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SEO: Still a Cool Kids’ Game, But The Rules Have Changed

contact@digim.consulting (Joseph Cashman) — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 22:15:28 GMT

I've long described SEO as a popularity contest: you work to be seen and valued so your site can be chosen first from the line up of first page search results (SERP).

The popularity metaphor remains relevant, but as of 2026, SEO involves gaining visibility in a search landscape that now includes answer-driven experiences like advanced SERP features, and AI summaries. Which translates to a user getting an answer without having to click through to any website for further information. Yet, Google’s guidance still supports SEO best practices as they do affect AI results, so SEO remains foundational.

Good SEO enables search engines to understand your content, and that same clarity helps your pages stay eligible for newer AI-powered discovery experiences. [1]

What has changed is that SEO success now depends on meeting users’ needs, not just pursuing traditional SEO tactics. Your priority should be delivering real value, not simply attracting search engines .

Today, sites that earn visibility are useful, trustworthy, technically accessible, and genuinely aligned with users’ goals. Google explicitly says its systems are created to prioritize helpful, reliable, people-first content, not content created mainly to manipulate rankings. ([Google for Developers][2])

Cool is Now About Substance

A common misconception is that SEO fundamentals no longer matter due to AI’s influence on search.

In reality, AI-driven search still relies on content that is discoverable, understandable, trustworthy, and appropriately surfaced. Google says you can apply the same basic SEO best practices for AI:

Meet technical crawling requirements
Make important content easy to find
Provide a strong page experience

Google also states there is no need for special AI markup or a unique “AI file” to appear in these AI-powered search features. [1]

Successful sites today are not simply prolific or attention-grabbing; they are most effective at helping users achieve their goals.

Google’s people-firs t content guidance asks questions that are actually pretty practical:

Do you have a real audience?
Does your content show first-hand expertise and depth of knowledge?
Will the reader leave feeling they learned enough to accomplish their goal?

Those questions may sound simple, but they are a strong filter for what still works. [2]

Modern SEO focuses on earning trust and usefulness. This approach is more likely to sustain long-term visibility than prioritizing keywords over user needs.

This is why generic, trend-driven content often underperforms over time. While it may attract impressions, it frequently fails to meet users’ needs. Google’s guidance explicitly warns against creating content primarily for the sake of crawler likability.

Content development to attract visits based on technical optimizations, summarizing what others say without adding value, or writing to arbitrary word counts because you think that is what rankings require, shouldn't be the strategy.[2]

For years, SEO was often discussed in terms of visible status markers such as Domain Authority, PageRank, social buzz, and click-through rate (CTR). While these metrics have value, they were sometimes mistaken for the entirety of SEO.

Domain Authority, for example, can be a useful third-party metric for comparing link strength or benchmarking against competitors. However, it is not a Google metric, and Google does not recommend directly optimizing for it.

Google’s ranking system, which primarily operates at the page level, considers many factors and uses site-wide signals. That is a much more subtle reality than “raise your authority score, and you win.” [3]

The same goes for PageRank. Google’s ranking systems guide says PageRank continues to be part of its core ranking systems, though it has changed significantly over time.

Backlinks and reputation remain important, but the old public PageRank scores are outdated. Links help search engines understand relationships and identify potentially helpful pages, but they are now just one component of a larger, more complex system. [3]

Social media popularity also requires a reality check . Social channels can support distribution, brand awareness, and the growth of your owned audience.

However, businesses often overestimate their direct impact on search rankings. In today’s environment, increased attention does not guarantee lasting search visibility.

The more durable advantage usually comes from publishing something that is genuinely useful, original, and easy for both users and search engines to understand. Google’s people-first guidance emphasizes original value and first-hand expertise far more than popularity theater. [2]

Click-through rate (CTR) is similar. Google uses aggregated and anonymized interaction data to assess result relevance, but a compelling headline alone will not secure top rankings. Titles and snippets help attract the right users, but your page must ultimately deliver value.

The true objective is not to maximize clicks, but to earn relevant visits and meet visitors’ needs. [4]

Although old status symbols matter less, SEO has not fallen to the level of hanging out alone under the bleachers. In many respects, the fundamentals are now clearer. Effective SEO still relies on creating content that is easy to find, easy to understand, and genuinely useful to users.

This means several factors remain important: intent alignment, clear structure, technical accessibility, and trust. A page should address the problem implied by the query, not simply do a great job of utilizing keywords.

Headings, internal links, and clear organization remain important because they help both users and search engines identify key information. Credibility is also essential, as the “who,” “how,” and “why” behind a pages' influence.

This is encouraging for smaller businesses, you do not always need to out-publish larger brands; being more useful, focused, and specific can be more effective.

SEO Now Has a Second Job

SEO continues to help pages rank in traditional search and now also supports content visibility in AI-driven, answer-based experiences. Meaning SEO still matters, but now extends beyond rankings.

What is advisable, is to return to historical content and refresh it to better align with the new ecosystem . If you want a deeper look at that shift, I’ve already written a dedicated article on the topic: SEOing for GEO: How to Stay Visible in the Age of AI Search .

For Example:

Check out my SWFHC case study highlights to see what can happen when a redesign focuses on clarity, structure, and real user needs.

Old Status Symbols Matter Less Than They Used To

For Example:

A few years ago, I worked with a manufacturing client whose website struggled to rank well in their space. yet, the owner refused to make the necessary technical changes needed to improve their SEO.

However, the company had a niche in making custom outdoor features that combined fire, water, and colored lighting systems. And though the full website overhaul never happend, I was able to convince them to let me create a few detailed landing pages to highlight their custom projects.

These pages quickly ranked at the top of search results, and soon contractors were calling to hire them for high-end homes and commercial projects.

What Still Matters

Coolness is now anointed to the ones that are genuinely useful, easy to understand, technically sound, and worth returning to; and that is actually good news.

This means businesses do not need to pursue every trend, focus on vanity metrics, or publish excessive content to remain relevant. What matters is creating pages that answer real questions, demonstrate expertise, and help visitors take the next step confidently.

In a search environment that includes traditional rankings, rich results, and AI-driven discovery, substantive content is more effective than old-school shortcuts. While the rules have changed, the ultimate goal remains: to stand out by genuinely earning attention.

If your SEO strategy relies on outdated assumptions, now is the time to reassess what truly helps your website get discovered, trusted, and selected. Today, the strongest search visibility comes from clarity, credibility, and people-focused content.

The Cool Kids’ Table Is Open

Citations:

[1]: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features "AI Features and Your Website | Google Search Central | Documentation | Google for Developers"
[2]: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content "Creating Helpful, Reliable, People-First Content | Google Search Central | Documentation | Google for Developers"
[3]: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ranking-systems-guide "A Guide to Google Search Ranking Systems | Google Search Central | Documentation | Google for Developers"
[4]: https://www.google.com/intl/en_us/search/howsearchworks/how-search-works/ranking-results "How Does Google Determine Ranking Results - Google Search"

About the Author

Digital Marketing Tactics for Ongoing ROI and Protecting Demand During Economic Downturns (Part 1)

contact@digim.consulting (Joseph Cashman) — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 22:15:29 GMT

Economic downturns have always required difficult business decisions. But modern consumers are ever more price-sensitive and ever more willing to switch brands for a better value.

McKinsey found that in advanced markets, over a third of consumers have tried new brands, and about 40% have switched retailers to get better prices or discounts. [ 1]

Additionally, search behavior is changing significantly. Informational, answer-based content is now being siphoned off by AI browsers' summaries.

Pew found that when Google users saw an AI summary, they clicked a regular search result only 8% of the time, compared to 15% when there was no AI summary. Bain also reports that AI-written results are cutting organic web traffic by about 15% to 25%. [2]

During downturns, maintain efficiency while refocusing your marketing strategies to ensure your website, messaging, and digital assets provide proof of value, greater clarity, and strong trust signals for today’s discerning buyers.

Why Downturns Feels Different Now

In past downturns, the guidance was straightforward: cut waste, protect relationships, and maintain communication. While these remain important, today’s market presents new challenges.

First, people are not just spending less; they are also evaluating more. Google’s research on the “messy middle”[3] shows that buyers go through a non-linear cycle of exploring and evaluating before they buy.

When budgets are tight, this process often takes longer. Buyers compare more options, hesitate, and seek greater reassurance before deciding. [4]

Second, digital visibility is less stable than before. Search is still important, but it is not as predictable as it used to be. Informational content that formerly brought steady traffic may now be answered directly in search results.

Many businesses are realizing the same thing: their traffic is down, but their costs, expectations, and need for leads have not decreased. [2]

Third, audiences are increasingly focused on value. They may not seek the lowest price, but they want clear value, understanding of benefits, prompt results, and assurance of trustworthiness.

In my experience, this shows up in keyword behavior and on-page engagement: people lose patience with vague messaging and respond better to clear, specific, and proven information.

What You Should Not Cut First

When businesses feel unsure, marketing is often the first area to face cuts. Some trimming is reasonable, but making broad, quick cuts can cause bigger problems. You might save money now, but you make it harder for people to find you later.

Harvard Business Review’s classic advice on downturn marketing still applies. Their research shows that companies that keep up with changing customer behavior and maintain the right marketing support do better than those who pull back too much or go quiet.

Nielsen agrees, saying that strong marketing strategies help businesses attract customers, protect sales, and respond to changing conditions rather than just waiting things out. [5]

So what should you be careful NOT to cut first?

Do not cut research

If you stop tracking how your market is changing, you are working without direction. Research does not have to be expensive. It can include keyword research, SERP reviews, competitor monitoring, search console analysis, and just listening more closely to customers and prospects.

Do not cut communications

A downturn is when you need more consumer feedback, not less. If you are making tough choices, you need to know what is really driving leads, which content helps drive conversions, and which channels are not worth your time.

Do not let your website become stagnant

With less traffic, each visitor becomes more valuable. A confusing, outdated, or slow website is a liability.

Do not assume discounts are the only answer

Price matters, but communicating value is equally important. If your messaging does not clearly convey outcomes, relevance, and differentiation, buyers will view you as just another price point. Ensure your audience understands the genuine value behind your pricing.

Re-Research Your Audience Before Changing Your Tactics

A common and risky mistake during lean periods is to change tactics rapidly without first updating your understanding of your buyers. Adjusting budgets, campaigns, or messaging without current audience insights can be detrimental.

Before changing your offers, ad spend, or content calendar, reassess your audience and conduct updated research. Consider questions such as:

Have search terms changed?
Are there new, more urgent pain points now?
What type of purchases are being delayed?
What kind of reassurance do consumers need before taking the next step?

McKinsey’s consumer research reinforces that buyers continue to spend, but with greater caution and focus on value. This is not only a consumer insight; it is also a messaging insight. [1]

In my experience, research and direct client conversations should always guide strategy changes, regardless of economic conditions. Sometimes, audiences still want the same solution, but their questions shift from “Is this worth it right now?” to “How does this reduce risk, save time, or protect revenue?”

This distinction is significant. It influences the content you produce, the landing pages you prioritize, the calls to action you implement, and the visuals you select to support your message.

