Weekly SEO and Marketing Recap: Feb 26, 2025

👋👋 Hey there, Growth Hackers! Ali here, sliding into your inbox with this week's digital marketing gems that your competitors hope you'll miss.

Buckle up—your ROI is about to get jealous of itself.

Data Shows Google AI Overviews Changing Faster Than Organic Search

Research reveals Google's AI Overviews exhibit greater volatility than organic search results, operate independently of them, and should be considered a separate entity for SEO purposes

Google Sued Over AI Overviews For Hurting Traffic & Revenue

Education tech company Chegg sued Google in early 2025, claiming AI Overviews caused a 49% traffic drop by transforming Google from a search engine to an answer engine that keeps users on its platform rather than directing them to source sites.

Microsoft Bing testing Copilot Search

Microsoft is testing "Copilot Search," an AI-driven feature replacing traditional blue links with summarized answers, aiming to bridge the gap between traditional search and AI responses without making it the default mode.

Google Answers Whether Audio Versions Of Blog Posts Help SEO

Adding audio versions of blog posts does not directly boost SEO but enhances user experience, accessibility, and engagement, which can have indirect benefits.

How Should Ecommerce Stores Deal With The Arrival Of AI Overviews?

AI Overviews likely won't significantly disrupt ecommerce as they primarily address informational queries rather than transactional ones, and small stores can stay competitive by creating unique, human-curated content that follows SEO best practices.

Amazon Ups Transparency for Advertisers Following CSAM Scandal and Senator Pressure

Amazon is implementing page-level reporting through its Traffic Events API after an Adalytics report revealed its platform inadvertently funded child sexual abuse materials, making it the first among accused companies to offer this granular transparency that advertisers have long requested.

More than 1 in 10 website ad dollars goes to made-for-advertising sites

A significant portion of digital advertising budgets (11.3%) is being wasted on low-quality "made-for-advertising" sites that generate minimal engagement but maximize ad impressions through tactics like ad stacking and content recycling.

X Rolls Out AI-Generated Ads in Push to Win Advertisers Back

X launched two AI-powered advertising tools—"Prefill with Grok" for automated ad creation and "Analyze Campaign with Grok" for performance measurement—in an effort to revitalize its struggling ad business that has seen a 28% revenue decline since Elon Musk's acquisition.

LinkedIn Rolls Out Email Metrics For Newsletter Publishers

LinkedIn added two new email analytics features for Newsletter publishers—Email Sends and Open Rate—addressing a significant gap in measurement capabilities while still withholding subscriber email addresses from creators.

Using Reddit to find affiliates: A guide for brands and networks

Reddit offers untapped affiliate recruitment potential through niche subreddits, but success requires authentic engagement, transparency, and strategic participation in relevant communities rather than direct promotion.

🧠 Quiz Time

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of adding audio versions to blog posts for SEO?

• A. Enhances user experience

• B. Improves accessibility

• C. Boosts direct SEO rankings

• D. Increases engagement

(Answer at the end of the newsletter!)

AI Ads: Grokking the Future of Marketing

Impact.com is a leading partnership management platform designed to streamline affiliate marketing and optimize partnerships for growth.

It offers robust tools for tracking, fraud prevention, and partner engagement, making it ideal for scaling businesses.

Key Features:

• Discover and recruit global partners with ease.

• Advanced fraud detection to protect your program.

• Branded affiliate sign-up links for exclusive partnerships.

• Intuitive dashboards for precise performance tracking.

Ali’s Take: Impact.com stands out for its comprehensive tools and focus on transparency, making it a top choice for modern affiliate marketers.

Wrap-Up

That's all I've got time to spill today! While you were reading this, X probably launched another feature nobody asked for. Hit that share button if you caught yourself nodding along—your marketing friends deserve these gems too.

Next week might break the internet, so keep your notifications on. Peace out before the algorithm changes again! ✌️

Your marketing bestie, Ali 🤘
Brought to you by Aff.ninja 🥷