蘑菇AV

Rapidly growing healthcare providers are reinvesting in online marketing: Incumbents must embrace social and search marketing to ward off competition from telehealth and D2C providers.

According to an October 2024 Pipeline360 and Demand Metric survey, 38% of B2B marketers in the UK and the US rely on SEO and search engine marketing (SEM) for lead generation, ahead of webinars, content syndication, and events. SEO budgets should reflect that up to 90% of search activity still occurs on traditional platforms like Google and Bing.

Behind the chart:. 41% of US B2B marketers report their marketing spending has increased in 2025, according to Sagefrog Marketing Group data. 20% of US B2B marketers say search engine marketing is their leading source for sale and marketing leads in 2025, per the same data. Use this chart: This is a cue to reassess your SEO strategy.

Search ad spending will not be immune to the economic upheaval caused by the US tariff regime. But it will be less susceptible than other spending areas.

The news: Marketing teams are rapidly integrating AI tools into search engine optimization (SEO) workflows. A vast majority (86%) of US SEO professionals and digital marketers use ChatGPT alongside traditional platforms like Ahrefs (64%) and Semrush (56%), per a Databox survey to understand how generative AI (genAI) is changing their work in 2025. Our take: As shifts from traditional search to AI chatbots continue to alter the marketing landscape, CMOs need to maintain a balanced approach to AI integration while preserving traditional SEO foundations. Combining AI鈥檚 efficiency with human oversight is key to ensure brand control while exploring emerging search and SEO opportunities.

This is the Q1 2025 installment of our quarterly 鈥淎d Spending Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.鈥�

The trend: Global visits to the top 100 web domains fell nearly 7% from March 2022 to March 2025, per Semrush, with Google鈥檚 own traffic down 6.4%, according to Similarweb as cited by DataReportal. Our take: Search is no longer a neutral traffic driver. Marketers need to plan for a world where clicks don鈥檛 come easy and genAI responses, not blue links, dictate traffic and visibility. GEO strategies must ensure brands are surfaced in genAI outputs. Marketers should focus on first-party data, brand-owned channels, and social, especially since platforms like TikTok, Reddit, and YouTube are increasingly becoming primary search paths for younger users.

US advertisers will spend $25.9 billion on AI search ads in 2029鈥�13.6% of all search ad spending, up from just 0.7% in 2025, according to 蘑菇AV's May forecast.

The news: Digital-first consumers now expect fast, zero-click access to information鈥攎eaning they often get answers from search engines or social platforms without clicking through, per CUInsight. To stay visible, FIs should optimize content for featured snippets, enhance their Google Business Profiles, and use tools like calculators that embed in search results. Our take: Zero-click marketing deserves its own strategy alongside SEO and generative optimization. Financial brands that adapt their content to meet users where they are鈥攚ithin snippets, tools, or knowledge panels鈥攃an build more visibility and trust than competitors who rely on traditional site traffic alone.

As Google's search changes continue and consumers increasingly turn to alternative platforms, the SEO playbook defined by link building and keyword optimization is losing relevance.

The news: Adobe aims to help brands and publishers improve content placement in AI browsers, search tools, and chatbots with its new suite of AI tools鈥擫LM Optimizer. What it does: LLM Optimizer tracks which content and offerings鈥攕uch as website details, products, or articles鈥攁re being shown in AI interfaces and where they鈥檙e appearing. Our take: Adobe鈥檚 new tools, especially outcome metrics and actionable recommendations, can help marketers and brands craft tailored SEO for each platform鈥攂rowsers, AI Overviews, and chatbots鈥攁nd surface data-driven solutions to help improve their AI search presence.

The news: Streaming and social media sites are the top beneficiaries of AI chatbot referral traffic. Out of 1.3 billion generative AI (genAI) search referrals in May, YouTube ranked first in traffic with nearly 40 million visits, per Similarweb. Our take: Focusing on what makes sites top the AI search results could help increase site visits. Expand knowledge-based articles, FAQs, and blog posts with educational and UGC content. Boost SEO with long-tail keywords that are likely to appear in prompts. Encourage inbound links since site authority is a factor in AI search results.

The news: Financial institutions (FIs) must prioritize generative engine optimization (GEO)鈥攖he evolution of SEO鈥攐r risk disappearing from AI-powered customer journeys, according to The Financial Brand. As tools like ChatGPT increasingly guide users in choosing financial products, FIs must ensure their content is optimized for visibility and relevance within these AI environments. Our take: Nearly 80 million Americans are already using generative AI search engines, and that number is growing. FIs that move early to optimize their content will increase visibility and credibility with AI-driven consumers, while those who delay risk losing brand presence altogether.