TikTok has moved well beyond its roots as a short-form video app.  It now serves as a search destination where people turn for answers, ideas, and products.  Creator Search Insights gives creators and brands a window into that behavior – highlighting trending queries, underserved topics, and real audience interests.  And the data backs up this […]

Cloudflare today announced a new feature that allows you signal via robots.txt whether your content can be used in Google’s AI Overviews (as well as for AI training). Cloudflare’s new Content Signals Policy is meant to give publishers more control over how crawlers and bots use their data, beyond traditional directives that only regulate crawling […]

Google today rolled out Search Live in the U.S. Before today, Search Live was in Google Labs as an opt-in feature. Search Live, built into the Google app, lets people talk directly with Google Search in real time. Users can share their phone camera feed so Search can “see” what they’re looking at. How it […]

After months of merchant frustration over securing the required API key for website-reported local inventory feeds via Google Tag Manager, Google has now confirmed a straightforward process: Complete setup. Request validation through a form. Once approved, a Google agent provides the API key. Why we care. This clarification makes it easier for merchants to implement […]

Google is piloting Brand Profiles in Merchant Center Next, giving retailers a fresh way to showcase their story, values, and promotions directly in Search results. Why we care. With shopping searches increasingly crowded, Brand Profiles give merchants a chance to differentiate beyond product listings, potentially influencing purchase decisions earlier in the journey. How it works: […]

As SERPs continue to change, we see more search features taking up space on Page 1.  That’s why it’s increasingly important to gain visibility in People Also Ask results.  Let’s go over some ways to research People Also Ask (PAA) rankings, and methods you can use in order to get a website ranking in them. […]

YouTube will reinstate channels previously banned under old COVID-19 and election integrity rules, a major shift in the platform’s approach to content moderation. Driving the news. Channels terminated for repeated violations of policies that are “no longer in effect” will be allowed back, YouTube’s parent company, Alphabet, told Congress in a letter. Alphabet acknowledged it […]

The debate on SEO‘s changing practice and its transition to AI has heated up recently on podcasts, blogs, news sites, and social spaces around the web.  While the discussion is focused on what we should call it and why – be it “GEO” (generative engine optimization), “AIO” (artificial intelligence optimization), or something else – one […]

Visibility in Google’s AI Overviews doesn’t equal traffic.  In my research from the first half of this year, AI Overview citations consistently underperformed – even compared to traditional blue links near the bottom of the SERP. An AI Overview citation can still help with authority, brand recall, positioning, and maybe even long-term LLM training.  But […]