What to do when a Google algorithm update hits your traffic
A calm process for a Google algorithm update: telling one from a mistake, what to check first, what never to change, and how recovery actually happens.
Journal
Blog.
Writing from the team on search, paid media, and the work of getting a brand off the ground. Everything we publish lives here.
108 articles · page 1 of 5
Security basics every site owner needs
Website security in plain English: how sites really get attacked, the handful of habits that stop most of it, and a monthly routine you will keep.
Earning AI citations for your pages
AI citations are the sources an assistant names in its answer. How pages earn them, what quietly blocks them, and how to check whether yours appear.
What email open rates can and cannot tell you
Email open rates measure a loaded image, not a reader. What the number can honestly show, what it hides, and which figures to report instead.
Native advertising, and where it belongs
Native advertising explained: how it differs from display, why disclosure matters, what it is genuinely good at, and how to judge it honestly.
How to do local keyword research without guessing
Local keyword research using the words your customers already use: where to find them, how to judge them, and which ones are not worth a page.
Core web vitals explained for people who are not developers
Core web vitals in plain language: what the three measures mean, what usually causes a poor score, and how much they really matter next to everything else.
Website maintenance nobody budgets for
Website maintenance is the line most quotes leave out. Here is what the work covers, how often each job falls due, and what breaks when nobody owns it.
Conversational search changes the question
Conversational search turns keywords into full questions and follow ups. Here is what that really changes on your pages, and what it does not.
Deliverability: getting into the inbox at all
Email deliverability explained: why delivered does not mean the inbox, which records to set, how to clean a list, and how to diagnose a drop.
Display ads: what they are actually good for
Display ads explained: what they can and cannot do, why the reported results mislead, where the budget leaks, and when they belong in a plan.
Local SEO ranking factors, ordered by how much they matter
The local SEO ranking factors that decide map results, ordered by influence, with the ones you can change and the ones you simply cannot.
SEO content writing without sounding like a robot
SEO content that reads well: how to plan a page from the results, structure it for scanning, use keywords naturally, and know when the page is finished.
Cross platform apps against native ones
Cross platform apps against native ones in plain English: where each one wins, what the real costs are, and how to decide before anyone writes code.
Zero click searches and what still works
Zero click searches end on the results page. Which traffic you can afford to lose, what still earns a visit, and how to measure the change.
Win back emails, and when to let go
Win back emails bring lapsed customers back and show you who has really gone. When to send them, what to say, and when to stop emailing for good.
Retargeting campaigns without annoying everybody
Retargeting campaigns explained: who to follow, how long for, how often, and why the reported results usually claim sales that would have happened anyway.
Building a local SEO strategy that fits a real business
A local SEO strategy built around what you sell, where you sell it and how much time you have, with the sequence that produces results soonest.
Internal linking: the free win most sites ignore
Internal linking explained: what it does for readers and rankings, how to find orphan pages, how to write link text, and the hub and spoke shape that works.
The web development process, stage by stage
The web development process stage by stage: discovery, structure, design, build, content, testing and launch, plus what usually goes wrong.
Structured data that machines can read
Structured data tells a machine what your page means. Which types matter for AI search, the rule that keeps markup honest, and what it will not do.
Post purchase emails and the second order
Post purchase emails decide whether a first order becomes a second. What to send after checkout, how to space it, and what to leave out.
Landing pages that turn clicks into enquiries
Landing page optimization for paid traffic: what belongs on the page, what to remove, how to test properly, and the faults that waste most of a budget.
How to run a local SEO audit in an afternoon
A local SEO audit you can finish in an afternoon: the listing, your website, consistency, reviews, real visibility, and the competitors above you.