SEO Tools and Resources

Last week, Avinash Kaushik said, “The best way to make a Super Bowl ad effective is through ‘spike and sustain’ marketing.” He also explained that releasing teasers, ads, and extended versions before the Big Game is part of the “sustain” strategy, building momentum ahead of the “spike” in viewership. Super Bowl LIX drew 113 million viewers, according to Nielsen. Many brands embraced this strategy, unveiling their commercials early to build buzz and maximize exposure. By midday Sunday, more than 40 ads had already been released, and several organizations had analyzed those aired before Feb. 9. Pre-game Super Bowl ads that made an impact For exampl…

Google Ads is launching a new video enhancement feature for Demand Gen campaigns. The update automatically creates shorter versions of existing video ads to better engage diverse audiences. Details: The enhancement will automatically generate condensed versions of existing video ads. The feature will be enabled by default across all Google Demand Gen ad campaigns. Advertisers have until March 10 to opt out of the automatic enhancement. Why we care. Short-form content consistently captures higher engagement, especially on mobile and social platforms. By automatically generating shorter video versions, this could aid in reaching diverse audiences without …

AI-powered search is drastically changing the way people find information. For years, ranking well in Google and Microsoft Bing has been the foundation of search visibility. But as AI-driven search gains traction, is that ranking priority shifting or staying the same? We’re in an era of uncertainty we haven’t seen since the early days of SEO – when search engines rose and fell in a battle for relevance. Time will tell which AI answer engine wins the game. SEO is still relevant, but AI is rewriting the rules. This article will break down: Six AI search players to watch and how they source content. Market share and usage trends that show where sear…

Generative AI is rewriting the SEO playbook. The days of simply ranking high and earning clicks are fading and being replaced by a zero-click reality where the search journey is fragmented across multiple touchpoints. Google still dominates the search market, but AI-powered answer engines have quickly emerged as alternative discovery tools. ChatGPT alone has seen impressive growth, doubling its users in the past six months alone. As of February 2025, it has 400 million weekly active users. Visibility now comes down to being a part of the answers users see – wherever they search – and whether or not they click. Some might say it’s time to prepare for th…

Google Ads has begun rolling out channel control for select Demand Gen campaigns. This feature will let you specify where your ads appear across Google’s properties. Yes, but. While the feature is live, segmentation by individual channel (e.g., YouTube, Discover, Gmail) is not yet available. This will limit your ability to make data-driven adjustments. Why we care. This update, first announced in January, gives advertisers more control over campaign placement, but the full impact remains unclear since performance data is still aggregated under “Google-owned channels.” What they’re saying. Greg Kholer, director of digital marketing at ServiceMaster, shared see…

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…

Microsoft is ramping up its advertising efforts in Copilot, introducing new interactive ad formats and reporting improved ad relevance metrics. This is meant to enhance interactivity and personalization for users. The big picture. Copilot ads are now fully implemented in English, French, and German markets, with Spanish and Japanese coming soon. New ad formats. Microsoft is launching two ad formats designed specifically for Copilot: Microsoft Advertising Showroom ads: Immersive digital experience mimicking physical showrooms. Allows users to explore products and ask questions. Rich sponsored content complements organic experience. Future plans in…

American desktop users perform 126 unique Google searches per month, on average, according to a new analysis of search behavior published by SparkToro co-founder Rand Fishkin. The median average was 53 Google unique searches per month. By the numbers. Here are some additional findings about American searchers, beyond the headline statistic: 34% conducted more than 101 searches per month. 36% conducted 21-100 searches per month. 30% conducted 1-20 searches per month. Google Search by vertical. A whopping 86.94% of Americans use Google.com (Google’s homepage search experience) to search. As for Google’s other vertical options: Images: 10.62% Vid…

