How to decide which ecommerce categories deserve more internal links
Your site structure may reflect yesterday’s priorities. Find the gaps and use targeted internal links to support today’s business goals.
Topic: Business Strategy and the Environment
The SEO career playbook is dead. Good!
Still using 'years of experience' as your only trust signal? Don’t be surprised when your next experience is figuring out unemployment.
The dehumanization of SEO: Displaced by code, ignored by communication
When SEO gets reduced to keywords, audits, and content production, software will always look cheaper. That’s where the real risk begins.
How business context changes AI recommendations
See how three AI models responded as business context became progressively richer for the same strategic challenge.
Ana Kostic shared why “best practice” cost her client 40% of revenue.
Ana Kostic explains why blindly following PPC best practices can backfire—and why understanding the business should always come first.
5 key reasons SEO efforts fall short of business expectations
From outdated strategies to siloed reporting, explore why SEO underperforms and how to ensure your efforts translate into business growth.
15 questions to ask your new SEO clients
Boost client retention and get better SEO results while avoiding roadblocks and frustrations by asking the right questions at the outset.
How to get more of what you want in SEO
Get more SEO buy-in and budget by aligning with company goals, telling compelling stories and improving your communication skills.
The rise of the position-less marketer
The position-less marketer is superpowered to drive their companies to outpace competition, engage audiences more effectively and improve business outcomes.
Avoiding cookie-cutter SEO: 8 red flags to watch out for
Not all SEO providers are created equal. Learn how to avoid cookie-cutter approaches and find the right SEO partner.
How to retain clients in PPC
Learn key reasons for client churn in PPC and how to boost retention through goal alignment, performance audits, regular check-ins, and more.
When your business doesn’t need SEO
Discover five reasons why SEO might not be the best fit for your business, from budget limitations to the need for immediate results.
Microsoft is planning to double the size of its ad business to $20 billion
Microsoft's ad business is growing but still faces steep competition from TikTok, Amazon, and Apple.
9 big risks of cheap SEO
Know what you might be getting into before engaging with a cheap SEO provider. Here are warning signs to watch for and situations to avoid.
In the story of David and Goliath, be David: How to Amazon-proof your business
Strong brand identity, online presence, and key differentiators are the slingshots that take down Goliaths.
Google’s Assistant-everywhere strategy reminiscent of old site search playbook
Google Assistant "syndication" is a way to battle Amazon Alexa and expand its reach for later monetization.
With Nadella’s Appointment, The “Search CEOs” Now Run Google, Yahoo & Microsoft
Satya Nadella being named CEO of Microsoft isn’t just big news for Microsoft. It’s big news for search. For the first time in ages, the three major search companies in the US are all run by CEOs who either came out of a search-background or have a solid understanding of it. Despite the attention search […]
8 Products That Might Be On Yahoo’s Chopping Block
Yahoo’s product teams are officially on notice. Shortly after announcing Q1 earnings yesterday, new Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson dropped a bomb during the analysts’ call when he said the company will be “shutting down or transitioning roughly 50 properties that don’t contribute meaningfully to engagement or revenue.” He went on to say that Yahoo’s focus […]
Facebook’s Zuckerberg To Charlie Rose: “We Just Do One Thing”
Asked to reflect on the cultural differences between Google and Facebook, current Facebook COO and former Googler Sheryl Sandberg told Charlie Rose that “Google is fundamentally about algorithms and machine learning . . . We start from a totally different place. We start from an individual: Who are you? What do you want to do? What do […]
Bing’s Battle With Google: How Long Is “Long Term”?
On Sunday the New York Times ran a lengthy article about Microsoft, the search underdog. Directed at a very mainstream audience there was nothing new in the piece for readers of Search Engine Land. However it did raise some interesting questions, directly and by implication. For example: How many years does Bing (and Online Services) […]
AOL Returns As Independent Company, Search Decision Looms
Yesterday was the first day of trading for the “new” AOL, an independent company with a market cap of $2.5 billion dollars. When AOL “bought” TimeWarner a decade ago in an all-stock transaction worth $182 billion there was a near consensus that the combined company represented the future of media and publishing. It made a […]
Yahoo Discontinues “Go”, A GPhone Finally Cometh?
Yahoo has decided to discontinue its “Go” mobile app. Go was originally part of a larger “three screen” strategy that included TV and mobile delivery of Yahoo content. The Go app was intended as a way to have a richer, self-contained experience on mobile devices. But that strategy has given way to a “Yahoo for […]
Ballmer: Do Yahoo Deal Sooner, Not Later
Sick of hearing about Microsoft being interested in buying Yahoo’s search business? So am I. Just buy it already. The saga — now nearly a year old — is back in the news. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is now saying that a deal should happen within the next few months, due to Microsoft and Yahoo […]
Tough Love For Microsoft Search
Back in June, I spoke at Microsoft as part of a regular series for those involved with its webmaster tools group and anyone generally interested in search. My talk was called “Tough Love For Microsoft Search,” and I covered various reasons why I felt the company has generally failed to make headway in the space. […]
Microsoft To Take Another Run At Yahoo In 2009?
If absurdist playwright Samuel Beckett were still alive, he might be tempted to write a drama about the Microsoft and Yahoo non-merger that seems to keep generating news and speculation. Better yet, maybe living playwright David Mamet will take a crack at some point. The latest justification for writing yet another post about whether or […]
The Most Powerful SEO Tactic: Simplify, Simplify, Simplify
The most important thing you can do when talking to an SEO client (be it your boss in your company, or a different company you consult for) is to learn how to explain SEO in the simplest terms possible. When you are dealing with a non-SEO type, use the 30 second rule: explain it clearly […]
Yahoo’s Boerries On Android: Google Risks Being Distracted By Technology
Reuters interviews the head of Yahoo’s mobile efforts, Marco Boerries, who emphasizes that Yahoo is building strategic partnerships with carriers and OEMs around the world and argues that Google is probably misguided in introducing Android. Boerries is quoted in the article as saying, “The race is going to be who builds the biggest arsenal of […]
Yahoo Local GM To Leave, Group Now Broader
Paul Levine, GM of Yahoo Local, is leaving (his decision) after almost five years and being replaced by Jennifer Dulski, who is now going to be Group Vice President & General Manager, Marketplace. Her title reflects a strategy shift and will combine Local with Shopping, Travel, Autos and Real Estate and represents a more integrated […]
Microsoft’s Ballmer Calls Google One Hit Wonder, Mocks Management Skills & Criticizes Future Growth
Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO, spoke at Stanford University the other day, calling Google a one-hit wonder, mocking Google’s personal time concept and calling their growth expectations “insane.”