Simon Gould ✪ CEO ✪ Sydney Digital Marketing Agency ✪'s Linkedin Analytics

Founders 🚨 Google’s AI Mode is rolling out—and it could cut your website traffic …in half. 🥑 Google’s been playing catch up in the ai space these last 12 months, and the next phase outlined at Google’s annual developers conference yesterday, includes releasing a new “AI mode” option in the United States. Then rolling out to rest of world. The company says “the feature will make interacting with its search engine more like having a conversation with an expert capable of answering a wide array of questions.” I’ll create a detailed post on this tomorrow so 👍, 💡, 👏 or comment on this one to ensure it shows up in your feed around lunchtime. 🚨 Here’s the need to know for now: 1. AI Mode answers more questions directly on Google, meaning fewer clicks to your website and potential drops in organic and paid traffic. 2. Success will shift from ranking #1 to being cited as a trusted, authoritative source in AI-generated answers. 3. Founders need to adapt now: focus on high-quality, expert content and diversify lead generation channels to stay ahead. If you rely on website traffic for business growth…you need to lean in for this one. Follow me Simon Gould ✪ CEO ✪ Sydney Digital Marketing Agency ✪ for insights to help you grow your revenue and market share.

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗯𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 Ever opened 6 tabs doing research, and then done… nothing? That’s how your customers behave too. In my last post, we tracked “Jess” on her path to buying a CX course. She didn’t buy straight away. She browsed. Got distracted. Came back 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 - only after a LinkedIn post nudged her back into action. Here’s the follow-up insight: 𝗕𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 ➡️  𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱. That means: • Don’t panic when people bounce. • Use retargeting 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺, not aggressively. • Surface peer stories, not just product specs. • Create content that rewards second visits. At SDM, we call this “Memory-Link Marketing.” Because your customer’s not gone. They’re just waiting for the right moment. ❓Is your Customer Journey built for the comeback? #MarketingStrategy #CustomerJourney #B2BMarketing #SalesEnablement

💡  5:55 AM , June 1st 2029. What’s the first thing your phone shows you? Not emails. Not Slack. But an AI-curated growth dashboard: 🎯 Overnight campaign results 🧠 Smart lead scoring 🔍 Live buyer intent alerts This isn’t sci-fi. It’s 48 months away. And most businesses won’t be ready. I just published a new piece on what life and business growth will look like in 2029—and how founders, CEOs, and marketers can gear up now. ⚠️ If you’re serious about staying relevant, this is a must-read.

Nothing better than watching friends fulfill a dream and help others along the way. 👏 I had a fabulous time at the official launch of Biohack Me, the new book released by the just as fabulous Camilla Thompson at North Bondi RSL on Thursday. WTF is Biohacking ? Take a look👇 https://lnkd.in/gEznQVfC Congratulations Camillla , a great afternoon and I’m loving the book ❤️🙌

The 5% Secret ➡️ Why Most Service Businesses Will Be Left Behind in the AI Revolution. Here's the uncomfortable truth: While 78% of businesses claim they're "using AI," only 5% are implementing it in ways that actually matter. I've spent the last six months studying how Australian service businesses implement artificial intelligence. The findings are stark: the vast majority are using AI like a fancy calculator while a small elite are using it as a strategic weapon. The difference? It's not about technology 👉🏽 it's about imagination. Those 5% aren't just automating repetitive tasks. They're completely redesigning their service delivery models, augmenting human expertise in ways that were science fiction just two years ago. A Sydney-based financial firm increased client portfolio performance by 31% using AI decision intelligence, not by replacing analysts, but by identifying cognitive biases in their investment committees that had gone undetected for decades. Meanwhile, their competitors are still using ChatGPT to write client emails 🥱 The gap between these two approaches isn't narrowing—it's becoming an unbridgeable chasm. Which side of the divide will your business be on? Read my full analysis to discover the three overlooked AI applications that are silently transforming service businesses while most founders aren't looking in this weeks Growth Marketing➕Ai Edge newsletter.

🚨 What does business look like in 2029? Here’s a quick preview: • Your CRM is your most valuable asset • Your marketing runs on AI - 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 • 97% of your buyers (still) aren’t ready yet...but they’re watching • Founders who build personal brands will own the high ground Distribution will be King ( not content ) ask me why. Sounds bold? We’re already seeing it happen. I just dropped a ✨ crystal-ball edition ✨ LinkedIn newsletter breaking down: 👉 Where the smartest businesses are heading 👉 What founders and Marketers should do 𝘯𝘰𝘸 to avoid playing catch-up 👉 Why SDM is already helping clients build future-ready marketing machines 📽️ Watch the video for the TL;DR 🧠 Read the full breakdown in the newsletter 📅 Then let’s talk about your roadmap to 2029. PS Why 2029?  - it's just 4 years away. Feels like forever but remember just 4 years ago we were all walking round in masks! 😷 Feels like yesterday. Next Steps :If you're a time poor founder or marketer follow me Simon Gould ✪ CEO ✪ Sydney Digital Marketing Agency ✪ for regular insights into business growth using smart marketing and Ai news and updates.

Think your customers move in a straight line from ad to enquiry to sale? 🚫 Think again. Let's take Jess as an example. Jess didn’t enquire the first time she landed on the website. She didn’t even download the brochure. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: In 2025, the buyer journey is non-linear. Your customer isn’t comparing 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴, they’re comparing 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. We followed Jess’s real journey: • Triggered by a moment of insecurity • 10 tabs open, no action • Retargeted, still no action • 𝘗𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 finally triggered the sale Jess didn’t buy the course because it was the best priced. She bought because it made her feel confident, current, capable. 🚨 If your marketing isn’t mapping to that emotional pathway, you’ll keep losing to competitors who get it. This is what we do at SDM. We build 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 journeys based on how people buy. Not how you want them to. Want to see the map for your market? Let’s sketch it. Get in touch with me or the team Sydney Digital Marketing Agency | ⭐️ Digital Marketing Designed To Power Your Business Revenue ♻️ Share this with your network and I will be super grateful 🙌

Why Jess Didn’t Buy the First Time. Jess didn’t enquire the first time she landed on the website. She didn’t even download the brochure. Here’s why that matters for your marketing: In 2025, the buyer journey is non-linear. Your customer isn’t comparing features, they’re comparing feelings. We followed Jess’s real journey: • Triggered by a moment of insecurity • 10 tabs open, no action • Retargeted, still no action • Peer validation finally triggered the sale If your marketing isn’t mapping to that emotional pathway, you’ll keep losing to competitors who get it. Why did Jess buy ? More in this weeks Growth Marketing and Ai Edge Newsletter 👇

Founders. Something big just happened in the world of Google Search: The new "AI mode". No… not the Ai Overview but the new Ai mode Google announced at I/O the annual developers conference. If you rely on Google for leads and business growth, this is essential reading 👇