The Core Advantage – The Core & More Technologies Quarterly Video Newsletter
Welcome to The Core Advantage, the newly released video newsletter from Core and More Technologies! This is our first edition. Please make sure to check back in periodically, as each issue will be packed with information from around the digital marketing industry, along with our insight, experience, and observations relating to all the latest trends and technologies and how they are impacting overall performance.
Soon to follow will be a full and complete expansion of our website, where you will be able to access all prior episodes of the newsletter.
The objective of The Core Advantage is to share insights, trends, and valuable information about everything going on in and around the digital marketing industry along with actionable insights that you can put into an action plan to stay ahead of your competitors AND future-proof your business!
Initial Edition – Q2 2025
Company Milestone: 15-Year Anniversary!
Core and More Technologies is celebrating 15 years in business, and we couldn’t have done it without you! We are very grateful for your patronage and support.
From our humble beginnings in a basement to becoming a leader in the digital marketing industry, the journey has been fueled by collaboration, innovation, and a relentless commitment to delivering results. Over the past year alone, we’ve helped businesses achieve incredible success—including one client who enjoyed an 88% increase in conversions, a 381% rise in click-through rates, and a 52% boost in return on ad spend. These numbers represent more than just growth—they showcase the client collaboration that differentiates us and the impact of a truly data-driven strategy. We could not have achieved results like that without your help.
Core and More Technologies is celebrating 15 years in business, and we couldn’t have done it without you! We are very grateful for your patronage and support.
From our humble beginnings in a basement to becoming a leader in the digital marketing industry, the journey has been fueled by collaboration, innovation, and a relentless commitment to delivering results. Over the past year alone, we’ve helped businesses achieve incredible success—including one client who enjoyed an 88% increase in conversions, a 381% rise in click-through rates, and a 52% boost in return on ad spend. These numbers represent more than just growth—they showcase the client collaboration that differentiates us and the impact of a truly data-driven strategy. We could not have achieved results like that without your help.
Whether you’ve been a valued client, a trusted partner, or a part of our extended network, your support has been instrumental in our journey. As we look ahead to the next 15 years, we remain committed to driving even greater success together, and we are forever grateful for your support. Thank you for being part of our story—here’s to the future! PS: We have also written a short blog post for this milestone!
From Around the Industry: Digital Marketing Industry Activity, and Core Insights
Adapting to the New SEO Landscape: Mastering Search Everywhere Optimization
We just released a new blog post about the new SEO: Search EVERYWHERE Optimization. It is packed with information about all of the recent industry trends directly impacting the overall search landscape – and includes actions that you can take NOW to future-proof your clients and your own business. Please note that the future is NOW.
Here’s a quick summary:
For the first time since 2016, Google has announced overall search query volume numbers. Clearly, their dominance continues – reporting a whopping 5 trillion searches per year – which is up from 2 trillion in 2016. They are not going anywhwere, and they are certainly not taking anything lightly.
However, there are some interesting statistics being released by third-party resources such as Vox Media and Two Cents Insights:
- 42% of users say Google is becoming less useful
- 66% feel the quality of information is declining
- 61% of Gen Z and 53% of Millennials prefer AI tools over traditional search engines
BTW – We have also included a chart (see below) outlining the differences between the major platforms across five key categories!
Further, have you heard about these numbers?
- ChatGPT is now estimating 37.5 million search prompts per day
- Perplexity.AI is now laying claim to 50 million visitors per month
- According to a survey conducted in 2024 by Statista, 64% of Gen Z respondents in the United States reported using TikTok for online searches with 51% favoring it over Google, primarily due to its short-form video format
Not only that, Microsoft has joined forces with OpenAI with reciprocal, bi-directional results being shared between the platforms (that is, Bing and Chat GPT).
You can check out the blog post as well.
Bing, Schema, and AI
Things are moving at a breakneck pace. Remembering the numbers as we had assessed them early in Q1 for 2024 across our entire client base, where we saw a 172.98% increase in Bing (Microsoft) driven overall client traffic alongside a 66% increase in conversions same. We now have more data as to why.
