Ducks In Rows

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I just launched my April newsletter!If you want to know about the latest changes in SEO, AI and ads, head over and sign ...
04/30/2026

I just launched my April newsletter!

If you want to know about the latest changes in SEO, AI and ads, head over and sign up. Link in comments.

THIS ISSUE COVERS:
Google is cleaning house 🌪️
- Human Created Content is 8x More Likely to Rank #1 in Google
- Originality is No Longer Optional
- Google's Crackdown on Back Button Hijacking
- Google’s AI Mode Split-View is Changing Website Views
- Your New Easy Button in Chrome
- 5 Min Win: How to Find Broken Links
& more!

🤖 Can AI beat a human at SEO? A new study of 42,000 pages bares all.I hear it all the time: "AI writes just as well as h...
04/08/2026

🤖 Can AI beat a human at SEO? A new study of 42,000 pages bares all.

I hear it all the time: "AI writes just as well as humans now, so it should rank just as well."

Semrush just released a massive study of 42,000 different web pages to see who actually wins the top spot on Google. You might be surprised with the outcome.

THE DATA SAYS...
👉 Human-written content holds the #1 spot 80% of the time.
👉 Pure AI content only makes it to #1 9% of the time.

Wow, that is a giant gap! 🤯

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
Even though many experts think AI content performs just as well, the data shows that AI content gets stuck at the bottom of Page 1.

Google’s top spots are still reserved for things AI can't touch:
✅ Original ideas from real-life experience.
✅ True expertise that helps a reader solve a problem.
✅ Good judgment on what information actually matters.

MY TAKE 🦆
AI is a helpful tool for brainstorming or getting your first draft started. It's great for moving faster! But if you want to beat your competition and take that #1 spot, you still need a human in the driver's seat.

AI can help you get found, but humans are the ones who get you to the top. 🏆

See the study in the comments 👇

Who needs to pay for AI tools when you have Chipotle? 😂
04/06/2026

Who needs to pay for AI tools when you have Chipotle? 😂

New Study: AI Content Doesn't Maintain Rankings. 📉Thinking about letting AI write your blog posts? You might want to see...
03/25/2026

New Study: AI Content Doesn't Maintain Rankings. 📉

Thinking about letting AI write your blog posts? You might want to see this first.

A 16-month study of 2,000 AI-generated articles just proved that auto-pilot content doesn't stay visible online.

What Happened:
🚀 Month 1: Things looked great! Google indexed the pages and traffic grew.
📉 Month 3: The crash. Page rankings collapsed.
🏜️ Month 16: ONLY 3% of those pages still show up in search results.

What happened? Google gave the content a trial run, realized it had zero uniqueness or human touch, and showed it the door. 🚪

The Lesson:
Publishing fast isn't a superpower. To maintain visibility, you need to show that a human is behind the keyboard.

👉 Use AI for brainstorming and drafts if that's easier, but YOU add the sparkle. Include a personal story, a real photo from your phone, or a unique client result.

If a robot could have written it, Google probably won't rank it.

Keep it human! 🦆✨

🚫 AI is a great co-pilot, but it’s a terrible driver.Lately, even the big guys like Amazon are dealing with site outages...
03/11/2026

🚫 AI is a great co-pilot, but it’s a terrible driver.

Lately, even the big guys like Amazon are dealing with site outages because of vibe-coding (when you let AI write your code) sit back, and hope for the best.

The problem?
AI code has been found to have 1.7 times more bugs than code written by humans. In one case, an AI tool actually tried to delete and remake an entire system, causing a 13-hour outage! 😬

I talk a lot about using AI to be more efficient, but there is one rule I never break: A human must review everything before it goes live.

Whether it’s a complex piece of code or a simple blog post, AI can get "messy." It lacks the context and common sense that you bring to your business.

If you're using AI to help build your website or create content:
🛑 Don't just copy and paste.
🗣️ Check for "hallucinations" (when AI just makes things up).
✨ Make sure it actually sounds like you.

