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Hey Reader,

Happy New Year! Even if you're not big on resolutions in the new year, it's hard to deny the desire to get back into routines, set some goals, and start fresh as the calendar flips over into January.

The last few years have been volatile ones in the food blogging space, but consistency, continuous improvement, and authenticity still go a long way towards building a successful brand and community. We're rooting for you!

I also wanted to say 'hello' to those of you that I got to meet in person at the Tastemaker Conference in LA last week! It was so fun to connect with people I've messaged on the Forum, emailed with, or chatted with on Instagram over the years.

December was a bit of a slow news month, but we still have some noteworthy updates for you! Let's dive in.

1. The 2025 SEO wrap-up: What we learned about search, content, and trust

2025 was... a year! And in this SEO wrap-up from Yoast, they share how SEO evolved in 2025, what those changes mean in practice, and what you might expect moving forward.

Some of the main SEO developments in 2025 included a shifting focus from rankings to brand visibility, the expansion of AI Overviews, the increasing importance of E-E-A-T for brands, and the need for structured, clear, and relevant content.

SEO didn't disappear in 2025, it just entered a new phase.

​Read the full article on Yoast.​

2. Pinterest leans into search as Gen Z adoption surges

Gone are the days of scrolling and scrolling on your Pinterest Home feed. Did you know that two-thirds of interactions on Pinterest now involve search?

Because of the visual nature of search on Pinterest it has a unique advantage over other search engines. This seems to be especially appealing to Gen Zers, who now make up over half of Pinterest's user base.

Some interesting stats directly from the article:

• The platform has 80 billion monthly search queries, according to Pinterest. That’s comparable to ChatGPT’s 75 billion queries per month.
• 47% of Gen Zers use Pinterest as a search engine, per Adobe.
• 36% of consumers who use Pinterest for search said they start their searches on Pinterest over Google.

Want to learn more about how to optimize for Pinterest search? Our Pinterest Expert, Kate Ahl, released a great podcast episode all about it.

​Read the full article on EMARKETER here.​

3. Instagram’s new ‘Your Algorithm’ tool could boost discovery for brands

In early December, Instagram launched 'Your Algorithm' in the U.S. — a new tool that lets users see (and edit!) the topics that are dictating their Reels algorithm. This will allow people to add the topics they want to see more of in their feed (or remove topics they are no longer interested in).

​Read the full article on Search Engine Land here.​

4. SEO expert says websites lose rankings because they're doing too much SEO

The headline for this article tells you most of what you need to know — if you overdid it on SEO in years past, the recent algorithm updates have likely not been good to you, as Google has refined its algorithm to "target content created primarily for search engines rather than users."

But for most food creators, it's unlikely that you over-optimized at the scale Google would penalize. This article does emphasize that "brand authority emerged as the strongest ranking factor in Ray's analysis."

It also highlighted that content problems, not technical SEO issues, are the reason behind most drops in traffic.

The best practices remain creating high-quality content, demonstrating your expertise, and writing for the user, not the search engine.

​Read the full article on PPC Land here.​

5. Inside the Facebook algorithm in 2026: All the updates you need to know

The goal of most social media platforms is simple — keep users scrolling and on the platform for as long as possible.

This article gets into the nitty-gritty of how the algorithm does just that, but also provided some best practices for creators on Facebook that are easy to implement (if you're not already!):

1. Stick to a consistent posting schedule — Find a realistic posting rhythm and stick to it.
2. Share content that invites engagement — Use the Insights in Meta Business Suite to discover what types of content seem to resonate most with your audience. Accurate and authentic content is a no-brainer. Rinse and repeat!
3. Treat engagement like a two-way conversation – Respond to DMs and comments (ideally within 24 hours). Build a community!
4. Share formats that perform on Facebook — "According to a 2025 report from Meta, nearly 98% of the posts that US-based users viewed — whether from accounts they followed or not — didn’t include a link. In other words, most of what appears in people’s feeds is content they can view without leaving the platform." This is wild! Pinch of Yum has recently started including the recipe link in the comments (with no mention of a link in the initial caption).
5. Embrace video — Reels! Nothing new here.
6. Share user-generated content — When people tag you in their posts with photos of your recipes, share them! Share reviews!

​Read the full article on Buffer here.​

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