Author Archives: SocialSignalCounter

Google faces EU antitrust complaint over AI Overviews

Google faces EU antitrust complaint over AI Overviews

A coalition of independent publishers filed a formal antitrust complaint with the European Commission against Google, accusing the tech giant of using its AI-generated summaries — known as AI Overviews — to siphon traffic and revenue from news outlets across Europe. The group, led by the Independent Publishers Alliance, is also urging regulators to impose […]

SEO Rockstar “Proves” You Don’t Need Meta Descriptions

SEO Rockstar “Proves” You Don’t Need Meta Descriptions

An SEO shared on social media that his SEO tests proved that not using a meta description resulted in a lift in traffic. Coincidentally, another well-known SEO published an article that claims that SEO tests misunderstand how Google and the internet actually work and lead to the deprioritization of meaningful changes. Who is right? SEO […]

Are You Still Optimizing for Rankings? AI Search May Not Care.

Are You Still Optimizing for Rankings? AI Search May Not Care.

No ranking data. No impression data.  So, how do you measure success when AI-generated answers appear and disappear, prompt by prompt? With these significant changes to how we optimize for search, many brands are seeking to understand how to achieve SEO success. Some Brands Are Winning in Search. Others? Invisible. If your content isn’t appearing […]

Tax settings no longer needed in U.S. Google product feeds

Tax settings no longer needed in U.S. Google product feeds

Google Merchant Center now (as of July 1st) automatically calculates tax for U.S. merchants — no manual setup required. Why we care. The change eliminates a frequent source of product disapprovals and simplifies the feed setup process, especially for retailers using dynamic shipping rates. How it works. Google will now apply the correct sales tax […]

How to stay grounded (and inspired) as AI changes search and SEO

How to stay grounded (and inspired) as AI changes search and SEO

If you are in or around SEO and have looked on LinkedIn at all in the last two years, you’ve likely witnessed firsthand the wildfire that our industry has become. LLMs and AI chat tools are cutting into organic traffic in ways we can now see. ChatGPT is eating away at Google’s share.  AI-powered features […]

Explaining The Great Decoupling To C-Level

Explaining The Great Decoupling To C-Level

Something important is happening in Google Search. If you’ve looked at your website data in Google Search Console, you may have noticed something odd. Your pages are showing up more often, but fewer people are clicking through. These two signals – impressions and clicks – are used to rise and fall together. Now, they’re drifting […]

Shifts in data privacy are forcing a return to marketing fundamentals

Shifts in data privacy are forcing a return to marketing fundamentals

User-level data is drying up, and with it, the way we plan, target, and measure in search marketing is changing.  Privacy regulations, platform shifts, and evolving AI tools are forcing PPC marketers to move beyond hyper-targeting and revisit core marketing fundamentals.  This article outlines why that shift matters – and how to adapt. A world […]

How to Use a Personal Brand for Exposure, Leads, and Sales : Social Media Examiner

How to Use a Personal Brand for Exposure, Leads, and Sales : Social Media Examiner

Social Marketing Trends The data you’ve been missing! Need a new plan? Discover how marketers plan to change their social activities in the 17th annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report. It reveals what marketers have planned for their social activities, content marketing, and more! Get this free report now and never miss […]

Essential WordPress Plugins Every Site Should Have

Essential WordPress Plugins Every Site Should Have

WordPress is the most popular content management system in the world, arguably because of its ability to become virtually any kind of website users want it to be. This flexibility is made possible by thousands of third-party plugins that add the features needed to turn ideas into functioning businesses and platforms. The WordPress plugin community […]