SEO vs. GEO vs. Contentless Marketing

Pro Snippet   SEO vs. GEO, AI-sceptic vs. AI-hype, more content than ever vs. less and better. The debates on how SEO will be affected by AI continue in full force, and in all those cases, both sides are largely right. In this email you'll find 10 balanced, well thought out views - not all of which entirely agree with one another. - Tom Capper, Senior Search Scientist, Moz What We're Reading: SEO Topic Clusters: Complete Guide, Examples & Free Templates Topic clusters help you rank higher, improve user experience, and get more value from every piece of content you create. Chima has crafted this in-depth guide based on her experience working on Moz's own site. Contentless Marketing Meanwhile Jono emphasizes how the bar is changing for the content we publish. Thanks to AI, zero-click SERPs, and the fragmentation of the content ecosystem, anything less than exceptional no longer has ROI. When Should You Do SEO? — Whiteboard Friday Arguably the most basic question in SEO, is actually not that basic at all. Is SEO always a good idea? How to Measure the Impact of AI Overviews on Site Traffic   Assess AIO traffic using Google Search Console, a trick GA4 setup, and your favourite rank tracker. Actionable AI — Whiteboard Friday   A huge amount of information was squeezed onto the Moz Whiteboard last week, including some common traps and misconceptions and how to dodge them. LLMs Aren't Playing by Google's Rules   Lightning never strikes twice, but Jono does in this week's top 10 - here highlighting the less forgiving nature of technical SEO for LLM crawlers. What Is Generative Engine Optimization [Tips & Workflows To Do It]   The GEO vs. SEO debate rages on across the social networks, but Charlie's view is clear - in this post she highlights some key differences and how to address them for your clients and sites. Google's AI Adventure - One Year On   Another strong opinion, a useful tactical recap, and a stark warning - this is Barry's publisher-focused take on LLMs in SEO. 2025 UPDATE: Does the Number of Google Reviews Impact Ranking? [Case Study]   Some useful experimental data on the impact of the 10 review threshold in location rankings. Google Tests Replacing Map Local Pack With AI Overviews   This shouldn't come as a huge surprise given what we saw in the AIO beta (aka "SGEs") over a year ago, but it looks like AI local results are seeing broader testing again. Moz, 360, Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010, USA Unsubscribe Manage preferences

The impact of AIOs and what to do about it

Pro Snippet   As often happens, there is an unintended theme and narrative to some of the picks in this newsletter - in this case, research shows AIOs are less problematic further down the funnel and for branded terms, and we also we have a Whiteboard Friday on how to capitalize on that, a post on how to maximize brand in search, and a post on how we're measuring that. - Tom Capper, Senior Search Scientist, Moz What We're Reading: Google AI Overviews: New CTR Study Reveals How to Navigate Negative SERP Impact Different sites can have very different experiences of AIOs - for some sites they're lethal, in other cases barely worth worrying about, or so it seems. This study helps to explain why. Optimizing Your SaaS Landing Pages in 2025 — Whiteboard Friday ...All of which just goes to make your bottom of funnel pages more important. With that very perspective in mind, Liraz has this thorough guide to making your SAAS landing pages the best they can be. Moz's Brand Authority: Multi-Market, More Features, More Data! We released Brand Authority nearly 2 years ago with a prescient eye on the direction of Google and search more broadly. Since then we've been quietly working away, and Pete is here to explain what we've done. How to Audit and Optimize Your Brand in Search   Relatedly - how does Brand in SEO actually work? What can you do to make sure search engines notice your brand? SEO Requires "Search Market Fit"   This is a different and interesting framing for some classic keyword research dilemmas. How to Be an Effective SEO Mentor — Whiteboard Friday   Mentorship can be as impactful in SEO as in any other career - if not moreso. Miracle has ample experience of both, and is happy to share it in this Whiteboard Friday. Why Are Companies Lining up to Buy Chrome?   If Google is indeed forced one day to sell of Chrome, that would be a massive blow to how their modern search engine works. The next question, though, is who would come next - and with what motive? What Is Vector Embedding for SEO: Insights From Mike King   While a vector based understanding of text and content has been a hot topic in SEO for some time, it's rapidly becoming more actionable and applicable in your tactical work. Mike has been at the forefront of this, and this post is a good summary of his thoughts. TikTok Takes on Google Maps by Surfacing Reviews in the Comments Tab   What if decidedly old-school local networking was still the best way to win in local SEO? Jeff seems to think so, and he may have a point. Verification Must-Knows: Exclusive Interview with Google's Verification PM (YouTube)   Google's Verification Product Manager talks about what she and Google are looking for in Google Business Profile verifications. Moz, 360, Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010, USA Unsubscribe Manage preferences