Have you run into any weird AI bugs? Tell me your funniest (or most frustrating) story in the comments! 👇

Is Google keeping your website visitors for itself? 🔍🤖 I just dug into a new study about Google’s AI Mode, and the resul...
03/09/2026

Is Google keeping your website visitors for itself? 🔍🤖

I just dug into a new study about Google’s AI Mode, and the results are a huge wake-up call.

THE GIST:
Google has TRIPLED how often it cites itself in AI answers. Instead of sending people straight to your website, it’s pointing them to:
🔹 Google Business Profiles (Maps)
🔹 YouTube videos
🔹 Other Google search pages

WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU:
The click to your website is harder to get, but your visibility is paramount!

3 QUICK TIPS TO STAY AHEAD:
1️⃣ Update your Google Business Profile: It’s a top source for AI citations. Keep those reviews and photos fresh!
2️⃣ Pass the 8th Grade Test: Write clear, simple headers and format pages for easy skimming. If AI can easily understand your point, it’s more likely to quote you.
3️⃣ Be "The" Answer: Don't just list services; answer the specific questions your customers are asking. AI loves direct answers.

Have you noticed your own search habits shifting lately? Let’s chat in the comments! 👇

190x more traffic? 📈In this month's newsletter:New data on Google vs. ChatGPTThe 30% rule for AIA 5-minute win for your ...
02/26/2026

190x more traffic? 📈

In this month's newsletter:
New data on Google vs. ChatGPT
The 30% rule for AI
A 5-minute win for your site

The #1 comment I've been hearing lately: Marketing is starting to feel like a black box. ⬛For years, I’ve been translat...
02/11/2026

The #1 comment I've been hearing lately:
Marketing is starting to feel like a black box. ⬛

For years, I’ve been translating these digital shifts into an actionable plan for my clients. I realized this shouldn’t stay in my head—it should be a resource for everyone.

Here’s the reality: People aren't just searching for keywords anymore. They’re asking questions and getting instant answers from AI before they ever reach a website. Search engines and LLMs are becoming decision engines, deciding which brands are worth mentioning based on their authority, not just links.

It feels like you have to be everywhere at once to stay relevant—but that's just not sustainable for most of us.

That’s why I created Unscrambling the Web.

The Purpose:
Once a month, I take the complicated updates about search and AI and condense them into one simple, 5-minute briefing.

The Benefit:
You get a clear, calm look at what’s actually changing and a straightforward plan of attack to keep your brand visible. I do the research so you can stay focused, knowing you’ve got the strategy to stay on track.

If you’re ready to get ahead of the shifts without it becoming a second job, I’d love to for you to join me.

Get the monthly briefing. Link in bio.

📸

The #1 comment I've been hearing lately: Marketing is starting to feel like a black box. ⬛For years, I’ve been translat...
02/11/2026

The #1 comment I've been hearing lately:
Marketing is starting to feel like a black box. ⬛

For years, I’ve been translating these digital shifts into an actionable plan for my clients. I realized this shouldn’t stay in my head—it should be a resource for everyone.

Here’s the reality: People aren't just searching for keywords anymore. They’re asking questions and getting instant answers from AI before they ever reach a website. Search engines and LLMs are becoming decision engines, deciding which brands are worth mentioning based on their authority, not just links.

It feels like you have to be everywhere at once to stay relevant—but that's just not sustainable for most of us.

That’s why I created Unscrambling the Web.

The Purpose:
Once a month, I take the complicated updates about search and AI and condense them into one simple, 5-minute briefing.

The Benefit:
You get a clear, calm look at what’s actually changing and a straightforward plan of attack to keep your brand visible. I do the research so you can stay focused, knowing you’ve got the strategy to stay on track.

If you’re ready to get ahead of the shifts without it becoming a second job, I’d love to for you to join me.

Join the monthly briefing. Link in comments👇

📸 Jill Gearhart Photography

‼️ Have you seen this?🔗 Facebook is now limiting business/professional accounts to posting 2 links per month unless they...
02/09/2026

‼️ Have you seen this?

🔗 Facebook is now limiting business/professional accounts to posting 2 links per month unless they are Meta Verified (which means you give Meta $$ to post more links).

💬 BUT you can share your links in the comments.

Read the details in the comments. 👇

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