For Example :

Recent messaging for my Client CHRONECT, was not focused on their technological prowess , but rather on how their automated systems reduces manual labor hours leading to processing more samples, significantly improving turn around times and freeing up teams to do more complex task.

Shift Your Content Toward Value, Proof, and Action

When buyers are uncertain, vague content is often ignored. Google’s “messy middle” research describes this as a non-linear cycle of exploration and evaluation, where buyers repeatedly review information, comparisons, and trust signals before deciding. [3]

For this reason, businesses should avoid relying solely on broad, informational blog content. While such content remains valuable, if AI summaries address more top-of-funnel queries, your content strategy must be more deliberate.

Again, Pew’s 2025 research found that users who saw an AI summary clicked a traditional search result only 8% of the time, compared to 15% when no AI summary appeared. [2]

In practice, your content must do more than educate; it should support decision-making. That might include:

Comparison pages that explain how your offering differs from alternatives
FAQs that address real objections and buying concerns
Create engaging, visually easy-to-digest, downloadable PDFs that help someone share your value.
Case studies that show outcomes, not just ideas
Explainer videos or images that can quickly reduce confusion
Landing pages built around commercial or transactional intent, not just traffic generation

To summarize, amid downturns, content should not only answer questions but also help reduce buyer hesitation.

Most businesses don’t need new content; often, existing content can be reworked . A useful exercise is to ask critical questions like:

Can this old content be reworked into more targeted content?
Does the new data address your buyers’ current concerns?
Do you honestly believe your content makes your offering clear to the visitor?
Do you think they really comprehend its importance?
Is it clear what their next-steps should be?

If not, the asset may not be sufficiently actionable.

Owned Audiences Matter More in Difficult Times

One of the biggest risks in digital marketing right now is overdependence on platforms you have no control over. Search algorithms shift, AI summaries reduce clicks, social platforms still limit organic reach; forcing you pay to “boost” for visibility . That is exactly why owned audiences matter more through downturns.

When I say “owned audiences,” I mean your existing contact list(s). This channel is valuable because it's isolated from the volatility of search and social platforms.

A key optimization is to segment your owned audiences , so that you know who to appropriately target for:

Product updates / upselling messages
Who to incentivize to serve as product advocates.

Simple owned-audience strategies can make a real difference. This is particularly important for small and mid-sized organizations. While you may not have the budget for extensive search or broad campaigns, you can build a base of interested individuals and maintain direct, budget-friendly communication.

Don’t abandon search or social—just avoid relying on them as your only visibility source. With selective, price-aware, value-driven buyers, you need more than visibility; ongoing audience engagement is crucial. [1]

Local SEO and Local PPC: Protecting High-Intent Demand Close to the Point of Decision

If your business relies on foot traffic, local visibility becomes even more critical during an economic downturn. Local searches often indicate higher intent, as individuals seeking nearby services are typically closer to making a purchase than those researching nationally. [6]

Google Business Profile helps your company appear on Search and Maps, helping customers find you and build trust in your business. It also gives you a free way to manage how your business appears across Google’s local surfaces. [6]

This makes local SEO a practical and cost-effective focus when budgets are limited. An effective local strategy typically includes:

Keeping your Google Business Profile information complete and consistent across the web
Improving local landing pages with clear service descriptions and trust signals
Publishing "update" content that reflects real local search language and real local needs
Encouraging reviews and maintaining a profile that feels active and credible

Local PPC can also be effective when targeted carefully. During a downturn, avoid allocating budget to broad awareness keywords. Instead, focus on high-intent local queries that indicate immediate need, such as:

service + location
running call-focused ads during business hours
sending traffic to tighter landing pages instead of a generic homepage

A word of caution :

As someone whose career has focused on content development to generate inbound organic leads, paid advertising has always felt like a necessary evil. Yet if you choose to go down the PPC path, be warned: there is a frightening lack of transparency around the legitimacy of the “clicks” and who or where your ad is shown. Investing in large PPC platforms requires caution and daily diligence.

Website UX is also critical . If local visitors cannot quickly understand your offerings, service area, or contact options, even a strong local search strategy loses value. High-intent traffic should not be wasted.

The key point is that amid economic downturns, local visibility can be a reliable source of intent-rich traffic, especially when budgets shrink for broader reach campaigns.

Focus on Concrete Analytics

When business owners say they want “better analytics,” what they usually mean is: I want to know what’s actually working, what isn’t, and where I need to focus next .

That is especially true during tough times. Nielsen emphasizes that resilient marketing relies on demonstrating budget effectiveness, not simply increasing activity. The objective is to gather meaningful signals and make informed decisions. [7]

Many small and mid-sized organizations face challenges in this area. They may use Google Analytics, Search Console, or a CRM, but remain uncertain about which metrics matter most. Simplifying analytics into a few practical categories can help:

Pipeline and Revenue Signals

These are the metrics most closely tied to business outcomes:

qualified form fills
booked calls or consultations
demo requests
proposal requests
sales conversations influenced by content or campaigns

This does not require a complex attribution model. The focus should be on identifying which digital efforts move prospects closer to revenue.

Behavioral Indicators

These are the signs that tell you whether people are participating meaningfully with your site:

time spent on key service pages
downloads of guides or PDFs
clicks into research studies or product pages
demo video views or engagement with high-value pages

These indicators do not close deals directly, but they often reveal whether your message is resonating before bottom-line metrics reflect results.

Content Performance

How to determine what digital collateral to focus on:

What are your top search queries? This tells you what search engines think of your site. Is it thinking correctly?
Which pages or blogs receive the most engagement? Are they equipped with appropriate resources, calls to action, and support?
Which content attracts attention but generates little action? These may need to be reimagined.

Tip:

Track your website's Search function. These queries can often provide valuable insight to what your customers are looking for daily.

An increase in traffic or impressions is always a positive, but during downswings, focus more on ensuring your traffic understands your value, and receives enough trust signals to move toward a decision.

AI Is Changing Discovery, So Your Website Has to Work Harder

Search remains important, but discovery and interaction patterns are changing. Pew research indicates that about 80% of consumers now use zero-click results for at least 40% of searches, leading to a 15% to 25% reduction in organic web traffic. [2] As a result, many businesses face two main challenges:

fewer clicks from top-of-funnel informational content
more pressure on the website to convert the clicks that do arrive

This highlights the need for your website to perform more effectively. Visitors may arrive with general answers from AI and now seek more specific information:

Can you explain the value clearly?
Can you help them quickly trust your business?
Can you show evidence, proof, or a differentiated point of view?
Can you guide them naturally toward the next step?

This is why user experience, messaging, and content structure are increasingly important. As organic traffic becomes harder to acquire, each visitor should have a more intentional experience. This may include:

Simplifying your top service pages
Tightening calls to action
Adding stronger FAQs and proof points
Introducing clearer navigation and better content hierarchy
Using downloadable assets, visuals, and videos to support understanding

SEO is not dead. but it is evolving. Search now overlaps with GEO , content strategy, UX, and authority-building.

In many cases, your website is not just a traffic destination; it is where a partially informed visitor decides if your business is credible enough to consider further.

A Steady, Honest Strategy Still Wins

Financial downturns increase pressure on every marketing decision. Budgets contract, buyers hesitate, and traffic patterns become less predictable. However, digital marketing remains effective when strategies are more precise.

Businesses that perform better during challenging times are not those doing the most, but those focusing on the most effective actions:

researching how their audience is changing
improving/repurposing content before increasing spend
focusing on content that supports decisions, not only volume
intelligently cultivating their owned audiences
measuring what actually supports revenue and trust

In my experience, small, thoughtful changes often outperform rushed overhauls, especially when budgets are limited.

Enhancements such as clearer service pages, better-structured landing pages, more useful guides, or stronger local search presence are often more effective than simply increasing marketing activity.

If your business is experiencing reduced traffic, cautious buyers, or changing digital habits, do not panic or withdraw.

Start with research, refine your messaging, and strengthen the elements of your digital presence that support decision-making. Opportunities for growth remain, but success now depends more on clarity than on volume.

If you would like an external perspective on your digital strategy’s strengths or areas for improvement, don't hesitate to reach out for a consultation.

Citations:

Adams, Christina , et al. "State of the Consumer 2024: What’s Now and What’s Next." Https://Www.Mckinsey.Com/ , 10 Jun. 2024, www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/state-of-consumer-2024? Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
"Google Users Are Less Likely to Click on Links When an AI Summary Appears in the Results." Https://Www.Pewresearch.Org/ , 22 Jul. 2025, www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/07/22/google-users-are-less-likely-to-click-on-links-when-an-ai-summary-appears-in-the-results. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
"The Messy Middle: How Behavioural Science Can Help You Avoid a Pricing Race to the Bottom." Https://Business.Google.Com/ , 1 Mar. 2023, business.google.com/aunz/think/consumer-insights/messy-middle-2023/. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
"Marketing in the Messy Middle Part 2 of the Decoding Decisions Series." Https://Www.Thinkwithgoogle.Com/ , www.thinkwithgoogle.com/_qs/documents/18366/Decoding_Decisions_Marketing_in_the_Messy_Middle.pdf. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Quelch , John , and Katherine E. Jocz. "How to Market in a Downturn." Https://Www.Thinkwithgoogle.Com/ , 1 Apr. 2009, hbr.org/2009/04/how-to-market-in-a-downturn-2. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
"Get Started with Google Business Profile." Https://Support.Google.Com/ , date unknown, support.google.com/business/answer/7039811. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
"How to Build a Resilient Marketing Strategy and Make the Case to Keep Your Budget." Https://Www.Nielsen.Com/ , 1 Sept. 2024, www.nielsen.com/insights/2022/how-to-build-a-resilient-marketing-strategy-and-make-the-case-to-keep-your-budget. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.

FOR EXAMPLE :

With the recent annihilation of inbound organic visits via the AI browsers. An old client that heavily relied on organic traffic took a 45% drop in organic site visits. Instead of adding more content to their already large library, I initiated a blog refresh.

I targeted the top 100 blogs and reorganized them into new SEO topic clusters. Then I applied some quick AI-assisted KE SEO research to improve and/or hold their top-page positions.

This refresh improved site visit volume so much that it effectively erased their 45% drop in organic traffic. And when compared to their competitors, who are still way below their average volumes. See Data Table Below :

To learn more about marketing strategies during economic recessions read Affordable Digital Marketing Strategies: During Economic Downturns (Part 2)

About the Author

Case Study: Enhancing Neoteryx's Digital Presence via SEO Research

contact@digim.consulting (Joseph Cashman) — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 23:28:53 GMT

Neoteryx, has been a part of my life for almost a decade. I was hired as a full-time employee back in 2016, tasked with the challenge of increasing the visibility of their MITRA blood microsampling device.

A challenge enough of it own but made particularly difficult since this was during the time of the Theranos scandal , an important factor, which negatively impacted public perception and trust in microsampling devices . The fallout from Theranos's failure further diminished search interest in innovative blood microsampling technologies.