There are numerous reports that the Google Search Console API is delayed and not showing data sooner than this past Thursday, February 20th. If you use this API for your own tools, or bring in this data through Looker Studio reports, Big Query or other tools, your reports may be delayed. More details. The delays started around last Wednesday and some are now saying some data for Thursday is slowly coming in. However, generally, data is as recent as today through the Search Console API. The web interface is not impacted, so you can get data from going to Google Search Console directly. Some are saying data for Thursday is now coming in, but others are not sure…

Understanding the difference between search bots and scrapers is crucial for SEO. Website crawlers fall into two categories: First-party bots, which you use to audit and optimize your own site. Third-party bots, which crawl your site externally – sometimes to index your content (like Googlebot) and other times to extract data (like competitor scrapers). This guide breaks down first-party crawlers that can improve your site’s technical SEO and third-party bots, exploring their impact and how to manage them effectively. First-party crawlers: Mining insights from your own website Crawlers can help you identify ways to improve your technical SEO. …

Google continues to lose ground among younger generations, with 61% of Gen Z and 53% of Millennials using AI tools instead of Google or other traditional search engines. That’s according to a new Vox Media survey. Why we care. We continue to see early signs that Google search may be starting to slip – from Google’s market share dropping below 90% for the first time since 2015 to other surveys indicating searchers are frustrated with search quality. Things are changing rapidly – from the rise of AI answer engines and generative engine optimization, to the growth of social platforms for discovery (e.g., TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest). Many brands and marketers are still …

Google resolved a six-month-long headache for online merchants by restoring filtered product download capabilities in Merchant Center Next, bringing the platform’s functionality back in line with its classic version. The context. In digital commerce, precision matters. Merchants often need to: Troubleshoot specific product listings. Optimize particular product categories. Analyze subsets of their inventory. The previous limitation essentially forced merchants to sift through massive, unwieldy files — like finding a specific book in an entire library by dumping all books on the floor. Why we care. The update allows merchants to export specific produc…

Has your organic traffic looked like this over the past couple of years? I’ve evaluated a handful of global websites negatively impacted by core updates related to page experience, helpful content, and spam. This specific site is a large enterprise global site with multiple subdomains and millions of orphaned pages without proper URL structure. If you’re an SEO professional seeing an impact like this on your organic traffic, you may want to read on. Many websites struggle with buried content, missing internal links, and a lack of logical hierarchy. The good news? You can optimize your site architecture and give users and search engines the…

Google is capping Customer Match list durations at 540 days, a significant shift that could impact advertisers’ targeting strategies and campaign performance. By the numbers: New maximum duration: 540 days Implementation date: April 7, 2025 Affects: All Google Ads and Display & Video 360 platforms The big picture. The change aligns with growing privacy concerns and Customer Match best practices, forcing advertisers to maintain more current customer data. What’s happening. Google will automatically update existing Customer Match lists that have no expiration date or durations longer than 540 days to comply with the new maximum timeframe. Why …

YouTube is rolling out new features that make it easier for creators and brands to connect their collaborative content with advertising campaigns. This comes after their introduction last year of tools to help brands better leverage creator content and its fast-growing Shorts format to drive measurable business outcomes The details. The platform has introduced two improvements: Creator-initiated linking: Eligible creators can now directly send linking requests to brands for sponsored videos they’ve already published. Video linking API: Brands working with multiple creators can automate the connection process through a new API integration. Why we care.…

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…

Google has begun showing the ‘Price at Checkout’ within Google Shopping listings, both for paid ads and organic results. Merchants who alter prices at checkout risk suspension from Google Shopping, but this new feature provides an added layer of clarity for users. The big picture: Google has strict policies against misleading pricing, and this enhancement aligns with its broader efforts to improve trust in Shopping listings. Transparency in pricing could also pressure retailers to maintain consistency between advertised and final prices. Why we care. Online shoppers often encounter price discrepancies between initial listings and final checkout prices, lea…

If you’re spending time and money adding keyword-rich content to your website, hoping to improve your Google Maps rankings, you’re wasting resources. Website content does not influence your visibility in Google Maps – but there are proven strategies that do. The SEO myth: Blogging and Google Maps rankings When Google Maps first launched, it appeared to pull keywords from local business websites to help match businesses with local searches. Because of this perceived influence, local SEO experts have long advocated for blogging and content marketing. However, this belief is based on incorrect correlations. Adding content to your website – if it is…

