SEO Tools and Resources

Crawl waste – basically, cluttering your crawlable content with tons of non-indexed pages – is one of the most insidious SEO pitfalls. We know (because we do it all the time for my agency’s clients) that reducing the number of non-indexed pages and highlighting richer, authoritative content is a factor in improving rankings and visibility in traditional SERP listings. But how does it impact AI search visibility? And were the results different by platform? Thanks to some recent cleanup and data-crunching (we used Profound to measure changes in AI search visibility) for a client in the childcare vertical, we’ve got some directional answers and takeaways that I’…

Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a central role in how Google determines which ads appear in response to a search and how they are ranked. The company uses a sophisticated machine learning (ML) infrastructure to handle almost every aspect of its Search Ads system — from understanding user queries to ranking ads based on value and engagement. Here’s what we learned from trial exhibits revealed in the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) antitrust case against Google. Two AI pillars: LLMs and LEMs Google’s system relies primarily on two types of AI models: LLMs (Large Language Models) – These are responsible for interpreting user intent and query co…

As consumers lean into AI search, the industry has focused on the technical “how” – tracking everything from Agentic Commerce Protocols (ACP) to ChatGPT’s latest shopping research tools. In doing so, it often misses the larger shift: conversational search, which is changing how visibility is earned. There’s a common argument that big brands will always win in AI. I disagree. When you move beyond the “best running shoes” shorthand and look at the deep context users now provide, the playing field levels. AI is trying to match user needs to specific solutions, and it’s up to your brand to provide the details. This article explains how conversational search changes pr…

The search landscape is shifting fast—and AI is at the center of it. So how should your SEO strategy evolve? Join a panel of seasoned experts from Exposure Ninja, Dragon Metrics, and Semrush for a discussion on what AI means for the future of search—and how marketers and SEOs can adapt now. In The Impact of ChatGPT and Generative AI on Search: Insights from Industry Experts, you’ll learn: How AI-powered tools are changing the way users search—and what that means for your rankings. What it takes to get your content cited by AI assistants like ChatGPT and Perplexity. How brand mentions, structured data, and topical authority play a bigger role in AI visibili…

Brands often invest in influencer and affiliate promotions but stop short of giving the content additional reach, assuming the creator’s audience is enough. Using paid marketing, adding it to your site, and sharing it across your channels isn’t doing their job for them. It’s a way to grow your company by using their brand recognition and strengthening the relationship. Yes, you pay an influencer an upfront fee, a commission, or send them a product in exchange for a promotion, but that doesn’t mean the relationship stops there. And that’s where amplification becomes a real advantage. It unlocks more value from the creator relationships you already have. …

“Just Google it” – ah, so 2021. These days, organic search and discovery – although still largely conducted on Google – have fanned out to many sources, with user behavior more multi-layered and dynamic than ever. SEO professionals these days need to follow course. Consider a user who: Starts by watching a TikTok video of a runner boasting about hitting a new PR with the help of a coach. Then does a top-of-funnel search on Perplexity (“what does a running coach help with”). Then hits Google for a search of online running coaches. Then browses a list of sources from AI Overviews. Then hits up a running community on Reddit to ask about peoples…

Google Ads and Meta Ads make campaign management look easy. Their interfaces simplify daily work – adjusting budgets, reviewing performance, launching new creatives – but that simplicity also hides much of the data and automation potential that drives real impact. That’s where APIs come in. Just as BigQuery revolutionized how data is stored and analyzed, APIs extend what can be measured, connected, and optimized within ad platforms. They bridge systems, surface insights dashboards can’t show, and enable automations that elevate PPC performance and creative strategy. With AI lowering the technical barrier, APIs are no longer just for developers. They’…

Incrementality testing in Google Ads is suddenly within reach for far more advertisers than before. Google has lowered the barriers to running these tests, making lift measurement possible even without enterprise-level budgets, as recently reported in Search Engine Land. That shift naturally raises a question: How is Google able to measure incrementality with so much less data? For years, reliable lift measurement was assumed to require large budgets, long test windows, and a tolerance for inconclusive results. So when Google claims it can now deliver more accurate results with as little as $5,000 in media spend, it understandably sounds like marketing sp…