Despite these challenges, I embraced the opportunity. My initial SEO research yielded a SERP opportunity for the term blood collection + method(s) . A peripheral term but nonetheless a meaningful driver for organic search visits.

To this day, this eight year old blog is still a top 10 performer for organic traffic. Along with technical SEO optimizations and plenty of 3rd party validations that proved the validity of VAMS technology we were able to make a significant impact year-over-year.

From 2019 to 2021, I took a hiatus from Neoteryx, to focus on my consulting business. However, by 2021, I resumed my collaboration with them, but this time as a Digital Marketing Consultant but with similar objectives:

Optimize website structure and enhance user engagement
Elevate digital visibility
Boost keyword rankings and organic traffic

By 2021 Neoteryx had also become part of the TRAJAN family and their was a new microsampling kid-on-the-block, the Harpera™ Microbiopsy™ Punch . This innovative device provides a minimally invasive method for collecting skin samples for modern molecular research. However, similar to the Mitra device, the market was largely unaware of the Microbiopsy option, resulting in little to no search query volume.

The Microbiopsy Revolution No-One Knew About

Penetrating through the competition of SERP is a complex puzzle , that keeps getting more nuanced over time . And like the my first go round with a microsampling product, the Harpera Microbiopsy Punch was another device that no one was looking for.

So again I had to resort to extensive keyword research to find peripheral terms to target. The strategy here is to create content for search terms that have search volume in order to present the HARPERA tool as a alternative/novel solution to existing market place problems/questions.

Samples of Indirect but relevant terms :

leishmaniasis research
biopsy complications
face skin biopsy
skin biopsy procedures

If you are fortunate enough to have a large marketing budget, new product launches are usually supported by expensive awareness campaigns. However, when your budget is in the thousands rather than the hundreds of thousands, you need to be strategic.

So, another aspect of my SEO efforts was to understand what keywords to target and what keywords NOT to target. This type of research helps generate a list of target keywords for paid search campaigns.

This approach ensures that you don’t waste your budget on terms for which you're already receiving organic traffic from. Furthermore, this analysis will help identify future content development opportunities based on data rather than speculation.

Key aspects of the Report include:

Client meetings to compile a relevant list of keywords and long tail keywords to investigate
Image search results
AI Search results
SEMrush Keyword Volume Metrics (if any)
SEO minion data
keyword analysis
Chrome versus Edge SERP

Lastly, SEO research like this helps uncover a variety of tactical data, like understanding how Search "thinks" about certain terms, e.g., preferring to show Map results versus Shopping results helping you refine your strategy.

SEO Cluster Audit and Restructuring

For the majority of my time with Neoteryx, there has always been a content manager /copywriter on staff. However, in this era of AI, that position is no longer in place. As a result, I have been able to conduct a comprehensive and unobstructed audit of Neoteryx's Content.

This lead to a complete overhaul of the SEO clusters within HubSpot. The objective of the redesign was to properly re-categorize blogs around appropriate themes / Pillar pages. The strategy / logic behind this type of content structuring is too long winded and nuanced to explain, so I'll just focus on few principals.

Strategic Content Optimizations

The Neoteryx blog was massive by the time I audited it. Consisting of hundreds and hundreds of blogs. So, for the sake of efficiency I ran a top 100 blogs for the year report to prioritize the top performers for the SEO Clusters.

I then started to parse out the content into themes, so for example many blogs centered around the idea of replacing traditional venous blood draws with finger prick microsampling .

Another important aspect of this type of audit also included eliminating competing content, meaning blogs that were in competitions against each other, e.g., multiple blogs about the expensive cost of shipping cold-chain / biohazard blood samples versus mailing dried micro-blood samples via standard mail.

This process involved a comprehensive analysis of all similar blogs and a restructuring of content. By removing original content from each blog and then consolidating it into one " master blog " focused on X subject matter. This then allows for a minimization of competing blogs.

Canonical URLs are then pointed to the master blog; effectively establishing a preferred blog for search engine results pages (SERPs). This important because having multiple competing blogs confuses search engine algorithms about which one to prioritize.

Keyword Refinements

Using the Keywords Everywhere/ChatGPT extension tool, I conducted a thorough SEO user intent/longtail keyword analysis. This process allowed me to unearth new longtail keywords that would be relevant and strategic for our target users. These keywords were then added to ALL blogs to enhance their search visibility.

Below a snapshot of the completed SEO Cluster:

In summary

Enhanced readability and user engagement.
Optimize for Google's ranking factors, such as keyword placement, title tags, meta descriptions, and internal linking structure.
Retain crucial third-party references and citations, ensuring content validity and authority.
Combined similar blogs, removing redundancy and preserving essential data.
Created unified and authoritative content pieces, improving the overall clarity, relevance, and SEO value.

About the Author

SEOing for GEO: How to Stay Visible in the Age of AI Search

contact@digim.consulting (Joseph Cashman) — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 23:34:22 GMT

What are AI LLMS?

They are neural networks, an advanced, specialized algorithm subset inspired by the structure of the human brain.

LLMs learn by analyzing billions of words to detect patterns in how we speak and write.

So, to put it simply, if I say, " Hey! How are you ?" plenty of data exists out there for LLM's to piece together an appropriate response to those words, in that order, akin to something like " Hi! Im great! and you? ".

By now, you've interacted with them, and you know they are far more complex than that. They produce unique content all the time, and that's because the process is not reliant on exact text matching. Instead, they work from a space of understanding semantic connections to seemingly appear aware/creative.

And much to my nerdy, sci-fi disappointment, they actually don't understand content the same way we do. Their interactions with us are based on statistical conventions rather than genuine comprehension, a point to keep in mind as we delve further into this article. 1

The Perks of Longevity

If you've been in business for, let's say, the past decade, and you did your fair share of growing and tending your online garden, chances are the LLMs are aware of you and have a good understanding of who you are.

Especially if you've had reputable 3rd party sources mention your business and what you do, along with the use of adjectives to describe your product/services, as this forms the basis of how LLMs compile their findings.

For Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), backlinking is different; it's more about authority built through brand mentioning.

So let me clarify: backlinking is important in SEO because that link back (ideally from a reputable source) to your content signals relevancy, but with GEO, that link back isn't the Gold . The value is in just others talking about you, ideally in a descriptive, favorable way.

GEO is not replacing SEO; in fact, good SEO will help. But beyond the technical checkboxes and the manual labor involved with SEO, GEO is out there reading and forming its "opinion", its statistical convention of it all.

The neural networks identify patterns based on how often and in what contexts specific terms and entities occur together to form their understanding, again their statistical convention.

Then, decide whether or not you're relevant enough to talk about, which presents an issue for newcomers to the scene. Your product or service may be the answer to someone's dream/problem, but you may not have enough third-party mentions and content to inform GEO.

Thus, SEO isn't being replaced by AI yet, as any good SEO plan includes plenty of content development, and great content stimulates brand mentioning.

The Importance of Accessibility

The days of trying to manipulate algorithms for better SEO visibility are long gone. GEO continues with that tradition by focusing on learning your topical authority and how easily and effectively it can access, interpret, and prioritize your brand's information when generating responses. 2

Here are a few things you can do to help AI:

Schema Markup: Aka structured data is a behind-the-scenes way to help AIs clearly understand what your content is about. It is additional code added to your page's source code, meaning your content would appear normally on your web page, but behind the scenes, at the code level, additional code would be added to categorize/tag your content into clearly marked data. For example, if you had a chocolate chip cookie recipe, your Schema markup would look something like this:

{ "@context": "https://schema.org",

"@type": "Recipe",

"name": "Chocolate Chip Cookies",

"author": {"@type": "Person", "name": "Jane Doe"},

"datePublished": "2025-04-15",

"description": "A classic chocolate chip cookie recipe that's soft and chewy.",

}

</script>

This small sample of Schema demonstrates how the bolded code marks the content, eliminating all guesswork and making it very easy for Spiders and AIs to know what your content is about.

FAQs: Questions and Answers content enables you to discuss your products and services in ways that help AI understand what you do, your limitations, how to best collaborate with you, your unique aspects, etcetera.

Publications : Identify the periodicals AI frequently cites for your target topics and queries and actively seek mentions on those sites.

Collaborative Content: Getting good authority sites to apply a follow link to your content is challenging, and PR is expensive. But if you have the budget, definitely invest in PR to get those brand mentions out there.

However, initiating 3rd party collaborative content with relevant podcasters/YouTubers might be more frugal. The key thing here, just like PR, is figuring out why your business is worth talking about.

Using AI for Search

So, we covered some strategies for educating AI about your business, but is AI a good search option? As TechRadar's Becca Caddy put it after testing AI search tools… " The results were… mixed. Not a total disaster – they could all retrieve some relevant info – but accuracy wasn't great. And the way they summarized that information? Often confusing or just not that helpful ." 3

And with so many becoming reliant on AI to generate content, Entrepreneur.com had this important reminder, " One of the biggest hurdles lies in maintaining content authenticity and quality. Sure, AI can churn out Content faster than you can say "writer's block," but there's a huge risk of AI-generated "fake news" slipping through the cracks. " 4

Certainly, AI search will improve over time, but it goes without saying that you should absolutely be fact-checking, doubling-checking what AI generates. A 1st draft, human or bot, is rarely a final product.

If you can't wait and insist on trying out/using AI for your search, FYI Perplexity received a 60%. accuracy score the highest of all the AI's tested. 3

GEO demands that businesses not be lazy about content accuracy and authenticity. Success lies in blending AI-driven insights with human creativity to create high-quality, relevant content that aligns with evolving search algorithms.

Questions about getting your business seen by AI — and the people using it? Please contact me.

References:

About the Author

CASE STUDY: Southwest Fair Housing Council

contact@digim.consulting (Joseph Cashman) — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 16:40:08 GMT

Analyze, Organize, Rebrand and Rebuild

In April of 2023, through a referral, I was introduced to the Southwest Fair Housing Council (SWFHC), a nonprofit organization that supports individuals who confront illegal housing discrimination in Arizona.

During several exploratory/discovery meetings with SWFHC's Director, it became clear that their website was unsalvageable. Operating on a seven-year-old Squarespace template that had become a cobweb of broken links, missing images, and erratic layouts that defied explanation—there truly was no hope for the old site.

Akin to unraveling a tightly knotted ball of yarn—I sorted through layers of web content (English & Spanish) to decipher what SWFHC was trying to communicate and offer to its various users. After a few deep dives and lots of questions I eventually was able to bucket the content in the following ways:

Filing a Fair Housing Claim (Understanding when and how to file a claim)
Fair Housing Education (End-user vs Professionals)
Fair Housing Resources (Consolidated into one page)
Blog for Government & Housing Professionals (Sociological/Academic reports, advocacy, policy,etc)
End-user Blog for Community News & Resources (Local events, grassroot initiatives, Events, social commentary)
About SWFHC

Below:

Main navbar layout would shift depending on the page
Sub, side bar menu links were inconsistent depending on the page

Below:

A stable , simplified Main Nav bar with clearly defined, top of funnel titling to better direct site visitors into the website.
Social media icons placed on Main Navbar to encourage follow-ship .
A site-wide 3rd party translator available in 6 different languages; a requirement by HUD that SWFHC had not been able to achieve before the redesign.
Equally, the translator resolved the confusing mess of multiple pages, some in English, some in Spanish, and not all equally translated
Further, the translator resolved the laborious (rarely accomplished) task of manually updating English to Spanish across the site

Once the path was made clear, I started the reconstruction process on a modern Squarespace template. But dear reader, the amount of work that went into this project is far too long to detail, so I will simply spotlight just a few more noteworthy changes/optimizations from here on out.

