" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/10/google-merchant-center-screen-SS-1175461114-1920x1080-1-800x505.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="google merchant center" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/10/google-merchant-center-screen-SS-1175461114-1920x1080-1-800x505.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/10/google-merchant-center-screen-SS-1175461114-1920x1080-1-535x338.jpg 535w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/10/google-merchant-center-screen-SS-1175461114-1920x1080-1-179x113.jpg 179w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/10/google-merchant-center-screen-SS-1175461114-1920x1080-1-768x485.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/10/google-merchant-center-screen-SS-1175461114-1920x1080-1-1536x970.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/10/google-merchant-center-screen-SS-1175461114-1920x1080-1-150x95.jpg 150w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/10/google-merchant-center-screen-SS-1175461114-1920x1080-1.jpg 1900w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>You can expect some of your current and old reports to change when this update happens.

<div><img width="800" height="505" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/10/google-merchant-center-screen-SS-1175461114-1920x1080-1-800x505.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="google merchant center" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/10/google-merchant-center-screen-SS-1175461114-1920x1080-1-800x505.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/10/google-merchant-center-screen-SS-1175461114-1920x1080-1-535x338.jpg 535w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/10/google-merchant-center-screen-SS-1175461114-1920x1080-1-179x113.jpg 179w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/10/google-merchant-center-screen-SS-1175461114-1920x1080-1-768x485.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/10/google-merchant-center-screen-SS-1175461114-1920x1080-1-1536x970.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/10/google-merchant-center-screen-SS-1175461114-1920x1080-1-150x95.jpg 150w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2020/10/google-merchant-center-screen-SS-1175461114-1920x1080-1.jpg 1900w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>
<p>Google Merchant Center click reporting is changing on April 21, 2025, where clicks will be reported in the same manner Google Ads reports clicks.  Google said this will align click reporting with Google Ads and thus may impact some current and historical data reported in Merchant Center. </p>



<p><strong>What is changing. </strong>Google wrote in this email, &#8220;As of April 21, 2025, we&#8217;re updating Google Merchant Center to align click reporting with Google Ads.&#8221;</p>



<p>The email goes on to say:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>&#8220;This change reflects new advertising formats that have different types of interactions. While Google Ads reports clicks separately from other interactions, Merchant Center currently reports all interactions as product clicks. With this update, the definition of product clicks will be the same across both platforms.<br>As a result, you&#8217;ll notice some changes to your current and historical data reported in Merchant Center. There will be no change to your reporting experience in Google Ads, where you&#8217;ll continue to see clicks and interactions for your ad campaigns.&#8221;</p>
</blockquote>



<p><strong>More details. </strong>Arpan Banerjee who <a href="https://x.com/beXtremeArpan/status/1904208971965116620">notified</a> me of this, said the email has a hyperlink to the Google Ads definition of <a href="https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6281923">interactions</a>, which reads:</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p>&#8220;The main user action associated with an ad format—clicks and swipes for text and Shopping ads, views for video ads, calls for call assets, and so on.&#8221;</p>
</blockquote>



<p><strong>Why we care. </strong>If you run Google Merchant Center and notice a change in click reporting around April 21st (in about a month), then this is why.  This is just a reporting change and the changes you see in the clicks in your reports are not related to any changes in performance of those listings within Google Search.</p>


Google Merchant Center click reporting is changing on April 21, 2025, where clicks will be reported in the same manner Google Ads reports clicks.  Google said this will align click reporting with Google Ads and thus may impact some current and historical data reported in Merchant Center. 
What is changing. Google wrote in this email, “As of April 21, 2025, we’re updating Google Merchant Center to align click reporting with Google Ads.”
The email goes on to say:
“This change reflects new advertising formats that have different types of interactions. While Google Ads reports clicks separately from other interactions, Merchant Center currently reports all interactions as product clicks. With this update, the definition of product clicks will be the same across both platforms.
As a result, you’ll notice some changes to your current and historical data reported in Merchant Center. There will be no change to your reporting experience in Google Ads, where you’ll continue to see clicks and interactions for your ad campaigns.”
More details. Arpan Banerjee who notified me of this, said the email has a hyperlink to the Google Ads definition of interactions, which reads:
“The main user action associated with an ad format—clicks and swipes for text and Shopping ads, views for video ads, calls for call assets, and so on.”
Why we care. If you run Google Merchant Center and notice a change in click reporting around April 21st (in about a month), then this is why.  This is just a reporting change and the changes you see in the clicks in your reports are not related to any changes in performance of those listings within Google Search.

You can expect some of your current and old reports to change when this update happens.

Google Merchant Center to align click reporting with Google Ads

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/SEO-management-Understanding-goals-strategy-and-planning-800x450.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="SEO management: Understanding goals, strategy, and planning" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/SEO-management-Understanding-goals-strategy-and-planning-800x450.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/SEO-management-Understanding-goals-strategy-and-planning-600x338.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/SEO-management-Understanding-goals-strategy-and-planning-200x113.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/SEO-management-Understanding-goals-strategy-and-planning-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/SEO-management-Understanding-goals-strategy-and-planning-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/SEO-management-Understanding-goals-strategy-and-planning.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>SEO isn’t just about tactics – it’s about setting the right goals, crafting a strategic vision, and executing a clear plan.

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/SEO-management-Understanding-goals-strategy-and-planning-800x450.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="SEO management: Understanding goals, strategy, and planning" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/SEO-management-Understanding-goals-strategy-and-planning-800x450.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/SEO-management-Understanding-goals-strategy-and-planning-600x338.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/SEO-management-Understanding-goals-strategy-and-planning-200x113.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/SEO-management-Understanding-goals-strategy-and-planning-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/SEO-management-Understanding-goals-strategy-and-planning-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/SEO-management-Understanding-goals-strategy-and-planning.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>
<p><a href="https://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-seo'">SEO</a> is something of a nebulous concept.</p>



<p>To some, SEO is technical; to others, it is creative.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Neither of these is 100% right or wrong.&nbsp;</p>



<p>SEO is all of this and more, depending entirely on the unique situation and goals of the business looking to use SEO.</p>



<p>This loose definition leads to some common and fairly troublesome issues.&nbsp;</p>



<p>One of these issues, which we see repeatedly and completely derails the success of projects – even by experienced agencies – is the misunderstanding between <a href="https://searchengineland.com/seo-strategy-strategic-seo-planning-437603">SEO strategy</a> and <a href="https://searchengineland.com/seo-planning-one-page-seo-plan-438449">SEO planning</a>.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-even-google-is-confused-nbsp">Even Google is confused&nbsp;</h2>



<p>The problem here is that Google does not really understand quality.</p>



<p>It knows what people click on. It understands specific authors, sites, and other traditional SEO metrics to help stack the deck. </p>



<p>However, Google does not enforce the true denotation of words in search results and often leans into common misconceptions.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>SEO strategy is a perfect example.</p>



<p>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). </p>



<p>What they really talk about is SEO goals and SEO planning.</p>



<p>The fact is that almost the entire first page of results conflates strategy with planning – even the AI Overview gets it wrong. </p>



<p>This leads businesses to focus on tactics without a clear overarching strategic vision.</p>



<p>The result? </p>



<p>Well, bad results for most (other than those hawking to rank for SEO strategy).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-does-this-matter">Why does this matter?</h2>



<p>Am I just some pedant upset that the things returned are not truly relevant? </p>



<p>Well, maybe a little bit. </p>



<p>But, more importantly, I believe there is an opportunity for many hidden in the fog of this issue.</p>



<p>SEO (or any marketing) needs to deliver results. </p>



<p>However, when SEO is approached without clear distinctions between goals, strategy, and planning, efforts become reactive rather than proactive. </p>



<p>Businesses chase keywords and rankings rather than trying to offer something new and unique. </p>



