SEO Tools and Resources

Why this matters now Marketing budgets in 2025 have stayed the same, yet expectations keep rising. CMOs report budgets stuck at roughly 7.7% of company revenue, which means teams are expected to do more with the same dollars. In that context, the most practical use of AI is not a moonshot, but a set of clear fixes to everyday bottlenecks that slow teams down and drive costs up. This article breaks down four problems that marketers face right now and how AI is already solving them. The difference today is that Artlist AI, including image, video and voice generators, turns AI from a novelty into a reliable production system. When you use AI to streamline your workflo…

Whether it’s time, money, or expertise, marketing resources are finite. In today’s world, with advances in AI and more efficient tools than ever, businesses expect better results with fewer resources. That means every second spent on an SEO campaign matters. To keep up, SEOs must focus on actions that truly move the needle – without wasting time or unnecessary effort. This article highlights SEO activities that have diminishing returns – where the effort eventually outweighs the benefits – and offers tips on optimizing more effectively. 1. Page speed improvements Not long ago, I had a client who was obsessed with page speed. The site’s page spe…

A Position 1 ranking only matters if your result resonates with users and earns clicks. That’s why optimizing your click-through rate (CTR) is just as crucial as climbing the search results. By analyzing your current performance and making strategic improvements, you can turn rankings into real traffic. This article provides actionable tips to boost CTR, attract more clicks, and maximize your SEO efforts. Understanding the role of CTR in SEO CTR is a crucial SEO metric that’s often overlooked. For years, it was considered an indirect factor, but the antitrust trial against Google revealed that CTR is used as a ranking signal. Regardless of its…

PPC automation is now the standard in 2026. We’ve evolved from simple automated rules to Smart Bidding, scripts, budget pacing, and now AI-driven creative. The systems running our campaigns are, for the most part, surprisingly capable – even if it pains us to admit it. With that progress, the role of the PPC expert has undergone a significant transformation. But even the smartest systems can fail spectacularly when left alone. Over-reliance on automation brings real risks: poor lead quality, algorithmic bias, platform quirks, and strategic misalignment. We’ve all been there – watching things unravel and having to explain why. The irony is tha…

In the era of Google’s smart bidding, we’ve come to appreciate the power of feeding solid data to AI. But that data can do more than just improve bids. When connected to a large language model (LLM), it opens up entirely new ways to manage and optimize your PPC accounts. As generative AI becomes more embedded in our daily workflows, it’s worth exploring the latest methods for connecting it with your performance data. This way, it can deliver insights that are not just creative but also grounded and actionable. Sure, you could manually upload a CSV or paste metrics into each prompt, but that defeats the very promise of AI: faster, smarter, and more ef…

Performance Max (PMax) campaigns offer a machine-learning-driven approach to maximizing your ad performance across Google’s inventory. However, with its “black box” nature, optimizing PMax can feel like navigating in the dark. While adjusting budgets and bid strategies are standard levers, improving your data inputs and learning from insights are key to unlocking better results. Here’s how you can harness search term data, ad optimization strategies, and shopping feed improvements to maximize your PMax campaigns. 1. Keep optimizing your search term coverage to reduce wasted spend Performance Max may not be keyword-based, but search term control is st…

Over the past year, Google Ads has increasingly embraced automation, shifting the account manager’s role in both practice and strategy. The granular control and transparency we once took for granted are rapidly disappearing. As 2026 approaches, it’s time to face reality – five PPC tactics are falling out of favor in the new era of automation. 1. Relying on phrase match keywords Once the go-to option for advertisers who weren’t ready for a broad match strategy but wanted to expand search volume, phrase match has recently fallen out of favor. Google continues to redefine how match types work. Because Smart Bidding and broad match rely on multiple i…

The start of a new year signals more than resolutions – it’s a critical moment for PPC professionals to reset, refocus, and strategically realign. As the digital marketing landscape evolves, success demands a clear-eyed approach to account management, client objectives, and personal growth. Here are five essential areas every PPC specialist must prioritize in 2025. 1. Master the fundamentals: Strengthen your foundation We often rush to tackle advanced strategies without solidifying the fundamentals, whether in client work or our personal development. No matter your experience level, revisiting the basics is essential for long-term success. Now is t…