Content Development & Stronger Branding for Growth

Another key objective the Director tasked me with was to create SWFHC's first Brand Guideline book and to redesign their logo.

Logo Refresh

The original SWFHC logo stirred some discord among its followers; the disability community found the font difficult, while the human illustrations faced criticism for lacking diversity. My remedy was straightforward: I omitted the figures, shifted the focus to the housing graphic, introduced an equality symbol, delivered a softer-edged modern design with a more legible font.

Brand Guidebook

Art is subjective; beauty is in the eye of the beholder; all well and true, but SWFHC suffered from too many artists in the studio. Content pieces varied in layout design, color use, graphic choices, etc, creating a disjointed, unprofessional look. Thus, the SWFHC brand book was instituted. Outlining specific color values, fonts, best practices for disability/accessibility, etc.

Housing Horizons Blog

During my analysis phase of the original website, I unearthed that SWFHC had fathered several academic papers exploring diverse sociological/discriminatory aspects around the state.

Often collaborating with Universities and Graduate students, SWFHC created several reports to help inform policymakers and educate the community; this led me to create Housing Horizons, a blog dedicated to the professional side of SWFHC.

I also built a LinkedIn business page to showcase this type of content and advised the Director to reshare onto his page to help grow his network and not let these pieces go unnoticed.

Fair Housing Focus Blog

The original website was based on spotlighting SWFHC services, but no thought was given to SEO development. Thus, I launched a consumer-focused blog to help target relevant keywords and drive thought leadership/expertise within Fair Housing.

Quarterly Newsletter

The original Newsletter was sent via Mailchimp on an un-branded template with content mainly compromising of external links to other organizations.

However, I convinced the team to upgrade their Squarespace account to gain Email Campaigns functionality . Resulting in a branded Newsletter template to promote Housing Horizons, Fair Housing Focus, Press Releases (which I served as editor), and any other important organizational news.

Having the newsletter on the same platform as the website also afforded us the opportunity to:

Whitelisted Email senders by migrating the site domain to Squarespace
Have better database management of contacts and improved analytical data.

Source of Income (SOI) Protection Campaign

Once the dust had settled from the massive web rebuild, SWFHC also leveraged my AD campaign skills. Collaborating with my professional network, we developed several collateral pieces for the web, social media, and radio spots. Bringing valuable information to renters and housing providers about the new SOI ordinances passed in Tucson, Phoenix, and Tempe.

This campaign alerted housing providers about potentially hefty fines for discriminatory practices and educated renters about newly enacted legal protections around income-based housing discrimination. The campaign successfully directed significant web traffic to SWFHC's dedicated SOI information page, strengthening its role as a trusted community resource and advocate.

Below:

Visitor spike during campaign
Bilingual radio spots that aired locally in the designated cities.

Don't Take my Word For it; Let's Look at The Data

For several months after the site relaunch, I continued an Ad-hoc relationship with SWFHC to develop more content, both for web and print. There is still much to do since their old website had made them very late to the game, and our monthly meetings continue till today.

Below :

Google Analytics data showing a nearly 42% increase in users and 33% improved in user engagement. Note, this 12-month comparison is based on the newly built site not against the old-site . Demonstrating the long-term impact of SEO content development and improved branding.

A Last Few Notable Mentions...

Resolving Event Registration Issues

A contentious, long-term issue that plagued SWFHC for years was their inability to have site visitors register for Fair Housing classes from their website.

This simple but powerful Eventbrite integration gave way to a significant increase in class registrations and, equally, a massive reduction in time wasted manually registering participants.

The Redlining Reports

Remember those academic papers I mentioned earlier? So, I actually got the opportunity to help complete two of them.

Collaborating with the Director and a Graduate Student at the School of Geographical Sciences & Urban Planning, Arizona State University. I created two professional InDesign documents for their reports on the housing discrimination practice of Redlining by banking/lending institutions.

Print AD's

Created many Print and Web AD's.

Fair Housing and The 7 Protected Classes: A Custom Logo.

The logo below was brainstormed from input by SWFHC's Outreach Manager and several rounds of prompting within Midjourney . However, the actual art file had to be executed by hand. Since it was intended for promotional use, the final output was created in Adobe Illustrator.

Custom AI imagery

Speaking of Midjourney, it really came through for SWFHC. Providing the ability to create specific subject matter images for about 90% of all collateral (Print and Web). This was a tremendous time and cost saver, as trying to allocate imagery that depicts the necessary diversity within various housing scenarios was near to impossible and would have often required custom photo shoots.

About the Author

Affordable Digital Marketing Strategies: During Economic Downturns (Part 2)

contact@digim.consulting (Joseph Cashman) — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 22:02:26 GMT

When budgets are limited, digital marketing should focus on executing the most productive strategies. Businesses still require visibility, credibility, and reliable lead generation, but in unstable times, each marketing effort must deliver measurable value.

Effective digital marketing does not always require a large budget. With a targeted strategy, businesses can enhance their online presence, increase discoverability, and maximize the use of existing content, tools, and platforms.

Tactics such as SEO-driven content, local search optimization, asset repurposing, and selective use of social channels can deliver meaningful long-term results.

This article outlines practical digital marketing strategies to help businesses remain competitive, improve ROI, and preserve growth with limited resources. 1, 2,.

Researched Content: For Long Term ROI

Which brings me to the topic at hand, how to at least maximize your online ROI . Digital marketing is crucial for businesses to ensure their web efforts are practical and profitable. ROI, has and continues to be, a key performance indicator; that helps companies grade strategies and allocate resources efficiently.

By focusing on ROI, companies can identify high-performing plays, optimize their budgets , and make data-driven decisions to enhance their impact 3, 4. SEO researched content , though time consuming still remains an intelligent, long-term ROI strategy for attracting warm leads that can yield:

Long-Term Benefits: Unlike paid ads, which stop driving traffic once the budget runs out, SEO-researched content can continue to attract visitors for months or even years after publication.
Building Authority : Regularly publishing informative and valuable content helps establish your business as an authority in your industry. This builds trust with your audience and encourages them to return to your site.
Engaging Your Audience : SEO-researched content creates an ecosystem that encourages your audience to comment and discuss relevant topics. This interaction nudges algorithms to take you content more seriously winning you repeat visits.
Understanding User Search Intent: Researched content allows you to address specific questions/problems to target your audiences search habits. By creating content that aligns with user search intent, you increase the chances of your content appearing in search engine results.
Keyword Optimization : Content libraries provide an opportunity to incorporate relevant keywords naturally. This improves your website's visibility on search engines, driving more organic traffic.
Generating Backlinks : High-quality content is more likely to be shared and linked to by other websites. Fostering an organic/natural way to win backlinks to your site; a key factor for improving your site's search engine ranking.

By focusing on creating valuable, well-researched SEO-optimized content, business owners can effectively attract and retain organic traffic, ultimately boosting their online presence and revenue.

You’ve created a great piece of content—instead of letting it stay as is, think on how you can "Recycle/Repurpose" it. Perhaps it can easily translate to a quick simple video, or a bite-sized infographic for your social media.

Perhaps it can become an accessory or download that can be seeded throughout your site. Honestly, it doesn't even have to be new piece of content, perhaps something from the archives can be polished off and mage magically relevant today?

How does this help:

Reach more people : Different people prefer different formats. Some love visuals like video, or some may just want a quick scan on social. By repurposing your content (old or new) you’re engaging you audience on their terms.
Save time and money : Creating brand-new content is time-consuming and can be expensive. Repurposing means you maximize the value of what you’ve already made.
Strengthen your message : Repeating your core message across formats makes it stick in people’s minds, reinforcing your brand or goal.

During economic hard times, this is especially useful because doing more with less is smart. Instead of spending money on constantly developing now content, mix it up to keep your costs down while still improving ROI. It’s smart and sustainable.

Free/Affordable Tools to Better Navigate the Web

Here's a list of some SEO tools to help you simply and effectively improve your online ROI:

FREE -Google Search Console (GSC) : I'm constantly surprised by how many organizations still haven't utilized this platform. I recall validating your property being somewhat tricky in the past but there's no excuse today. But okay, let's break down how Google Search Console (GSC) can be an asset.

In simple terms GSC shows you the words/phrases associated with your website, helping you understand whether or not your content is on target. This data is a direct insight to how Google understands your site and how/when its being delivered in search results. Moreover, it also gives insight to performance like click-through rates and average positions. Knowing how to decipher this information helps you identify areas where you can improve your website attract more traffic.
Further GSC spotlights various problems, like page speed load times a key metric in Technical SEO.

FREE - Bing Webmaster: Li ke GSC, Bing Webmaster scans your site and points out problems to make it more user-friendly to their search network, a network that has been growing, especially with the advancement of Windows 11. 5 Thus I strongly urge you to take Microsoft Search results more seriously this day and age.

Keyword Insights : What words and phrases people type into Bing to find your business. Use this data as a compass to adjust your website content direction so to capitalize on keywords that could have you land on first page search results, pulling in more organic (free) traffic.
Performance Tracking : Data on how well a website does on Bing, such as how many clicks it gets, or which pages are the most popular.
Stay Ahead of Competitors : Bing Webmaster shares information about search trends and audience behavior, potentially helping you stay one step ahead.

FREE and Paid Version - Keywords Everywhere (KE) : A friendly research assistant that gives you immediate insights into the phrases people use to search online, similar to Google's "People also seach for" data at the bottom of its search pages.

Make smarter use of these free/affordable resources, to help optimize your online presence without spending much—and that means improving ROI when every penny counts!

Maximize Your Local-ness for Map Searches

However, KE offers actual data to determine the value of the keyword/phrase/question. By seeing the actual words and phrases people use to look for products or services like yours, you gain a better understanding of your target audience's needs and how they think.

This allows you to:

Use the right language on your website : So, your website content resonates with potential customers.
Create effective blog posts and articles : That answer the questions people are actually asking.
Optimize your product descriptions : To attract more buyers.
Finding Content Ideas : The "related keywords" feature is a goldmine for content ideas. You can see what topics people are interested in within your industry and create valuable content that attracts them to your website.
Analyzing Competitors : When you visit your competitors' websites or see their content ranking in search results, "Keywords Everywhere" can give you insights into the keywords they might be targeting. This helps you understand their strategy and identify opportunities to differentiate yourself.
Time-Saving: Instead of having to go to a separate keyword research tool and manually enter terms, "Keywords Everywhere" provides the data directly within your browser as you work. This saves you valuable time, allowing you to focus on implementing your strategies.