The Rise of Bing.
Google has traditionally dominated search traffic, but with ChatGPT’s recent launch of search with Bing as its backbone, Bing search is something marketers can no longer ignore. And a low-hanging fruit is schema, which is a common factor in both Bing and Google. Schema markup plays an increasingly vital role in building knowledge graphs, which are foundational for large language models (LLMs) which drive AI results.
So, the trend 📈 that began in 2023 – with an increasing market share heading in Microsoft’s direction, has been accelerated by way of these business integrations. Plus, Search GPT’s release is pending – which will only increase exposure for those already well positioned to capitalize. Not only that, the antitrust ruling against Google will likely result – and may already have, in many devices shipping with Microsoft products installed as their default browsers and search engines. Finally, Microsoft invested $14 Billion in OpenAI in Q4 of 2024.
Here is how the platforms effectively integrate, as of today:
Bing Chat = GPT-4 + Bing Search
ChatGPT (Plus) = GPT-4 + Optional Bing Search (in browsing mode)
So there may also be a shift occuring in terms of the informational (AI chatbots and search engines) towards transactional (traditional search engines) mindset that I have been talking about.
More factors to consider:
- Google Search doesn’t expose GPT-style chat results like Bing Chat does.
- Bing Chat / Copilot is powered by GPT-4 and returns answers often structured as JSON behind the scenes for developers.
- Google Gemini is Google’s version of an AI chatbot — it also uses structured data internally, but it’s built on Google’s own models, not OpenAI’s.
And by the way, look at the comparison of CPCs (Cost-Per-Click) between Google and Bing, as shown below. Keep in mind that these are averages — real CPCs vary based on targeting, device, quality score, and match types. Either way, CPCs on Bing (Microsoft Advertising) are generally lower than on Google Ads, often by a significant margin — especially in competitive industries.
Did You Hear About Google's New 'AI Mode'?
Earlier this March, Google announced the release of its newest AI feature. It’s called AI mode. Like AI Overviews once was, it has been released in Beta. You can sign up via the link above.
What it may mean for your business:
- Google currently has a 93.57% search market share in the U.S. Still, Gen Zers are increasingly moving towards AI search. (ChatGPT is now getting an estimated 37.5 million search-like prompts per day, according to recent data published in Search Engine Land). So while that is still only a fraction of what Google gets on a daily basis, it is nonetheless significant.
- The main intent of AI Mode is to give Google a way to go head-to-head with conversational AI tools like ChatGPT. But think about it; when you are going to ChatGPT, or Gemini for that matter — or even Perplexity.AI, you are going there with an information seeking mindset. As opposed to Google, where you will have more of a transactional mindset. The ‘transaction’ can be defined as a form submission, a purchase, or even a chat. But there is a distinct difference, if you really consider it, between your mindset when searching for something through AI versus searching for something through traditional Google search. So it will be interesting to see how this plays out. I would not expect a major shift or change to the search engine results page. Google is not going to risk cannibalizing any paid advertising exposure. Yet it will be interesting to see how Ads, Local Services Ads, and Shopping Ads are assimilated into the evolving product over time. I predict it will be another tab, similar to news, images, etc. but perhaps displayed more prominently with the toggle placed at the top of the query bar, rather than stratified below it.
- And Google’s AI Mode can be a huge referral source of traffic for your business. A recent study (by NP Digital) showed that between September 2024 and February 2025, referral traffic from generative AI rose by 123%. Marketers simply cannot ignore this!
It seems like only yesterday that AI Overviews were in Beta. Now, they are everywhere. AI Mode can and likely will become the future of Google Search – or at the very least, take a prominent role in the psychology of search overall. You can book a time with us to learn how to corral this power and use it in your business.
Core and More Technologies Delivers Outstanding Client Performance in 2024!
As most of us know, 2024 involved many twists and turns. The Google antitrust ruling, the rapid rise of AI chatbots, the increasing use of social media channels as search engines, and so much more. Through all of this, one thing is crystal clear: those embracing the philosophy of search everywhere optimization are winning.
