SEO Tools and Resources

Bluesky is quickly gaining attention as a growing social media platform – but what does that mean for the PPC community? Here’s what you need to know and how to prepare for potential ad opportunities What is Bluesky? Bluesky is a social media platform that was originally founded as a research initiative at Twitter in 2019. After becoming an independent company in 2021, it launched its invite-only beta in 2023 before opening to the public in February 2024. As of writing, Bluesky has a total of 33.1 million registered users, and its growth shows no signs of slowing down. How does Bluesky differ from other social media platforms? The platform, whi…

AI image generation is making it easier than ever to create high-quality visuals. Whether you’re working on blog posts, marketing materials, social media, or product design, these tools help you produce stunning images in seconds. But with so many options available, which AI image generators stand out in 2025? Let’s take a look at the best ones and what makes them worth using. 1. Adobe Firefly Pricing $4.99 a month (for 100 monthly generative credits). Free with Adobe Creative Cloud’s $59.99 package (for all 20+ apps). Adobe Firefly, part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud, helps professionals create stunning visuals from simple text prompts. I…

AI has made it easier than ever to scale SEO fast – but with it comes high risk. What happens when the party is over and short-term wins become long-term losses? Recently, I worked with a site that had expanded aggressively using AI-powered programmatic. It worked until it didn’t, resulting in a steep decline in rankings, which I doubt they will recover. It’s not worth the fallout when the party is over. And, eventually, it will be. Here are the lessons learned along the way and ways to approach things differently. When the party ends The risks of AI-driven content strategies aren’t always immediately apparent. In this case, the signs were …

English-language keywords are becoming more competitive daily, making it harder to rank for popular terms – even with an unlimited budget. To maximize your efforts, consider alternatives like multilingual or international SEO. Before we dive in, let’s clarify the difference: Multilingual SEO involves multiple languages, regardless of the target country. For example, adapting a U.S. website into Spanish or Traditional Chinese for U.S. residents is multilingual but not international. International SEO targets different countries. A U.S. company expanding to Canada, the U.K., or Australia would be engaging in international SEO but not multilingual. This…

The European Commission is preparing to charge Google with violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA) after the tech giant’s proposed changes to search results failed to satisfy regulators and rivals, according to sources familiar with the matter. The big picture. The EU has been investigating Google since March 2023 over concerns that it favors its own services — like Google Shopping, Flights, and Hotels — over competitors in search results. Google’s recent tweaks to search results were meant to address regulator and industry concerns, but critics argue the changes don’t go far enough. The company has warned that further modifications could remove useful feature…

The traditional marketing funnel doesn’t reflect how users actually search and engage with content today—and it’s hurting your SEO. With access to more data than ever before, marketers now have a better framework for driving organic traffic: the spiderweb. By structuring your content strategy around interconnected, high-value pages, you can drive faster rankings, more organic traffic, and better user experiences. Join Think Spiderwebs, Not Funnels For Remarkable SEO Results with Ryan Brock to learn: Why traditional funnels waste organic traffic opportunities What Gartner and leading researchers say about the modern buyer’s journey How to shift your cont…

Google Ads is significantly increasing the negative keyword limit for Performance Max (PMax) campaigns, raising the cap from 100 to 10,000 per campaign, aligning with Search campaigns. By the numbers: Previous cap: 100 negative keywords per PMax campaign New cap: 10,000 negative keywords per PMax campaign Rollout timeline: Next few weeks for all PMax advertisers Why we care. Advertisers had expressed frustration that the previous 100-keyword limit was too restrictive, limiting control over where their ads appeared. The update provides greater flexibility while maintaining campaign effectiveness. The big picture: Google Ads Liaison, Ginny Marvin s…

Getting our SEO plugin up and running should be quick and stress-free. That is why we are introducing a simpler installation flow that takes just a few clicks. If you have ever felt confused about installing plugins, this new option is here to help you. Get started with the Yoast SEO Free installation: Go to our new Yoast SEO Free page Click the install button and follow the on-screen prompts Complete the setup, and you are all set Because everything is more user-friendly, you will save time and avoid the usual guesswork. This improved flow is perfect for new users and anyone who does not feel comfortable around zip files or manual uploads. Installat…

