We fully decrypted Google’s SearchGuard anti-bot system, the technology at the center of its recent lawsuit against SerpAPI. After fully deobfuscating the JavaScript code, we now have an unprecedented look at how Google distinguishes human visitors from automated scrapers in real time. What happened. Google filed a lawsuit on Dec. 19 against Texas-based SerpAPI LLC, […]
TL;DR To generate the most value from Discover, view it through an entity-focused lens. People, places, organisations, teams, et al. Your best chance of success in Discover with an individual article is to make sure it outperforms its expected performance early. So share, share, share. Then analyze the type of content you create. What makes […]
Less than 200 years ago, scientists were ridiculed for suggesting that hand washing might save lives. In the 1840s, it was shown that hygiene reduced death rates, but the underlying explanation was missing. Without a clear mechanism, adoption stalled for decades, leading to countless preventable deaths. The joke of the past becomes the truth of […]
Determining a budget split between upper and lower-funnel is a recurring topic in paid media. Upper-funnel campaigns (typically awareness and interest) create future demand, while lower-funnel campaigns capture existing demand and are built to drive action. Knowing where the sweet spot is with budget allocation is a skill, and requires a sound knowledge of incrementality […]
James LePage, Director Engineering AI at Automattic, and the co-lead of the WordPress AI Team, shared his insights into things publishers should be thinking about in terms of SEO. He’s the founder and co-lead of the WordPress Core AI Team, which is tasked with coordinating AI-related projects within WordPress, including how AI agents will interact […]
Google’s John Mueller warns that free subdomain hosting services create unnecessary SEO challenges, even for sites doing everything else right. The advice came in response to a Reddit post from a publisher whose site shows up in Google but doesn’t appear in normal search results, despite using Digitalplat Domains, a free subdomain service on the […]
Google’s John Mueller recently answered a question about phantom noindex errors reported in Google Search Console. Mueller asserted that these reports may be real. Noindex In Google Search Console A noindex robots directive is one of the few commands that Google must obey, one of the few ways that a site owner can exercise control […]
Most of the health advice summarized in Google’s AI Overviews relies on non-medical sources, a new analysis shows. This follows fresh concerns about users receiving misleading or unsafe guidance on sensitive health topics. What’s happening. The Guardian recently reported that Google’s AI Overviews sometimes surface incorrect or dangerous health advice. The reporting drew on reviews […]
On episode 337 of PPC Live The Podcast, I speak to Amy Hebdon, an international paid search expert and founder of Paid Search Magic. The show focuses on the real stories behind paid media work, including mistakes, surprises, and lessons learned, rather than just tactical advice. Amy’s breadth of experience spans multiple industries and digital marketing […]
Spending on Google search ads rose 13% year over year in Q4 2025, up from 10% in Q3, based on Tinuiti’s latest benchmark report. Click growth for advertisers hit its strongest rate since early 2021, while average CPCs declined slightly for the second consecutive quarter. AI-driven results continue to expand overall query volume, including commercial […]