<p>This leads to a hamster wheel of tactical SEO rather than building strategic and sustainable long-term visibility.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-better-way-forward-goals-strategy-and-planning">A better way forward: Goals, strategy, and planning</h2>



<p>A solid SEO approach follows a simple, logical three-step sequence:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Define the goal</strong>: Where do we want to go?</li>



<li><strong>Craft the strategy</strong>: How will we get there?</li>



<li><strong>Develop the plan</strong>: What steps do we need to take?</li>
</ul>



<p>By structuring SEO efforts this way, you can avoid aimless execution and instead build an intentional, well-structured approach to search visibility.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-first-some-important-definitions">First, some important definitions</h2>



<p>We started by discussing a common misuse of the word “strategy” and how this leads to the strategy being overlooked. </p>



<p>Before we proceed, I feel it is useful to clarify the terms we use quickly so there are no misunderstandings.</p>



<p>This is denotation vs. connotation – the real meaning of a word vs. the common misunderstanding.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seo">SEO</h3>



<p>At its core, search engine optimization is about improving a website’s visibility in search engines to <a href="https://searchengineland.com/how-to-maximize-visibility-on-googles-blended-serps-449450">maximize visibility and attract organic traffic</a>. </p>



<p>It involves a mix of technical improvements, content creation, and authority building efforts. </p>



<p>However, SEO efforts can be fragmented and ineffective without clear goals and a structured approach.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-goals-where-do-we-want-to-get-to">Goals: Where do we want to get to?</h3>



<p>A goal is a destination – the ultimate outcome you want to achieve. </p>



<p>Goals should be defined with rigor to ensure they are realistic and will bring value. </p>



<p>Your SEO goals should be clear, measurable, and aligned with business objectives. </p>



<p>The <a href="https://searchengineland.com/smart-goals-seo-288724">SMART goals framework</a>is a powerful way to achieve this.</p>



<p>Some common SEO goals include:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Increasing organic traffic by 50% over the next 12 months.</li>



<li>Ranking in the top three results for high-intent keywords.</li>



<li>Reducing dependency on paid search by driving more organic leads.</li>



<li>Improving conversion rates from organic traffic.</li>
</ul>



<p>Without a clear, well-defined goal, SEO efforts are aimless – like going on a road trip without knowing the destination. </p>



<p>Likewise, bad goals will suck up time, resources, and money and fail to deliver.</p>



<p>So make sure to set strong and purposeful goals.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seo-strategy-how-do-we-get-there">SEO strategy: How do we get there?</h3>



<p>A strategy is the big-picture approach to achieving the goal.</p>



<p>If SEO were a game of chess, the strategy would be your playbook for winning. </p>



<p>It’s not about specific moves but the overarching plan that dictates how you respond to opportunities and challenges.</p>



<p>A strong SEO strategy is unique to the business and considers:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Competitive positioning</strong>: Are we fighting in a &#8220;red ocean&#8221; (highly competitive markets) or carving out a &#8220;blue ocean&#8221; (untapped opportunities)?</li>



<li><strong>Audience intent</strong>: Are we targeting informational queries, transactional searches, or brand-driven traffic?</li>



<li><strong>Content differentiation</strong>: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/content-marketing-seo-integrated-plan-444094">How will our content stand out and provide unique value</a>?</li>



<li><strong>Authority building</strong>: Will we focus on link-building, PR, or thought leadership?</li>
</ul>



<p>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.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seo-planning-the-specifics-of-the-journey">SEO planning: The specifics of the journey</h3>



<p>Planning is where the tactical details come into play. It’s the nuts and bolts – everything from <a href="https://searchengineland.com/seo-page-titles-meta-descriptions-clicks-448381">optimizing page titles</a> to a full step-by-step breakdown of how to execute the strategy.</p>



<p>An SEO plan may include:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Conducting keyword research</li>



<li>Optimizing existing content</li>



<li>Building a backlink acquisition strategy</li>



<li>Developing a content calendar</li>



<li>Implementing technical SEO fixes</li>
</ul>



<p>Think of planning as the navigation system that breaks your strategy down into actionable steps.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-structured-approach-to-seo">A structured approach to SEO</h2>



<p>To ensure SEO efforts are well-structured:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Set solid goals</strong>: Define the destination (where you want to be).</li>



<li><strong>Craft a unique strategy</strong>: Choose the best route based on competition, industry, and brand positioning.</li>



<li><strong>Create a simple plan</strong>: Lay out the specific steps to execute the strategy effectively.</li>
</ul>



<p>This approach can be applied to an existing site with historical SEO or used <a href="https://searchengineland.com/plan-website-maximize-seo-success-446826">before a new website is built to help maximize SEO success</a>.</p>



<p>Let’s break down the three steps below – goals, strategy, and planning.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-step-1-set-solid-goals">Step 1: Set solid goals</h3>



<p>Clear, measurable goals provide direction. Instead of saying, “We want to increase traffic,” set a goal like:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Increase organic leads by 30% in the next six months.</li>
</ul>



<p>This clarity helps align efforts across content, technical SEO, and link building.</p>



<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: </em></strong><a href="https://searchengineland.com/smart-goals-seo-288724"><strong><em>How to create SMART SEO goals (with examples)</em></strong></a></p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-step-2-craft-a-unique-strategy">Step 2: Craft a unique strategy</h3>



<p>Strategy is not a checklist. </p>



<p>It’s a guiding principle that dictates decision-making.</p>



<p>It is about carving out a unique approach rather than following what competitors are doing.</p>



<p>For example, your SEO strategy might focus on:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Finding content angles or formats that no one else is using</li>



<li>Creating a new category of content rather than competing in existing spaces</li>



<li>Developing a distinctive voice or perspective that becomes a competitive advantage</li>
</ul>



<p>SEO strategy should always differentiate your content and brand within search. </p>



<p>If competitors shift tactics or Google updates its algorithms, your strategy should remain adaptable while keeping your unique value intact.</p>



<p>You should be able to answer the questions: </p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Why does this deserve to rank? </li>



<li>Do we stand out from the crowd and offer something new and unique? </li>
</ul>



<p>Often, this uniqueness could be just combining things that others do or using new formats.</p>



<p>This is the most difficult part of the job. It requires research and careful thought. </p>



<p>Surveying customers to gain insight will also help you craft something unique and valuable.</p>



<p>Some tools that can help:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://searchengineland.com/seo-strategy-strategic-seo-planning-437603"><strong>3-step SEO strategy design</strong></a>: Craft a unique SEO strategy.</li>



<li><a href="https://searchengineland.com/scamper-seo-content-marketing-ideas-443248"><strong>SCAMPER for SEO</strong></a>: Substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put to another use, eliminate, and rearrange/reverse.</li>



<li><a href="https://searchengineland.com/generate-seo-content-ideas-value-proposition-canvas-440587"><strong>Value proposition design for SEO</strong></a>: Tailor content around customer pains, gains, and jobs.</li>



<li><a href="https://searchengineland.com/generate-seo-content-ideas-value-proposition-canvas-440587"><strong>Generative AI for SEO ideation</strong></a>: How to use generative AI tools to aid strategic ideation.</li>



<li><a href="https://searchengineland.com/seo-swot-analysis-focusing-efforts-improve-results-287197"><strong>SEO SWOT analysis</strong></a>: Identify your strengths and competitors’ weaknesses.</li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-step-3-create-a-simple-plan">Step 3: Create a simple plan</h3>



<p>The plan should be actionable and prioritized, breaking down SEO efforts into:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Short-term actions</strong>: Quick wins like optimizing title tags.</li>



<li><strong>Mid-term actions</strong>: Content production and link building.</li>



<li><strong>Long-term initiatives</strong>: Authority building and brand signals.</li>
</ul>