ChatGPT Tasks might be the most underrated tool in SEO today. It can turn a single employee into a vast team – but only if you know how to use it. And in this article, you’re about to see the future of SEO. What is ChatGPT Tasks? ChatGPT Tasks is a tool within ChatGPT designed to automate various tasks, including those related to SEO, such as content generation, keyword research, and link building. This feature allows users to schedule tasks to run at specific times, either as one-time events or recurring actions, enhancing workflow efficiency and productivity. As of writing, it’s in beta and rolling out to users on the Plus, Pro, and Team plans. …

This webinar explores a structured approach to managing marketing campaigns from start to finish, focusing on practical tools and techniques that drive efficiency and impact. Ideal for marketing campaign managers and project leads, the session covers best practices for planning, executing, and measuring campaigns, with an emphasis on collaboration. Join us on Thursday, March 13th for From Strategy to Execution: Managing Complex Marketing Campaigns, and learn how to integrate key tools and methodologies, while ensuring your campaigns run smoothly and deliver measurable results. Our speakers will cover: Strategic Planning & Goal Setting Building a Collaborat…

When a business hires an SEO service, they expect immediate action – site tweaks, content strategies, and keyword targeting – rolled out fast. So when my recent client demanded these deliverables ASAP, my response caught them off guard: “You don’t need it.” It wasn’t what they wanted to hear. But it was exactly what they needed to understand. The problem: No one was converting The client was frustrated. Their website wasn’t converting, and they assumed the problem was a lack of SEO improvements. More content, more keywords, more tactics, surely that would solve everything, right? Not exactly. Here’s what I found after a quick audit: T…

Google is beta testing Creator Partnerships in Google Ads. This new feature lets advertisers find and promote high-quality YouTube Shorts featuring their brand. How it works: Advertisers can discover Shorts videos from YouTube creators that mention their brand or products. The feature is powered by BrandConnect, Google’s creator marketing platform. Once enabled, Creator Partnerships can be accessed under the Tools section in the Google Ads interface. Why we care. This tool enables brands to leverage user-generated content (UGC) and creator collaborations more effectively, potentially boosting ad performance and reach. Between the lines. This move al…

Google updated its conversion terminology in Google Merchant Center, renaming “Conversion settings” to “Key event setup” in the Google Ads UI. The terminology change aligns Google Merchant Center with Google Analytics 4’s shift from “conversions” to “key events,” creating more consistent language across Google’s marketing platforms. The big picture: This change reflects Google’s broader move toward standardizing measurement terms across its suite of marketing tools, which began with Google Analytics 4’s introduction of the “key events” terminology in March 2024. Why we care. The alignment with Google Analytics 4 means you will need to adapt your workflows, rep…

Choosing the right paid media channels is key to B2B advertising success. This guide covers the best PPC platforms – Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, and more – plus expert tactics to reach decision-makers and drive results. 1. Google Search Google is an effective way to reach B2B decision-makers when they are actively searching. But how do you ensure you’re reaching someone truly looking for a food supplier for their restaurant and not just Joe Schmoe craving a steak dinner? The key is strategic targeting. Make sure to: Use keyword lists wisely Add negative keywords like “home” or “residential” to filter out non-B2B searches. If someone searches…

Google announced new creative tools in Google Ads, leveraging its Imagen 3 AI model to generate lifestyle imagery across Performance Max, Demand Gen, Display, and Apps campaigns. How it works. Advertisers can input specific prompts like “middle-aged man chopping carrots,” with options to customize age, gender, race, and ethnicity while maintaining control over final image selection. Key features: Text-to-image AI generation for humans – a first for Google Ads. Asset-audience recommendations to improve ad targeting. Asset testing for Performance Max campaigns with feed-only strategies. AI-generated image suggestions coming soon for even faster creativ…