In Summary

I don't see enough discussion about this. and I'm also really surprised by how often this is overlooked by brick-and-mortar business owners. But if you have a physical location, you should absolutely set-up and take care of your Google Business Profile and Bing Business Profile. Personally, I almost exclusively search for businesses via my maps app and having a clear and well-organized business profile is great for your visibility/brand and allows for transparent customer engagement.

Google Business Profile

Free to Use : Making it a budget-friendly way to enhance your online presence. And setting it up doesn't take much, in fact the only "difficult" part is waiting for the snail mail to deliver your verification code to prove business ownership. Otherwise managing a Google Business Profile costs nothing but time and only delivers ROI since it was free to set-up!
Local SEO Boost : It helps your business appear in local search results and Google Maps, reducing the need for paid ads to attract local customers.
Customer Engagement : Features like reviews, Q&A, and direct messaging allow you to interact with customers without additional marketing tools.
Increased Traffic : By optimizing your profile, you can drive more organic (free) traffic to your website or physical location, saving on advertising costs.

Bing Business Profile

Free Listing : Like Google, Bing Business Profile is free to set up and maintain, offering cost-effective exposure on Bing and Bing Maps.
Reach a Different Audience : Bing users often have higher purchasing power, so you can tap into a valuable customer base without extra spending.
Improved Search Visibility : A well-maintained Bing profile can help your business rank higher in Bing search results, reducing the need for paid search campaigns.
Cross-Platform Benefits : Bing integrates with Microsoft products like Windows and Office, giving your business additional visibility across platforms.

Cut down on expenses while still driving growth. It's a smart move, especially nowadays.

Harnessing Social Media Effectively

Most Social platform have all gone the way of pay-to-play to get any real exposure, but they're still free to join. So, picking the right stage to showcase your business— ensures you’re talking to the right audience.

Right Platform, Right Audience:

LinkedIn for B2B Businesses. LinkedIng should be used for businesses that sell services or products to other businesses (B2B). You can connect directly with industry leaders, decision-makers, and potential partners.
Why it Works: Share thought leadership content, success stories, or case studies that demonstrate your expertise. By engaging with posts and joining relevant groups, you can establish your business as an authority in your field and grow relationships that lead to real opportunities.
Instagram for Visual/Product Brands . Instagram is like a digital showroom. It’s ideal for businesses with visually appealing products or experiences, such as fashion, food, travel, or fitness brands. The platform thrives on eye-catching images and videos that tell a story.
Why It Works : Use posts, Stories, and Reels to showcase your brand’s personality and products in action. Highlight your brand’s lifestyle appeal, run creative campaigns, and engage your audience with polls, quizzes, and behind-the-scenes content. Authentic, fun visuals = loyal followers who convert into customers.
Facebook Best for Community Building : It's ideal for small businesses, local services, and family-friendly brands, as its users span a wide demographic.
Why It Works : With features like Groups and Events, Facebook fosters community engagement, making it great for brands that thrive on loyal, interactive customer bases.
Twitter (X) Best for Real-Time Updates : Perfect for news outlets, entertainment, tech startups, and politics.
Why It Works : Twitter's fast-paced, text-based format is ideal for sharing updates, industry insights, and engaging in trending topics or hashtags.
Pinterest Best for Visual Inspiration and DIY Brands : Great for businesses focused on design, crafts, recipes, fashion, or home decor.
Why It Works : Pinterest users are often actively looking for ideas and products, making it a goldmine for niche brands with strong visuals.
TikTok Best for Short-Form Entertainment and Younger Audiences : Ideal for businesses with a playful or creative side, such as beauty, fitness, or lifestyle brands.
Why It Works : TikTok's algorithm and focus on viral trends can give even small brands massive exposure if they create engaging, shareable content.
YouTube Best for Long-Form Storytelling and Tutorials : Excellent for brands that want to educate, demonstrate, or entertain.
Why It Works : YouTube’s video format is perfect for in-depth product reviews, how-to guides, or building a personal connection through storytelling.
Snapchat Best for Direct, Ephemeral Marketing : Works well for trendy or youth-focused brands that thrive on FOMO (fear of missing out) and real-time interaction.
Why It Works : Snapchat’s temporary content creates urgency and exclusivity, which can drive quick engagement.
Reddit Best for Niche Communities and Authentic Conversations : Ideal for businesses targeting very specific interest groups or industries.
Why It Works : Reddit users value authenticity, so it's a great platform for brands willing to genuinely engage and offer value.

Consistency Builds Trust and Visibility:

Think of posting consistently like watering a plant. If you do it regularly, it grows. If you skip too many days, it withers. By pairing the right platform with regular content, you maximize your chances of connecting with your audience and growing your business.

In Summary

Citations

For a few more ideas/suggestions on optimizing your Marketing efforts during downturns please reference this article .

Go Green, Recycle/Repurpose

Focus on What Delivers Sustainable Growth

Economic pressure often forces businesses to become more disciplined marketers. That is not always a bad thing. It can be the push you need to focus on the tactics that truly support long-term visibility and sustainable growth.

Whether you improve website content, repurpose existing assets, strengthen local search, or use free tools more strategically, the goal remains the same: make each marketing effort more intentional, measurable, and cost-effective.

You do not need to overhaul everything at once. Begin with areas offering the clearest return, build consistency, and refine your approach over time.

If you need help identifying practical opportunities for your business, contact me to discuss a tailored strategy to improve your visibility, traffic, and ROI.

About the Author

How Tech Continues to Level the Playing Field for Small/Medium Businesses

contact@digim.consulting (Joseph Cashman) — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 20:17:38 GMT

I've seen websites go from isolated, clunky HTML table-based structures to flashy but un-indexable Flash sites to our now lightweight SEO-friendly HTML/CSS frameworks.

And maybe a few of you may not recall this, but the rise of CMS systems like WIX and Squarespace were technological leaps that completely changed the landscape.

They opened the door to millions of small/medium size business that couldn't afford custom web development an opportunity to get online quickly and to easily update their web content.

Drag and Drop it

Taking web development out of the hands of HTML/CSS coders and into the hands of anyone comfortable enough to drag and drop modules onto a blank web page was a significant cost saving for businesses; I know as I was one of those Adobe Dreamweaving web builders that lost clients to CMS's.

Honestly, though, I hated making simple content updates to webpages, so it was a welcomed change, especially once I discovered HubSpot.

HubSpot (HS) is a one-stop digital marketing solution that allows you to track virtually every click and conversion across all your web properties. Their platform is so extensive that there are academic courses to get HS certified.

But historically, HS was reserved for larger organizations due to their pricing. But I mention them now because they have introduced more affordable entry plans, which offer (allow them to target) small/med businesses looking to grow their online identity

Keywords Everywhere

SEM platforms offer keyword data to those brave enough to run a paid search campaign, but the data is often oversimplified and not very useful for strategic content development.

Then there's SEMrush , which offers some of the best Keyword research tools, but the price tag isn't light, and unless you're using it daily, it's an expensive solution for the average business to even consider leveraging.

But a few years ago, I came across a browser plugin that keeps growing and offering more and more data. From Browser search data and trending social hashtags to a built-in plugin for ChatGPT, this little plugin is well worth its $60 a year cost.

The Keywords Everywhere (KE) tool primarily offers longer phrases/search queries, similar to what Google shows at the bottom of its search pages. (see below)

But KE provides a lot more data to help you better determine value/popularity. (see below)

Helping businesses identify questions that could potentially create valuable answer-based content for improved organic leads.

ZippidyDuda

The convenience of drag-and-drop website building does come at a price, though, often an emotional/psychological cost , for things don't always work as they should . But if you're lucky enough to have been spared the trauma of building anything on the web, you may not know what a strange and unexplainable realm it is.

Squarespace (SS) is all right, but like WIX, they don't consistently score high with technical SEO, and good luck getting any tech support on SS.

As mentioned earlier, HubSpot's cost, in the past, has often been a barrier to entry for businesses that can't afford its hefty price tag, but those privileged enough to enter were treated to preferential results as Google's E-E-A-T essentially, but not explicitly correlates larger well-known businesses as more "legitimate" and thus a guilty by association effect was attributed to HS sites, which was supported by comments shared with me; though I'm sure no one would publicly admit to this pay-to-play scenario.

So, all this brings me to Duda. I recently discovered them, and I am not going to say their web-building platform is a walk in the park.

But the flexibility and creativity to alter everything to get what you want is impressive. Tech support is ok but limited to email; the price tag is a tat-bit-higher than your usual CMS, but unlike other drag-and-drop platforms, Duda prides itself in faster page speed times, a feature most other CMS’s can’t boast about .

And again, the power to accommodate and alter between mobile/tablet and desktop is impressive.

Their recent AI additions have been helpful, but page building with their AI can be wonky, I recently utilized this feature but ended up having to rebuild the page from scratch to better accommodate the various screen resolutions. You can learn more about DUDA here .

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once AI

For a detailed summary of how AI can impact your business's digital marketing efforts, read this . But in summary, AI, at the moment, is incredibly helpful, especially for small/medium size businesses offering primarily time-saving costs for content development.

Everything from content/SEO research to building a custom, company specific AI servant to expedite content development is all now possible; and for a fraction of the costs compared to hiring a marketing team/agency .

An interesting, cost savings experience was my recent interaction working with ChatGPT's coding function. This particular issue would have traditionally resulted in me having to rebuild the web-page in order to accommodate the updates or worse getting budget approval to hire an Developer to achieve the update.

But a back-forth conversation with Chat, in-where it asked a series of clarifying questions, we were able to develop custom code that did not adversely affect any pre-existing CSS and achieved exactly what the client wanted.

Allowing me to keep the page design intact and for an absolute fraction of the cost and time of hiring a developer. The rate of expansion by this technology is of course alarming even to someone like me, but for now human managers are still key in polishing/refining AI's work.

If you're using SS, though, here's a workaround to getting support from a real person. Navigate to their Footer , Contact link, and make sure to choose the following; " Starting your Squarespace account " and " Deciding if Squarespace is right for you ". (see below screencaptures)

The " Deciding if SS is right for you " should take you to a Live Chat, not a community board or resource library page.

About the Author

The Intelligent, Robotic, More Efficient Future May Have No Room For Me

contact@digim.consulting (Joseph Cashman) — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 17:30:52 GMT

For over twenty years, I've been chasing after the elusive, staying up-to-date with the relentless changes in SEO, tech/web updates . And honestly for the most part, I've enjoyed it, as I really like learning and integrating the latest advances in real time.

And perhaps this hyperbolic and a little paranoid to think, but as I stated earlier about AI , we might be in our Golden Age, well, as far as the need for a person to fully actualize its potential.

But I can't help to think that in three years from now, much of my skill set will likely be significantly eroded.

From onboarding web building AI assistants, copywriting, SEO research, custom graphics, and things I likely can't even imagine, I see a system emerging that no organization is going to be able to resist.

Efficient, dedicated AI servants who work incredibly fast and have a high degree of accuracy is a dream come true, especially if they can replace an entire team of salaries .