<p>The plan&#8217;s primary goal is to break down what needs to be done into manageable small jobs. </p>



<p>Then, allocate these according to your available resources with timelines so you can keep track of what is (or is not) happening.</p>



<p>Don’t overcomplicate this, and remember that a simple, well-executed plan always beats a complex, poorly executed one.</p>



<p>Here’s a simple guide to creating a simple, one-page SEO plan:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a href="https://searchengineland.com/seo-planning-one-page-seo-plan-438449">SEO planning: Your one-page SEO plan</a>.</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-final-thoughts">Final thoughts</h2>



<p>If there is one thing you take from this article, please let it be this:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Strategy is not planning, and planning is not strategy.</li>
</ul>



<p>SEO strategy is the big picture that defines why your content should rank and outperform competitors.</p>



<p>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).</p>



<p>This is not to say that standard SEO planning and tactics are not important. </p>



<p>Not at all. </p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>Ultimately, SEO strategy is about why your site deserves to rank, not just how to optimize it. </p>



<p>Thinking strategically about <a href="https://searchengineland.com/integrate-seo-broader-marketing-strategy-452030">marketing in general and how that relates to SEO</a> will help you stand out and provide useful feedback on the product and service strategy.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Goals define the destination.</li>



<li>Strategy determines the best path to the destination.</li>



<li>Planning breaks the journey into actionable steps.</li>
</ul>



<p>Implementing this structured approach can avoid wasted efforts, allow you to focus on what truly moves the needle, and build long-term organic growth.</p>



<p>This is better than the blind chasing of rankings and random acts of SEO that seem to characterize most campaigns.</p>



<p>Define your goal, craft a winning strategy, and execute a focused plan.</p>



<p>That is the kind of strategic SEO that gets results.</p>

SEO is something of a nebulous concept.
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.
SEO
At its core, search engine optimization is about improving a website’s visibility in search engines to maximize visibility and attract organic traffic. 
It involves a mix of technical improvements, content creation, and authority building efforts. 
However, SEO efforts can be fragmented and ineffective without clear goals and a structured approach.
Goals: Where do we want to get to?
A goal is a destination – the ultimate outcome you want to achieve. 
Goals should be defined with rigor to ensure they are realistic and will bring value. 
Your SEO goals should be clear, measurable, and aligned with business objectives. 
The SMART goals frameworkis a powerful way to achieve this.
Some common SEO goals include:
Increasing organic traffic by 50% over the next 12 months.
Ranking in the top three results for high-intent keywords.
Reducing dependency on paid search by driving more organic leads.
Improving conversion rates from organic traffic.
Without a clear, well-defined goal, SEO efforts are aimless – like going on a road trip without knowing the destination. 
Likewise, bad goals will suck up time, resources, and money and fail to deliver.
So make sure to set strong and purposeful goals.
SEO strategy: How do we get there?
A strategy is the big-picture approach to achieving the goal.
If SEO were a game of chess, the strategy would be your playbook for winning. 
It’s not about specific moves but the overarching plan that dictates how you respond to opportunities and challenges.
A strong SEO strategy is unique to the business and considers:
Competitive positioning: Are we fighting in a “red ocean” (highly competitive markets) or carving out a “blue ocean” (untapped opportunities)?
Audience intent: Are we targeting informational queries, transactional searches, or brand-driven traffic?
Content differentiation: How will our content stand out and provide unique value?
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.

					
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A structured approach to SEO
To ensure SEO efforts are well-structured:
Set solid goals: Define the destination (where you want to be).
Craft a unique strategy: Choose the best route based on competition, industry, and brand positioning.
Create a simple plan: Lay out the specific steps to execute the strategy effectively.
This approach can be applied to an existing site with historical SEO or used before a new website is built to help maximize SEO success.
Let’s break down the three steps below – goals, strategy, and planning.
Step 1: Set solid goals
Clear, measurable goals provide direction. Instead of saying, “We want to increase traffic,” set a goal like:
Increase organic leads by 30% in the next six months.
This clarity helps align efforts across content, technical SEO, and link building.
Dig deeper: How to create SMART SEO goals (with examples)
Step 2: Craft a unique strategy
Strategy is not a checklist. 
It’s a guiding principle that dictates decision-making.
It is about carving out a unique approach rather than following what competitors are doing.
For example, your SEO strategy might focus on:
Finding content angles or formats that no one else is using
Creating a new category of content rather than competing in existing spaces
Developing a distinctive voice or perspective that becomes a competitive advantage
SEO strategy should always differentiate your content and brand within search. 
If competitors shift tactics or Google updates its algorithms, your strategy should remain adaptable while keeping your unique value intact.
You should be able to answer the questions: 
Why does this deserve to rank? 
Do we stand out from the crowd and offer something new and unique? 
Often, this uniqueness could be just combining things that others do or using new formats.
This is the most difficult part of the job. It requires research and careful thought. 
Surveying customers to gain insight will also help you craft something unique and valuable.
Some tools that can help:
3-step SEO strategy design: Craft a unique SEO strategy.
SCAMPER for SEO: Substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put to another use, eliminate, and rearrange/reverse.
Value proposition design for SEO: Tailor content around customer pains, gains, and jobs.
Generative AI for SEO ideation: How to use generative AI tools to aid strategic ideation.
SEO SWOT analysis: Identify your strengths and competitors’ weaknesses.
Step 3: Create a simple plan
The plan should be actionable and prioritized, breaking down SEO efforts into:
Short-term actions: Quick wins like optimizing title tags.
Mid-term actions: Content production and link building.
Long-term initiatives: Authority building and brand signals.
The plan’s primary goal is to break down what needs to be done into manageable small jobs. 
Then, allocate these according to your available resources with timelines so you can keep track of what is (or is not) happening.
Don’t overcomplicate this, and remember that a simple, well-executed plan always beats a complex, poorly executed one.
Here’s a simple guide to creating a simple, one-page SEO plan:
SEO planning: Your one-page SEO plan.
Final thoughts
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. 
Thinking strategically about marketing in general and how that relates to SEO will help you stand out and provide useful feedback on the product and service strategy.
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.

SEO isn’t just about tactics – it’s about setting the right goals, crafting a strategic vision, and executing a clear plan.

SEO execution: Understanding goals, strategy, and planning

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Social-search-is-Gen-Zs-Google-Are-you-visible-where-it-matters-800x450.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Social search is Gen Z’s Google: Are you visible where it matters?" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Social-search-is-Gen-Zs-Google-Are-you-visible-where-it-matters-800x450.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Social-search-is-Gen-Zs-Google-Are-you-visible-where-it-matters-600x338.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Social-search-is-Gen-Zs-Google-Are-you-visible-where-it-matters-200x113.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Social-search-is-Gen-Zs-Google-Are-you-visible-where-it-matters-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Social-search-is-Gen-Zs-Google-Are-you-visible-where-it-matters-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Social-search-is-Gen-Zs-Google-Are-you-visible-where-it-matters.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>From TikTok to Reddit, Gen Z is redefining how search works. Here’s why social search is winning and what it means for brands.

