March 28, 2025
In the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape, there’s never a dull moment. This past week brought a mix of important updates – from Google completing a major search algorithm rollout to new AI features and industry initiatives making waves. We saw Google expand its AI-powered search summaries across Europe and clarify that traditional search isn’t going anywhere despite AI’s rise. Meanwhile, a security scam is targeting SEO professionals via fake Semrush ads, the EU launched a free digital marketing course, and OpenAI rolled out advanced image generation for all ChatGPT users. Let’s dive into each of these developments and what they mean for marketers.
Google’s March 2025 Core Update – Rollout Complete
Google’s first core algorithm update of the year began on March 13 and finished on March 27. As a broad core update, it aimed to improve the relevance and helpfulness of search results. SEO pros noticed ranking shifts, though this update had a milder impact than some previous ones.
Now’s the time to review your site’s performance. Check Google Search Console and analytics for traffic or ranking changes. A drop doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong — focus on creating high-quality, user-focused content. There are no quick fixes, but steady improvements often pay off long term.
With the update done, there’s a window to make changes before the next rollout. Use this time to align with Google’s quality guidelines and monitor how your site adjusts post-update.
Want to know more read our detailed blog post about the March 2025 Core Update
Fake Semrush Ads Scam – Stealing SEO Pros’ Google Accounts
Phishing scam targets SEO pros via fake Semrush ads
A new phishing campaign is targeting SEO professionals using fake Google Ads that impersonate Semrush. According to BleepingComputer, these ads lead to lookalike login pages (e.g., semrush[.]click), tricking users into using the “Log in with Google” option — which steals their Google credentials.
The threat:
A Brazilian threat group aims to hijack Google Ads accounts, enabling them to run malicious ad campaigns or steal sensitive data. This scam exploits Semrush’s trusted brand (used by 40% of Fortune 500 companies) and mimics real login flows to gain access.
How to stay safe:
- Always double-check the URL before logging in
- Avoid clicking suspicious ads
- Bookmark the official Semrush site
- Enable 2FA on your Google account
Marketers and SEO pros should stay vigilant — this evolving scam could lead to serious account breaches.
Google Expands AI Overviews – 9 More Countries in Europe
Google is rolling out its AI-generated Search overviews (part of SGE) to nine more European countries: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland.
These summaries appear at the top of certain search results, offering quick answers plus links to sources. They’ll be shown to signed-in users aged 18+ when Google deems them useful for the query.
This shift introduces a new AI-driven search experience to a wider audience. To stay visible, it's essential your content is high-quality and optimized to appear in these AI snapshots. Though traditional results remain, SGE highlights how AI is reshaping search presentation.
OpenAI’s GPT-4o – Image Generation Now for Everyone
OpenAI is rolling out GPT-4o’s built-in image generation to all ChatGPT users — including free accounts. This means you can now ask ChatGPT to both write and generate images in one go, using the context of your conversation.
Because the image tool is part of the language model, it understands prior messages, making it ideal for things like mockups or website drafts. It also excels at rendering text in images and keeping a consistent style across edits.
This feature is a powerful tool for rapid content creation — from social media graphics to mock flyers and infographics. You can even upload an image and ask ChatGPT to modify it.
OpenAI notes high demand temporarily slowed rollout for free users, but access is expanding. As AI tools blend text and visuals more seamlessly, marketers should prepare for faster workflows — and new creative challenges.
Google on AI in Search – “Search Bar Isn’t Going Away”
At Search Central Live in NYC, Google’s John Mueller reassured that AI won't replace search engines. While AI is evolving fast, he emphasized the classic Google search bar isn’t going anywhere.
Google’s VP of Search, Liz Reid, echoed this — saying search is evolving (with more voice and visual tools), but the core concept of “searching for information” remains. SEO is still very much alive.
Mueller confirmed that crawling, indexing, and ranking are still key. While AI may change how results are displayed (e.g., summaries or chat-style answers), optimizing for discoverability and quality content remains essential.
Stay tuned for next week's digital marketing highlights!
A quick recap of the latest and most important trends, insights, and news shaping the digital marketing landscape, see you next week.
Junior content marketer
Aron is a 22-year-old Junior content marketer with a focus on digital strategy and audience engagement. He is gaining experience in creating and optimizing content to improve brand visibility and connect with target audiences. Always eager to learn, Aron stays updated on content trends and marketing techniques to contribute effectively to campaigns and projects.