Success in Google Ads hinges on how well you use your data. With AI-driven features like Smart Bidding, traditional PPC tactics like campaign structure and keyword selection don’t carry the same weight. However, Google Ads provides a goldmine of insights into performance, user behavior, and conversions. The challenge? Turning that data into action. Enter Google’s BigQuery ML – a powerful yet underused tool that can help you optimize campaigns and drive better results. What is BigQuery ML? BigQuery ML is a machine learning tool within the Google Cloud Platform that lets you build and deploy models directly in your BigQuery data warehouse. What m…

Google’s AI Overviews feature has become the face of our search engine results. Type almost any question into your Google search bar, and the first answer you receive will be AI generated. Many are thrilled about this. Others are wary. Marketers and those in the online reputation management (ORM) field are among those urging caution. Why? Because Google AI Overviews are often littered with information stemming from online forums like Reddit and Quora. And oftentimes, this user-generated content can be inaccurate — or entirely false. Why Google AI Overviews heavily rely on content from Reddit and Quora But how and why have Google AI Overviews c…

When a TV commercial makes people feel something, it doesn’t just win in the moment – it sparks curiosity, drives searches, and fuels conversions. That’s why the “Breaking TV Ads Report,” jointly launched by Kinetiq and DAIVID, deserves a spot on every search marketer’s radar. The monthly report ranks the top-performing new TV ads in the U.S., blending Kinetiq’s real-time TV ad detection with DAIVID’s AI-driven creative analytics to uncover which ads broke through, why they resonated, and what brands can learn from their success. It’s a powerful reminder that search doesn’t start on Google – it starts in the mind. As Barney Worfolk-Smith, chief growth offi…

ChatGPT announced the addition of shopping features to search last week. But how exactly is ChatGPT search choosing products and ranking them? Here’s what you need to know from OpenAI’s documentation. How product results are selected. When ChatGPT detects shopping intent in a query, it selects products based on a mix of the following: User intent and context Based on the user’s current query (e.g., “funny dog costumes”). May include saved memory (e.g., past dislikes, such as “clowns”). May factor in custom instructions (e.g., preferences like “I want affordable options”). Structured third-party data. Product metadata such as: Price. Product des…

Generative search engines like ChatGPT have successfully used SEO as part of their growth strategy, even as the echo chambers of the web claim they’re killing this powerful marketing channel. Let’s take a look at how ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude fare in SEO, and why ChatGPT’s investment in the strategy is paying off. Directional SEO ROI forecast A $600,000 annual SEO investment could generate outsized returns for generative AI platforms. Using Semrush-reported monthly organic traffic — 76.5 million visits for ChatGPT, 908,000 for Claude, and 1.7 million for Perplexity — plus a conservative 0.5% conversion rate and a $20/month entry price, projected return…

Capturing intent at the precise moment consumers are ready to take action has always been the goal in search. But there’s value – and real payoff – in influencing that intent before the search even begins. As customer journeys grow more complex and span multiple touchpoints, the need to reach audiences earlier continues to rise. Connected TV (CTV) advertising offers that opportunity. It helps build brand awareness and consideration that drive downstream search behavior – all while maintaining the targeting precision and measurement capabilities search professionals expect. What is connected TV? Connected TV encompasses any television that offers …

Microsoft Copilot is transforming search advertising by turning everyday conversations into intent-rich signals advertisers can act on. ROAS increases 13-fold when users engage with Copilot before performing a search, according to Microsoft. Drawing from billions of first-party audience insights across Microsoft’s consumer ecosystem – including Bing, Edge, Xbox, LinkedIn, and Activision – Copilot identifies high-value audiences using deterministic data built from search intent, web activity, and profile information. This allows advertisers to reduce wasted impressions and stretch budgets further. The mechanics of intent-rich search The core propositi…

Andriana18, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons W. Edwards Deming’s 14 principles transformed manufacturing by emphasizing quality, efficiency and continuous improvement. His ideas weren’t just about improving production lines—they were about creating a culture of adaptability and excellence. Today, marketing faces its own shift. The traditional, assembly-line model of campaign execution—where data, creative, and deployment are handled in rigid steps—is no longer fast enough for real-time customer engagement. Positionless Marketing builds on Deming’s legacy by enabling marketers to act independently, collaborate fluidly and use AI-powered tools to engage custome…