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Social-search-is-Gen-Zs-Google-Are-you-visible-where-it-matters-800x450.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Social search is Gen Z’s Google: Are you visible where it matters?" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Social-search-is-Gen-Zs-Google-Are-you-visible-where-it-matters-800x450.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Social-search-is-Gen-Zs-Google-Are-you-visible-where-it-matters-600x338.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Social-search-is-Gen-Zs-Google-Are-you-visible-where-it-matters-200x113.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Social-search-is-Gen-Zs-Google-Are-you-visible-where-it-matters-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Social-search-is-Gen-Zs-Google-Are-you-visible-where-it-matters-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Social-search-is-Gen-Zs-Google-Are-you-visible-where-it-matters.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>
<p>The way people search for information is changing, and Gen Z is leading the shift.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Instead of turning to Google, they’re searching on <a href="https://searchengineland.com/tiktok-seo-the-ultimate-guide-439795">TikTok</a>, Instagram, <a href="https://searchengineland.com/youtube-seo-what-you-need-to-know-449431">YouTube</a>, <a href="https://searchengineland.com/reddit-seo-453406">Reddit</a>, and Discord for everything from product recommendations to restaurant reviews and how-to guides.</p>



<p>This isn’t just a trend – it’s a fundamental shift in digital discovery.&nbsp;</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Google usage among Gen Z has <a href="https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/social-media-new-google/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropped by 25%</a> compared to Gen X, a 2024 Forbes study shows.</li>



<li>eMarketer <a href="https://www.emarketer.com/content/search-behavior-being-redefined-thanks-generational-shifts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that 46% of Gen Z and 35% of millennials prefer social media over traditional search engines. </li>
</ul>



<p>Why?&nbsp;</p>



<p>They crave fast, visual, and community-driven content rather than sifting through traditional search results and ads.</p>



<p>For search marketers, this means <a href="https://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-seo">SEO</a> is no longer just about Google – it’s about being visible wherever audiences search. </p>



<p>This article breaks down Gen Z’s evolving search habits, why social platforms are winning, and how brands can adapt to stay discoverable in this new search landscape.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-democratization-of-search">The democratization of search</h2>



<p>For years, Google dominated search.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For Gen X and early millennials, &#8220;googling&#8221; was synonymous with searching.&nbsp;</p>



<p>But Gen Z searches differently – they don’t use &#8220;google&#8221; as a verb in the same way, and it’s reshaping how brands approach discoverability.</p>



<p>Gen Z &#8220;googles&#8221; 25% less than Gen X, turning instead to social platforms where search is more visual, trend-driven, and real-time.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Even Google has acknowledged this shift – Prabhakar Raghavan <a href="https://searchengineland.com/tiktok-search-engine-ux-vs-semantics-437349">noted</a> that &#8220;nearly 40% of young people prefer TikTok or Instagram over Google Search or Maps&#8221; for local recommendations.</p>



<p>This isn’t just about preference. It’s a shift in search behavior.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Instead of scrolling through links and ads, Gen Z engages with short-form videos, peer recommendations, and user-generated content.&nbsp;</p>



<p>They trust social platforms for their authenticity, immediacy, and personalized experience – something traditional search engines struggle to match.</p>



<p>Opinions on this shift vary. Some claim &#8220;Google is doomed,&#8221; while others argue it will continue to dominate.&nbsp;</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>SparkToro <a href="https://sparktoro.com/blog/new-research-google-search-grew-20-in-2024-receives-373x-more-searches-than-chatgpt/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that Google Search grew by 20% in 2024. </li>



<li>Ofcom found that <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/online-research/online-nation/2024/online-nation-2024-report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1.8 million U.K. adults</a> stopped using it for searches that same year. </li>
</ul>



<p>The reality likely lies in between.</p>



<p>The takeaway is clear: search is no longer just about Google.&nbsp;</p>



<p>If your content isn’t optimized for TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, or YouTube – where Gen Z actively searches – you’re missing a massive audience.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The future of search isn’t tied to one platform; it’s about showing up wherever your audience is looking.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Sometimes, Google will win.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Other times, a TikTok post will.&nbsp;</p>



<p>If you want to succeed, you must create an effective content loop across multiple channels.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-look-into-social-search">A look into social search</h2>



<p>Social search has transformed social media from engagement-driven spaces into full-fledged search destinations.</p>



<p>TikTok, Instagram, and Reddit now shape how users find information, products, and experiences.</p>



<p>Up to <a href="https://www.adobe.com/express/learn/blog/using-tiktok-as-a-search-engine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">41% of users</a> use TikTok for search, while <a href="https://capitaloneshopping.com/research/social-media-shopping-statistics/">76%</a> have discovered brands and products through social media. </p>



<p>This shift means users aren’t just consuming content – they’re actively searching for answers, recommendations, and solutions.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-changing-search-funnel-social-trigger-social-discovery-conversion">A changing search funnel: Social trigger, social discovery, conversion</h2>



<p>Social search is compressing and reshaping the traditional search funnel.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Instead of bouncing between multiple touchpoints, users can explore, evaluate, and decide all within a single platform – turning Google’s &#8220;messy middle&#8221; into a fluid discovery flywheel.&nbsp;</p>



<p>A TikTok review might lead to an Instagram deep dive, followed by a Reddit thread for credibility – all before a Google search even happens (if at all).</p>



<p>Success in search is no longer about a single platform but about understanding user intent across multiple channels.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Winning in this evolving search landscape requires a presence where searches actually happen – by optimizing content for a multichannel, search-everywhere experience.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-gen-z-prefer-social-to-search-nbsp">Why Gen Z prefer social to search&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Unlike previous generations who relied on Google to type queries and sift through blue links, Gen Z expects faster, more engaging, and more authentic results.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Social search delivers exactly that.</p>



<p>Here’s how their approach differs – and what brands need to consider.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-faster-more-visual-results">1. Faster, more visual results</h3>



<p>Raised in a digital world of instant gratification, Gen Z doesn’t want to read lengthy blog posts or scroll through endless search results.&nbsp;</p>



<p>They prefer quick, digestible answers in visual formats like short-form videos, carousels, and captions.</p>



<p>TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube are their go-to search tools.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>A TikTok search for “best foundation” instantly serves up video tutorials, reviews, and comparisons – far more engaging than a traditional article.</li>



<li>A YouTube Short on “quick meal-prep ideas” delivers step-by-step cooking guidance in seconds, skipping the recipe pages cluttered with ads, bios, and affiliate links.</li>
</ul>



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<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-authenticity-and-trust">2. Authenticity and trust</h3>



<p>Gen Z doesn’t trust traditional brand marketing.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Instead, they rely on peer recommendations, real experiences, and unfiltered opinions from communities.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Unlike Google, which prioritizes search-optimized content and paid ads, social platforms surface real conversations from actual users.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Instead of reading a blog on the “best budget travel destinations,” Gen Z watches TikTok vlogs of real people documenting their trips.</li>



<li>Rather than trusting company-written product descriptions, they seek out TikTok creator reviews, Instagram UGC testimonials, or Reddit discussions.</li>
</ul>



<p>This peer-driven content feels more honest, transparent, and credible – making social search more trustworthy than traditional search engines.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-algorithm-driven-discovery">3. Algorithm-driven discovery</h3>



<p>Unlike traditional search engines, where users actively search for answers, social platforms push relevant content before users even realize they need it – re-engaging them in their search journey.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>TikTok’s For You page surfaces content based on past engagement, introducing users to products and trends before they search.</li>



<li>Instagram’s Explore tab curates recommendations based on browsing behavior, making discovery seamless.</li>



<li>Reddit threads and Discord servers expose users to niche discussions, organically driving awareness of brands and products.</li>
</ul>



<p>This shifts discovery earlier in the customer journey.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Users aren’t just searching when they’re ready to buy.</p>



<p>They’re being passively introduced to brands, leading to high-intent searches later.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This blurs the lines between search and social, inspiration and intent – reshaping the role of search marketing.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-role-of-community">The role of community</h2>



<p>For Gen Z, an aspect of search is about finding answers from people they trust.&nbsp;</p>



<p>That’s why Reddit, Discord, and private forums are becoming go-to search engines, offering unfiltered insights, recommendations, and real experiences.</p>



<p>Unlike traditional search engines, which prioritize algorithm-ranked web pages, community-driven search thrives on peer-to-peer discussions that feel authentic, specific, and reliable.&nbsp;</p>



