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 […]
In the age of AI, many companies still treat SEO as a bolt-on tactic, something to patch in after the website is designed, the content is written, and the campaigns are launched. As I explored in “Why Your SEO Isn’t Working – And It’s Not the Team’s Fault,” the real obstacles aren’t a lack of […]
Leading AI assistants misrepresented or mishandled news content in nearly half of evaluated answers, according to a European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and BBC study. The research assessed free/consumer versions of ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and Perplexity, answering news questions in 14 languages across 22 public-service media organizations in 18 countries. The EBU said in announcing the […]
Capturing intent at the precise moment consumers are ready to take action has always been the goal in search. But there’s value – and real payoff – in influencing that intent before the search even begins. As customer journeys grow more complex and span multiple touchpoints, the need to reach audiences earlier continues to rise. […]
YouTube is beginning to expand access to its likeness detection tool to all channels in the YouTube Partner Program over the next few months. The technology helps you identify unauthorized videos where your facial likeness has been altered or generated with AI. YouTube announced the expansion after testing the tool with a small group of […]
If you manage PPC campaigns, you’ve seen it. Platforms are making more decisions without asking you first. Campaign types keep consolidating into AI-first formats like Performance Max and Demand Gen. The granular controls you used to rely on keep disappearing or moving behind automation. A year ago, Performance Max still felt experimental. Now it’s often […]
More than a decade ago, I coined the term brand SERP – the result you get when someone searches for your name or company. I called it the “digital business card” because I saw firsthand how a messy one could cost a business trust and revenue. That idea shaped how many people think about online […]
TL;DR Google can and does rewrite headlines and titles frequently. Almost anything on your page could be used. The title is not all that matters. The entirety of your page – from the title to the on-page content – should remove ambiguity. The title tag is the most important term. Stick to 12 words and 600 […]