Econsultancy • 11th April 2025

Video, social, and generative AI: How to optimise for search in 2025

The many LinkedIn posts about SEO’s death have been greatly exaggerated. That was one of the key takeaways from day one of Brighton SEO’s annual gathering of search experts. The conclusion was not that any one factor (say, GenAI, or TikTok) has single-handedly ‘upended’ search as we know it. Rather, the reality of what it means to optimise for search now is much more nuanced – and interesting – than that. Here’s why, and how to go about it.

Econsultancy • 15th January 2025

Will Search Generative Experience (SGE) really transform web search?

The date for a full roll-out of Google’s Search Generated Experience (SGE) is currently unknown. With the thorny issue of hallucinations and publishers potentially feeling alienated, not to mention generative AI not proving to be a major winner in search for rival Microsoft, what’s next for SGE?

Econsultancy • 24th September 2024

AI Overviews are ‘problematic for marketers’: Why mid-funnel content is the right response

At HubSpot’s Inbound 2024, Fire&Spark Founder and President Dale Bertrand argued that despite their impact on traffic, Google’s AI Overviews present an opportunity for marketers to capture higher-quality website visitors.

Marketing Week • 24th July 2024

What does Gen AI mean for marketers’ approach to SEO?

Generative AI tools have made it easier than ever to create content at scale – giving rise to new opportunities for spam and content farming. What is Google doing to stay on top of the issue, and what does it all mean for SEO?

Econsultancy • 23rd August 2023

Despite advances in conversational search, SEOs still don’t need a voice strategy

With search seemingly moving in a more conversational direction, voice search is experiencing something of a revival of interest, with some speculating that searchers will be more likely to speak queries aloud now that their search engine can also give a conversational reply. So, should brands optimise for voice to get ahead? Although the voice experience is definitely improving with the introduction of generative AI, when it comes to optimising for voice search, voice suffers from the same problem it has always had – a lack of reporting.

Econsultancy • 14th February 2023

‘AI-powered’ search is off to a problematic start. Can Google and Bing fix it?

Google and Microsoft are racing to be the first to launch generative AI chat in search, with release announcements coming within days of one another. However, the problems are already beginning to show. What are they, and how could they be addressed?

Econsultancy • 16th December 2022

Does ChatGPT really pose a threat to search engines?

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has gone viral, with many claiming that this sophisticated chatbot could displace Google. But how well does it really perform as a search engine?

Econsultancy • 17th January 2020

Voice in 2020 is (still) not about search

We’ve made it to 2020, the year that many believed would be a milestone for voice search. Here’s why I think we should stop talking about it.

Econsultancy • 26th November 2018

The future of visual search: smart glasses, AR and retail opportunity

Over the next two decades, I believe that we’ll see search develop in two key directions. First of all, we’ll see voice search take off in a meaningful way – something that, despite the considerable hype surrounding voice search, we haven’t yet seen. And secondly, we’ll see the rise of visual search, alongside the development of technologies like smart glasses and augmented reality.

Econsultancy • 23rd August 2018

Why we need to stop repeating the “50% by 2020” voice search prediction

It appears on everything from presentation slides to thinkpieces: the ultimate justification for prioritising voice search; the ultimate proof that soon, we’ll be living in a much more vocal world. The thing about statistics is that so often, as they’re cited and re-cited, their context is lost. And sometimes, that context can be very important to understanding what a statistic actually means.

Search Engine Watch • 13th October 2016

The new wave of visual search: what it can do, and what might be possible

Visual search on the web has been around for some time. But in the last couple of years, it has come into new prominence, with companies like Pinterest and Bing developing into serious contenders in the visual search space, and search engines like Splash conceptualising new ways to search the web visually.

Search Engine Watch • 3rd June 2016

What does Meeker’s Internet Trends report tell us about voice search?

This week saw the publication of Mary Meeker’s annual Internet Trends report, packed full of data and insights into the development of the internet and digital technology across the globe.

Search Engine Watch • 3rd May 2016

Why are SEOs slow to implement Accelerated Mobile Pages?

It’s been just over two months since Google launched Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), its super-fast brand of mobile webpages running on an amped-up version of HTML.

Search Engine Watch • 12th April 2016

Everything you need to know about natural language search

Search engines like Google, Bing and others are making efforts to bring searching for information in line with everyday conversation with a type of search called ‘natural language search’.

Search Engine Watch • 3rd March 2016

Going over to the duck side: a week using DuckDuckGo

I’ve heard about DuckDuckGo a few times over the years, mostly as a name uttered in hushed whispers behind closed doors – “You don’t have to use Google. There is another way.”

Search Engine Watch • 25th February 2016

Why accessibility is key for search and visibility

If you’re involved with SEO, you’ve no doubt thought about all sorts of ways and means to boost your site in the search rankings. But if your site isn’t web accessible, your efforts will be in vain for 1/5 of your potential visitors. Web accessibility is the name given to making websites and online materials usable to people with disabilities, removing barriers to the way they experience the internet.