<p>These platforms provide what Google and mainstream social media often can’t: deep, real-time conversations shaped by lived experience.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Reddit functions as a crowdsourced knowledge hub, where users explore niche topics, ask for advice, and share product reviews. Many even add &#8220;Reddit&#8221; to the end of Google searches to bypass promotional content and go straight to authentic discussions.</li>



<li>Discord servers act as private search engines, with dedicated communities – spanning gaming, crypto, fashion, and professional industries – offering real-time advice and recommendations. These closed-loop spaces create powerful, organic brand discovery opportunities that brands have yet to fully tap into.</li>
</ul>



<p>Community-driven search is shifting the landscape.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Gen Z trusts real people over polished marketing.</p>



<p>Failing to engage with these communities might mean missing out on an audience that prioritizes authenticity over ads.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-community-search-matters">Why community search matters</h2>



<p>Simply put, traditional SEO doesn’t work in these spaces – and you need to accept that.&nbsp;</p>



<p>While TikTok and YouTube offer optimization opportunities, forums and communities operate differently.&nbsp;</p>



<p>You can’t rank No. 1 in a Discord conversation or a Reddit thread.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Instead, you must embed yourself naturally within these communities to stay relevant.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-be-present-where-conversations-happen">Be present where conversations happen</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Actively engage in discussions – whether through creators, users, or employees.</li>



<li>This builds credibility and trust in a way traditional search marketing often struggles to achieve.</li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-influence-through-community-members">Influence through community members</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Gen Z doesn’t trust ads – they trust real people.&nbsp;</li>



<li>The most effective way to influence brand perception is through engaged community members, influencers, and subject-matter experts who are already part of the conversation.</li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-create-valuable-non-promotional-content">Create valuable, non-promotional content</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>The key to success isn’t pushing products – it’s offering real insight.&nbsp;</li>



<li>Providing helpful answers, sharing expertise, and engaging meaningfully are more likely to be remembered and recommended organically.</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-not-sure-where-to-start-try-this">Not sure where to start? Try this</h2>



<p>A simple first step is to use Google Trends and the Glimpse Chrome extension to uncover where your audience is actually searching:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Install Glimpse for Google Trends to unlock additional insights.</li>



<li>Search for a key term related to your brand.</li>



<li>Check the <em>Channel Breakdown</em> chart to see which social platforms your term is most popular on.</li>



<li>Explore top-ranking content on those platforms using tools like TikTok Creator Search Insights, Reddit Pro Trends, and Pinterest Trends.</li>



<li>Build a content strategy that aligns with the platform’s format, trends, and user intent.</li>
</ul>



<p>This approach ensures your brand shows up where your audience searches – not just where you assume they are.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-future-of-search-is-everywhere">The future of search is everywhere</h2>



<p>Gen Z is redefining what it means to search.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Social, visual, and community-driven discovery is shifting the landscape, and traditional SEO alone is no longer enough.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Search marketers must move beyond Google rankings and embrace multi-platform search strategies.&nbsp;</p>



<p>If your audience searches on TikTok, YouTube, or Reddit more than on Google, do you really have visibility?</p>



<p>Brands that recognize search as an omnipresent, multi-platform experience will gain a competitive edge.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Those that don’t? They’ll struggle to stay seen.</p>

The way people search for information is changing, and Gen Z is leading the shift. 
Instead of turning to Google, they’re searching on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, and Discord for everything from product recommendations to restaurant reviews and how-to guides.
This isn’t just a trend – it’s a fundamental shift in digital discovery. 
Google usage among Gen Z has dropped by 25% compared to Gen X, a 2024 Forbes study shows.
eMarketer reports that 46% of Gen Z and 35% of millennials prefer social media over traditional search engines. 
Why? 
They crave fast, visual, and community-driven content rather than sifting through traditional search results and ads.
For search marketers, this means SEO is no longer just about Google – it’s about being visible wherever audiences search. 
This article breaks down Gen Z’s evolving search habits, why social platforms are winning, and how brands can adapt to stay discoverable in this new search landscape.
The democratization of search
For years, Google dominated search. 
For Gen X and early millennials, “googling” was synonymous with searching. 
But Gen Z searches differently – they don’t use “google” as a verb in the same way, and it’s reshaping how brands approach discoverability.
Gen Z “googles” 25% less than Gen X, turning instead to social platforms where search is more visual, trend-driven, and real-time. 
Even Google has acknowledged this shift – Prabhakar Raghavan noted that “nearly 40% of young people prefer TikTok or Instagram over Google Search or Maps” for local recommendations.
This isn’t just about preference. It’s a shift in search behavior. 
Instead of scrolling through links and ads, Gen Z engages with short-form videos, peer recommendations, and user-generated content. 
They trust social platforms for their authenticity, immediacy, and personalized experience – something traditional search engines struggle to match.
Opinions on this shift vary. Some claim “Google is doomed,” while others argue it will continue to dominate. 
SparkToro reports that Google Search grew by 20% in 2024. 
Ofcom found that 1.8 million U.K. adults stopped using it for searches that same year. 
The reality likely lies in between.
The takeaway is clear: search is no longer just about Google. 
If your content isn’t optimized for TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, or YouTube – where Gen Z actively searches – you’re missing a massive audience. 
The future of search isn’t tied to one platform; it’s about showing up wherever your audience is looking. 
Sometimes, Google will win. 
Other times, a TikTok post will. 
If you want to succeed, you must create an effective content loop across multiple channels.
A look into social search
Social search has transformed social media from engagement-driven spaces into full-fledged search destinations.
TikTok, Instagram, and Reddit now shape how users find information, products, and experiences.
Up to 41% of users use TikTok for search, while 76% have discovered brands and products through social media. 
This shift means users aren’t just consuming content – they’re actively searching for answers, recommendations, and solutions.
A changing search funnel: Social trigger, social discovery, conversion
Social search is compressing and reshaping the traditional search funnel. 
Instead of bouncing between multiple touchpoints, users can explore, evaluate, and decide all within a single platform – turning Google’s “messy middle” into a fluid discovery flywheel. 
A TikTok review might lead to an Instagram deep dive, followed by a Reddit thread for credibility – all before a Google search even happens (if at all).
Success in search is no longer about a single platform but about understanding user intent across multiple channels. 
Winning in this evolving search landscape requires a presence where searches actually happen – by optimizing content for a multichannel, search-everywhere experience.
Why Gen Z prefer social to search 
Unlike previous generations who relied on Google to type queries and sift through blue links, Gen Z expects faster, more engaging, and more authentic results. 
Social search delivers exactly that.
Here’s how their approach differs – and what brands need to consider.
1. Faster, more visual results
Raised in a digital world of instant gratification, Gen Z doesn’t want to read lengthy blog posts or scroll through endless search results. 
They prefer quick, digestible answers in visual formats like short-form videos, carousels, and captions.
TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube are their go-to search tools.
A TikTok search for “best foundation” instantly serves up video tutorials, reviews, and comparisons – far more engaging than a traditional article.
A YouTube Short on “quick meal-prep ideas” delivers step-by-step cooking guidance in seconds, skipping the recipe pages cluttered with ads, bios, and affiliate links.

