Local SEO

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…

Back in the early 2000s, keyword stuffing actually worked. All you had to do was repeat the same phrases, and you could rank pretty well. (Readability be damned.) I’m not exaggerating here — these sites were literally littered with keywords. Like this one from 2005. Yes, this is a real site I found on The Wayback Machine. And yes, “online casinos” was used enough times to make your eyes burn. But that game is over. Today, keyword stuffing makes your content unreadable and unrankable. Google’s smarter. Users are pickier. And spammy tactics? They get flagged fast. So, if you’re still stuffing keywords, you’re not just stuck in the past — you’re tanking your chanc…

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…

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…

The difference between getting discovered on YouTube search and being invisible? Strategic keyword research. By optimizing videos with the right terms, you can dramatically increase your organic traffic. Take YouTuber Caren Magill’s ADHD coaching channel, for example. With 4.95M lifetime views and 116K subscribers, it’s safe to say Caren has found a successful niche. But this wasn’t luck. Caren optimizes her video’s titles, descriptions, and tags with terms that attract her target audience. The good news? You can do it, too—all you need is a reliable keyword research tool. To help you with this task, I evaluated five of the most popular YouTube keyword tools. …

JavaScript has enabled highly interactive and dynamic websites. But it also presents a challenge: ensuring your site is crawlable, indexable, and fast. That’s why JavaScript SEO is essential. When applied correctly, these strategies can significantly boost organic search performance. For instance, book retailer Follet saw a remarkable recovery after fixing JavaScript issues: That’s the impact of effective JavaScript SEO. In this guide, you’ll: Get an introduction to JavaScript SEO Understand the challenges with using JavaScript for search Learn best practices to optimize your JavaScript site for organic search What Is JavaScript SEO? JavaScript SEO is the process…

Choosing a Semrush plan isn’t always obvious. Paid plans start at $139.95 and go up to enterprise solutions. Not to mention the various add-ons and apps. You don’t want to overpay for features you don’t need. Or pick a cheaper plan that limits your ability to grow. In this guide, you’ll learn which Semrush plan matches your needs, whether you’re a solo blogger tracking 100 keywords or an agency managing 40+ client websites. Semrush’s Core Pricing Plans Explained Semrush offers four main subscription tiers: Pro plan at $139.95/month: Best for freelancers and startups Guru plan at $249.95/month: Caters to growing businesses and small agencies Business plan at $499.95/…

Claude is an AI chatbot developed by Anthropic, a popular alternative to ChatGPT. Launched in March 2023, Claude quickly attracted a multi-million user base. Today, Claude has 18.9 million monthly active users worldwide. From the number of Claude users to Claude user demographics, you’ll find the latest data about Claude on this page. Key Claude Stats Claude has 18.9 million monthly active users worldwide. Claude app has 2.9 million active users accessing the app at least once a month. The US and India are the 2 major markets for Claude, accounting for 33.13% of the total user base. In January 2025, Claude app downloads reached an estimated 769.6 million. Anthropic c…

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is one of Google’s three Core Web Vitals. Like the other two (Cumulative Layout Shift and Interaction to Next Paint), it’s not exactly clear what it means. Lots of tools can show your LCP score and outline ways to improve it. But their tips are often generic, and lack the detail you need to actually take action. So, in this guide I’ll walk you through actionable steps to improve your LCP. I’ll separate them by: Their potential impact The effort required to make the fix Which specific aspect of your LCP score they help with But first, let’s talk about what LCP actually means for your website (jump to this part for the fixes). What Does…

Currently, the mobile AI apps market is valued at $2 billion, primarily led by the success of ChatGPT and the sector continues to rise with more apps. In 2024 alone, over 4 thousand new AI apps were released and downloads reached a staggering 1.49 billion times across all AI apps. But what are the most popular AI apps worldwide and in the US, besides ChatGPT? Most Popular AI Apps (Top Picks) As of January 2025, ChatGPT ranks as the most popular AI app worldwide with 349.41 million monthly active users worldwide. ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Doubao were the most downloaded AI apps worldwide in 2024. In 2024, ChatGPT became the most popular AI app in the US, recording 31…

Want more traffic to your Shopify store? Start a blog. Why? Look at Gymshark. Its blog ranks for over 174K niche-related keywords and brings in over 673.1K visitors every month. That’s high-value SEO traffic it can funnel to its product pages. All without relying on ads. And here’s the thing: If you’re not blogging, you’re missing more than search traffic. You’re walking away from opportunities to connect with your audience and position yourself as a leader in your industry. Let’s fix that. Here are 9 Shopify blog examples to inspire your own blog (plus practical tips to steal). 1. Gymshark – Health and Fitness Blog Gymshark’s blog, Gymshark Central, pairs high…