SEO is widely recognized as a long-term investment, which creates pressure for businesses to translate performance into measurable revenue. Early on – or even over time – disconnects can emerge between expectations and actual ROI. One major disconnect lies in understanding what SEO truly means in terms of strategy and tactics. Another, often magnified if left unaddressed, is the time it takes to see meaningful results. If the goal of SEO (or any digital marketing effort) is to drive return on investment (ROI), then identifying and addressing the root causes of the SEO-to-ROI gap is critical. Failing to do so can lead to compounding issues, making it h…

Many assume LinkedIn Ads is an easy-to-use platform: just set your budget, pick your audience, and let the leads roll in. But in reality, small mistakes can add up fast, costing your organization thousands with little to show for it. This article breaks down five of the most common LinkedIn Ads mistakes – from targeting missteps to overlooked settings – and how to fix them. 1. Using age as a targeting criterion You probably don’t remember this, but when you created your LinkedIn profile, you were never asked for your age or birth year. That means LinkedIn has no direct way of knowing how old you are (which, honestly, I don’t mind). Instead, it make…

Martech debt builds up through manual reporting, fragile integrations, and silos. These issues fragment customer data, break campaign attribution, and force teams to rely on shadow spreadsheets to fill gaps between platforms. Current maturity models focus on technology adoption (hello AI!) rather than business outcomes. This misses the structural shift required to escape this cycle.​ Semrush Enterprise evaluates maturity across five interconnected pillars: Search Traffic Behavior Social Brand Progress means moving from patchwork operations to a unified engine where insight, execution, and impact connect and scale together for strategic effect.…

User intent is evolving, and so are our habits around technology. With the rise of AI, the ways people search and find information are diversifying fast. Naturally, the way we think about SEO is shifting, too. But this isn’t a pitch for AI. Instead, I want to explore how we can treat AI as a collaborator, not a replacement for human expertise, to make our workflows more efficient and adaptive in this increasingly complex landscape. I see AI as a telescope, not the North Star. It helps us see farther and move faster, but we still need to navigate the path ourselves. With that mindset, I’ll walk you through a series of practical, low-barrier SEO ex…

No SEO strategy is one-size-fits-all, but there are common practices we follow when helping websites recover from traffic losses or drive growth. We see these patterns across projects, making them best practices within our agency. While they may not apply to every situation, they consistently deliver results. Here are the SEO pitfalls to avoid if you want to regain lost traffic or get back on a growth trajectory. 1. Writing blog posts based on keyword search volume Search engines prioritize content written for people because it provides solutions to users’ needs. They might use sitewide classifiers and human reviewers to assess this. If every pag…

While some SEO influencers are selling panic and “AI-proof” gimmicks, the data from Google’s front lines tells a different, more strategic story. The rapid integration of AI into search has created a wave of anxiety, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between durable strategy and distracting noise. The flood of information often leaves marketers unsure of where to focus their efforts. That’s the diamond in the rough that I discovered while attending the News & Editorial SEO Summit (NESS), which was held online Oct. 21-22. This article cuts through the hype to deliver clarity. I’ve distilled insights from technical SEO experts at Th…

It’s the festive season! Or it’s nearly Valentine’s Day, or the start of summer, or… You get the drift. People love to celebrate, which is why seasonal content tends to do well during those periods. So, should you put effort into creating content for the holidays? We think so! But you should be smart about it. Here are five tips to help you create good-quality seasonal content. Why should you create seasonal content? A big benefit of creating seasonal content is that you’ll stay top of mind. After all, your customers are probably looking for content to give them ideas for gifts, services, or events. By participating in the trend, you’ll show your audience that your…

Third-party tools have always been valuable in B2B PPC, but in 2025, they’re essential. With third-party cookies fading, cross-channel attribution still a mess, and competitors constantly pivoting, advertisers who rely only on platform-native tools are leaving massive optimization opportunities on the table. To stay ahead, you need the right external tools. This article breaks down five I recommend testing or doubling down on ASAP to level up your PPC strategy, including: My favorite CDP. My ace in the hole for non-browser tracking. My preferred competitive research tool. My choice for a multi-channel attribution tool. Google Ads Editor (includin…

