Tag: Adobe

Unlocking Personalized Marketing: Why Brands Struggle and How to Succeed

When I think about the last time I got hooked on those true crime documentaries, I remember how my streaming app seemed to know exactly what to suggest next. Suddenly, investigative series filled my homepage, and I even got alerts for new releases. The marketing was flawless, and I never saw the behind-the-scenes magic that made it happen—I just dove into the next compelling story.

This is the expectation now. A recent Adobe report reveals that 71% of consumers desire personalized deals and content, with 78% expecting a seamless experience across different channels. Surprisingly, fewer than half of brands meet these expectations consistently.

The root problem lies in the structure of customer data. When it’s scattered across various systems, it becomes difficult for teams to sync insights, timing, and execution effectively. AI cannot magically fix these issues alone. As per the Adobe 2026 report, only a minority of organizations have a data foundation robust enough to support AI at scale.

Starting on the path to modernize and personalize marketing efforts can seem overwhelming. However, by laying a strong foundation for a unified customer experience, progress becomes achievable.

Most brands have ample data, yet it often lacks coherence. If your marketing efforts span across email, web, mobile, paid media, support, and in-person channels, it’s crucial these signals communicate swiftly to shape the next customer interaction.

If alignment isn’t there, the consequences are immediate. Imagine a customer browsing a product online but receiving a different price via email, or having to repeatedly explain their issue to customer support. These inconsistencies slowly erode the trust you’ve built.

Delivering a cohesive customer experience means continuously updating the understanding of the customer and sharing this insight across all teams and touchpoints without delay.

To make this happen, here are a few critical steps:

A unified customer experience begins with a consolidated and dynamic customer profile. Rather than maintaining separate records per channel, build a real-time profile that captures behavior, preferences, and interactions throughout all departments.

With this comprehensive data, customer segmentation becomes more insightful, and messaging more relevant. Customers will no longer face conflicting or redundant communication.

Enhance your data by linking insights directly to actions quickly. For instance, if a customer leaves a cart abandoned, a subtle follow-up can kindle action without delay. Engage with real-time product recommendations and remove offers that no longer resonate.

Real-time relevance is crucial. Our eyes interpret digital ads in under 400 milliseconds, meaning interaction timing is everything. If your systems don’t react swiftly, you miss valuable chances to connect.

AI accelerates these interactions at scale, discerning patterns, predicting intent, and suggesting best actions within milliseconds. Accurate and unified data is essential for AI to function effectively.

In this age of rising privacy standards, protecting customer data is paramount. As more signals are unified and activated in real time, it’s crucial to integrate governance from the ground up.

To maintain a unified experience at scale, companies need a modern cloud foundation to process and activate data effectively, ensuring swift response times, minimal data movement, and stronger security.

Personalization becomes second nature when brands anticipate not just the right message, but the right moment. Unified data, activated in real time with secure infrastructure, elevates personalization from trial-based to operational, making relevance repeatable.

Adobe Experience Platform, powered by AWS, integrates these components, easing execution for your teams. It creates real-time customer profiles that support segmentation and journey orchestration across touchpoints, leveraging AWS’s scalable infrastructure.

Explore our eBook, Capturing Attention in the Age of AI, to discover how Adobe and AWS provide marketers with a complete customer view that optimizes personalization and enhances customer value.

Ready to see how Adobe and AWS can streamline your journey to unified experiences? Reach out to start the conversation today.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

April 27, 2026
How AI Traffic is Changing the Retail Game in the U.S.
I recently came across some intriguing Adobe data that sheds light on how AI-driven traffic is making waves in U.S. retail. AI traffic isn’t just increasing; it’s actually outperforming traditional channels like paid search in terms of conversion rates!

In the first quarter, AI-generated traffic surged by an impressive 393% compared to the previous year, with a 269% rise just in March alone. What’s even more exciting is that AI traffic is converting significantly better than it did last year.

By the numbers, AI-driven visits converted 42% better than their non-AI counterparts in March. Just a year prior, these AI visits were actually 38% less likely to lead to a purchase, showcasing a remarkable turnaround.

Consumers are truly engaging with AI-driven platforms, as indicated by a 12% increase in engagement, 48% more time spent on site, and a 13% uptick in pages viewed per visit. Adobe’s consumer survey further reveals that 39% have tried AI for shopping, and out of those, 85% felt it enhanced their experience. Additionally, 66% of users believe that AI tools deliver accurate results.

What they’re saying, Vivek Pandya, the director of Adobe Digital Insights, emphasizes, “Notably, AI traffic continues to outperform non-AI traffic in conversions, which includes other channels like paid search and email marketing.”

Yes, but, despite this upward trend in adoption and positive metrics, Adobe points out that many retail sites still haven’t optimized their platforms for AI visibility, particularly on product pages.

