Candidates Prioritize Buzzword Hacks over SEO Fundamentals
I'm helping a client hire an SEO manager. Some of the questions I've been getting from candidates are just laughable. Some immediate red flags: 1. Why aren't you implementing llms.txt? 2. Are you prioritizing Reddit for GEO? 3. Have you considered YouTube shorts for GEO? 4. I've seen that companies producing data studies are getting cited more in LLMs. Are you prioritizing data studies? 5. I've seen companies launching micro sites for GEO success. Would you be open to launching micro sites or sub-domains? None of these are inherently "bad" ideas. But this is what they are leading the conversation with. When I reply and ask for specific examples and ideas, it's just stuttering, bumbling and rambling. Instead of leading with fundamental concepts and concrete examples of what is working, I'm just hearing buzzwords and hacks. This is the shit that pisses me off.
Extracting Raw Data From Screaming Frog’s Cluster Embeddings
Anyone know how to extract the raw data associated with the content cluster embeddings diagram from screaming frog? Surely, they could have made this a lot easier to do.
One Year, 15 Posts, 1K Substack Subscribers
Sharing this openly. Maybe a bit corny, but I am proud that I finally got to 1K subscribers on Substack. And I'll be honest. It was harder than I thought. It took me one year. I wrote 15 posts. About 4-6...
Real‑World SEO Data Defies Traditional Textbook Advice
I know the textbook SEO crowd doesn't really wanna hear this... but the data doesn't lie folks. 👇👇👇 I am seeing this pattern over and over again. Client after client after client. https://t.co/FlqOTv0E7X
Client's Sudden Rebrand and Migration Destroys SEO Partnership
Client of mine decided to nuke the SEO program all at once. 1. Domain migration to dot AI 2. Changed their brand name 3. Hired a new VP the following week Didn't tell me about any of these things happening. And just like...
Rethinking Content Calendars and Integrated Campaigns in 2024
How do you guys feel about companies that are still running their corporate blog with "content calendars" and doing "integrated campaigns"?
Company Boosts Sales Forecast While Halving Marketing Staff
Company: raises sales targets and expected pipeline forecast for next quarter. Also company: fires 50% of marketing: includes growth, SEO and content team. Make it make sense.
Helpful Content Update Signals Decline for Many Sites
The helpful content update really marked the beginning of the end for soooo many websites. https://t.co/oKwmcZbxz7
AI Discovers, Google Verifies, Sites Convert—Optimize CRO Now
Late night thought. Reply if you're up. "Soccer programs for two year old toddlers with indoor A/C in Miami, Florida near Brickell/Downtown area" That was my last search on ChatGPT. And I also ran it in AI Mode. Ultimately, it found good...
B2B Brands Struggle to Rebrand Beyond Flagship Products
I think one of the toughest parts of B2B marketing right now is going from single product to multi product. Or... flagship "bread and butter" to "hey we also do this now" but there's no recognition for the new thing....
Inbound Is Dead; Focus on AI‑resistant Traffic Moats
The term INBOUND is now considered POISON. ☠️ HubSpot changed their flagship conference name from INBOUND to UNBOUND -- what does that tell you about where SEO is going? Think about how many meetings were called. How many hours of...
Traffic Decline Doesn't Hurt Lead Quality Anymore
Traffic is down 45% year over year for this client in a niche B2B space. And yet, lead volume and quality is exactly the same comparing April versus last year. I am seeing this across the board, client after client....
SEO Content Is Increasingly Fake and Generic
If we are being honest about what's happening in SEO and broader content marketing in general. There are very few people producing original, differentiated, first-hand experience based content. It's all fake. It's all ghost written. It's all just being done...
GEO Is an Executive Issue, Not Just SEO's Job
Everyone assumes the SEO team should be 100% responsible for all aspects of GEO, meanwhile they only influence a small portion of how LLMs form their opinion of a brand. That's why GEO is an executive level problem. Not a technical...
Citation Dominance Boosts Brand Preference in Search
One realization I am coming to regarding LLM citations for middle of funnel content. If no other competitors are optimizing for query fan-outs, and you are the only brand doing it, that means your brand is likely to dominate the...