To that end, in a year with so many challenges, my team and I are very proud of the exceptional results that we were able to produce for our clients. Check out the press release here.
Highlights of the Year-Over-Year Performance Metrics
- Clicks increased by an impressive 38%, with Bing driving exceptional growth of 172.98%, underscoring the effectiveness of Core and More Technologies’ multi-platform, omnichannel strategies.
- Leads grew by 8.23%, with Bing demonstrating a remarkable 69.66% increase, reflecting the quality and alignment of targeted campaigns.
- Cost per Lead decreased by 20.78%, achieving greater efficiency and value for clients.
- Conversion Rate surged by an outstanding 105.15%, doubling client engagement outcomes.
And that is just the beginning. The down-funnel metrics were even better! Read the PR to learn more.
Want to see how we can implement the same data-driven strategies for your business?
Contact us and we will book a call to:
- Review your current marketing performance
- Identify your biggest growth opportunities based on our research
- Create a custom roadmap for your business
Core & More Case Study
Ozark Holistic Center sees an 88% increase in conversions and a 5x ROAS boost with Core and More Technologies
Ozark Holistic Center, a leading provider of holistic medicine and chiropractic care in Fayetteville, Arkansas, sought to expand its online presence and attract more qualified leads through digital marketing. With a focus on natural healing, chiropractic adjustments, and alternative therapies, the clinic wanted to connect with individuals actively searching for holistic treatment options and/or alternative solutions to Western medicine, a market that’s steadily expanding. However, increasing competition in the local healthcare market made it challenging to stand out and convert online interest into scheduled appointments.
Click here to read the full case study!
Results:
- Significant Conversion Growth – Total conversions increased by 88%, directly driving more patient inquiries and appointment bookings.
- Improved Ad Efficiency – A 381.69% increase in click-through rate (CTR) and 14.14% decrease in cost-per-acquisition (CPA) ensured higher lead volume at a lower cost.
- High-Performing LSAs – The introduction of Google Local Service Ads (LSAs) resulted in a 5x return on ad spend (ROAS) and an impressive 49% quotable conversion rate, turning more ad clicks into real consultations.
- Enhanced Lead Management & Tracking – The integration of WhatConverts provided deeper performance insights, ensuring ad dollars were optimized for maximum return.
- Stronger On-Site Engagement – A 314.79% increase in event count reflected higher user interaction and engagement, reinforcing the effectiveness of the website improvements.
The Core Summary!
The industry has not just shifted, it has changed. Omnichannel marketing is not a nice to have, it is a must have. To win in this climate requires insight, guidance, transparency, and courage. While others may be pulling back their expenditures and running for cover, you have the opportunity to lean into your results and push them ever higher.
This brings to mind the old adage:
🧓 “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
Really think about the mindset behind that thought;
If you find yourself saying that, you have to ask why you would have the NEED to WANT different results?
The question should really be:
🚀 “Insanity is NOT leaning into my results, to get even BETTER results!”
Especially when it comes to SEO, too often we see companies, and sometimes even enterprise companies, quit before the magic happens.
We ran an extensive case study two years ago, that I can prove still rings true today. When you achieve top 3 results through a traditional search engine on the same keywords that you are paying for, you will see something in the range of:
📈 A 36% increase in click-through-rate (CTR)
📉 A 36% decrease in cost-per-click (CPC)
And that was a test that we ran against a $104k media spend! Think about the math on what was gained – from this intangible KPI of SEO!
Here’s why I would assert that this remains true today: Another test shows that when you move from position 6 in the Google SERP to position 3 likewise, your CTR goes from 3.03% to 6.71%. Moving up to position 2 from position 3, your CTR goes from 6.71% to 13.07%. Capturing the #1 ranking moves you from 13.07% up to a whopping 29.76%!!
Don’t quit before the miracle happens!
‘Stay hungry, stay foolish’ ~Steve Jobs
Looking forward to the next edition of the newsletter? Something you would like to see included? Please feel free to let us know, and we will do our best to consider all requests.
