Organic Traffic in 2024: Key Insights for Marketers to Stay Ahead in 2025

In our most recent Growth Leader Series webinar, Kevin Indig, a leading voice in scaling organic growth, shared key insights into the SEO trends that shaped 2024 and how marketers can prepare for success in 2025. With over a decade of experience helping companies like Hims, Toast, and Reddit acquire over 100 million users through SEO, Kevin's insights are invaluable for any marketer looking to stay ahead of the curve.

Quick Recap of Key Takeaways

• AI is transforming SEO, shifting search from a click-out model to an engagement model
• Reddit's organic traffic has skyrocketed, becoming one of the fastest-growing sites on the web
• Google's new e-commerce experience is reshaping search results, emphasizing product optimization
• Differentiation is crucial for standing out in an increasingly competitive landscape
• System building and automation will define the future of marketing workflows

The Challenge Faced

As AI continues to transform the search landscape, marketers face the challenge of adapting their strategies to stay relevant. With the rise of AI overviews in search results, the traditional click-out model is gradually being replaced by an engagement model. This shift requires marketers to rethink their approach to content creation and optimization.

The Results Achieved

Despite the challenges posed by AI, some platforms have seen remarkable growth in organic traffic. Reddit, in particular, has experienced a significant increase in visibility, becoming one of the fastest-growing sites on the web. This growth can be attributed to several factors:

• Reddit provides uncommercial content, offering users the least biased answers
• Google's Hidden Gems update in June 2023 rewarded forum and user-generated content
• Reddit's unique attributes, such as the Karma system and strict moderation, help maintain content quality

Deep Dive

Optimizing for Google's New E-Commerce Experience

Google's revamped shopping tab and product grid have changed the game for e-commerce SEO. To optimize for this new experience, marketers should focus on:

• Completing and optimizing product feeds in Google Merchant Center
• Implementing structured data, such as product and item list markup
• Improving overall store experience, including speed, filtering, and design

Leveraging System Building and Automation

By turning workflows into automated systems, marketers can increase their impact and output by at least 10x. Some examples of system building include:

• Automating cannibalization detection and resolution using AI
• Scheduling site crawls and using AI to evaluate and prioritize errors
• Automating content creation and optimization using platforms like AirOps

Best Practices and Key Learnings

Differentiation is Key

In a crowded market, differentiation is essential for building a strong brand and standing out from competitors. Marketers should focus on identifying their unique strengths and leveraging proprietary data, expertise, and angles to create content that is difficult to replicate.

During our webinar, Kevin shared an example of how Walmart utilizes AI-powered workflows to tackle the challenges posed by Google’s new e-commerce experience. Faced with the pressure of optimizing thousands of product listings, Walmart implemented a system that automatically enriched product feeds and pulled in structured data in real time. This AI-driven approach allowed them to stay ahead of the competition by ensuring that their listings were consistently optimized for search engines. As a result, Walmart saw significant improvements in its visibility within Google’s revamped shopping grid, providing users with faster and more accurate product information.

He also explained how Walmart integrated automated crawls into their system to identify and prioritize SEO issues, ultimately reducing manual effort. By automating this process, Walmart was able to continuously monitor and improve their site’s performance, making their SEO operation more efficient and sustainable. This has allowed Walmart to stay ahead in a crowded market by offering a more refined, data-driven shopping experience.

Embrace Reddit as a Marketing Channel

With its growing prominence in search results, Reddit presents a significant opportunity for marketers. To leverage this platform effectively, consider:

• Becoming active on Reddit by engaging with the community and responding to comments
• Using Reddit as a source of audience insights to inform content creation
• Experimenting with different content formats, such as AMAs, behind-the-scenes, and industry reflections

Optimize for AI Overviews

To improve visibility in AI overviews, marketers should:

• Create content that matches the format and quality of LLM answers
• Become active on platforms like YouTube and LinkedIn, which are frequently cited in AI overviews
• Identify gaps in current AI answers and create content that provides better, more comprehensive information

Leverage Proprietary Data

Incorporating proprietary data into content creation is a powerful way to differentiate and build a strong brand. Sources of proprietary data include:

• Product or marketplace data
• Market research, such as surveys, polls, and customer interviews
• Unique combinations of publicly available data

Implement System Building and Automation

By turning workflows into automated systems, marketers can significantly increase their productivity and impact. Key principles of system building include:

• Setting up workflows once and focusing on improving the system rather than individual outputs
• Collecting improvements and feeding them back into the system to enhance future output
• Leveraging no-code solutions and AI to build systems out of existing workflows

Putting the Insights into Practice

As we head into 2025, marketers who adapt their strategies to the evolving search landscape will be best positioned for success. By focusing on differentiation, leveraging platforms like Reddit, optimizing for AI overviews, and embracing system building and automation, you can create a powerful SEO strategy that drives growth and sets your brand apart.

To help you implement these strategies, AirOps is offering exclusive training opportunities for a limited number of attendees. Don't miss this chance to work with AirOps experts to craft custom workflows that will take your growth to the next level. Book time with a Growth Expert today!

‍