The Weekly Bulletin | March 11, 2025

Hi SODP community,

Let’s recap on what’s been happening, the new content, industry updates, tips, and more.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Google's AI mode announcement has raised new concerns for many, particularly within our digital media publishing community.

According to Google, AI Mode provides AI-driven responses to users, focusing on sharing generated information from the websites or pages that its search engine has crawled.

It is also meant to address longer-tail searches and enhance the defensibility of its search business, but is it hastening a rapid decline? In my view, still a no:

• It is helping to shape search into a brand and consideration conversion channel.

• It aims to address how the web is being used and changing.

• It could represent a positive shift away from AI overviews (or an evolution of the current version), which are causing issues and hallucinations, ultimately detracting from the traditional search experience for many users who rely on it.

We can all agree that the SEO landscape is changing, and publishers must recognise that AI cannot replicate depth, originality, or human expertise. This is where publishers can take back control. Here’s how they can adapt strategically:

1. Win with E-E-A-T: Establish yourself as the unquestioned expert in your niche. Publish original, researched, data-driven content and bylined analysis that AI cannot easily condense into a snippet. SEO principles still apply.

2. Optimise for AI search discoverability: Focus on user intent rather than merely keywords—organise content around FAQs, engaging headers, and semantic summaries. Invest in comprehensive guides, video explainers, and interactive tools—formats that provide value beyond AI’s text-based summaries. News will also experience a resurgence, and you should either continue publishing or increase your efforts in the short term, as trending content remains an area largely untouched by AI search.

3. Own your audience: Build direct relationships through newsletters, products (e.g., apps), and niche communities. These channels are your lifeline when search traffic varies.

Once more, I'm not aiming to be disillusioned by projecting positivity. Likewise, I don’t want to be one of those sharing negativity. However, as publishers, change is the only constant, so it's important to approach things with curiosity and to test, implement, and cater to your audiences.

SODP POSTS

Top Affiliate Networks and Platforms to Boost Your Revenue in 2025

As a publisher, your content is your currency. Now is the time to maximize your content’s earning potential. With the affiliate marketing industry projected to hit $36.9 billion by 2030, you should strategize to cash in on it.

Imagine turning your newsletter and website into a consistent revenue machine by earning commissions from brands targeting your audience.

However, remember that not all affiliate networks are high-value. You need an affiliate marketing network that offers fair payouts, real-time tracking, and multiple programs from premium advertisers.

To make it easier for you, we have tested and evaluated multiple affiliate networks for their commission structure, payouts, reputation, advertiser selection, and more. Based on these criteria, find a list of the top affiliate networks to boost your publisher revenue in 2025.

READ MORE

JOB BOARD

➡️ The Australian Financial Review is looking for a community engagement editor who will collaborate closely with her editorial teams, leveraging data and engagement strategies to deepen the relationship between the AFR and its audience, both online and in-person. (Australia). SEE MORE

➡️FW Publishing  is seeking an audience editor who will be responsible for overseeing day-to-day distribution of her stories online, including uploading articles to their content management system, maintaining a social media schedule and preparing newsletters (Nashville, TN). SEE MORE

COMMUNITY BUZZ

Industry News

➡️ Google's VP of Product at Google Search, Robby Stein, has responded to concerns from publishers around the new AI Mode. Specifically, the concerns around this new AI search interface not being all that encouraging for users to click over to publishers' sites. READ MORE

➡️ Despite being a popular talking point, people aren’t (yet?) abandoning Google Search and using ChatGPT search or other AI chatbots. In fact, the number of Google searches increased year over year, and Google Search handles 373 times more searches than ChatGPT, according to a new analysis by SparkToro co-founder Rand Fishkin. READ MORE 

Social Media Discussions

➡️ Dan Hinckley on LinkedIn:

SEO Tip: Hidden inside Chrome is a little-known URL that reveals what and why Google suggests different searches as you type. Understanding Google’s autocomplete suggestions can provide valuable insight into how search suggestions are personalized and ranked.

By entering chrome://omnibox/ into your Chrome browser, you can see detailed data behind Google’s autocomplete, including:

• Relevance Score: Each suggestion is ranked based on factors like search history, trending queries, and relevance from Google’s servers. In the screenshot, some queries have scores over 1300, indicating strong signals from previous searches or engagement.

CONTINUE READING

These are the highlights for the last week.

Until next!

Vahe Arabian and the editorial team at SODP