Personally, I know of three people who have lost their copywriting jobs to AI; with now just a single editor overseeing a bot.

I'll have to write a more detailed first-hand account of my physiological journey with Yoga modalities and therapeutic massage treatments.

But suffice it to say, they changed my life! And I was finally able to get relief from a chronic, lifelong condition.

I feel there's a real opportunity to help others achieve a new plateau in combing all these modalities to improve the well-being of many. Let me outline my vision.

A thorough assessment of the individual pains/issues, etc.
We then create a customized treatment plan, to target identified areas of concern with the use of Yoga modalities and various therapeutic massage techniques.

And who knows, if this venture proves successful, I may be on the winning side of all those AI updates I see coming.

As a self-proprietor of a non-tech business might be the way to go in future where bots dominate the digital space.

I can only hope the therapeutic touch and human-to-human connection are not replaced too quickly, or ever!

Over the years, I recall seeing highly specialized people lose their careers because of software/tech advancements, which has led me to this point of deep consideration and speculation.

I've been Yoga certified since 2019, and my aim back then was never to teach full-time but to integrate the practice and tools f or better health and stress management.

But recently, I've seen a real need for a backup plan, which led me to the idea of combining my yoga background with a massage certificate.

Having a life-long reputation for great hands, a few months ago, I decided it was time to take that more seriously; in preparation for a future in-where my skill sets may be seriously eroded because of AI.

I hope that's not entirely true, as I love what I do, and frankly, I'm not entirely sure AI will ever be able to replace people. Humans offer subtly, nuances, and weird-ness that AI may never truly cultivate in an abstract sophisticated way.

But alas I try to learn from others' mistakes whenever possible, and with that said, I am excited for a future where I can help others find relief from pain.

About the Author

The Messiness of Crafting a Digital Marketing Plan

contact@digim.consulting (Joseph Cashman) — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 22:15:25 GMT

For years, when asked, what is it you actually do? I always struggled with crafting an appropriate answer; this was mainly due to the fact that I had an insatiable appetite for all things Communication Arts.

If you happened to peruse my bio, you'd know I struggled through college trying to figure out what I wanted to do. But once I did, I dove hard into the world of advertising/research/design, finding a true and deep love for the creative and strategic use of words, images, and research to craft a marketing campaign/strategy.

But back to the question: what is it that I do?

Step #1 What's Your Business, Being in Business?

A business exists because an individual or group believes they have a unique perspective, a novel idea, or a gap to fill in the marketplace. So, step one is always to get a solid grasp of an organization's mission/vision.

Thus, honest, and transparent discussions must be had. These initial meetings must be unobstructed brainstorming sessions that hopefully unveil facets, perspectives of your Business that you yourself may not have been aware of.

Step #2 Building a Disheveled, Overly Thought-Out Mess Pile

Constructing a good, initial SEO research roadmap is messy; it's about delving into the nuances and identifying what your audience seeks.

Internal stakeholders have to blurt out everything that comes to mind, essentially getting the "words/phrases" and experiences of the actual reality out (often the input from sales) and how it compares to the long-term plan (the C-suite teams' vision).

This results in a document that, without context, could potentially have one institutionalized.

Step #3 The Application of Order Out of Chaos

The research process then begins of sifting through that mess by throwing it up against various research and measuring tools; this starts to organize and prune down the chaos, which can then be neatly bucketed into categories of top, medium, and low priorities.

Ultimately, the end-game here is to identify your current wins and potential uncapitalized opportunities.

Step #4 Crafting an Authentic & Engaging Digital Strategy is the Cornerstone of the Plan.

Being there with the right content at the right juncture is the objective. Consider, for a moment, you're a purveyor of non-toxic cleaning solutions. The research unveils a thirst for knowledge on the long-term benefits of chemical-free cleaning.

Here's our cue to build content libraries addressing these queries, providing insights on non-toxic cleaning solutions for a multitude of scenarios—be it homes safe for newborns or cars free from harsh chemicals.

This type of content development is known as an SEO Topic Cluster. You essentially build content to support your claims, by provide research, to educate others, and now AI's .

Of course it's not as simple as creating content, but for the sake of the post well leave it that for now. But what exactly is Authentic & Engaging Digital Content? In the context of developing content for improved Organic SEO, it usually entails providing an answer to a question in the form of:

Imagery that clearly depicts solutions or pain points
Infographics that compare and contrast
Videos that entertain and answer questions
Content that supports claims or outlines solutions, how To's

Step #5 Metrics Must be Monitored

Once your SEO Topic Cluster is bustling with insightful articles, engaging videos, infographics, etcetera, the landscape must be continually monitored. Utilizing various data measurement tools that serve as directional compass of the effectiveness of your digital strategy and its performance.

Understanding what resonates and what doesn't, promotes the practice of continual refinement and can guide future research, ensuring your content remains fresh, and engaging.

Looking Ahead: Promote Interactions

Encourage discussions, seek feedback let your audience know their voice is heard . Engaging in meaningful conversations enhances your digital popularity , a nd can potentially unveil pain points or the building blocks that could seed the next big idea.

Crafting an engaging digital presence is more than just a checklist; it's about nurturing a continual journey where every click, share, and comment is a step closer to improved ROI.

About the Author

Digital Marketing and A.I.

contact@digim.consulting (Joseph Cashman) — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 22:15:31 GMT

The Birth of Gen-1 Employee Robots

Graphic and LLM AIs have been adopted en masse, radically changing the digital landscape. And in my opinion, for the moment, they are still extraordinary tools that are incredibly helpful.

However, I'm uncertain of where all this is headed, but I'll circle back on that later.

Since their release, my working relationship with AIs has been largely positive. As someone who is self-employed, I view ChatGPT and Midjourney (along with several other AIs) as my Gen-1 robot employees, primarily helping me with research/content development, and graphics.

However, in this revised article, I will share some considerations, frightening observations, and some prognostications.

AI Browser Answers: The Rapid Decline of Click-Through Rates

AI browser answers , are decimating site visits!

A foundational SEO goal was to drive inbound, organic traffic by researching and developing content that answered questions, in hopes that your content would rank somewhere on 1st page; bringing information-hungry visitors to your site.

But recent data has indicated a staggering decline: on average, we're talking about a 50% drop in site visits globally!

Self-calibrating aromatherapy air purifier

Outdoor exploration drone toy for kids

1970s-meets-space-age backpack

Is A.I. The Great Ouroboros?

The exponential nature of smart tech, as predicted by Raymond Kurzweil , could lead to the rise and fall of industries/jobs at un-imaginable speeds. For example, when I originally wrote this article, Prompt Engineer , was still a thing, and now (Nov 2025), I haven’t heard those two words uttered once this whole year!

Nowadays, you simply ask the AIs if they have any questions about your prompt, and they will absolutely reply with clarifying questions. Hell, Copilot independently asked me questions a few times before executing a command.

Unlike other past technologies, AI is, at the end of the day, something that simulates thinking. It's not a tool that renders services “mindlessly” and has the potential to be autonomous.

So, what do I mean by Ouroboros, the self-devouring snake that symbolizes renewal, life, death, and rebirth? Well, if the current trend of replacing humans with bots continues, mid-size companies could soon be defined as having 10-15 people.

Clearly, everyone is concerned, and the question is: what do we do if this happens too quickly, leaving countless unemployed ? Could our society evolve fast enough so that shelter, food, and water are perhaps not luxuries but baseline givens?

Can AI force us to reimagine how our society operates? Can we shed the fear and greed that are holding us back? Let's hope so, since the evolution of this technology isn't going away, even if its current bubble does burst.

AI and SEO Prospecting

Adoption of AI tools yields benefits that are too obvious and substantial to ignore; their denial is futile, it's like saying you didn’t need a website 15 years ago. But from an SEO perspective, there's definitely a crucial hurdle to address with the siphoning of answer-based traffic by AI; making digital marketing research critical to learn how to circumvent this issue.

I’ve heard News sites are starting to sue over this decline , as AI is reporting on their information, and since News sites rely heavily on AD sales, this steep decline in traffic is proving lethal.

I predict/wouldn’t be surprised if AI-blocking tech becomes a widespread reality soon, gating high-value information away from data stealing AIs.

This terrifying fact obviously affects everyone, since fresh site traffic has been a vital stream of growth for many years, and it’s quickly drying up; the results, I think, will be felt/seen soon.

AIs: What Can They do?

ChatGPT, though far from perfect, has become my go-to right-hand. For my personal LLC and clients, it's become a sounding board, a researcher, a writer/editor, a graphic artist, and who knows what else in a few months.

And unlike the first iteration of this article, I can no longer offer a clear, concise breakdown of what AI is better for this or that. The rate of change is just too fast.

I mean, a few months ago, ChatGPT could take a low-resolution image and generate a larger, higher-quality copy! I was even able to upload two totally different images and request for it to create a new one with very specific parameters, e.g., take these two things, and put them in a laboratory, doing the following... and it did so spectacularly!

But unfortunately, with the advent of version 5, that ability disappeared. Not sure why, not even sure if they knew it was capable of doing that! I have never heard anyone talk about those features, then or now.

My point is, whatever AI you are working with, experiment! You might be surprised.

Accuracy Through Historical Conversations: ChatGPT's Memory Function

I believe ChatGPT's “ memory ” feature is ON by default nowadays, but if you haven’t confirmed it yet, please take a moment to do so. The ability to build a historical precedent within your chats is incredibly valuable. This self-referencing memory feature helps improve uniformity, consistency, and content accuracy.

However, I recently found that ChatGPT 5 now has a conversational limits, meaning it forces you to start a new chat once you reach that limit.

Maybe this isn’t a problem with the $200-a-month plan? But nevertheless, if it is a universal aspect, don't panic. I was under the impression I would have to reeducate my ChatGPT all over again on a lofty scientific client, but so far, the memory function doesn't seem to be exclusive to individual chats, and to date, there have been no significant memory loss issues.

A.I. Graphic Generators: Still Cool but Better with Adobe AI

AI graphic generators and LLMs have, for the most part, merged as of late. But the dedicated Graphic generator MidJourney has recently added the ability to transform your AI images into short animations.

A cool feature with some editing capabilities. But patience may be required, as you will likely run a risk of a trial-and-error process, depending on how realistic your animation needs to be.

But if you are going for crazy right out the gate you might be in luck...

If you happen to peruse my home or contact page, you’ll see two good examples of these animations though. They both took some refining in the MidJourney editor along with some final color corrections in Adobe Premiere Pro, but the ability to have custom animations like this in the past would have still required more time and money to achieve.

And as stated, it seems everyone has jumped on the custom AI-generated image bandwagon lately. And I'm sure the results will only keep getting better, but with the release of Adobe’s AI functions, the process of polishing and refining AI images has reached new heights!

Photoshop: The AI remove tool and Healing Brush tool are absolute necessities these days. These two features can quickly remove or repair the often hilarious, sometimes disturbing abnormalities found in AI imagery.

