RS345: The State Of Search 2025

Key takeaways

The content landscape has shifted; businesses must adopt a multi-modal content strategy across various platforms.
Website content alone is no longer sufficient; SEO practices need to adapt to include AI-driven insights.
Low-priced SaaS businesses should heavily invest in content marketing and referrals to drive growth.
AI tools can enhance content strategy by optimizing and analyzing existing materials against user queries.
Creating unique content across multiple platforms is crucial to engage audiences in an AI-focused world.

Summary

The Evolution of Content Marketing

Craig Hewitt shares his insights on the shift from traditional SEO and content marketing to a more nuanced approach called 'multi-modal content.' He discusses how the landscape has changed, particularly with the advent of AI and LLMs (large language models), suggesting that businesses should no longer solely rely on their websites but expand their content across various platforms such as YouTube, podcasts, LinkedIn, Reddit, and Quora.

Why Website Content Is No Longer Enough

In reflecting on his own business, Castos, Craig notes a significant decline in blog traffic, attributing it to decreased search volume and shifting behaviors. He emphasizes that while having a website is still important, it's become merely 'table stakes.' The focus should now be on a multi-platform approach to reach potential customers, particularly in an environment increasingly dominated by AI-driven search.

Strategies for Low-Priced Products

Craig highlights strategies specifically for low-priced SaaS products, outlining the necessity of content marketing and referrals as key growth drivers. He suggests that businesses in this space should create a robust content ecosystem, ensuring it aligns with their audience's needs using both traditional content and AI-generated outputs.

Utilizing AI and Tools for Content Strategy

Craig provides practical examples of leveraging AI tools, such as ChatGPT and crawling software, for assessing and optimizing existing content. He discusses how to match content with user queries to ensure relevance and utility in today's AI-influenced market. This includes remapping content across various platforms to maintain uniqueness while maximizing reach.

Engagement Through Digital Footprint

Highlighting the importance of ensuring that content appears in AI search results, Craig encourages marketers to invest effort into optimizing their digital presence across multiple channels. He concludes with a reflection on the importance of feedback from listeners regarding the podcast format, seeking to create engaging and valuable content.

Show notes

- LLMs.txt article: https://www.quoleady.com/llm-txt-files/

- Craig's YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@thecraighewitt

Chapters

(00:00:01) - Rogue Startups: The Startup Podcast
(00:00:07) - Content Marketing: Multimodal
(00:03:37) - Is Content Necessary for Your Business?
(00:06:23) - How to get a crawler to crawl your website for SEO
(00:13:58) - Marketing Decoded: Content and Search
(00:17:14) - Want to hear more of my ranting on AI?