Local SEO

Managing local search marketing for one location is straightforward. But managing multi-location SEO — whether it’s 10, 50, or 100 branches — gets complicated fast. Each location needs unique content. A single mistake in your business info can mislead customers and hurt trust. And it’s tough to see which branches are actually driving results. Everything changes when you’re managing SEO for multiple locations. Our six-step system below tackles these challenges in order of priority. You’ll learn exactly how to: Create high-performing location pages Optimize Google Business Profiles (GBPs) across every branch Manage reviews, citations, and backlinks efficiently Tra…

AI search exists on a spectrum. At one end: a human asks an AI a question and gets a fast, generated response. At the other: an AI receives a goal and browses the web on a human’s behalf. It evaluates your brand, makes a decision, and leaves no trace in your analytics. That’s agentic search. And it’s already emerging. ChatGPT’s deep research, Gemini’s agentic mode, and Perplexity’s research features are early expressions of it. Shopping within ChatGPT and booking tables without ever visiting a website are where it’s heading. AI systems are already running multi-step evaluations with less human direction at each step. The brands that show up in those evaluations are…

The marketing tech stack is always evolving. Marketing automation software enables improved efficiency with various features, from customer segmentation to campaign management. What’s the marketing automation industry market size? What are the adoption rates of marketing automation, and what benefits does it bring to businesses? Continue reading as we’ll cover answers to these questions with these recent marketing automation statistics. Here’s what you’ll find on this page: Marketing Automation Industry Revenue Leading Players in the Marketing Automation Software Industry Marketing Automation Budget Changes Top Channels Where Marketing Automation is Used Top Benefits …

A user asks Gemini: “Find me a task chair under $400 with lumbar support and free shipping. Order the best one.” The AI doesn’t open a new tab. It doesn’t ask the user to click anything. Instead, it queries product databases, cross-references reviews, checks real-time inventory, compares shipping policies, and initiates a checkout — all without a human touching a single page. These are all things the user would have done themselves, but now in a fraction of the time, with as much effort as it took to write the initial prompt. Okay, we might not be quite at the stage where everyone is letting AI agents make all their purchases for them. But it’s no longer an unrealistic…

Fintech in AI search plays by much stricter rules. Because it’s a Your Money or Your Life category, products must clear higher verification thresholds before AI mentions you: Is your product legitimate? Are your fees and protections explicit? Do other trusted sources back up your claims? To find these answers, AI draws from your website and the wider web — including sources you don’t control. That risks misrepresentation of your brand. What matters, then, is whether those sources tell an accurate story. In this article, I’ll explain how to influence that narrative. Because the real goal is for your fintech brand to show up in AI search AND be represented accuratel…

You found a digital marketing agency that feels like the one. The pitch was perfect. They “get” your goals. Their case studies are impressive. But a few weeks later, reality starts to set in: slow responses, recycled strategies, and reports that don’t show any tangible results. This scenario is painfully common, but it’s not inevitable. Choosing an agency that performs as well as they sell is possible — if you know what to look for. In this guide, I’ll cover: Red flags that signal an agency might overpromise and underdeliver Green flags that separate the great partners from the mediocre ones Must-ask questions to help you spot these flags before you sign the contra…

Marketers are making bold statements about AI SEO every day. The problem? Most of them are half-right at best. “SEO is dead.” “Long-form content is pointless.” “AI SEO is just good SEO.” Here’s the truth: When it comes to AI, the answer is rarely that simple. Are you trying to show up in ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overviews? Do you want the AI to recommend your brand or cite your content? Is the model pulling from training data or live web results? Each of those questions has a different approach. Trying to generalize only causes confusion. So, let’s skip the hype and get specific. This guide tests today’s biggest AI myths in SEO to uncover what’s true, what’s …

In the good ol’ days of blogging, traffic was the main goal, and it was relatively easy to get. Now, especially for ecommerce blogs, it’s getting harder to stay visible. The number of Google searches that end with a click is slowly decreasing, while the number of searches that end with no clicks has increased. While the number changes are small, they’re continuing to move in the direction of no-click searches. AI Overviews give people the answers they need at a glance, and website traffic is taking a toll as a result. Aside from these trends in Google search, ecommerce blogs also face an uphill battle against big players like Amazon or Walmart. With all of this in m…

Ask the same question in 11 AI search engines, and you’ll get 11 different answers. Sometimes wildly different. Some engines focus on visuals and shoppable results. Others go deep into research. A few just try to get you an answer, fast. Each platform prioritizes and presents it differently. And those differences matter. Not just for users, but for brands trying to get discovered in AI search. So, I tested popular and lesser-known AI engines on accuracy, depth, user experience, and other factors. Only four made the cut. In this guide, you’ll learn which AI search engines came out on top, including pros, cons, and pricing. I’ll also share which engines didn’t make …