Illustrator: Like my graphic design teacher said, you’ll likely fall into either the Photoshop or Illustrator camp, and I definitely fell into the Photoshop camp. But when the Image Trace Tool was released, it introduced a whole new way to collaborate with AI when it came to creating vector art. Not as straightforward as I would like it to be yet, but the time spent cleaning up the images post the Trace application still feels comparatively less painful than how I used to work in Illustrator.

Novel Design and Creative Innovations: In a Matter of Seconds

As a supplemental thought, I wanted to highlight the ability to use Graphic AIs to explore design concepts. Anyone who has spent any time with these generators knows the somewhat frightening level of creativity and complexity that can be achieved in seconds.

These AIs can facilitate powerful brainstorming sessions, offering innovative design concepts and fresh variations on classic themes to companies with the means of production.

Minimalist smart pet hydration station

Smart cutting board with integrated food-weighing sensor

About the Author

B2B Marketing

contact@digim.consulting (Joseph Cashman) — Sat, 22 Jun 2024 22:15:30 GMT

SEO, Content & ABM in a Changing Search Landscape

Most B2B journeys now start online. One study found that around 61% of B2B transactions begin with a web search, meaning your website, content, and digital touchpoints often make the first impression long before a human conversation occurs. ( Financesonline.com )

Meanwhile, AI-generated overviews and concise search engine summaries are capturing clicks that once directed users to websites.

Some analyses estimate that these AI-driven summaries are cutting click-through rates by 40–60% for certain types of queries. ( New York Post ) That sounds bleak at first— but it also means the clicks you do earn are more intentional, more curious, and more valuable.

This is the current landscape of modern B2B marketing:

Less about “ranking a blog post”
More about being discoverable, understandable, and trustworthy across an entire buying journey—human and AI-mediated.

Before diving in, let's let’s clarify how SEO, content, ABM, analytics, and AI/GEO integrate within today’s B2B marketing and digital presence.

Understanding Your B2B Marketing (and Who You’re Really Talking To)

B2B marketing is distinct from B2C and involves unique complexities. Each “lead” in your CRM typically represents a small internal ecosystem:

Practitioners –scientists, engineers, analysts, or specialists who care about accuracy, usability, and real-world results.
Managers – people responsible for performance, timelines, and team efficiency.
Procurement / Compliance – the ones who need documentation, terms, and reassurance that everything checks out.
Executives / Budget Owners – focused on risk, ROI, and strategic fit.

Who You’re Really Marketing To

A single B2B deal often requires content and experiences that serve each of these groups differently:

Educational content for practitioners
Application notes, demos, FAQs, how-to videos, and detailed blog posts.
Risk and ROI content for leadership
One-pagers, cost-benefit breakdowns, case studies, roadmap overviews.
Compliance and documentation for procurement
Specs, certifications, security/privacy documentation, implementation guides.

When I work with B2B organizations, particularly in life sciences, medtech, and other technical fields, I view marketing as a means to support the entire internal decision-making process, not just the initial interaction.

B2B Digital Marketing Strategies

To keep this practical, I frame modern B2B digital marketing around four main pillars:

Search Visibility in the AI + GEO Era
Content as a Buying Journey (Not Just “More Blog Posts”)
Account-Aware / ABM-Lite Strategy
Analytics & Feedback Loops

Let’s walk through each pillar and build an integrated B2B strategy for today’s challenges.

1. Search Visibility in the AI + GEO Era

Traditional SEO focused on three big questions:

Can search engines crawl your site ?
Can they index your pages?
Can you rank for the keywords that matter?

These factors remain important. However, AI-driven search and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), which involves optimizing content for how AI systems summarize, recommend, and cite information, now add a new dimension:

Do your brand, products, and ideas show up as trusted entities—not just URLs?

A few key shifts I prioritize with clients:

From purely informational to commercial & transactional intent
Informational queries (“what is X?”) are increasingly answered by AI directly in the interface.
I now focus my research on queries and assets that signal intent to evaluate, compare, or purchase, such as solution overviews, comparison pages, implementation guides, and downloadable resources.
From random keywords to structured search intent
Mapping keywords into clear intent buckets: informational, commercial, transactional, and navigational.
Prioritize terms and topics that drive meaningful conversations, demos, and deals, rather than focusing solely on traffic
From isolated pages to entity-level authority
Ensure your brand, products, and key people are consistently described on your site and reputable third-party sites.
Use structured data, comprehensive FAQs, and a focused thematic approach to help search engines and AI recognize your credibility

My digital marketing research includes SERP analysis, keyword and intent mapping, and competitive content gap analysis, all of which inform a clear, practical strategy.

2. Content as a Buying Journey, Not Just a Blog Calendar

Blog posts remain valuable, but they are just one component of a broader content ecosystem. In B2B, I focus on journey-supporting assets rather than simply increasing content volume:

Decision guides & comparison pages
Help prospects understand how you differ from alternatives.
ROI and value one-pagers
Give champions within the organization something they can forward.
Downloadable PDFs and infographics
Turn complex concepts into something skimmable and shareable.
Explainer videos and product walk-throughs
Reduce confusion, demonstrate real workflows, and build confidence.
FAQs and implementation guides
Address practical concerns that often stall internal approvals.

Effective B2B content goes beyond attracting clicks. It:

Answers real questions from multiple stakeholders
Reduces friction at each step of the buying process
Provides your sales team with assets they can use in outreach, demos, and follow-ups

When developing content plans with clients, I map content to key stages: early-stage education, mid-funnel evaluation, and late-stage decision support.

3. Account-Aware / ABM-Lite, Without Needing Enterprise Martech

Account-based marketing (ABM) is often presented as requiring a large tech stack and a dedicated team. For many organizations, that’s just not realistic.

Fortunately, you can still apply ABM principles in a streamlined, account-aware manner:

Tiered account lists
Identify a set of high-value accounts or segments (e.g., specific types of labs, hospitals, or enterprises).
Tailored landing pages or content paths
Create pages or content collections that speak directly to those segments’ use cases and language.
Coordinated outreach and content
Align email, webinars, LinkedIn outreach, and sales touchpoints around the same story.

An example might look like:

Targeting 10–20 key prospects in a specific niche
Create a focused landing page that addresses their specific workflow
Support this with a short explainer video, a case study, and a downloadable PDF
Coordinate sales outreach to ensure these assets are shared consistently

For example, a regional lab client targeted 30 key accounts with tailored landing pages and assets, resulting in a threefold increase in demo requests compared to untargeted outreach. This demonstrates that ABM-style relevance is achievable without a large marketing operations budget.

4. Analytics & Feedback Loops That Actually Matter

Measurement brings all efforts together, yet many B2B marketing programs fall short in this area. Rather than focusing on vanity metrics, I prioritize indicators that drive deals forward:

Pipeline & Revenue Indicators

Demo requests and inquiry forms
Sales-qualified leads and opportunities created
Deals influenced or closed with marketing touchpoints

Behavioral Signals

Time spent on key pages (not just the homepage)
Return visits from the same organization or region
Engagement with high-intent assets: pricing pages, comparison pages, technical documentation, explainer videos

Channel & Content Performance

Which search queries bring in visitors who convert or start conversations
Which pages assist conversions most frequently
Which pieces of content does your sales team repeatedly use or request?

Tools such as GA4, Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, HubSpot, Clarity Analytics, and dashboards provide ample data. The true value comes from interpreting this information and translating it into actionable next steps, rather than simply generating monthly reports .

Account-Based Marketing in Practice

Let’s examine ABM more closely, as it remains important for many B2B organizations. Rather than casting a wide net, ABM begins by identifying key accounts and tailoring efforts accordingly:

Define your ideal account profiles
Industry, size, tech stack, region, regulatory environment, etc.
Align content and offers to those profiles
Industry-specific use cases
Role-specific messaging (for scientists vs. executives, for example)
Coordinate channels around that focus
Email, LinkedIn, webinars, sales outreach, retargeting (if appropriate)

Most B2B marketers who implement ABM report stronger ROI compared to broad, untargeted campaigns. The key factor is intentionality, not software.

I assist smaller teams in implementing ABM-lite strategies, including targeted account lists, tailored content, and coordinated outreach that align with their available resources and budget.

Visual Storytelling for Complex B2B Offers

In complex B2B environments, especially technical, scientific, or regulated spaces visuals are not decoration. They are part of how you teach.

Well-designed visuals and video content:

Make abstract ideas concrete
Shorten the time it takes for someone to “get it”
Support both marketing and sales, online and offline

This can include:

Short explainer videos to walk through workflows or platforms
Simple diagrams and infographics that clarify concepts or processes
Custom blog visuals and thumbnails that reinforce key topics
Screenshots and UI callouts that show software in context

Text-only pages are increasingly easy for AI to summarize, having potential site-visitors bypass your site completely. Visuals and video are more valuable since they increase your odds of still showing up on top of a search result page .

Measuring Success: Beyond Traffic and Impressions

To summarize, here is how I define success in modern B2B marketing:

Are we making it easier for the right people to find you?
Are we giving internal champions the content they need to advocate for you?
Are we seeing real signals—conversations, demos, deals—that align with your goals?

Measurement is not about perfection; it is about establishing an honest feedback loop between your efforts and outcomes. This enables ongoing refinement. the AI + GEO Era

B2B Marketing Trends in the AI + GEO Era

A few trends I pay close attention to as we move forward:

AI-Assisted, Human-Led Content
AI speeds up drafting, research, and ideation. Humans still provide judgment, nuance, and lived experience. The best content combines both.

GEO & AI Search Experiences
AI overviews, chatbots, and LLM-powered assistants are changing how people discover brands. Visibility now includes being recognized as a trusted entity—not just ranking in a list of links. ( Quality Incentive Company )

First-Party Data & Owned Audiences
As organic reach becomes less predictable, email lists, webinars, and communities become more important. These are spaces where you own the relationship— not an algorithm .

Video, Webinars & On-Demand Education
B2B buyers increasingly prefer to self-educate. Clear, honest video and live/on-demand sessions bridge the gap between marketing and training.

Buyer Enablement Over Lead Gen
The objective is not simply to collect leads, but to help buying committees make confident decisions. This requires improved user experience, clearer content, and a streamlined process.

Bringing It All Together

B2B marketing is becoming more complex, but it remains manageable with the right approach. When I partner with organizations, I focus on:

Grounding strategy in research , not guesswork
Designing content and UX around real buying journeys
Using analytics to focus on what actually supports the pipeline and revenue
Staying honest about what AI changes—and what it doesn’t

If you are ready to adapt your B2B marketing for the AI era and evolving buyer expectations, let’s connect to discuss your next strategic steps.

There is no hard sell and no long-term commitment—just a straightforward conversation about your current position, goals, and the best path forward. Click the contact button below to get started.

About the Author

Navigating The Digital Marketing Maze

contact@digim.consulting (Joseph Cashman) — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 22:15:27 GMT

Using Data To Drive Decision-Making

Every click, share, and visit can over time begin to tell a story about what works and what doesn't. In digital marketing, these interactions transcend guesswork by providing insight into smart decision-making. Measuring your online performance isn't just about collecting quantitative numbers but about decoding behaviors, spotting trends, and making decisions that steer toward growth. Here's a list of how employing data-driven strategies can benefit your online venture.

