🐹 Hamsterdam Part 119: Weekly SEO & AI News Recap (10/11 to 10/17, 2025)
By Ethan Lazuk
Last updated:
A weekly look-back at SEO & AI news, tips, and other content shared on social media & beyond.
Opening notes, thoughts, and musings:
- Welcome to another new week of Hamsterdam! 🐹
- I appreciate you being here, and look forward to sharing the week’s news! 🙌
If you’re in a rush, hop down to the news portion. 📰
Or continue reading for two vocabulary lessons plus an introduction.
And we’re off …
🧑💻 Marketing word of the week: “Xerox Effect”
The Xerox effect is when a brand becomes so dominant that its name is used generically for a product category.
A good example is “Google it” — although more people say “Search it up” today, especially of the younger persuasion. Another example is “Kleenex” as a stand-in for “tissue.”
When a brand’s reached the Xerox effect, it signals a strong brand awareness. On the downside, it can also lead to trademark erosion, or the loss of brand distinctiveness.
🤖 AI word of the week: “XAI (Explainable Artificial Intelligence)”
XAI is a field of AI that’s focused on creating models that are transparent and interpretable, so that humans can understand why a model made certain decisions.
For example, if a doctor is using an AI tool for disease detection, they need to know why the model flagged a certain scan as positive. Alternatively, a recruiter using AI as a candidate screener needs to ensure the system isn’t biased toward certain demographics.
Why does XAI matter? Well, AI systems often rely on deep learning, involving millions of parameters and layers that are hard for humans to interpret. XAI ensures AI is ethical, fair, and auditable.
There are two main categories of XAI. In intrinsic explainability, the model itself is designed to be interpretable. In post-hoc explainability, trained models are analyzed to understand their behavior.
😊 Introduction to week 119: “Judgment”
I’ve been working this week as a judge for the US Agency Awards. It’s been exciting to see an array of great SEO work being done.
Our industry is always in a state of flux, but especially now in the AI age, things are constantly evolving.
However, what set so many of the entries apart that I looked at was attention to the fundamentals.
Some did unique work, but by and large, they mostly applied the fundamentals to great effect: strong technical foundations, great content, and attention on the end user above all else.
It’s nice to see strong success happen as a result of applying traditional SEO in the right way.
Thank you for supporting Hamsterdam and the cause of SEO & AI learning. 🙏
Enjoy the vibes:
Missed last week? Don’t worry, I got you! Read Part 118 to catch up.
🌟 Other great sources of weekly SEO news:
- The SEO Weekly – Garret Sussman, iPullRank
- SEOFOMO – Aleyda Solis
- Weekly Video Recaps – Barry Schwartz, SER
- Weekly SEO News YouTube channel – Olga Zarr, Seosly
- Niche Surfer – Yoyao Hsueh
Time for our weekly review of SEO social posts, articles, & more …
Now, let’s step inside the white flags of Hamsterdam …
⏩ Jump to a section:
- News, Google updates, & SERP tests
- SEO tips & tidbits
- Fundamentals & resources
- Articles, videos & case studies
- Local SEO
- Technical SEO
- Content marketing
- Local SEO
- Data analysis & reporting
- AI, LLMS, & machine learning
- Miscellaneous & general posts
- Older stuff that’s good!
Or keep scrolling to see it all. ⏬
📰 SEO news, Google updates, SERP tests & notable posts
Notable updates or news related to Google Search or related SEO topics.
🍟 SEO tips & tidbits
Actionable tips, cool tidbits, and other snackable findings and observations that can be teaching moments.
Essential information, concepts, or resources to learn about SEO or AI.
Longer-form content pieces shared on social, in newsletters, and elsewhere.
🧑💻 Technical SEO
Everything from basics to advanced moves (and also tools).
✍️ Content marketing
From what is helpful content to user journeys and beyond.
📍 Local SEO
From Google Business Profiles to reviews and more!
📊 Data analysis & reporting
Showing that what you’re doing is helping.
🤖 AI, machine learning, & LLMs
News related to models, papers, and companies.
🤔 General marketing & miscellaneous
This is for great content that isn’t necessarily SEO or marketing-specific. PPC, PR, dev, design, and social friends, check it out!
💎 Older stuff that’s good!
Not everything I find worth sharing is new as of this week, so these are gems I came across published in the past.
Great job making it to the end. You rock! 🪨
Let’s connect!
Hit me up anytime via text or call at 813-557-9745 or on social or email:
Cheers! ✌️
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