Navigating Marketing in an Evolving Digital Landscape

In this special episode of Create Like the Greats, Ross Simmonds explores the monumental changes coming to search, marketing, and SEO in light of Google’s latest announcement at I/O 2025: the launch of AI Mode. Ross delivers a deep dive on the implications of AI-driven, personalized search experiences, task automation, and the end of traditional SEO practices as we know them. Learn how marketers must rethink strategies around intent, trust, authority, and omnichannel presence to stay relevant in a radically transforming digital landscape.

Key Takeaways and Insights:

1. Google I/O 2025 & The Birth of AI Mode

• Google unveils AI Mode, revolutionizing user search experiences

• Built on Gemini 2.5 (successor to Bard), enabling conversational, multimodal responses

2. The End of the Blue Links Era

• Traditional SEO (blue link style interface) is being replaced by rich AI responses

• Blue links are auto-clicked and content is synthesized into a single, AI-curated reply

• Marketers must transition to understanding content context and intent

3. Rethinking Content Strategy

• Intent-based content creation is essential

• Importance of publishing across platforms (e.g., guest posts, syndication)

• Guest blogging and content distribution regain critical relevance

4. Agentic Capabilities & Task Automation

• Introduction of “agentic booking” via Google’s Project Marino

• Users can command Google to complete multi-step tasks like buying tickets or scheduling demos

• Implications for eCommerce, lead gen, and B2B automation

5. New Business Models: Pay-for-Acquisition

• Shift from pay-per-click to pay-per-conversion

• Google may monetize via completed transactions, not ad clicks

6. AI as Analyst: Data Visualization + Summarization

• AI Mode can generate graphs and compare data on command

• Removes need for internal teams to do common research or analysis tasks

7. SEO Reimagined: Personalized Search Challenges

• Search results now depend heavily on user context

• Traditional SEO tools and ranking metrics may become obsolete

• Marketers may need to develop hyper-targeted, persona-driven strategies

8. The Rise of Persona-Based Marketing

• Importance of thinking in micro-audience segments

• Use industry, geography, and function to craft ultra-specific campaigns

9. Trust, Authority, and Authenticity Matter More Than Ever

• Google will reward Authoritativeness and Experience (Double E-E-A-T)

• Original research, author bios, backlinks, media mentions, and reviews are crucial

• Avoid faking expertise with AI-generated personas/content

10. Where to Shift Budget and Strategy

• Invest in video content

• Grow presence on Reddit

• Emphasize content distribution and repurposing

• Ungate long-form content to enable AI indexing

Resources & Tools:

🔗Google I/O 2025 Announcement

🔗E-E-A-T Guidelines

🔗Distribution.ai

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