How generative AI is quietly distorting your brand message

How generative AI is quietly distorting your brand message

Your brand message is no longer entirely yours to control.  AI systems have become storytellers, shaping how consumers discover and understand your brand. Every customer review, social media post, news mention, and errant leaked internal document can feed AI models that generate responses about your company.  When these AI-generated narratives drift from your intended brand […]

6 critical issues to fix

6 critical issues to fix

Amazon advertising operates within its own closed ecosystem, making ad delivery very different from other platforms.  If you come from a Google or Bing background, you may be surprised to learn why your ads aren’t delivering.  Often, it’s not about spending more or targeting. It’s about quickly identifying the real cause. After reviewing hundreds of […]

Google fixes reduced crawling issue impacting some websites

Google fixes reduced crawling issue impacting some websites

Google has confirmed it fixed an issue with its crawlers impacting “some sites.” The issue was “reduced / fluctuating crawling” from Google’s end with Googlebot. It is now resolved and Google said the crawling should pick back up in the near future. What happened. Starting around August 8, 2025, a number of savvy SEOs and […]

SEO Has Been Tactical For 20 Years. GenAI Forces The Strategy Question

SEO Has Been Tactical For 20 Years. GenAI Forces The Strategy Question

For as long as I’ve been in this industry, there’s been debate about whether SEO is strategic or tactical. Most SEOs would like to believe their work is strategic. Many executives see it as tactical. The truth is somewhere in between, and the arrival of generative AI is forcing a new level of clarity. This […]

How to create content that works for search and generative engines

How to create content that works for search and generative engines

For years, optimizing content meant focusing almost entirely on Google and other traditional engines.  But with the rapid rise of generative AI chatbots – tools that don’t just link but summarize – content strategies need to adapt.  It’s no longer enough to rank in search; you now need to be referenced, cited, and surfaced by […]

WordPress Trademark Applications Rejected By USPTO

WordPress Trademark Applications Rejected By USPTO

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has rejected the WordPress Foundation’s applications for trademarks on the phrases “Managed WordPress” and “Hosted WordPress.” But WordPress isn’t walking away just yet. The Trademark Office published the following notice for the “Hosted WordPress” trademark application: “A final Office action refusing registration has been sent (issued) because the […]

Positioning Strategy: How to Ensure Your Message Connects : Social Media Examiner

Positioning Strategy: How to Ensure Your Message Connects : 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 […]

New Strategies To Gain Local Search Visibility

New Strategies To Gain Local Search Visibility

This post was sponsored by DAC. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own. The new reality of Search and brand discovery requires an Enterprise-to-Local strategy. Traditional keyword-driven search engine results pages (SERPs) are being disrupted by AI-driven experiences that anticipate, summarize, and even act on users’ needs. As generative AI tools like […]

Google Says GSC Sitemap Uploads Don’t Guarantee Immediate Crawls

Google Says GSC Sitemap Uploads Don’t Guarantee Immediate Crawls

Google’s John Mueller answered a question about how many sitemaps to upload, and then said there are no guarantees that any of the URLs will be crawled right away. A member of the r/TechSEO community on Reddit asked if it’s enough to upload the main sitemap.xml file, which then links to the more granular sitemaps. […]