Competitive intelligence (CI) gives you the clarity to make the right moves for your business—whether that’s meeting customer needs, finding new opportunities, or outsmarting competitors. Marketing agency Thrive proves this perfectly. I spoke to Aaron Whittaker, the VP of Demand Gen and Marketing at Thrive, to understand how they use CI. His team gathered intel to solve a specific challenge. Prospects were choosing AI marketing solutions over traditional agencies. “We monitored our competitors’ customer reviews and social media mentions. Our takeaway was that clients often felt …

A website audit helps you find what’s holding your site back. It highlights technical issues that affect your rankings and UX problems that hurt conversions. In this guide, I’ll walk you through five essential steps to maximize your site’s performance. And to make it easier, I’ve created a free website audit checklist that you can refer to as you follow along. Note: This post covers the fundamentals of website audits for small to medium sites. Enterprise sites have extra considerations and may need specialized tools and processes. …

Growing your website starts with reaching the right people. Not random traffic. People actively searching for the solutions you provide. That’s where organic traffic shines. Unlike paid advertising or social media, organic traffic attracts visitors with clear intent. At Backlinko, organic traffic brings us over 571K monthly visitors—each one specifically interested in SEO and digital marketing. In this guide, you’ll learn all about organic traffic, including how to measure and increase it. Let’s start with what organic traffic is and how it differs from other traffic sources. What Is Organic Traffic? Organic traffic refers to visitors who land on your website or …

Founded in 2023, DeepSeek is a Chinese AI startup known for its new chatbot beating many existing models and rivaling dominance of ChatGPT. Since the public release of DeepSeek-R1 on January 20, the startup attracted worldwide attention thanks to its reported cost-efficient model outpacing leading US-based AI chatbots. Today, DeepSeek ranks as the #1 most downloaded app in the App Store in over 160 countries and has been downloaded more than 2.6 million across App Store and Google Play. AI chatbot by DeepSeek is currently one of the fastest-growing tech products but as a private company, they don’t disclose many details. We plan to update this page as more information …

Learning how to sell SEO isn’t easy. Why? Your prospects don’t want to buy SEO—they want to buy results. I learned this the hard way. After years of trial and error, I found a system. It consistently delivers what people want: more customers, revenue, and growth. In fact, I’ve maintained a 75% close rate by focusing on one thing: demonstrating value before asking for the sale. Think about it: AI advancements. Nontraditional search results. Constant algorithm shifts. SEO looks different every year. But these changes have made skilled SEOs more valuable than ever. In this guide, you’ll learn my exact process for selling SEO services, backed by insights from industr…

Many ecommerce websites obsess over flashy designs and trendy layouts. Big mistake. Instead, you should focus on conversion-centered design. That’s the blend of buyer psychology, user experience, and strategic design working together to turn visitors into customers. Doing this can get you: More sales Higher average order values Better conversion rates Below, I’ve handpicked nine effective ecommerce website examples that follow a conversion-focused design. Use them as a blueprint to create your own online store that converts. Crème de la Crème: Our Favorite Ecommerce Website Examples Short on time to review every ecommerce website example on this list? Focus on th…

Want more buyers and sellers from Google without relying on Zillow or Redfin? Or more leads for listings that support your cold-calling and door-knocking efforts? Then, become skilled at real estate SEO. SEO is about ranking your site in search engine results pages (SERPs). This will attract qualified buyers and sellers to your agency. Just look at Campion & Company, a small real estate agency in Boston. They outrank Zillow for high-value property searches like “Burrage Mansion.” And that’s just one keyword. This agency ranks for 19K different search terms on Google—all driving potential buyers directly to their listings. All thanks to SEO. In this guide, yo…

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is one of the most effective paid channels helping businesses increase visibility and build awareness. If you’d like to learn about the state of PPC in 2025, find the latest data on PPC usage, most used ad platforms, and PPC benchmarks, we’ve curated a list of 24 essential PPC statistics to help you answer these questions. General PPC Statistics Among surveyed pay-per-click (PPC) marketers, Google (98%), Facebook (76%) and Instagram (70%) are the most widely used advertising platforms (Statista) Here’s a full breakdown: Digital Advertising Platform Share of PPC Professionals Google (excluding YouTube) 98% Facebook 76% Inst…

Travel SEO is about turning strangers into guests. But it’s no small task competing with major sites like Booking.com, TripAdvisor, and Expedia. With so many players in the market, standing out in search engine results can feel impossible. Yet, small players can still succeed. Live Oak Lake, a boutique resort in Texas built a strong direct booking website that ranks No. 1 for search terms like “waco cabins.” They made $1.1 million in their first year and sold the business for $7 million in 2024. In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to implement an effective travel SEO strategy, including: How to optimize for travel-specific search intent 10 proven strategies t…