Ad intelligence software promises to show you everything your competitors are doing: their keywords, budgets, creatives, and landing pages. But many surface insights you could get for free. Meta’s Ad Library shows what advertisers are currently running. Google’s Transparency Center does the same for search and YouTube. TikTok’s Creative Center reveals top performers by industry. So, when does paid software earn its cost? You’re tracking multiple competitors across platforms and losing hours to manual checks You need historical data on which ads they tested and killed You rely on spend benchmarks and real-time alerts to catch shifts before your clients do That’s the …

The men’s fashion world has evolved into a thriving online marketplace, ranging from timeless tailoring and premium streetwear to sustainable basics and cutting-edge accessories. For creators, bloggers, and influencers, joining the right affiliate program can turn style expertise into a consistent income stream. But finding the perfect fit isn’t about volume; it’s about choosing brands that align with your audience’s lifestyle, values, and spending habits. Whether your focus is minimalist menswear, high-end luxury, or casual everyday essentials, there’s a men’s fashion affiliate program tailored to your platform. We’ve curated a list of the top men’s fashion affiliate…

With beauty enthusiasts constantly searching for the next must-have product, niche affiliate programs are the ultimate secret weapon for creators looking to turn passion into profit. But the real challenge isn’t finding programs – it’s finding the right ones that truly align with your audience and deliver real rewards. The beauty industry is vast, ever-changing, and inclusive, spanning everything from luxury skincare and high-end cosmetics to affordable everyday essentials. No matter your niche, whether it be makeup tutorials, skincare reviews, or holistic wellness, there’s a beauty affiliate program perfectly suited to your platform. We’ve rounded up a curated list of…

AI search is still moving. What’s cited today across Google (AI Mode + AI Overviews) and ChatGPT might look different in a month. But there’s no need to scramble. For example, a dip in Reddit citations isn’t a reason to abandon conversational marketing or rebuild your plan from scratch. (Plus, it’s likely things aren’t always what they seem, like this speculation from John-Henry Scherck about Reddit and ChatGPT.) Instead, stick to doing the basics — getting mentioned by the major players in your industry as well as hyper-relevant/niche ones — while keeping tabs on macro changes that should impact your go-forward strategy. LLM Sources Aren’t Set in Stone The “who get…

AI search is reshaping how ecommerce brands get discovered. One week, your products show up in ChatGPT. The next week, they’re replaced by competitors. For many brands, this uncertainty can feel overwhelming. Organic visibility now depends less on rankings and keywords, and more on how LLMs gather information, which platforms they rely on, and what signals help them highlight your brand. In this guide, I’ll explain this crucial shift in detail. I’ll unpack: What actually shapes visibility inside AI answers The business impact of compressed buyer journeys and broken attribution How you can build lasting relevance in this new search ecosystem The 3 Types of AI Visib…

There’s been a lot of buzz around llms.txt. But no major AI platform has confirmed that they use it. Not yet, anyway. And there’s no evidence that any major large language model (LLM) actually uses it when crawling. So, why are some SEOs and site owners already adding it to their sites? Because LLM traffic is projected to explode over the next few years. Which means AI models could soon become your biggest traffic source. Remember: robots.txt was once optional, too. Today, it’s essential for managing search crawlers. LLMs.txt could follow a similar path — becoming the standard way to guide AI to your most important content. In this guide, you’ll learn how llms.…

When a potential user asks ChatGPT, Google AI, or Perplexity for recommendations, does your brand appear in the answer? Not just cited — actually mentioned in the response? That’s a crucial distinction. Brands that AI systems mention with context and positive sentiment attract the most intent-driven traffic. Semrush research shows that visitors who find a brand in an AI answer are 4.4 times more valuable than those from traditional search. They’re pre-qualified. They’ve seen AI endorse your solution. And unlike SEO, AI doesn’t care about website authority. Most sources cited in AI responses don’t even rank in Google’s top 20. So if you follow best practices, your…

Websites have been the foundation of SEO strategy for 20-odd years. That’s changing with AI search. When someone asks ChatGPT for a product in your category, it doesn’t always crawl websites in real-time. Its first move is to pull from what it already knows about you and your competitors from its existing knowledge. Clear and recognizable entities in AI training data are just as important as having the most authoritative and optimized website. This shift means your webpage might rank #1 in classic search, but if your brand isn’t well-structured for entities, AI might overlook you entirely in the answer. The rules we’ve relied on for decades don’t fully apply when m…

