Author Archives: SocialSignalCounter

Google Ads costs keep rising, but conversion rates improved in 2025

Google Ads costs keep rising, but conversion rates improved in 2025

Advertisers are paying extra for clicks in Google Adverts — however they’re additionally getting higher at turning these clicks into conversions, in keeping with new benchmark knowledge from WordStream by LocaliQ. The 2025 benchmark report, based mostly on greater than 16,000 campaigns, discovered the typical Google Adverts cost-per-click (CPC) rose to $5.42, up from $4.66 […]

When did 25% efficiency become not enough?

When did 25% efficiency become not enough?

Anybody who’s been following me on LinkedIn or X has seen my smartass responses to individuals making among the dumbest claims possible. “100% automate your search engine marketing.” “Totally automate your content material calendar.” “Run your enterprise with AI when you sleep.” At this level, I’m simply ready for AI to start out doing my […]

SEO/GEO audits with AI fail without these 3 essentials

SEO/GEO audits with AI fail without these 3 essentials

Operating search engine optimisation and GEO/AEO audits is a superb use case for AI, particularly with current fashions which have agentic capabilities. These fashions have in depth data bases and may carry out multistep processes, resembling extracting webpages, reviewing information, and formulating suggestions. However earlier than working your search engine optimisation or GEO/AEO audit in […]

Frederick Vallaeys on the evolution of paid search

Frederick Vallaeys on the evolution of paid search

Frederick Vallaeys’ route into PPC began with a pupil facet hustle, not a profession plan. Whereas at Stanford in 1998, he noticed a resale alternative in used Blockbuster video cassettes and wanted a technique to discover consumers. That led him to GoTo, an early search engine the place advertisers might bid on key phrases – […]

The 5-layer framework for measuring GEO performance

The 5-layer framework for measuring GEO performance

AI search measurement in 2026 appears to be like quite a bit like paid media in 2008. Everybody can see the impressions. Virtually no person can defend the income. Businesses are slapping AI visibility dashboards onto retainers, purchasers are writing checks, and CFOs are beginning to ask the query that at all times ends a […]

Marketing is entering its ‘air traffic control’ era

Marketing is entering its ‘air traffic control’ era

For many of contemporary advertising historical past, the working assumption was surprisingly theatrical. Manufacturers carried out. Shoppers watched. Channels existed primarily to distribute persuasion extra effectively than the following firm. Even efficiency advertising, for all its mathematical confidence, nonetheless revolved round a basically human premise: someplace on the opposite aspect of the display sat an […]

4 ways to strengthen buy-in for technical SEO work

4 ways to strengthen buy-in for technical SEO work

What differentiates an ideal SEO skilled from an excellent one is usually their potential to handle stakeholders successfully. That is very true in technical SEO, the place tasks usually rely on a number of groups, and it may be troublesome to speak the necessity for implementation. Stakeholder administration usually comes down to 1 factor: the […]

AI Content Strategies That Backfire

AI Content Strategies That Backfire

Over the previous few years, I’ve watched AI content material creation instruments quickly acquire adoption throughout the Search engine marketing/GEO business. These instruments provide the promise of leveraging AI to automate content material creation, cut back headcount, reduce prices, and scale output. As somebody who has spent the final decade serving to corporations get better […]

Rethinking Audience Targeting In A Signal-Loss Era (With The R.E.M. Framework)

Rethinking Audience Targeting In A Signal-Loss Era (With The R.E.M. Framework)

Are you aware who your viewers is and what they need? During the last 20 years or so, we used to rely nearly purely on knowledge to reply that query. However as cookie tracking and user signals declined and analytics shifted towards sampling (what we seek advice from because the “signal-loss period”), we’ve misplaced a […]