					
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2. Authenticity and trust
Gen Z doesn’t trust traditional brand marketing. 
Instead, they rely on peer recommendations, real experiences, and unfiltered opinions from communities. 
Unlike Google, which prioritizes search-optimized content and paid ads, social platforms surface real conversations from actual users.
Instead of reading a blog on the “best budget travel destinations,” Gen Z watches TikTok vlogs of real people documenting their trips.
Rather than trusting company-written product descriptions, they seek out TikTok creator reviews, Instagram UGC testimonials, or Reddit discussions.
This peer-driven content feels more honest, transparent, and credible – making social search more trustworthy than traditional search engines.
3. Algorithm-driven discovery
Unlike traditional search engines, where users actively search for answers, social platforms push relevant content before users even realize they need it – re-engaging them in their search journey.
TikTok’s For You page surfaces content based on past engagement, introducing users to products and trends before they search.
Instagram’s Explore tab curates recommendations based on browsing behavior, making discovery seamless.
Reddit threads and Discord servers expose users to niche discussions, organically driving awareness of brands and products.
This shifts discovery earlier in the customer journey. 
Users aren’t just searching when they’re ready to buy.
They’re being passively introduced to brands, leading to high-intent searches later. 
This blurs the lines between search and social, inspiration and intent – reshaping the role of search marketing.
The role of community
For Gen Z, an aspect of search is about finding answers from people they trust. 
That’s why Reddit, Discord, and private forums are becoming go-to search engines, offering unfiltered insights, recommendations, and real experiences.
Unlike traditional search engines, which prioritize algorithm-ranked web pages, community-driven search thrives on peer-to-peer discussions that feel authentic, specific, and reliable. 
These platforms provide what Google and mainstream social media often can’t: deep, real-time conversations shaped by lived experience.
Reddit functions as a crowdsourced knowledge hub, where users explore niche topics, ask for advice, and share product reviews. Many even add “Reddit” to the end of Google searches to bypass promotional content and go straight to authentic discussions.
Discord servers act as private search engines, with dedicated communities – spanning gaming, crypto, fashion, and professional industries – offering real-time advice and recommendations. These closed-loop spaces create powerful, organic brand discovery opportunities that brands have yet to fully tap into.
Community-driven search is shifting the landscape. 
Gen Z trusts real people over polished marketing.
Failing to engage with these communities might mean missing out on an audience that prioritizes authenticity over ads.
Why community search matters
Simply put, traditional SEO doesn’t work in these spaces – and you need to accept that. 
While TikTok and YouTube offer optimization opportunities, forums and communities operate differently. 
You can’t rank No. 1 in a Discord conversation or a Reddit thread. 
Instead, you must embed yourself naturally within these communities to stay relevant.
Be present where conversations happen
Actively engage in discussions – whether through creators, users, or employees.
This builds credibility and trust in a way traditional search marketing often struggles to achieve.
Influence through community members
Gen Z doesn’t trust ads – they trust real people. 
The most effective way to influence brand perception is through engaged community members, influencers, and subject-matter experts who are already part of the conversation.
Create valuable, non-promotional content
The key to success isn’t pushing products – it’s offering real insight. 
Providing helpful answers, sharing expertise, and engaging meaningfully are more likely to be remembered and recommended organically.
Not sure where to start? Try this
A simple first step is to use Google Trends and the Glimpse Chrome extension to uncover where your audience is actually searching:
Install Glimpse for Google Trends to unlock additional insights.
Search for a key term related to your brand.
Check the Channel Breakdown chart to see which social platforms your term is most popular on.
Explore top-ranking content on those platforms using tools like TikTok Creator Search Insights, Reddit Pro Trends, and Pinterest Trends.
Build a content strategy that aligns with the platform’s format, trends, and user intent.
This approach ensures your brand shows up where your audience searches – not just where you assume they are.
The future of search is everywhere
Gen Z is redefining what it means to search. 
Social, visual, and community-driven discovery is shifting the landscape, and traditional SEO alone is no longer enough. 
Search marketers must move beyond Google rankings and embrace multi-platform search strategies. 
If your audience searches on TikTok, YouTube, or Reddit more than on Google, do you really have visibility?
Brands that recognize search as an omnipresent, multi-platform experience will gain a competitive edge. 
Those that don’t? They’ll struggle to stay seen.

From TikTok to Reddit, Gen Z is redefining how search works. Here’s why social search is winning and what it means for brands.

Social search is Gen Z’s Google: Are you visible where it matters?

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03-800x450.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03-800x450.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03-600x338.jpg 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03-200x113.jpg 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03-768x432.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>Are you unknowingly bidding against yourself on Google Ads? Learn how to stop wasting your budget on uncontested paid search ads.

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03-800x450.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03-800x450.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03-600x338.jpg 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03-200x113.jpg 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03-768x432.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div><div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03-800x450.jpg" alt="BrandPilot.ai - The uncontested paid search problem" class="wp-image-453477" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03-800x450.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03-600x338.jpg 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03-200x113.jpg 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03-768x432.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilot-2025-03.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></figure></div>


<p>Imagine this: You are a wealthy art lover seated in a room filled with beautiful paintings and surrounded by other art lovers. You have a numbered paddle in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other. You are at the center of an auction and about to bid against all the other people in the room for the artwork you want. </p>



<p>Now imagine you are blindfolded! The auctioneer’s rapid-fire speech guides you as prices go higher and higher.&nbsp;</p>



<p>You periodically raise your paddle to make a bid; you assume that those around you are doing the same. But what if they’re not? What if the joke is on you, and you’re feverishly raising your paddle again and again to win the auction while everyone else in the room is motionless, watching you bid against yourself?&nbsp;</p>



<p>Never forget: Google Ads is an auction. Most of the time, you are blind, unaware of competing bids for the keywords your business needs to win. </p>



<p>At <a href="https://www.brandpilot.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener sponsored nofollow">BrandPilot</a>, we call the phenomenon of a search ad with no competition the “Uncontested Paid Search Problem.”&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-uncontested-paid-search-problem-nbsp">The Uncontested Paid Search problem&nbsp;</h2>



<p>The BrandPilot definition of the Uncontested Paid Search ad is a Google search where <strong>no</strong> competitor ad is present across several search terms. Yet, you are still paying for your sponsored ad CPC, even without competition. You are essentially bidding against yourself. </p>



<p>Here’s an example of an Uncontested Paid Search ad. In this case, you can see that the sponsored ad is directly above the organic result, meaning there is no other competition for this search result.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="600" height="534" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Brandpilot-ad-image-2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-453398" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Brandpilot-ad-image-2.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Brandpilot-ad-image-2-380x338.png 380w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/Brandpilot-ad-image-2-127x113.png 127w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure></div>


<p>There are two problems with these Uncontested Paid Search ads:</p>



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Wasted ad spend on organic traffic:</strong> A significant number of people simply click the sponsored ad as it appears at the top of their search, unnecessarily costing you money.</li>



<li><strong>Overpaying for clicks in paid search: </strong>You want people to click on your sponsored ad, but you are unnecessarily paying a high CPC in the absence of competition.</li>
</ol>



<p>The critical takeaway here is that advertisers are paying high CPC for ads with no competition every hour of every day. The whole point of the Google keyword auction is to bid fairly against your competitors on a CPC for a keyword, so why are advertisers paying the same CPC even when competition is not present?</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-do-uncontested-search-ads-happen">When do &#8216;uncontested search ads&#8217; happen?</h2>



<p>Instances of uncontested search ads are more pervasive than you might think. While results will vary by industry, data from <a href="https://www.brandpilot.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener sponsored nofollow">BrandPilot</a> indicates that Google Ads for:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Branded keywords face no competition 20–30% of the time. </li>



<li>Non-branded (general search) keywords experience moments of no competition but at a rate of 5–10%.</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="800" height="375" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-01-800x375.png" alt="How often are search ads uncontested?" class="wp-image-453332" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-01-800x375.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-01-600x281.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-01-200x94.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-01-768x360.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-01-1536x720.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-01.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></figure>



<p>This makes sense as there would be less competition for a keyword specifically related to a brand or product name.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-big-is-this-problem">How big is this problem?</h2>



<p>Uncontested search ads are a silent thief of marketing budgets. While this topic is not widely discussed, it has enormous impacts on the marketing industry.</p>