Why we care: The debate around whether AI traffic is superior to organic search traffic has been continuous. However, this latest analysis suggests that AI’s capacity for conversion is growing, and much like generative AI, it’s expected to become an even more valuable channel.

About the data: Adobe’s insights are derived from analyzing direct transaction data from over one trillion visits to U.S. retail websites, supplemented by a survey involving over 5,000 U.S. consumers to gauge their AI shopping behaviors.

The report: For more details, check out the Adobe report on the AI-driven traffic surge and its impact on U.S. retail sites.

Dig deeper: Explore related studies that discuss various aspects of AI traffic and conversions in retail.
Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
April 17, 2026
Adobe Phases Out Marketo SEO: Export Your Data by March 31

As a regular user of Adobe’s Marketo Engage, I recently learned that Adobe plans to discontinue the SEO feature by the end of March 2026. This information was detailed in Adobe’s February 2026 release notes, and I wanted to share my thoughts and remind you to take action if you use this tool.

I know how crucial it is to export existing SEO data before the tool’s deprecation on March 31, 2026. You can find export instructions on this page. It’s essential to act promptly, as the SEO tile will be removed from the platform starting April 1.

So, what’s the story here? Adobe’s Keith Gluck mentioned that retiring underutilized features will allow the Marketo Engage team to refocus resources elsewhere. If you’re seeking alternative SEO tools, Adobe’s acquisition of Semrush in 2025 offers a robust solution, with Semrush being a comprehensive SEO and visibility tool. (Remember, Semrush now owns Third Door Media, the publisher of Search Engine Land.)

I wasn’t taken aback by this news, as it’s been common knowledge among those who keep up with Marketo updates. Reports have indicated that not many users fully tapped into the SEO capabilities. Additionally, the Marketo Engage team hasn’t prioritized these features recently.

With shifts in the search landscape, driven by rapid advancements like LLMs, saying goodbye seemed timely. Semrush’s entry into the Adobe ecosystem feels like a fitting evolution of their service offerings.

If you’re interested, check out a related update on LinkedIn:

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

March 20, 2026
Orchestrating SEO: Empathy Leads the Way Forward
From search engines to generative engines, I’ve been part of the journey where the essence of SEO is deeply rooted in empathy. These days, it goes beyond mere optimization, demanding a bigger role in orchestrating clarity throughout the enterprise.

Headlines claiming another “AI winter” seem to circulate more frequently, and the statistics seem to support this skepticism. According to MIT’s research, although 80% of organizations have piloted GenAI and 40% have deployed it, only a mere 5% have scaled it. Further, seven of nine sectors have shown no structural change. Similarly, McKinsey reports reveal a disconnect where 36% of executives report no revenue impact, and only 19% have seen revenue grow over 5%, with 87% expecting growth to take years. Implementation is common, but impact is scant.

Yet, these headlines and figures overlook the real-time transformations within enterprises. SEO leaders are now being invited to lead in Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). It’s not because we’re AI specialists or understand every intricate detail of large language models—we often don’t. It’s because SEO is fundamentally about empathy, which is crucial now more than ever.

SEO has never solely been about keywords or search rankings. It’s driven by empathy on two primary fronts: understanding search engines—where Google aims not just for quality content, but to increase queries and ad revenue—and understanding users—ensuring they encounter the least friction in finding what they seek despite platform constraints.

Now, a third form of empathy comes into play—not for machines, which have no wants, but for the growth-driven giants building them. Their goals are straightforward: maximize adoption, engagement, and usage. Like Google, they’re eager to sacrifice accuracy for these metrics.

As SEO professionals, we often hesitate to acknowledge this, but the adage “just create good content” was never entirely true. Google favored backlinks and its own preferred content. An algorithm based on patterns can’t differentiate between quality and mediocrity—and AI providers will likely follow suit. Ignoring this reality is naive.

Capitalizing on shifting incentives within the enterprise’s workflow has been eye-opening. A short while ago, my PR team hesitated about digital outreach proposals. Yet, when I introduced a GEO pilot—using identical product descriptions across various platforms to better interpret our offerings—their attitude changed completely. That illustrates how reframing from SEO to GEO transformed their reception from resistance to enthusiasm.

The focus isn’t solely on visibility. When visitors arrive at our site, it’s not just about keyword optimization; it’s about optimizing their entire journey. Do they encounter the right message and next steps with minimal friction? Previously, we might have called this conversion rate optimization. Is it SEO now? Honestly, I’m unsure what SEO entails. What I do know is that to drive value, we must evolve. It’s about aligning with outcomes, not protecting a label.