Google Ad Manager and other ad services, including Campaign Manager 360 and Display & Video 360, are experiencing technical issues, causing disruptions for advertisers and publishers. What’s happening. Google Ad Manager. Users have reported error messages, high latency, and other unexpected behavior since 10:00 UTC on Feb. 12. Some hosted video creatives are stuck in “Transcoding in progress.” Campaign Manager 360 & Display & Video 360. Issues began earlier, at 06:00 UTC on Feb. 11, affecting advertisers using these platforms. Why we care. Google’s ad platforms are critical for digital advertising, and any downtime can impact campaign perfo…

Google’s AI-powered match type Search Max is rolling out to more accounts, bringing automated ad optimization to Search campaigns. How it works: Expanded search term matching. Google extends beyond existing keywords and match types, using landing pages, headlines, and descriptions to surface new, relevant searches. Text & URL optimization. Google dynamically selects the most relevant landing pages and pairs them with optimized headlines and descriptions. Automatically created assets. Search Max now incorporates AI-generated ad components, further streamlining ad creation. Why we care. Search Max aims to increase conversions by dynamically tailoring…

YouTube citations in Google AI Overviews grew 25.21% since Jan. 1 – and this surge was particularly seen in the healthcare industry, according to new data from enterprise SEO platform BrightEdge. Why we care. Even though Google’s lawyer said less than 1% of YouTube video views come from search, Google continues to give preference to videos from its YouTube platform – especially for visual demonstrations, step-by-step tutorials, and product comparisons. If you want to be visible in AI Overviews, you may want to align your YouTube and SEO strategies so your videos are cited in AI Overviews. By the numbers. Here is where YouTube’s presence in AI Overviews increas…

Ever notice how website visitors rarely follow the exact path you’ve planned for them? You might build great landing pages for different customer types, but visitors have their own plans. They Google something random and land on your blog post. They click a link from social media that drops them into your resources section. Or they skip your homepage completely and jump straight to a product page. This creates a problem. How do you make sure your website works for all your target customers when they aren’t following your planned customer journeys? The answer is simple: Build your entire website, not just specific landing pages, with y…

Microsoft is testing a new version of Bing named Copilot Search, where it uses Copilot AI to provide a different style of search results. It looks different from the main Bing Search, it looks different from Copilot and it looks different from the Bing generative search experience. More details. The folks over at Windows Latests reported, “Microsoft is testing a new feature on Bing called “AI Search,” which replaces blue links with AI-summarized answers. Sources tell me it’s part of Microsoft’s efforts to bridge the gap between “traditional search” and “Copilot answers” to take on ChatGPT. However, the company does not plan to make “AI search” the default search mode.…

Google Ads will update its Unfair Advantage Policy to clarify that the restriction on showing more than one ad at a time for the same business, app, or site only applies within a single ad location. This change, staring April 14, follows recent experiments allowing multiple ads from the same advertiser in different locations on the search results page. What’s happening. Double serving now permitted: Advertisers can now run multiple ads for the same business, app, or site on a single search results page—provided they occupy different ad locations. This could potentially increase visibility and clicks for top advertisers but may also intensify competition for …

After 25 years of working in SEO, I’ve seen firsthand how traditional keyword research methods fail to keep up with Google’s advancements. In my SMX Next presentation, I challenged SEOs to go beyond outdated keyword methodologies and embrace an intent-driven approach. Here are six key insights from that session. 1. Traditional keyword research is failing us Traditional keyword research is no longer enough. We’ve relied on tools that provide data on competition, search volume, and relevance, but they don’t uncover the hidden context behind searches. For years, SEOs have prioritized high-volume, low-competition keywords, assuming this would drive r…

Google Analytics now allows administrators and editors to customize report collections and groupings, making navigation more tailored to business needs as announced by Carly Boddy, Product Manager at Google Analytics. How it works. Creating a Collection: Admins and editors can create up to seven collections per property. Navigate to Library in the left-side menu. Click Create new collection and choose either a blank collection or a predefined template. Add a Collection Name and create up to five topics. Drag and drop Detail and Overview reports into the topics (each topic can hold up to 10 reports). Click Save and Publish to make the collection…