Generative AI is no longer a single thing. Ask, “What is the best generative AI tool for writing PR content?” or “Is keyword targeting as impossible as spinning straw into gold?,” and each engine will take a different route from prompt to answer. For writers, editors, PR pros, and content strategists, those routes matter – every AI system has its own strengths, transparency, and expectations for how to check, edit, and cite what it produces. This article covers the top AI platforms – ChatGPT (OpenAI), Perplexity, Google’s Gemini, DeepSeek, and Claude (Anthropic) – and explains how they: Find and synthesize information. Source and train on data. Use…

AI search platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google’s AI Overviews are reshaping how people discover information. Digital marketing agencies feel the impact firsthand and must adapt quickly. They need to keep their services relevant, their processes outcome-driven, and their results easy to prove. This article explores how 10 agencies have updated their strategies, services, and client relationships to win in the AI search era. What AI search changes for digital marketing agencies Semrush predicted that AI search will surpass organic traffic in 2028. It’s easy to see why. A growing number of people now start their searches with AI inste…

While Google still dominates local search, ChatGPT has made notable strides. Its local results, though not yet on par with Google’s, have improved significantly since we ranked it last among AI search tools less than a year ago. The key change? ChatGPT’s integration with Microsoft Bing’s search index last fall. While it now pulls web content from Bing, it applies its own algorithm to organize results. As a result, the best way to make your business visible in ChatGPT is to ensure it’s included in Bing’s index. However, ChatGPT processes local queries differently than Bing does. Here are several key differences I uncovered by running side-by…

Is your landing page converting better—or worse—than your competitors’? If you’re not sure, now’s the time to find out. Unbounce’s new Conversion Benchmark Report provides a clear, data-backed look at how landing pages are performing across industries. The report includes median conversion rates by sector, giving marketers a useful baseline to assess their own performance. The report also offers helpful guidance for interpreting your own results—whether you’re outperforming the median or identifying areas for optimization. It reminds marketers that conversion rate is just one piece of the puzzle: lower conversion rates might still represent high-value leads, and e…

As AI-driven bidding and automation transform paid media, first-party data has become the most powerful lever advertisers control. In this conversation with Search Engine Land, Julie Warneke, founder and CEO of Found Search Marketing, explained why first-party data now underpins profitable advertising — no matter how Google’s position on third-party cookies evolves. What first-party data really is — and isn’t First-party data is customer information that an advertiser owns directly, usually housed in a CRM. It includes: Lead details. Purchase history. Revenue. Customer value collected through websites, forms, or physical locations. It doesn’…

Search is dead, long live search! Search isn’t what it used to be. Search engines no longer simply match keywords or phrases in user queries with webpages. We are moving well beyond the world of lexical search, which is simply text-based with no understanding of the semantic connections between not only things but multimedia representations of things/concepts. Today, AI can understand, contextualize, and generate information in response to user intent largely utilizing probabilistic prediction and pattern matching. This transformation is being driven by generative information retrieval. Generative information retrieval is a fundamental shift in how sy…

How does adding coordinates to the EXIF data affect local rank? Our team wanted to find out. That’s why we recently conducted a 10-week study on the effects of geotagging for local rank. The geotagged images seemed to only affect the ranking for “near me” queries in the areas the EXIF data coordinates specified. Their impact on those queries in those areas was positive and statistically significant. However, the study also found that queries that mentioned specific towns saw a decrease in ranking during the same period. In other words, when EXIF data targeted Salt Lake City, Utah, the query [lawn care near me] saw a significant increase in rank. For the sa…

Budgeting in paid search isn’t just about setting a daily number. It requires understanding how platforms pace spend, the exceptions to those rules, and what changes when budgets are adjusted mid-month. Most PPC advertisers change budgets during the month and want to know how it will affect performance. Enterprise advertisers add complexity, with fiscal cycles and promotional flights that rarely align with calendar months. The problem is that many advertisers assume platforms will simply spread spend evenly. When that doesn’t happen, campaigns overspend one week and underspend the next. Both outcomes are costly. Overspending erodes profita…

If your CPCs keep climbing, the cause may not be your bid strategy, your budget, or even your competitors. You might be suffering from low ad quality. Let’s break down the most foundational — and most misunderstood — metric in your Google Ads account. If you want to stop overpaying Google and start winning auctions on merit, you need to understand how the 1-to-10 Quality Score actually works. The difference between Quality Score, Ad Strength, and Optimization Score Before we dive in, let’s clear up the confusion. Google shows a lot of “scores” and “diagnostics,” and you can safely ignore most of them. Quality Score is the exception. Ad strength is an …