Hi friends,

Are you ready for some digital marketing? (You: YES!) Well, let’s go!

• Two Google AI Mode stories this week:

• • First, the Google AI Mode roll out to all US users appears to be happening now (see pic below).
  • Second, Google is now including AI Mode traffic data in Google Search Console reporting. But the traffic is getting wrapped in with your existing totals and not appearing as a separate category that can be filtered. Time will tell how or even if Google will ever open its AI data doors.

• Google’s documentation around AI Mode also stated, “The best practices for SEO remain relevant for AI features in Google Search.” It is unclear if the use of “relevant” was an intended word choice given the growing importance of “Relevance” as a key guideline for ranking. (Remember H-E-E-A-R-T?)

• There is nothing new in this article about “How to get started with AI Optimization…” that we haven’t already covered here over the past two years… EXCEPT for this nugget buried in the middle: “ChatGPT relies on Google.com more than other sites.” And by a lot according to the accompanying chart. The clear implication is SEO success can help with SAIO success.

• Building a WordPress website soon? Planning saves you time in the long run. This article from Search Engine Journal gives you a great hopping off point. Also, here are a few tips I’ve picked up throughout the years:
  • Plan SEO titles/tags for major pages BEFORE putting your content on the site. It saves you the hassle of editing it later.
  • Generally assemble the elements on your pages and then put your content in. After you’re done there, you can start playing with designs, animations, etc. (Do it vice versa, you’ll find you’ve perfected the title animation, but didn’t leave any room for the date and author bar… or the actual article text… the thing people visit your page for.)
  • If you have a unique issue, 9/10 times there’s a free/low-cost plugin for it. Make sure it is compatible with your theme and has been updated frequently! Some of my favorites are Yoast (SEO), Redirection (automatically redirects pages when URLs change), and ShareThis Share Buttons (for social sharing).

• Curious about TikTok and Insta influencers in 2025? SocialFly just released an Influencer Benchmark Report comparing Influencers tiers from nano (5k-10k followers) to macro (250K-2M followers). Where should you be focusing your influencer marketing efforts? It depends on whether you want higher engagement rates or view rates.

• TikTok is expanding its Symphony suite of GenAI tools, one of which converts static pictures to 5-second videos. Adobe Express is also offering social content creation in partnership with TikTok. Check it out: TikTok GenAI.

Improved access to health for those in underprivileged areas and/or disaster situations… that’s the mission of Heart to Heart International. Through hygiene kits, disaster response, medical care, supplies, medications, and more, this charity works to improve healthcare access in the U.S. and abroad. Learn more: Heart to Heart International.

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

Why do we need to be the best?

The greatest driver… the high-performing athlete… the smartest in the room… the board game master… who can fix anything while balancing the world on their shoulders.… Yes, applying ourselves is the key to growth, but, scientifically, making mistakes increases the “activation of the neural circuits that increase alertness” in our brain… helping us learn. We don’t stretch ourselves by being the best of anything. In fact, that’s how we stagnate.

Growth doesn’t always come from winning — it stems from learning.

Until Next Time!

Natalie

Two-ingredient watermelon sorbet? Yes please — check out this super-easy viral recipe!

Hey y’all!

3, 2, 1…

Let’s jump into the digital marketing fun!

• Search Engine Roundtable’s June 2025 Google Webmaster Report recaps Google Search related news from the past month. Don’t be misled by “Webmaster” as the article links are grouped by topics including Google Ranking & Volatility, Google AI, Google Search Console, Google SEO, Google Business Profiles, and more. We covered a number of these topics in May issues of Perspective Marketer, but here are a few links to stories about AI Mode worth highlighting:

• • About 45% of 276 SEOs polled said AI Mode left them “Scared out of my mind”. A week later, another poll asked how they felt about AI Mode and planned to move forward. Forty-two percent felt “Good: lots to change but ready”. DBE did not participate in the polls, but our AI Mode testing has us feeling confident our SAIO strategies will gain visibility in AI Mode, similar to how they have with ChatGPT and Perplexity.

• • We’ve got some good news for you (🎉): Google AI Mode Reporting is now coming to Google Search Console. AI Overviews visibility and clicks have been difficult to report. There are still questions on what this reporting will look like and how much information will be provided. Stay tuned.

• 44% of U.S. Adults are “likely” to use an AI tool to comparison shop. This is further evidence that AI search/answer engines should be factored as another stop along the customer journey and targeted for optimization accordingly.

• As we transition into GEO/SAIO/AIO territory, Duane Forrester in this SEL article predicts what may become our GenAI KPIs. Some interesting ones include…
  • Chunk retrieval frequency – “How often a modular content is retrieved in response to prompts”
  • Zero-click surface presence – “Your appearance in systems that don’t require links to deliver answers.”
  • Attribution rate in AI outputs – “How often your brand/site is cited in AI answers.”
    

    All these terms are up for debate. It will depend on what measurement tools come out first. Then, we can base our KPIs off of that.

• As a brand, using cleared music in social media posts should be a top priority. Then, you have to make sure each track is cleared across platforms. This Marketing Brew article suggests to balance trendiness and uniqueness. “While hopping on trendy music may get brand content in front of more eyeballs, it can also dilute the branding effectiveness of a song.” There’s no clear path, so social marketers trailblaze until they find what works.

It’s Pride Month, so we’re celebrating love! The It Gets Better Project works to “uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth around the globe.” You may have heard about them through their TikTok campaigns, especially their “50 States. 50 Grants. 5,000 Voices.” initiative where they give students money to improve LGBTQ+ youth programs in their schools. Check them out, and learn more: It Gets Better Project.

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

You can’t know everything. (Duh.) 

The road from “not knowing” to “knowing” can be tumultuous and terribly frustrating. 

We need to build up our frustration tolerance to grow. Learn more in this video of Dr. Becky’s lecture at Duke University. (Thanks, Niki for sharing!)

I’ll leave you with this quote (and give you 10 points if you can guess where it’s from — check the P.S. for the answer):

“You are the most talented, most interesting, and most extraordinary person in the universe. And you are capable of amazing things.”

Stay amazing,

Natalie

Chris Pratt’s delivery of this line makes me tear up… check it out!