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…

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how marketing teams operate—but not through vague promises or futuristic scenarios. In 5 Ways Marketers Are Using AI to Increase Efficiency from Acoustic, marketers will find five tangible, proven ways AI is being applied to improve segmentation, enhance personalization, monitor performance, support content creation, and retarget audiences more effectively. This resource is designed for marketing professionals seeking to reduce manual workload, streamline campaign execution, and deliver more relevant, timely experiences—without compromising quality or oversight. Download the guide to explore how AI is being used to make everyda…

Are you spending hours on client reporting every month, only for your stakeholders to skim it, dismiss the numbers, or ignore your recommendations? When reports don’t drive action, you lose more than time. Budget approvals, strategic influence, and client trust are all compromised. Here are five ways to make sure your PPC report doesn’t just get read, but actually moves your audience to take action. 1. Start with your audience, not the data When building a report, it’s easy to get lost in the data – dozens of metrics, multiple platforms, endless ways to slice performance. The instinct is to ask, “What data can I show?” But that approach creates rep…

Searchers are twice as likely to click on a brand they know than a top-ranked result, according to a survey from link building agency Page One Power. 59% of Americans click on search results of brands they know. Less than one-third click on the top-ranked result. Why we care. Trust remains critical for brands in SEO. Yes, “build a brand” has become a cliche, but it’s also true. You need to build a brand that your audience recognizes and connects with. But that doesn’t mean you must be a global brand the size of Apple or Google. Paid vs. organic. 49% of Americans trust organic search results more than paid results, while another 46% trust organic and paid r…

With the rise of AI-powered search and steady increases in monthly LLM referral traffic, many of our SEO clients are asking how they can improve their visibility and brand sentiment in AI responses. One of the biggest challenges, though, is that most marketing teams don’t have a dedicated generative engine optimization (GEO) budget or team members with the bandwidth to fully support large-scale AI search optimization initiatives. The good news? There are several strategies that can benefit both your traditional SEO and AI visibility. These optimizations can help make your content digestible for search engines, relevant for AI-generated responses, and mor…

PPC marketing isn’t easy. Juggling campaigns across Google, Microsoft Bing, and social platforms while maximizing every click is a challenge – and those clicks aren’t cheap. That’s why Chrome extensions are PPC game-changers. They sit in your browser, ready to help without the hassle of switching tools. Imagine this: you’re analyzing competitors, tweaking ad copy, and tracking keywords – all without juggling tabs or draining your focus. The best part? Most top extensions are free. No budget approvals, no learning curve – just click, install, and start optimizing faster. Whether you’re a PPC pro or just starting out, the right Chrome extensions ca…

“Work smarter, not harder” isn’t just a catchy phrase – it’s a survival tactic for content marketers. Keeping up with a full content calendar can feel relentless, and constantly creating new material is a fast track to burnout. That’s where content repurposing comes in, helping you get more mileage out of what you already have. Sure, there are plenty of familiar ways to repurpose content – breaking long blog posts into social snippets, turning video transcripts into articles, and so on. You’ve likely done them all. So what about the lesser-known approaches? The methods that few marketers think to use but should? That’s what we’re going to cover here…

SEO has always involved a lot of manual, repetitive work. Keyword research, writing title tags and meta descriptions, parsing GA4 exports, auditing massive content libraries – it’s all important, but it’s also time-consuming. Now, we have tools that can help lighten the load. From accelerating content ideation to pulling insights from performance data, AI can be a powerful (and efficient) part of your daily SEO workflow. The real question isn’t if you should use AI – it’s how to use it well. 1. Build a custom AI assistant A custom GPT is a tailored version of the AI language model that you can create to perform specific tasks or provide particula…

PPC automation has always been about efficiency. We’ve relied on scripts, rule-based optimizations, and APIs to manage campaigns at scale. These tools have been essential, but they all share a common limitation: they follow strict, pre-programmed logic. So people are still needed, even with simple and boring tasks. But now we’re on the cusp of a new type of automation that can further reduce our workloads and free up our brains for more engaging and strategic work. We’re close to the end of the days when a scraper breaks when a website changes its layout or a PPC script fails because it can’t determine all ways that a company’s brand might be misspe…