Every business needs an online presence. Building a business website could be one of your most important decisions. But after that decision comes another question: Which platform should you choose to build your business site on? This depends on what kind of website you need, your resources, and your expertise. Table of contents Define your website’s purpose Do you have technical expertise and resources? Types of website platforms Scalability, customization, and security Budget and cost considerations Additional considerations and support Deciding on the business site platform Now, choose a platform for your business website Define your website’s purpose B…

SEO is essential for improving a website’s visibility on search engines like Google, both globally and locally. However, a one-size-fits-all approach won’t effectively attract customers in specific regions. To stand out in a particular geographic area, you must implement localized SEO strategies tailored to local search behavior, competition, and cultural preferences. This article explores key actions to enhance your website’s visibility within a specific region. From global to local strategies: Understanding your potential local market To increase visibility in a specific region, start with market research to understand your potential users in the are…

If you manage both SEO and PPC, striking the right balance is key to maximizing efficiency and ROI. When paid search campaigns compete with high-performing organic listings, brands end up spending more while gaining little additional traffic. Keyword cannibalization dilutes search performance, inflates costs, and reduces overall marketing effectiveness. This guide will help you recognize the warning signs of PPC cannibalization, test its impact, and implement strategies to ensure both channels work together for optimal results. Signs your PPC campaigns are cannibalizing your SEO rankings Declining organic click-through rates If your organic ranking…

As privacy regulations evolve and consumer expectations shift, marketers face a growing challenge: delivering personalized experiences while respecting data privacy. How can you navigate this changing landscape without sacrificing engagement? Join MarTech.org’s upcoming webinar, Balancing Personalization and Privacy, to explore best practices for responsibly collecting and managing first-party data, building trust with privacy-conscious consumers, and simplifying data integration across large organizations. Our expert speaker will also address key industry challenges, from handling highly regulated sectors to adapting to opt-out technologies like Apple’s Do Not Tr…

Google Ads scripts have long been a powerful way to automate account management, improve efficiency, and reduce manual work. Whether it’s managing search terms, optimizing bids, or generating reports, scripts allow you to scale your efforts while maintaining control over your campaigns. Now, with generative AI, particularly GPT, scripts are becoming even more accessible and adaptable. Advertisers no longer need to write every line of code manually or rely solely on predefined automation rules. GPT can generate, refine, and enhance scripts based on simple prompts, allowing even those with little coding experience to build powerful automation tools. A…

Google’s Ads and Commerce product lead, Vidhya Srinivasan, today outlined how the company is reimagining advertising as “avenues for tailored exploration” in response to unpredictable consumer behavior. The big picture: Google is focusing on three key solutions to help advertisers break through: AI-powered shopping innovations. Google launched several new shopping features, including ads in Lens, AI-powered Google Shopping, 3D product spins, and virtual try-on experiences for clothing items. YouTube creator partnerships. The platform’s highly engaged audiences, particularly Gen Z, trust creator recommendations 98% more than those on other social platforms (acc…

I always ask the same hypothetical question to friends and coworkers: If you were 20 years younger with the hindsight you have, what career path would you take differently? It’s fairly easy to look back. But what’s (much) harder is to look forward in time and identify areas that will increase in value in the next few years. Here are five marketing skills I believe will only increase in value in the next few years to expand your expertise and your career path options. 1. Creative generation Everybody seems to think creativity is dying, especially since the rise of AI over the past two years. However, AI is the exact reason why I think the skill of cr…

Google Search may now be faster when you use Chrome for Google Search. Google is leveraging Speculation Rules API to prefetch results, ultimately making the overall Google Search experience faster. “Google Search has been making use of the Speculation Rules API to improve navigation speed from the search results page to the result links and they’ve been using a few features of the API that may be of interest to other site owners,” Google wrote on the Chrome Developers blog. More details. Google will prefetch the first two search results to speed up the search experience. Google said it does this through using the requires configuration, to ensure prefetches use t…

Google has updated its Merchant listing structured data guidelines to add a new beta for member pricing priceType, aka validForMemberTier property. Google also clarified the active prices, sale prices, strikethrough prices with more examples and instructions. What Google said. Google added examples and instructions for using the priceType property and new beta validForMemberTier property to encode active prices, sale prices, strikethrough prices, and member prices in JSON-LD to the Merchant listing structured data guidelines, the search company announced. They did this to “make it easier for merchants to specify complex pricing through structured data and bring pa…