Seeing Beyond Guesswork: When confronted with differing opinions, having concrete data at your disposal helps make impartial decisions. It's about moving from "I think" to "I know," paving the way for strategies rooted in reality.
Double-Checking Your Assumptions: It's prudent to have more than one analytical tool at your helm. While many platforms offer built-in analytics, external tools like SEMrush or Google Analytics can provide a second opinion, unearthing overlooked details like page speed or core metric issues.
Optimizing For Better Engagement: Identifying your key landing pages and understanding their various metrics can provide a roadmap for optimization. Simple tweaks like enhancing page load times, enlarging font size, or adding captivating visuals can transform user engagement, telling search engines that your pages are worthy of higher rankings.
Initiating Thoughtful Conversations: Getting a firm grasp on your organization's value propositions and exploring associated search queries can open doors to meaningful interactions with your audience. It's about nurturing a realm where your content not only answers queries but initiates conversations.
Measuring Your Paid Efforts: Ensuring every dollar spent is traceable is vital if venturing into paid advertising. Tracking URLs can help you understand your leads' origins, aligning your advertising strategy with concrete outcomes.
Nurturing Creativity Within A Structured Framework: Data should empower rather than stifle your creativity. Feel free to experiment, iterate, and sometimes tread the unconventional path. After all, surprising your audience can often lead to delightful engagements.
Embarking on Your Data-Driven Journey: Beginning your voyage into data-driven marketing doesn't demand a steep learning curve. It's about aligning your business ethos with the right tools and a curious mindset. Every insight gleaned is a step towards fostering a better understanding between you and your audience, which, in turn, reflects in growing engagement and, ultimately, better business outcomes.

Taking The Next Step

Excited to dive into a world where data shapes compelling narratives? Reach out, and let's unveil the story your data is eager to tell , setting a solid foundation for your online success.

About the Author

Comparing/Evaluating Prices Before Hiring a Marketing Consultant

contact@digim.consulting (Joseph Cashman) — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 23:15:27 GMT

Within the vast, ever-expanding www, small businesses should strive to find their online niche/popularity, whether it be through social, online reviews or ideally the ability to garner a few URLS on first-page search results ( SERP ).

With so much noise and choice , getting lost in obscurity is easy. So, the question of hiring a digital marketing agency or finding a consultant is fraught with considerations of cost, flexibility, and expertise.

Financial Implications

Hiring a digital marketing agency might seem like a good idea, until you see the price tag. The financial commitment involved in hiring a digital marketing agency is not insignificant.

Agencies typically operate on a monthly retainer model, with fees ranging from $1,000 to upwards of $20,000, dictated by the project's scope and complexity.

This model can place a substantial financial burden on small businesses with constrained budgets. Conversely, opting for a marketing consultant can offer a more financially viable solution. Freelancers offer the advantage of payment flexibility—be it hourly rates, project-based fees, or results-oriented pricing—with rates spanning from $25 to $200 per hour, influenced by their expertise and experience.

This route not only allows for significant savings on overhead expenses such as salaries, office space, and software licenses but also affords businesses the luxury of paying solely for the services they require.

Flexibility

The rigidity of locked-in contracts and the one-size-fits-all approach of an agency can stifle your business's ability to pivot strategies as it my entail a change of terms/services/price.

Additionally, the challenge of being one among many clients can dilute an agency's focus on your business's unique needs.

In contrast, a consultant epitomizes flexibility. Hiring on a per-project basis, or locking in an hourly rate enables businesses to scale services up or down as needed, ensuring marketing efforts are both efficient and effective.

Direct communication with a freelancer may facilitate a deeper understanding of a business's goals, allowing for a more of an on-the-fly response.

Expertise

A digital marketing agency can offer a broad spectrum of services across SEO, PPC, social media, but they may not always possess the deep specialization required for a specific industry, niche, or project.

The potential for miscommunication and inconsistency rises with multiple points of contact, complicating the marketing process.

Consultants, however, stand out for their ability to offer focused expertise tailored to a business's specific needs. The opportunity to select a freelancer based on their proven track record, industry experience, and specialized skill set allows companies to engage with a professional uniquely suited to their industry niche.

A single point of contact with a freelancer ensures streamlined communication, clarity, and consistency.

What a Good Digital Marketing Consultant Should Always Do

The ability to stand out is at the heart of a successful digital presence; this isn't just about being different; it's about being authentically you . Uncovering your business's distinct values serves as the cornerstone of a solid digital marketing strategy.

Through organic SEO research, one can achieve optimization that avoids the pitfalls of over-promising and under-delivering, focusing instead on creating a sustainable and transparent SEO strategy that grows with you.

For small businesses who need to evolve their digital presence, the consultant option isn't just smart; it's strategic. This bespoke and nimble partnership model is a game-changer for boosting your online brand and financial growth.

About the Author

Isometrics, Breathe Work, Focus:

contact@digim.consulting (Joseph Cashman) — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 22:15:23 GMT

Quieting The Corporate Mind

Your mind is your prime asset. However, it's easy for it to become a liability when stress and tension take a strangle hold of your daily life. So, I'd like to share a page from my personal playbook on how a blend of Yoga, breathwork, and meditation became my anchor amidst stormy days, helping me achieve physical, mental/emotional equilibrium.

The scene of a bustling modern-day professional hardly ever includes a serene figure. But, our bodies' innate ability to move freely somehow gets lost in translation as we journey into adulthood, succumbing to the rigors of daily life. This loss of physical freedom often mirrors the unseen tension that clamps down on our minds.

What is Physical Stiffness?

Growing up amidst the wellness-conscious environs of Southern California, Yoga seemed like a rite of passage. However, the traditional classes were a test of endurance for my inflexible physique.

And despite the post-practice euphoria, replicating the poses by the instructor felt like an insurmountable challenge.

Seeking an easier route for stress relief, I resorted to the adrenaline rush of tennis, the rhythmic strides of running, and the muscle burn of gym workouts. But, this only masked the symptoms, leaving the root cause untouched.

A move to Boston saw me dabbling with Yoga yet again, but I was still too rigid and often intimidated by the practice.

Fast forward several years to my life in Los Angeles, and the lower backaches and restless nights had become too chronic, and something intuitively nudged me once again toward Yoga.

Hatha Yoga: A Journey Inward

My decision to embark on a Yoga teacher training was sparked by finding the right program, one which was less about contortion and endurance but more about diving deep within. The simplicity of isometric poses combined with the rhythm of breath took me on an inward expedition.

Picture this - sitting cross-legged, spine erect, arms outstretched at 60 degrees with fists clenched, save for the thumbs pointing skyward, eyes closed yet rolled up towards the forehead, as a river of breath flowed in and out through my nostrils. This scene was less about physical prowess and more about summoning mental tenacity to hold the pose, hold the breath rhythm, and sail through the self-imposed mental storm.

Discovering Serenity Amidst Stress

With each session, a silence blossomed amidst the cacophony of daily thoughts. It was a silence that whispered that our bodies aren't the nemesis but the unruly mind that veers us into a spiral of stress.

Each rhythmic breath was a reminder of the calm amidst chaos awaiting discovery. It was a dance of stillness amidst strain, a practice of patience amidst pressure, an exercise in equilibrium amidst emotional torrents.

The Bigger Picture

As I cultivated a sanctuary of stillness within, the chaotic whirlpool of my working life seemed less daunting. The essence of this practice journeyed beyond the mat and permeated my professional realm. It imparted the vital lesson that despite the whirlwind of external circumstances, there's a center of calm within, accessible through a single, mindful breath.

Unveiling this tranquility within empowered me with a choice - a choice in how I responded to stress, a choice in how I navigated a demanding work path. And this, dear reader, was the cornerstone in transforming not just my stress resilience but my approach towards the challenges thrown my way.

As a consultant, I aim to embodying balance, amidst a dynamic, ever-changing landscape. Through sharing my personal narrative, I invite you to explore, my yoga and massage services to help strengthen your mind/body connection.

digiM buzz

SEO: Still a Cool Kids’ Game, But The Rules Have Changed

Cool is Now About Substance

SEO Now Has a Second Job

For Example:

﻿ Old Status Symbols Matter Less Than They Used To

For Example:

﻿ What Still Matters

﻿ The Cool Kids’ Table Is Open

Citations:

﻿

About the Author

Digital Marketing Tactics for Ongoing ROI and Protecting Demand During Economic Downturns (Part 1)

Why Downturns Feels Different Now

What You Should Not Cut First

So what should you be careful NOT to cut first?

Do not cut research

Do not cut communications

Do not let your website become stagnant

Do not assume discounts are the only answer

Re-Research Your Audience Before Changing Your Tactics

﻿ Shift Your Content Toward Value, Proof, and Action

Owned Audiences Matter More in Difficult Times

Local SEO and Local PPC: Protecting High-Intent Demand Close to the Point of Decision

Focus on Concrete Analytics

Pipeline and Revenue Signals

Behavioral Indicators

Content Performance

AI Is Changing Discovery, So Your Website Has to Work Harder

A Steady, Honest Strategy Still Wins

Citations:

About the Author

Case Study: Enhancing Neoteryx's Digital Presence via SEO Research

The Microbiopsy Revolution No-One Knew About

SEO Cluster Audit and Restructuring

Strategic Content Optimizations

Keyword Refinements

In summary

About the Author

SEOing for GEO: How to Stay Visible in the Age of AI Search

What are AI LLMS?

The Perks of Longevity

The Importance of Accessibility

Using AI for Search

References:

About the Author

CASE STUDY: Southwest Fair Housing Council

Analyze, Organize, Rebrand and Rebuild

Content Development & Stronger Branding for Growth

Logo Refresh

Brand Guidebook

Housing Horizons Blog

Fair Housing Focus Blog

Quarterly Newsletter

Source of Income (SOI) Protection Campaign

Don't Take my Word For it; Let's Look at The Data

A Last Few Notable Mentions...

Resolving Event Registration Issues

The Redlining Reports

Print AD's

Fair Housing and The 7 Protected Classes: A Custom Logo.

Custom AI imagery

About the Author

Affordable Digital Marketing Strategies: During Economic Downturns (Part 2)

Researched Content: For Long Term ROI

Free/Affordable Tools to Better Navigate the Web

Maximize Your Local-ness for Map Searches

In Summary

Google Business Profile

Bing Business Profile

Harnessing Social Media Effectively

Right Platform, Right Audience:

Consistency Builds Trust and Visibility:

In Summary

Citations

﻿ Go Green, Recycle/Repurpose

Focus on What Delivers Sustainable Growth

About the Author

How Tech Continues to Level the Playing Field for Small/Medium Businesses

Drag and Drop it

Old Status Symbols Matter Less Than They Used To

What Still Matters

The Cool Kids’ Table Is Open

Shift Your Content Toward Value, Proof, and Action

Go Green, Recycle/Repurpose