Google’s farewells in 2024 and marketing trends to be abandoned in 2025
The year 2025 is upon us, and we find ourselves (alas!) taking stock of how many once-essential Google functions and marketing strategies are now outdated. Evolving consumer habits and the rise of new digital tools are inviting a change in approach, leaving behind practices that are now ineffective. In this article, we will explore Google’s “goodbyes” in 2024 and the marketing strategies we should abandon in order to remain competitive and in step with the times.
Marketing strategies and tools to abandon
Digital marketing is changing rapidly, and some tactics that were once useful are now not working as well as they used to. It’s time to say goodbye to outdated strategies and tools and make room for more modern and effective solutions. Here’s what’s worth leaving behind to keep growing in 2025.
- Basic chatbot: the era of static bots is over
The first chatbots, born in the 1960s, offered preprogrammed answers to frequently asked questions: useful for basic interactions, but incapable of handling complex conversations. Modern consumers now demand more fluid and personalized experiences, with AI assistants leveraging natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to answer articulate questions and solve problems. Today, nearly 90 percent of managers report improvements in complaint resolution and customer service management thanks to advanced chatbots.
In an increasingly customer experience-driven environment, basic chatbots are no longer competitive.
- Manipulative SEO practices
Techniques such as keyword stuffing andbuying poor quality backlinks, once used to improve search engine rankings, are now outdated and risk causing penalties. It is critical to adopt ethical SEO strategies focused on user experience to achieve lasting and valuable results.
SEO has not changed overnight, but has evolved gradually, shifting the focus from the use of keywords to the interpretation of “search intent.” This change introduced a new approach, focused on the specific needs of users: query search, which is now the core of every SEO strategy. SEOZoom has integrated this paradigm into its tools, providing features such as the Question Explorer, which allows you to go beyond traditional keyword research to identify the real questions asked by users and their intent, thus creating targeted content. In addition, with Google FAQ, it is possible to discover recurring questions related to the keywords for which the site ranks in the top10, optimizing content to directly and timely meet users’ needs.
This evolution affects not only Google, but also artificial intelligence platforms such as SearchGPT or tools such as Google Gemini. For marketers, optimizing based on these new forms of search is now essential to remain competitive in the digital marketing of the future.
- Predictive Analytics on historical data only
In the past, predictive analytics based on historical data were essential for predicting consumer behavior. However, with the rapid evolution of preferences, continuous updating through real-time data analytics is now essential. New predictive analytics combine historical data and real-time data, enabling more accurate and timely personalization. Companies that continue to rely only on past data risk delivering outdated and irrelevant experiences.
- Basic Social Media Monitoring and Sentiment Analysis.
In the past, AI applied to social media listening was limited to keyword-based text analysis, measuring only general sentiment toward the brand. Today, sentiment analysis tools are much more advanced: they analyze text, images, and videos, capturing sentiment in media content as well. New artificial intelligence models detect emotional nuances and modulate brand communication in real time, adapting to changes in audience mood. This evolution is essential for building authentic and lasting relationships with one’s customers.
- Segmenting on basic demographic data
At one time, segmenting customers by age, gender, and location was considered sufficient to personalize the user experience. Today, however, consumers expect much more targeted and relevant interactions. Dynamic segmentation, which integrates psychographic and behavioral data, enables a level of personalization unattainable with demographic data alone.
Brands that take this advanced approach can deliver tailored experiences across multiple touchpoints such as email, mobile apps, social media, and websites, calibrating each message to users’ actual interests and behaviors. This strategy not only creates deeper and more meaningful connections, but also meets the expectations of modern consumers, increasing engagement and loyalty throughout the customer journey.
- Voice Search Optimization (VSO): a trend that has not taken off
Between 2018 and 2019, voice search seemed destined to revolutionize digital marketing, making it essential to optimize to be found via voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Home. However, the adoption of voice search has been slower than expected, prompting a shift in direction toward action-oriented voice experiences such as voice commerce and interactive apps. Today, consumers are not satisfied with searching for information: they want to be able to perform concrete actions via voice commands, rendering optimizations focused solely on voice search ineffective.
Google’s farewells 2024: a (quick) overview
What functions and tools has Google removed in 2024? A quick summary:
- Google Chat – July 31, 2024: Google removed the Messages feature on Google Tabs, which allowed customers to contact businesses directly via Google and Google Maps. This tool, while useful for immediate communication, has lost relevance to newer, more advanced and direct contact platforms. With this choice, Google pushed companies to rethink digital communication channels toward more personalized and immediate solutions.
- Google sitelink search box – November 21, 2024: The sitelink search box , which facilitated direct access to specific pages of a site from the SERP, was eliminated on November 21, 2024. Google made this decision because of changing browsing habits: the feature was being used less and less, supplanted by other search modes.
- Google Cache – September 25, 2024 : On September 25, 2024, Google removed the page cache link from the SERP. To still maintain access to archived versions of pages, Google partnered with Internet Archive and Wayback Machine, prompting webmasters to rethink how they manage online content storage.
- FID (First Input Delay, replaced by INP in the Core Web Vitals) – March 12, 2024 : In March 2024, First Input Delay was replaced as a metric in the Core Web Vitals to measure interactivity by Interaction to Next Paint (INP), which was deemed better and more effective. Specifically, FID measured only first interaction delay , ignoring processing time and visual refresh, while INP evaluates all page interactions until the display refresh, improving responsiveness and quality of the browsing experience.
We at SEOZoom are ready to say goodbye to the old trends and welcome all (or almost all) the new things that Google has in store for us in 2025, including all updates to the search engine algorithm. Good luck!
