While most people on the internet see Google’s and Bing’s new search results format and delight in the choice of multimedia highlights to explore, an SEO expert wonders how they can ensure that their brand’s videos, images, and interactive content shows up right on top!
We checked in with a bunch of such ambitious SEO experts and business leaders from the BoostMyDomain community to learn of their viewpoints on the latest changes in multimedia SEO and let our readers in on the details.
Read on!
Adapt to Visual Content Shift
I believe it’s more than a trend. Search engines such as Google and Bing are not just playing around with new formats – they’re changing how we find information.
Written content still has its place – there’s no substitute for the nuance and precision of a well-written piece – but the search results page is evolving. Instead, users are now inundated with videos, images, and interactive elements that are vying for their attention before they scroll down.
It’s not as if writing matters less than it did previously; it needs to coexist with different mediums.
Visuals, brief clips, and audio snippets must be increasingly incorporated into the content mix to survive. This can mean, at a minimum, adding eye-catching images or charts that help the reader abstract and remember the information. People take in information in different ways, and search engines adapt to that fact.
Will it have blown over in a couple of months? Probably not.
So, as technology becomes more powerful and consumer tastes evolve, the focus on video will continue. It’s about improving our content to be engaging and easily consumable.
If we’re honest, this change has been coming for some time. The key now is to adjust smoothly.
You can continue writing strong, meaningful content, but don’t shy away from spicing things up with innovative elements that reflect how people navigate the web today!
Put simply, it’s time to get comfortable creating off the page.
Jake Maslow
Owner, Teachers Instruction
Balanced Multimedia Approach
The growing emphasis on multimedia in search results is a significant shift in SEO, but it doesn’t mean that written content is becoming obsolete.
Rather, it highlights the need for a balanced, multimedia approach to content creation.
While written content remains crucial for providing depth and context, multimedia such as videos, infographics, and images can enhance user engagement, improve dwell time, and contribute to better rankings.
This is not just a temporary trend but a fundamental shift.
Content creators will need to adapt by integrating multimedia into their strategies to stay competitive and align with search engine algorithms that prioritize diverse content formats.
Shreya Jha
Social Media Expert, Appy Pie
Embrace Rich Media for SEO
The increasing emphasis on multimedia in search results by Google and Bing signifies a fundamental shift in SEO, necessitating that content creators integrate diverse media formats to maintain competitiveness.
While written content remains essential for conveying detailed information and supporting search engine indexing, incorporating images, videos, and audio enhances user engagement and caters to evolving search algorithms that prioritize rich media.
This trend reflects a broader move toward multimodal search experiences, where users seek comprehensive, interactive content.
Adapting to this change is crucial for sustaining visibility and relevance in search rankings.
Brenton Thomas
Founder, Twibi
Multimedia Complements Written Content
The growing focus on multimedia in search results does affect the value of written content, but it’s not a complete replacement.
Multimedia formats like video, images, and audio enhance user engagement and complement written content, offering a more immersive experience.
However, written content remains essential for providing context, answering questions, and driving SEO.
This shift isn’t just a trend but a fundamental evolution in search engine algorithms, meaning content creators must adapt by optimizing both text and multimedia to maintain visibility and relevance in search rankings.
Chris Raulf
Founder & President, Boulder SEO Marketing
Adapt Written Content for Multimedia
Prioritizing multimedia content for SEO is not as big of a shift as it seems because the same thing has been happening on social media for a long time.
Whether it is temporary or permanent remains to be seen, but creators definitely need to adapt their strategies since you need SEO results now.
Written SEO will still be valuable because you need to provide multimedia content in context. The format of written content may just differ, including captions, alt text, and video scripts. Creators will need to adapt planned blogs to focus around multimedia content.
Integration with Concise, High-Value Text
Multimedia optimization is not a trend; it is a fundamental shift that content creators must adapt to immediately. Search engines now reward content that offers richer, engaging experiences, as users increasingly favor videos, images, and interactive elements over plain text.
This doesn’t mean the death of written content but a redefinition: text must now anchor and complement multimedia, not compete with it.
For example, a well-optimized blog with embedded videos ranks 53% higher than text-only posts.
Ignoring multimedia is a risk—by 2025, video alone is projected to make up 82% of all internet traffic. Content creators must evolve by integrating multimedia with concise, high-value text.
This is not a dilution of SEO but an enhancement.
As Google and Bing continue this trajectory, resisting the change risks irrelevance.
Creators who adapt today will dominate tomorrow’s rankings, proving that the written word thrives when it learns to collaborate.
Hanzel Talorete
Content Manager, Get Smart Series
Text to Serve Search Algorithms
Google and Bing’s multimedia prioritization isn’t just a passing fad—it’s a mirror of how people consume information today.
We live in a visual-first world where videos, images, and interactive content grab attention faster than text alone. But let’s not bury the written word just yet.
Written content, enriched with multimedia, becomes even more valuable, serving as the backbone of search algorithms that still rely on text for context, keywords, and structure.
For creators, this is a wake-up call: evolve or risk irrelevance.
The future isn’t choosing between writing and visuals—it’s mastering both.
In an era where attention spans are fleeting, the real SEO winners will be those who create written content that not only ranks but also inspires and adapts to new mediums.
If you’re clinging to pure text, you’re fighting yesterday’s battle.
Dionne Ricafort
Marketing Manager, CSO Yemen
SEO Context and Structure
The rise of multimedia in search results reflects a fundamental shift, not just a passing trend.
Users increasingly expect diverse content formats—videos, images, and interactive elements—alongside traditional written material, and search engines are adapting to meet these expectations.
That said, written content remains the backbone of SEO. It provides the context and structure that multimedia relies on to rank effectively. For example, well-written scripts and accurate metadata ensure video and image content aligns with search intent.
Content creators must adopt a hybrid approach: combining high-quality written material with engaging multimedia while focusing on accessibility and user experience.
This synergy between formats will be the key to maintaining visibility in this evolving landscape.
Karan Singh Bhakuni
CEO, Poper
A Foundational Change
The shift toward AI-driven search and evolving user intent fundamentally impacts written content for SEO.
Value now lies in creating high-quality, intent-focused, and engaging content that satisfies both human readers and search algorithms.
This isn’t a temporary trend—it’s a foundational change as search engines prioritize context and relevance over keyword density.
Content creators must adapt by emphasizing E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) and leveraging multimedia formats like video and infographics to complement written work.
Success hinges on adaptability and consistently delivering value to users.
Alan Noblitt
President, Seascape Capital, LLC
Pursue a Healthy Mix
I do believe it is wise, in this case, to put all the eggs in one basket when optimizing a site.
Maintaining a healthy mix of SEO written content and multimedia that plugs into the “helpful content updates” search engines are pumping out today is what will be truly impactful here.
Ryan Anderson
President, Markiserv
The BoostMyDomain team thanks these experts and leaders for taking the time to share their valuable insights.
BoostMyDomain invites you to share your insights and contribute to our authoritative publication. Reach a wider audience, build your credibility, and establish yourself as a thought leader in an industry that caters to every business with an online presence!
