Digital marketing continues to evolve, reshaping how brands interact with their audiences. Staying informed about the latest digital marketing trends is no longer optional—it’s the key to maintaining relevance in a rapidly changing environment. Groundbreaking advancements in AI are defining the future of digital marketing, shifts in search behaviour with zero-click content, the growing influence of voice search, and a heightened focus on personalised user experiences.
As customer expectations shift, brands must rethink their strategies to stay connected and impactful. This blog dives into the key digital marketing trends that are redefining the way businesses approach marketing. From creating audience-first strategies to exploring emerging tools, these insights will help you prepare for what’s next and take meaningful steps toward stronger connections with your audience.
AI Overviews, previously called Search Generative Experience (SGE), show up right at the top of search results with AI-created answers to questions.
You’ll mostly see them for searches like “what is,” “how to,” or “symptoms of,” making them popular for quick, question-based queries.
Back in beta, AI Overviews popped up for about 84% of searches. But since launching to U.S. users in May 2024, they’ve scaled back, now appearing in just 7% of searches. This change likely aims to reduce misinformation.
For websites focused on introductory, question-driven blogs, these AI answers and Google’s Helpful Content Update can mean a noticeable dip in traffic since users often get their answers directly in search.
The Shift You Can’t Ignore
Traffic from Google to brand websites is steadily dropping. Engagement signals like click-through rates (CTR) and session duration are becoming key indicators for understanding how visitors interact with content.
What you must do:
Want to show up in AI results? Check out our guide on ranking for AI Overviews.
If you’re a small or mid-sized business, think about shifting focus to middle-of-the-funnel content. Avoid chasing “what,” “where,” or “how” topics since bigger brands and AI content dominate those spaces.
AI is changing the game for paid advertising, with platforms jumping on board to make ads smarter and more effective.
Take Google Ads, for example—it uses AI to fine-tune bids, craft relevant ads, and connect you with the right audience. Performance Max campaigns go a step further, ditching keywords to discover converting queries and create intent-matching ads. Plus, you can whip up creative assets in no time.
Microsoft isn’t far behind, rolling out features like Conversational Ad experiences, Ads for Chat API, and Copilot, powered by generative AI.
What you must do:
In 2025, AI-powered ads mean sharper targeting, better performance, and higher ROI without the heavy lifting.
Search is becoming all about visuals, with platforms moving past plain text results to include videos, image carousels, and map packs. It’s a shift aimed at grabbing attention and opening new doors for brands to boost visibility.
Google Lens is a standout here, with a massive user base that often flies under the radar in marketing conversations—despite its popularity rivalling tools like ChatGPT.
As people naturally gravitate towards visuals, platforms like Pinterest, TikTok, and Instagram are driving this change, reshaping how users explore and engage with content online.
How to Nail Visual Search in 2025
Video is still king in digital marketing, with platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram Reels pushing short, interactive formats to the forefront.
As people lean toward quick, engaging content, brands have a chance to share their message in creative, bite-sized ways. Here’s how you can make your videos stand out:
Social media and online shopping are now tightly linked, with platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest letting users shop without leaving their feeds. This shift makes it easier for people to go from browsing to buying in seconds.
Here’s how to make the most of it:
Immersive experiences are redefining how brands connect with audiences by creating environments that invite active participation. Augmented reality (AR) allows users to interact virtually with products—whether it’s trying on makeup, placing furniture in their space, or customising their car. Virtual reality (VR) takes it further, offering experiences like virtual property tours or immersive gaming environments. These technologies, paired with interactive content like quizzes or 360-degree videos, build deeper engagement and leave a lasting impression.
For businesses, investing in immersive experiences isn’t just a way to stand out—it’s a strategy to create memorable moments that turn viewers into loyal customers. By embracing AR, VR, and interactive content, brands can provide value and entertainment simultaneously.
What to Do:
There’s been a lot of chatter recently about improving content standards and Google’s regular updates. Barry Schwartz, CEO of RustyBrick, mentions that Google continues refining its algorithms to filter out subpar content. This makes focusing on quality even more critical.
With the influx of AI-generated material, ensuring content speaks directly to users' needs at every step of their journey is essential. High-quality, purpose-driven material performs better and builds trust.
What to Prioritise
Content built around specific topics and entities is gaining traction, especially as search shifts toward understanding meaning rather than just matching keywords.
Expert Advice
Make expertise and authority a priority. Highlight the skills and knowledge of individuals associated with your brand instead of relying on general claims. As Patrick Reinhart of Conductor advises, platforms like Reddit, Quora, and other user-generated content sources will become integral to successful content strategies.
Focusing on depth and credibility ensures your content keeps pace with evolving expectations.
Organic search could see a drop of 25% by 2026 and possibly even 50% by 2028, according to Gartner. With this shift, it’s time to rethink your approach.
A Smarter Path Forward
SEO pros should start treating LLMs as powerful tools for boosting traffic and visibility. LLMs, or Large Language Models, are advanced artificial intelligence models designed to process and generate human-like text. They are built on deep learning architectures, typically transformers, and trained on vast datasets containing diverse text from books, websites, articles, and more.
These models are steadily becoming a key source of web traffic, and the accuracy of the data you feed them is crucial. Providing detailed links, citations, and business information helps them represent your brand better.
Crystal Clear Strategy
Crystal Carter from Wix puts it simply: “Be everywhere that matters.” To achieve that:
Make your brand data accessible by using schema markup and ensuring LLMs can crawl your most valuable content. High-quality links, especially from trusted platforms like Wikipedia, go a long way in strengthening your credibility.
Voice search continues to grow, with more people relying on smart devices and assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant. By 2025, over half of all online searches could be voice-driven, reshaping how content is discovered.
What This Means for Brands
Traditional SEO tactics won’t cut it anymore. Voice queries are conversational and longer, often reflecting natural speech patterns.
A Practical Approach
To stay relevant:
Google’s algorithms are increasingly prioritising content that provides quick, accurate answers in a conversational tone. By aligning your strategy with how users interact with voice assistants, you can maintain visibility in this shifting landscape.
AI-driven search results and personalised SERPs are the must-know digital marketing trends. Tech giants like Google, Bing, and Apple are pushing out smarter AI tools, making search more dynamic than ever.
Today’s search is all about being multimodal—combining text, visuals, and more. To land in those coveted AI overviews, you’ll need to:
Pro Tip: Before diving into your content game plan, figure out:
Your content should be easy to find, work well in traditional search rankings, and earn mentions from trustworthy sources. Danny Goodwin from Search Engine Land says it best: If you want to win, make sure your content shines across all the platforms your audience loves.
As we step into 2025, brands need to keep their focus sharp on one thing—making the buyer’s journey smooth and hassle-free.
It’s not just about being everywhere but about showing up in the right places at the right time. Think about how people shop today:
To get it right, you’ve got to figure out where your customers hang out during each step of their buying process. Whether it’s Instagram for ideas or Reddit for validation, connecting these dots into one seamless journey is how you’ll see the best results.
The future of digital marketing brings new opportunities for brands ready to adapt. Understanding digital marketing trends isn’t just about following the changes—it’s about staying relevant to your audience. AI-driven personalisation, zero-click content, voice search, and interactive experiences are shaping how businesses connect with customers.
Success lies in creating strategies that prioritise what your audience values most. Focusing on innovation, meaningful engagement, and smart use of technology ensures your brand stays prepared for what’s ahead. As these trends unfold, now is the time to evaluate your approach and refine it to keep your brand visible and impactful.