The year 2025 brings a number of new changes and innovations to the world of SEO and internet marketing that can fundamentally affect the success of online strategies. January brings updates from Google and Microsoft, new trends in advertising formats, and improvements in data analysis tools. What news and changes should marketers keep an eye on to stay on top? Let’s take a look at the most important digital marketing news shaping the scene this year.
Automated bidding in Google Ads
Automated bidding in Google Ads can be a great tool for simplifying campaign management, but it doesn’t always deliver the results you expect. If you’re new to campaigns or have a limited budget, it’s a good idea to start with manual CPC bidding. This strategy gives you control over your bid levels and allows you to adjust them based on actual performance. Manual CPC is a great starting point for testing your campaign’s effectiveness before moving on to more advanced automated strategies. With careful tracking and optimization, you can gradually move to more effective bidding methods that help you maximize conversions and control costs.
Google reveals the most popular
Google has released its annual “Year in Search” report , which maps the most popular keywords and topics that captured the world’s attention in 2024. Global trends were dominated by sporting events like the Copa América and political events including the US elections. In entertainment, both established stars and new talent gained attention.
Other categories, such as food, games and lifestyle, showed a preference for convenience and connection. Recipes and life simulation games, for example, gained popularity. The report, based on search data analysis, provides insight into the events and personalities that defined the year, as well as specific trends for the United States. This annual survey shows what people around the world are most interested in and inspired by.
Meta gave top advertisers special
Meta previously implemented a “guardrail” system that exempted high-spending advertisers from automatic content moderation and directed their posts to manual review. The initiative was intended to protect against missteps that could hurt the big brands that make up the platform’s key revenue stream.
However, internal documents published by the Financial Times reveal that this two-tier approach raises concerns about fairness and transparency. While large advertisers have received privileged treatment, smaller advertisers have been left subject to standard automated moderation, which may not always be accurate.
The move opens a debate about the impartiality of moderation on social media platforms and whether prioritizing key commercial interests damages the trust of users and smaller merchants in a level playing field.
Studio Sync for local development
The hosting platform from Automattic, has announced the integration of its open-source local development application Sync germany mobile database with WordPress.com hosting services . This new feature makes it easier for developers to build websites directly on their desktops and then seamlessly deploy them to production once they’re ready.
Sync streamlines the process from design to publication, eliminating the need for complex manual transfers. WordPress.com, known for its user-friendliness and offering free and paid hosting plans, is strengthening its position as a comprehensive platform for building and managing websites. This innovation confirms Automattic’s slogan: “Everything you need to build and grow any website – all in one place.”
Max gains budget reallocation experiments
Google Ads has introduced a new feature that allows marketers to run experiments to reallocate budgets from Dynamic Search affiliation or membership in an association Ads (DSA) or Display campaigns to Performance Max (PMax). This approach is designed to help optimize campaign performance and uncover more efficient ways to use advertising budgets.
How to do it:
Experiments in Google Ads : In the Campaigns section. Therefore, go to Experiments and create a new Performance Max test.
Control group selection : Choose an appropriate DSA or Display campaign to compare with Performance Max.
Traffic distribution :
Set what proportion of traffic will be allocated to the control and test groups.
Create a treatment group : Set up a new Performance Max campaign with the appropriate assets, budget, and strategy.
Plan and launch : Give your cpa email list experiment a name, specify a timeframe, and launch it.
This update gives marketers greater control over budget optimization, allowing them to more effectively achieve marketing goals.
Google Search Console adds
Google Search Console has introduced new functionality that allows you to export hourly performance data within a 24-hour view. This update delivers faster and more accurate insights into website performance, allowing marketers and webmasters to respond to changes in near real-time.
Key improvements:
The view allows you to download detailed performance reports by hour.
Data latency has been reduced by 50%, News in SEO improving the usability of information.