This isn’t just theoretical. Here’s how I’ve been orchestrating at Adobe. Instead of optimizing for small traffic gains, I collaborate across teams to focus on what truly matters:
- With Product Marketing, utilizing visuals to convey our message effectively.
- With Comms and Client Success, leveraging case studies that resonate with buyer needs.
- With PR, maintaining consistency across third-party sites to avoid GEO fragmentation.
- With Account Executives, analyzing account discussions—identifying key contacts, uncovering objections, understanding why prospects select us over competitors. This vital intelligence feeds back into our content strategy and positioning.
This is just the surface level. The next horizon is data—curating our own ontology to standardize how the enterprise describes itself, ensuring consistent communication across teams and systems.

Enterprise teams are reaching out to us for guidance. Departments like Product, PR, Analytics, and Compliance are in pursuit of clarity. The tough truth is that if we remain complacent, GEO will be tackled by other areas in fragmented ways. Product will focus on features, PR on reputation, and analytics will get lost in metrics, leading to disjointed strategies.

As SEO specialists, we’re ideally positioned to lead GEO efforts due to our core skill of empathy, which enables us to balance platform incentives with user needs, transforming ambiguity into alignment. This is exactly what’s needed for GEO to succeed, preventing noise and activity without tangible outcomes.

Ultimately, SEO isn’t dead; it’s evolving into something unrecognizable and demanding leadership. Leadership means acknowledging our limited LLM knowledge but understanding how to assemble and align the right people.

If your reports still focus exclusively on traffic, rankings, or visibility dashboards, you’ve fallen behind. Enterprises require orchestration, not more metrics.

Whatever we choose to call this discipline, it’s shifted from merely optimizing to orchestrating clarity—across platforms, teams, and user journeys. That’s our mandate. Without our leadership, SEO, and its new form stretches beyond recognition, will lack an owner. So I ask, is SEO dead, or has it evolved into something far greater?

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
November 21, 2025
Adobe’s Incredible Acquisition: Semrush Joins Forces in $1.9B Deal

Today, I’m thrilled to share the big news that Adobe is acquiring Semrush for a massive $1.9 billion. This exciting development, announced by the companies, is set to close in the first half of 2026, pending necessary approvals.

You might know Semrush as a leading SEO platform that made headlines in October 2024 by acquiring Search Engine Land, MarTech, and Third Door Media. Now, Adobe is planning to bring Semrush on board in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.9 billion, further enhancing Adobe’s robust portfolio.

Insights from Semrush Leadership. Semrush CEO Bill Wagner shared his excitement on LinkedIn:

We have some big news at Semrush today: we’re joining forces with Adobe.

I am proud to announce our agreement to be acquired by Adobe for $1.9 billion. This is the right move at the right time for both of our respective companies and teams.

The strategic fit couldn’t be more perfect. We’re combining Adobe’s leading customer experience orchestration through its AI-agentic content supply chain and other solutions, with Semrush’s high-quality digital brand visibility offerings. The result will be a new option for an end-to-end customer experience platform that serves as the new standard for the marketing technology industry.

Today’s announcement is a true testament to the incredible work of the Semrush team that started well before my tenure. I am deeply grateful for their execution, passion, and hustle over the years – which I know will carry forward as we enter this new chapter.

We’re excited to accelerate our shared vision with Adobe. More to come!

Andrew Warden, Semrush’s chief marketing officer, also expressed his enthusiasm on LinkedIn:

Big news: Semrush has agreed to be acquired by Adobe.

It’s a winning combination:
Adobe brings leading customer experience orchestration in the agentic AI era with its content supply chain and other solutions.

Semrush is a strong player for search and brand visibility, first with SEO and now with GEO.

Together, marketers can look forward to a new option for a unified brand visibility platform.

This transaction is huge for our customers and their growth, and a testament to the hard work of our team. I’m proud of what we’ve built and look forward to this next chapter of growth with Adobe.

The Adobe Perspective. Adobe’s press release elaborates on how this acquisition will drive forward a comprehensive customer experience, leveraging both Adobe and Semrush’s formidable strengths. With distinct capabilities in content supply chain management and AI-driven customer engagement, Adobe serves giants like Coca-Cola and IBM.

In this rapidly evolving landscape, Semrush stands out with its expertise in GEO and SEO, ensuring brands remain visible in AI-powered searches. The collaboration aims to position itself as the new benchmark in marketing technology.

Anil Chakravarthy, Adobe’s President of Digital Experience Business, emphasizes the merger’s potential to expand brand visibility, customer engagement, and conversions. Complementing this, Semrush’s CEO, Bill Wagner, highlights the enhanced insights brands can leverage through this partnership.

Transaction Details: Both Adobe and Semrush boards have approved the deal, anticipated to finalize in the first half of 2026, aligning with regulatory and shareholder commitments.

A complete end-to-end experience for marketers awaits, setting the course for future innovations in the evolving digital landscape. Stay tuned for updates as this strategy unfolds, promising more opportunities for businesses around the globe.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

November 19, 2025