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GEO is all the rage, but what does it actually mean? And what are we supposed to do?

One of the best studies I've found on this topic is this research paper.

Feel free to dive in to the full study, but the TL;DR is on the Content Connect blog (don't worry, I made it quick and actionable).

Read the GEO strategy TL;DR

Thanks for reading,

Ashley R. Cummings

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Expert Interview | Treasa Edmond

1. Tell me more about your journey into content.

I actually started as an academic editor while working full-time in education. Over time, I built up that editing business and started taking on writing projects for clients as well. Eventually, I made the leap to full-time freelancing. For a while, I focused primarily on writing and ghostwriting, especially thought leadership content, but content strategy came into the picture when a client project required it. I had to learn it quickly, and in the process, I realized how much I enjoyed the strategic side of content. Now, it's a core part of the work I do, both with clients and in the way I help other freelancers grow their own businesses.

2. What's one strategy clients can use to be successful with freelancers?

Treat your freelancer like a partner, not a task-completer. That means bringing them into conversations early, sharing context, and giving them a clear picture of your goals, not just the deliverables. When freelancers understand the big picture, they can bring more value, spot opportunities, and even help you avoid mistakes. It's also important to remember that freelancers are business owners. The more you communicate clearly, respect timelines, and provide useful feedback, the more you'll build a strong, collaborative relationship. And you’ll get better results because of it.

3. What's one trend in content that is surprising you right now?

I love that audiences are responding more to authentic, user-generated content (UGC) and "real" brand interactions than to polished, high-production campaigns. What's surprising is how dramatically UGC-style videos, those that are raw, unscripted, and often filmed on a phone, are outperforming traditional marketing content. Brands are leaning into this by showcasing real customer voices and building organic engagement, and it's actually driving higher conversion rates. It's a good reminder that connection often beats perfection. And that keeping the audience at the core of your content will always get better results.

Connect with Treasa on LinkedIn.

Best In Content This Week

1/ Datos State of Search 2025 (Datos)

This report, developed with Rand Fishkin of SparkToro, is a big deal and proof of how users are spending time online + where their clicks are going. It analyzes clickstream data from tens of millions of desktop users in the US, UK, and EU during 2024 and early 2025. It reveals how user behavior is shifting online.

From the report (just a taste):

This chart shows organic clicks from Google desktop searches are declining, dropping from 44.2% in March 2024 to 40.3% in March 2025. Meanwhile:

No-click searches (blue) are rising — now over 27%, meaning more users leave without clicking anything.
Google-owned clicks (orange) have slightly increased, showing Google's growing tendency to keep traffic within its ecosystem.
Paid clicks (yellow) remain low and fairly stable (~1–1.5%).

Bottom line: Google is sending less traffic to outside websites, with more searches ending on Google or with no action at all — a shift content marketers should watch closely.

2/ AI in Content Creation 2025 (Wondercraft). 22-page report --

80% of creators use AI, with nearly 40% relying on it end-to-end. Lots of stats about the who and how of AI use. Must read.

From the study:

Newsletter Rec

Freelance journalists, writers, social media managers, editors, creators, and developers have all found their next client in the weekly Freelance Opportunities! newsletter, and it all started by subscribing.

AI Updates | Bot News

🤖 The less people know about AI, the more they use it (Science Says)

People who understand AI the least are 31% more likely to use it, because they view it as magical, not technical.

🤖 The Tale of Windsurf, Anthropic, & the Battle of the AI Titans (AI secret)

OpenAI’s $3B acquisition Windsurf just got blindsided. Anthropic cut off its Claude API access with less than 5 days' notice, sparking a high-stakes AI turf war.

🤖 DeepSeek Might Have Used Google's Gemini To Train Its Newest Model (AI secret)

DeepSeek’s impressive new AI model may have been secretly trained on Google’s Gemini outputs, raising major questions about data sourcing and AI ethics.