Another year at INBOUND, and once again the event delivered: a mix of inspiration, practical takeaways, and invaluable connections. With thousands of marketers, sales leaders, technologists, and entrepreneurs gathered together in San Francisco, it’s clear this conference has become more than an industry event—it’s where the future of growth gets built.
The Event Experience
This year’s programming struck a balance between high-level strategy and practical, tactical sessions. Whether you were sitting in a packed keynote hall or diving into smaller workshops, the energy was constant and consistent. It was evident that this year’s HubSpot attendees were in San Francisco to learn, share, and move forward. What stood out most this year is how quickly conversations around AI and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) have shifted from “what’s possible” to “what’s working now.”
Key Themes and Takeaways
Across three days, several consistent themes emerged:
- AI is transforming the way teams work, but not replacing teams. The most impactful use cases showed how AI is being integrated into daily workflows to accelerate output and increase individual productivity, not eliminate people.
- Search is not dead. And content is still king. High-quality content and trust-driven messaging continue to drive conversions, even as channels and buyer behavior evolve.
- AEO is moving into the spotlight. With AI assistants and LLMs reshaping discovery, AEO is becoming as critical as traditional SEO.
- HubSpot continues to deliver. Platform improvements are giving marketing teams a more streamlined, intuitive user experience.
Session Highlights
Several sessions stood out for their relevance and forward-looking perspective:
- 30 Charts That Will Change the Way You Do Marketing (Neil Patel, NP Digital): A data-driven look at shifting behaviors and trends—impactful in today’s environment where urgency and trust drive decisions.
- AEO for the CMO: An Actionable Maturity Model (Guy Yalif, Webflow): An insightful framework helping CMOs assess AEO maturity, understand the nuances between SEO and AEO, and build stories designed for AI-driven discovery.
- Content That Scales Your Impact, Not Your Output: (Scott Berchman - Exos, Andi Bricklin - Aramark, Rachel Ousley - Canva, Libby Rodney - The Harris Poll) A reminder that more content isn’t better—strategic, meaningful content drives outcomes.
- Endless Customers: How to Build a Brand That’s Built to Last (Marcus Sheridan - Impact): A powerful reminder that sustainable growth is built on trust, consistency, and long-term positioning.
The Community and Connections
Inbound isn’t just about what happens on stage. Some of the most meaningful conversations happened in the expo hall, at networking lounges, and over shared meals. A big thank you to Janine Johnson and the NetLine team for an excellent dinner and conversation—it’s these moments that build the relationships which fuel growth. The sponsor showcase was equally energizing, with innovative companies like Event Hapily, CallRail, and Wistia demonstrating how their tools continue to evolve the marketing ecosystem.
The Evolution: From SEO to AEO to GEO
A key validation point from this year is that SEO hasn’t disappeared—it has evolved. The foundations of SEO—crawlable content, technical optimization, keyword relevance, and trust-building through backlinks—remain the bedrock of digital visibility.
What AEO and GEO add is an AND layer:
- AEO focuses on structuring content for AI assistants and answer engines to quickly surface authoritative, brand-aligned answers.
- GEO emphasizes training content for generative search results, ensuring your brand is represented accurately and persuasively when users turn to AI-generated summaries instead of traditional search pages.
Both build directly on the same fundamentals SEO has always required. Brands that chase AEO and GEO without strong SEO hygiene will struggle. But those that treat AEO and GEO as the natural next step in their search strategy—SEO plus a little more—will be positioned to win visibility and trust in both traditional and emerging discovery channels.
Bringing Our Team Together
One of the highlights of INBOUND each year is bringing our own team together. As a distributed company, in-person connection is rare but invaluable. These events give us the chance to strengthen culture, align on vision, and connect on a human level—something that carries forward long after the event ends.
Looking Ahead
For us, the takeaway from INBOUND 2025 is clear: the winners in the next era of growth will be the organizations that embrace RevOps discipline, embed AI and AEO into their strategy, and continue to build on the timeless drivers of trust, urgency, and brand consistency.
If we didn’t get a chance to meet at INBOUND, I’d love to continue the conversation. Whether it’s about AI, HubSpot strategy, or building stronger RevOps and WebOps practices, let’s connect and compare notes on where the industry is heading.
Meet with John
If we didn’t get a chance to meet at INBOUND, I’d love to continue the conversation. Whether it’s about AI, HubSpot strategy, or building stronger RevOps and WebOps practices, let’s connect and compare notes on where the industry is heading.