Following OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT Atlas, software company Search Atlas flagged a major issue: the AI-powered browser can interact with websites in a way that looks indistinguishable from real human users, including clicking on paid advertisements. Why we care. Businesses running digital ad campaigns could unknowingly pay for clicks generated by AI agents, not real […]
Microsoft announced its Copilot Fall Release, introducing features to make AI more personal and collaborative. New capabilities include group collaboration, long-term memory, health tools, and voice-enabled learning. Mustafa Suleyman, head of Microsoft AI, wrote in the announcement that the release represents a shift in how AI supports users. Suleyman wrote: “… technology should work in […]
ChatGPT referral traffic converts worse than Google search, email and affiliate links, trailing on both conversion rate and revenue per session, according to a new analysis of 973 ecommerce sites. Why we care. AI search platforms are starting to refer meaningful traffic to retailers – but not yet sales. For now, Google (paid organic) search still […]
In the early days of SEO, ranking algorithms were easy to game with simple tactics that became known as “black hat” SEO – white text on a white background, hidden links, keyword stuffing, and paid link farms. Early algorithms weren’t sophisticated enough to detect these schemes, and sites that used them often ranked higher. Today, […]
Before you get started, it’s important to heed this warning: There is math ahead! If doing math and learning equations makes your head swim, or makes you want to sit down and eat a whole cake, prepare yourself (or grab a cake). But if you like math, if you enjoy equations, and you really do […]
We’re looking for a powerhouse project manager to keep our marketing team inspired and on track. This is a Philippines-based, fully-remote position working on U.S.-adjacent hours (8 p.m. – 4 a.m. PHT) to be my partner in crime execution on some exciting projects. We do things a little differently here, and we’ve learned that culture […]
Every SEO strategy claims to drive “relevant traffic.” It is one of the industry’s most overused phrases, and one of the least examined. We celebrate growth in organic sessions and point to conversions as proof that our efforts are working. Yet the metric we often use to prove “relevance” – last-click revenue or leads – […]
In mid-September, many SEO professionals began noticing unusual drops in Google Search Console (GSC) data. Impressions were down, average positions shifted, and the number of reported queries changed overnight. This wasn’t the result of a ranking update but a reporting change – one that redefines how we interpret GSC visibility data going forward. What happened […]
A new research paper from Google DeepMind proposes a new AI search ranking algorithm called BlockRank that works so well it puts advanced semantic search ranking within reach of individuals and organizations. The researchers conclude that it “can democratize access to powerful information discovery tools.” In-Context Ranking (ICR) The research paper describes the breakthrough of […]
Reddit is taking four data-scraping companies to court – including AI search engine Perplexity and SEO data firm SerpApi – accusing them of illegally using its content via Google search results. The lawsuit. SerpApi, Oxylabs, AWMProxy, and Perplexity “devised a scheme” to scrape Reddit data indirectly from Google, then resell or reuse it to train […]