<p>Here is one way to measure this industry-wide issue:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Google’s annual search revenue in 2024:</strong> $264 billion (<a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/266249/advertising-revenue-of-google/" target="_blank" rel="noopener sponsored nofollow">Statista</a>)</li>



<li><strong>Ad budget breakdown:</strong> On average, 18% ($47 billion) is spent on branded keywords, while 82% ($216 billion) goes to non-branded keywords. (<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://dreamdata.io/blog/branded-vs-non-branded-google-search-ads-b2b&amp;sa=D&amp;source=docs&amp;ust=1742328266523768&amp;usg=AOvVaw3z9F9swqj4dZo4meI9lq2B" target="_blank" rel="noopener sponsored nofollow">Dreamdata</a>)</li>



<li><strong>Estimated wasted ad spend:</strong> Advertisers may be wasting approximately $11 billion annually on branded CPC and approximately $16 billion on non-branded CPC.</li>
</ul>



<p>How much are you spending on search ads? If you could recover approximately 25% of your branded keywords budget and another 7.5% of the non-branded keyword budget, where would you invest those savings?</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-fix-the-uncontested-paid-search-ad-problem">How to fix the uncontested paid search ad problem</h2>



<p>There are really only two options to optimize for searches with no competition:</p>



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>Suppress your sponsored ad and let your organic search results float to the top of the search results page.</li>



<li>Replace your current sponsored ad with a clone that you gradually bid-walk down to the lowest possible CPC.</li>
</ol>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-option-1-let-organic-win-the-day">Option 1: Let organic win the day</h3>



<p>For this option, marketers can simply pause their existing sponsored ad when there is no keyword competition at that moment. If you are conquering organic search for that keyword, this will allow your organic search results to appear at the top of the search results page and drive organic traffic to your website.</p>



<p><strong>Important note</strong>: You would need to ensure that you rank No. 1 organically for that keyword search. Be mindful that, as a marketer, your organic search results might not include your current promos, copy, buyers’ journey, etc.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-option-2-bid-walking-down-a-cpc">Option 2: Bid-walking down a CPC</h3>



<p>In this scenario, a marketer would allow the sponsored ad and the organic link to appear simultaneously on the search results page.</p>



<p>In this case, marketers create a clone of their sponsored ad that is displayed only when there is no competition. Over time, marketers reduce the CPC of this “no-competition clone.” This allows them to retrain the search algorithm and get the CPC for this cloned ad all the way down to $0.01!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-maintaining-search-traffic">Maintaining search traffic</h2>



<p>The above processes are designed to eliminate unnecessary Google Ads spending and create more budget for you to drive growth and revenue. Every month, brands who execute strategy for uncontested ads typically reclaim approximately 30% of their branded keyword budget and another 5–10% of non-branded keywords.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The real-world example below shows how a global fashion brand maintained website traffic while dramatically decreasing its Google Ads spend. In this case, the marketing team elected to simply pause their sponsored ads whenever there was no competition for the search term. Maintaining search traffic is more important to any marketer.</p>



<p>Here, you can see their blended CTR:</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="800" height="208" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-02-800x208.png" alt="Graph" class="wp-image-453334" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-02-800x208.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-02-600x156.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-02-200x52.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-02-768x200.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-02-1536x400.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-02.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></figure></div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reducing-google-ads-spend">Reducing Google Ads spend</h2>



<p>While maintaining search traffic, the marketing team was able to dramatically reduce its daily Google Ads spend simply by not paying a high CPC when a search result had no keyword competition. They were able to go from an average spend of $500 per day down to less than $100 — all while maintaining search traffic!</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="800" height="200" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-03-800x200.png" alt="graph" class="wp-image-453335" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-03-800x200.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-03-600x150.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-03-200x50.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-03-768x192.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-03-1536x384.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-03.png 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></figure></div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-final-thoughts">Final thoughts</h2>



<p>Here’s the no-brainer: a flaw in Google Ads has you bidding to win the auction, even when there is no competition for your selected keywords. A seven-day inspection of your Google Ads data can help determine how the Uncontested Paid Search problems is impacting your search campaign budget. </p>



<p>You can save approximately 30% of your branded keyword budget each month and experience an 11% increase in site performance based on the redistribution of those wasted budgets.&nbsp;</p>



<p><a href="https://www.brandpilot.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener sponsored nofollow">Book some time</a> to discuss your keyword costs and get a free Google Ads campaign audit.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="600" height="600" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-04-600x600.png" alt="Branded vs generic Google searches" class="wp-image-453336" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-04-600x600.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-04-338x338.png 338w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-04-113x113.png 113w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-04-768x768.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-04-1536x1536.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-04-95x95.png 95w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-04.png 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Data source: <a href="https://www.designrush.com/news/sparktoro-finds-branded-search-queries-make-up-44-percent-of-google-traffic-in-the-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener sponsored nofollow">SparkToro</a></figcaption></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" width="800" height="520" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-05-800x520.png" alt="" class="wp-image-453337" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-05-800x520.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-05-520x338.png 520w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-05-174x113.png 174w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-05-768x499.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-05-1536x998.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/BrandPilotAI-Graphics-for-Blog-05.png 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></figure></div>


<p></p>


Imagine this: You are a wealthy art lover seated in a room filled with beautiful paintings and surrounded by other art lovers. You have a numbered paddle in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other. You are at the center of an auction and about to bid against all the other people in the room for the artwork you want. 
Now imagine you are blindfolded! The auctioneer’s rapid-fire speech guides you as prices go higher and higher. 
You periodically raise your paddle to make a bid; you assume that those around you are doing the same. But what if they’re not? What if the joke is on you, and you’re feverishly raising your paddle again and again to win the auction while everyone else in the room is motionless, watching you bid against yourself? 
Never forget: Google Ads is an auction. Most of the time, you are blind, unaware of competing bids for the keywords your business needs to win. 
At BrandPilot, we call the phenomenon of a search ad with no competition the “Uncontested Paid Search Problem.” 
The Uncontested Paid Search problem 
The BrandPilot definition of the Uncontested Paid Search ad is a Google search where no competitor ad is present across several search terms. Yet, you are still paying for your sponsored ad CPC, even without competition. You are essentially bidding against yourself. 
Here’s an example of an Uncontested Paid Search ad. In this case, you can see that the sponsored ad is directly above the organic result, meaning there is no other competition for this search result.

There are two problems with these Uncontested Paid Search ads:
Wasted ad spend on organic traffic: A significant number of people simply click the sponsored ad as it appears at the top of their search, unnecessarily costing you money.
Overpaying for clicks in paid search: You want people to click on your sponsored ad, but you are unnecessarily paying a high CPC in the absence of competition.
The critical takeaway here is that advertisers are paying high CPC for ads with no competition every hour of every day. The whole point of the Google keyword auction is to bid fairly against your competitors on a CPC for a keyword, so why are advertisers paying the same CPC even when competition is not present?
When do ‘uncontested search ads’ happen?
Instances of uncontested search ads are more pervasive than you might think. While results will vary by industry, data from BrandPilot indicates that Google Ads for:
Branded keywords face no competition 20–30% of the time. 
Non-branded (general search) keywords experience moments of no competition but at a rate of 5–10%.