AI answers are taking over search. More people are turning to Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity for recommendations. And if your brand isn’t showing up in those AI answers? You’re missing out on a huge (and growing) slice of your market. That’s why Semrush built the AI SEO Toolkit. It’s a major unlock for marketers trying to understand how AI is impacting their business. Today, I’m going to show you how to use it — step by step — with a real example. TL;DR: Measure Your AI Search Visibility Here’s what you need to know about Semrush’s AI SEO Toolkit: What it does: Tracks how your brand appears across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, and Per…

AI has infinitely sped up the hype cycle in marketing. So when the term “vibe marketing” came onto the scene, you may have rolled your eyes for a moment before you said, “I have to try this.” In basic terms, vibe marketing means using AI to run entire marketing workflows. Usually, this involves a combination of: Vibe coding: No-code AI tools where you type what you want (e.g., “Build me a landing page”), and the tool spins it up AI agents: Always-on assistants that handle background tasks, like checking your inbox for leads or updating your CRM And whether or not they consider themselves “vibe marketers,” many teams are already doing this. In a survey of marketing …

ChatGPT recommends products — complete with photos, pricing, and purchase links — to its 700 million weekly users. And now customers can complete purchases without leaving the chat. BIG deal. But will ChatGPT recommend your products? That’s not automatic. And you can’t pay for placement. What you can do is optimize your site so ChatGPT understands what you sell, trusts your brand, and surfaces your products when buyers search. This guide shows you how. You’ll learn the eight-step framework for getting featured in ChatGPT Shopping. I also spoke with Leigh McKenzie, Backlinko’s Head of Growth and founder of the ecommerce brand UnderFit, to get his insights on what’s …

If I had a dollar for every time someone said “know your audience,” I could retire from marketing altogether. And yet, most teams are completely winging it. Too often, marketers equate audience research with half-baked customer relationship management (CRM) data, some social media metrics, and a few buyer interviews. But that’s just organizing information you already have. Real audience research means discovering what you don’t know yet. It’s the exact words people use when they’re frustrated. The solutions they’ve already tried and dismissed. The moment they decide to trust one source over another. When you get this right, you move from guessing what might work to …

Reddit marketing is delicate work. Show up with a sales pitch — or just a little too much enthusiasm for your product — and they’ll shut you down quickly. Without mercy. But that hostility is really standards in disguise. Redditors care about their communities. They care about real conversations and keeping the place worth coming back to. Meet those standards, and the mood turns. They’ll start to trust you. Sometimes, they’ll even ask where they can buy your stuff. That’s when you know you’ve earned the hard-to-win, harder-to-fake Reddit trust. A kind of credibility so strong it travels far beyond Reddit. (More on that later.) This guide shows you how. Just thre…

Your SEO and PPC teams probably don’t share data. That’s problematic. Organic traffic is slipping. CPCs are climbing. And conversions aren’t keeping pace. It’s not just the LLMs — the SERP itself has changed. In 2025, every query is a blended battlefield of ads, AI overviews, videos, shopping units, map packs, and organic links. Yet, most teams operate with SEO and PPC in silos. That doesn’t work anymore. Because to users, there’s no “organic vs. paid search.” They just click what’s useful. And “useful” now shows up in more places than ever. If you don’t align your channels, you end up with duplication, cannibalization, and wasted spend. This guide will show you …

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is one of the most important topics in search right now. It’s about making sure your brand shows up inside AI-generated answers — not just on traditional SERPs. As large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity reshape discovery, AEO ensures your content gets mentioned and cited where buyers are asking questions. But here’s the bigger truth: AEO is just one piece of a larger shift. We’re entering the era of Search Everywhere. Discovery no longer happens in a single Google results page. It’s happening across AI chat, overviews, forums, video, and social. And new data shows just how fast this shift is accelerating.…

I analyzed over one million keywords across 10 industries. The average cost per click (CPC) for Google Search ads in 2025 is $8.34. And the median CPC is $4.52. Legal had the highest average CPC at $22.75. Ecommerce had the lowest, at just $0.82 per click. But there’s no flat rate for CPC. Even if two advertisers bid on the same keyword, they won’t pay the same. Costs can vary based on several factors — and CPC is just one part of the equation. Google Ads pricing also involves other expenses that can affect your total budget. In this guide, you’ll learn: How much Google Ads really cost What your budget should be How you can lower your ad costs (without hurting …