This makes sense as there would be less competition for a keyword specifically related to a brand or product name.
How big is this problem?
Uncontested search ads are a silent thief of marketing budgets. While this topic is not widely discussed, it has enormous impacts on the marketing industry.
Here is one way to measure this industry-wide issue:
Google’s annual search revenue in 2024: $264 billion (Statista)
Ad budget breakdown: On average, 18% ($47 billion) is spent on branded keywords, while 82% ($216 billion) goes to non-branded keywords. (Dreamdata)
Estimated wasted ad spend: Advertisers may be wasting approximately $11 billion annually on branded CPC and approximately $16 billion on non-branded CPC.
How much are you spending on search ads? If you could recover approximately 25% of your branded keywords budget and another 7.5% of the non-branded keyword budget, where would you invest those savings?
How to fix the uncontested paid search ad problem
There are really only two options to optimize for searches with no competition:
Suppress your sponsored ad and let your organic search results float to the top of the search results page.
Replace your current sponsored ad with a clone that you gradually bid-walk down to the lowest possible CPC.
Option 1: Let organic win the day
For this option, marketers can simply pause their existing sponsored ad when there is no keyword competition at that moment. If you are conquering organic search for that keyword, this will allow your organic search results to appear at the top of the search results page and drive organic traffic to your website.
Important note: You would need to ensure that you rank No. 1 organically for that keyword search. Be mindful that, as a marketer, your organic search results might not include your current promos, copy, buyers’ journey, etc.
Option 2: Bid-walking down a CPC
In this scenario, a marketer would allow the sponsored ad and the organic link to appear simultaneously on the search results page.
In this case, marketers create a clone of their sponsored ad that is displayed only when there is no competition. Over time, marketers reduce the CPC of this “no-competition clone.” This allows them to retrain the search algorithm and get the CPC for this cloned ad all the way down to $0.01!
Maintaining search traffic
The above processes are designed to eliminate unnecessary Google Ads spending and create more budget for you to drive growth and revenue. Every month, brands who execute strategy for uncontested ads typically reclaim approximately 30% of their branded keyword budget and another 5–10% of non-branded keywords. 
The real-world example below shows how a global fashion brand maintained website traffic while dramatically decreasing its Google Ads spend. In this case, the marketing team elected to simply pause their sponsored ads whenever there was no competition for the search term. Maintaining search traffic is more important to any marketer.
Here, you can see their blended CTR:

Reducing Google Ads spend
While maintaining search traffic, the marketing team was able to dramatically reduce its daily Google Ads spend simply by not paying a high CPC when a search result had no keyword competition. They were able to go from an average spend of $500 per day down to less than $100 — all while maintaining search traffic!

Final thoughts
Here’s the no-brainer: a flaw in Google Ads has you bidding to win the auction, even when there is no competition for your selected keywords. A seven-day inspection of your Google Ads data can help determine how the Uncontested Paid Search problems is impacting your search campaign budget. 
You can save approximately 30% of your branded keyword budget each month and experience an 11% increase in site performance based on the redistribution of those wasted budgets. 
Book some time to discuss your keyword costs and get a free Google Ads campaign audit.
Data source: SparkToro

Are you unknowingly bidding against yourself on Google Ads? Learn how to stop wasting your budget on uncontested paid search ads.

Are you wasting your Google Ads budget bidding against yourself? by BrandPilot.ai

<div><img width="800" height="457" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-ranking-chart-1920-800x457.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-ranking-chart-1920-800x457.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-ranking-chart-1920-592x338.jpg 592w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-ranking-chart-1920-198x113.jpg 198w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-ranking-chart-1920-768x439.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-ranking-chart-1920-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-ranking-chart-1920.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>Google will however keep working to reward content creators; but not all deserve to rank well at this point.

<div><img width="800" height="457" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-ranking-chart-1920-800x457.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-ranking-chart-1920-800x457.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-ranking-chart-1920-592x338.jpg 592w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-ranking-chart-1920-198x113.jpg 198w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-ranking-chart-1920-768x439.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-ranking-chart-1920-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/03/google-ranking-chart-1920.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>
<p>When Google launched the <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-march-2025-core-update-rolling-out-now-453253">March 2025 core update</a> last week, Google said there will be a series of improvements aimed to help &#8220;better surface relevant, satisfying content&#8221; from content creators &#8220;throughtout this year.&#8221; </p>



<p>But you should not expect all sites to fully recover by the end of 2025, that simply won&#8217;t happen.</p>



<p><strong>What Google said. </strong>Danny Sullivan, the Google Search Liaison, in a <a href="https://x.com/searchliaison/status/1903125804818866474">conversation</a> on X with travel blogger, Nate Hake, explained that there is a caveat to the statement about surfacing those sites better in Google Search again. Sullivan wrote:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>&#8220;With the important caveat that this doesn&#8217;t mean all sites will go back up to wherever they were if they are down from a previous peak.&#8221;</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Some sites don&#8217;t deserve to rank. </strong>That means that not all sites will rank as well as they did because, as Sullivan wrote, &#8220;some sites with great content and hearts in the right place still don&#8217;t provide a satisfying page experience.&#8221; Sullivan added:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>&#8220;But our systems themselves need to get better; it&#8217;s not all on creators sites that really do have good, solid content.&#8221;</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Different systems impact different sites. </strong>In addition, different core ranking systems may impact one site but not the other, in the same way. </p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>&#8220;From the group you were with that came out and generously shared your time, not everyone is impacted by exactly the same ranking systems,&#8221; Sullivan said. </li>
</ul>



<p>That means you need to wait for the Google system (or systems) that impacted your site in earlier updates, will have a positive impact in future updates. And, honestly, that might never happen.</p>



<p><strong>Search evolves. </strong>Plus, search evolves. What Google ranked in 2023 is not what Google wants to rank in 2025. Sullivan wrote:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>&#8220;Our results have continued to change since 2023, including showing more social content, for example. The results are going to continue to evolve.&#8221;</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Why we care. </strong>Google is committed to continue to make improvements to its search algorithms and systems.  Google is aware of the issues many of those who went to the web creator summit won&#8217;t recover, Google <a href="https://searchengineland.com/googles-next-update-coming-soon-but-dont-expect-to-recover-lost-traffic-447873">said that already</a>.</p>



<p>But do expect more Google updates to its core ranking systems throughout 2025, as we have seen with previous core updates and we will see in future core updates this year and in 2026 and beyond. </p>


When Google launched the March 2025 core update last week, Google said there will be a series of improvements aimed to help “better surface relevant, satisfying content” from content creators “throughtout this year.” 
But you should not expect all sites to fully recover by the end of 2025, that simply won’t happen.
What Google said. Danny Sullivan, the Google Search Liaison, in a conversation on X with travel blogger, Nate Hake, explained that there is a caveat to the statement about surfacing those sites better in Google Search again. Sullivan wrote:
“With the important caveat that this doesn’t mean all sites will go back up to wherever they were if they are down from a previous peak.”
Some sites don’t deserve to rank. That means that not all sites will rank as well as they did because, as Sullivan wrote, “some sites with great content and hearts in the right place still don’t provide a satisfying page experience.” Sullivan added:
“But our systems themselves need to get better; it’s not all on creators sites that really do have good, solid content.”
Different systems impact different sites. In addition, different core ranking systems may impact one site but not the other, in the same way. 
“From the group you were with that came out and generously shared your time, not everyone is impacted by exactly the same ranking systems,” Sullivan said. 
That means you need to wait for the Google system (or systems) that impacted your site in earlier updates, will have a positive impact in future updates. And, honestly, that might never happen.
Search evolves. Plus, search evolves. What Google ranked in 2023 is not what Google wants to rank in 2025. Sullivan wrote:
“Our results have continued to change since 2023, including showing more social content, for example. The results are going to continue to evolve.”
Why we care. Google is committed to continue to make improvements to its search algorithms and systems.  Google is aware of the issues many of those who went to the web creator summit won’t recover, Google said that already.
But do expect more Google updates to its core ranking systems throughout 2025, as we have seen with previous core updates and we will see in future core updates this year and in 2026 and beyond.

Google will however keep working to reward content creators; but not all deserve to rank well at this point.

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Read the Latest Trends and Headlines in Digital Marketing.

Here are some of the latest headlines on digital marketing insights, search, and ecommerce:

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