New research shows that map platforms have become key search engines for local businesses. One in five consumers now searches directly in map apps instead of traditional search engines. BrightLocal’s Consumer Search Behavior study found that Google, Apple, and Bing Maps make up 20% of all local searches. This is a big part of search … Read more
GoDaddy launched a new partner program called GoDaddy Agency that matches web developers with leads for small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs). It provides digital agencies with tools, services, and support to help them grow what they offer their customers. The new program is available to U.S. based freelancers and web development agencies. GoDaddy offers the … Read more
Google’s John Mueller answered a question about internal site navigation where an SEO was concerned about diluting the ability to rank for a keyword phrase by using the same anchor text in four sitewide sections across an entire website. Link In Four Navigational Areas The person asking the question had a client that had four … Read more
Trying to decide which payment system you should be using? Fortunately, there are plenty of payment systems for small businesses to consider in 2025, so whether you’re unhappy with your current provider or setting up for the first time, you’ve got plenty of choice. Almost too much choice! So, I’ve decided to make the process … Read more
I love the Back to the Future series, especially Part II where we see “the future.” Of course, the most famous part of our promised 2015 was the Mattel Hoverboard. A decade later, and I’m still waiting to glide down the sidewalk on my hoverboard. The pattern of excitement, overpromising, and then reality isn’t relegated … Read more
Catch up on select AI news and developments from the past week or so (in no particular order): YouTube tests AI Overviews carousel in search results. YouTube is experimenting with an AI Overviews feature that surfaces short clips from videos deemed most relevant to a user’s search query. Available only to a small number of … Read more
![We Figured Out How AI Overviews Work [& Built A Tool To Prove It]](https://nicheplrnewsletter.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/We-Figured-Out-How-AI-Overviews-Work-Built-A.png "We Figured Out How AI Overviews Work [& Built A")
This post was sponsored by Market Brew. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own. Wondering how to realign your SEO strategy for maximum SERP visibility in AI Overviews (AIO)? Do you wish you had techniques that mirror how AI understands relevance? Imagine if Google handed you the blueprint for AI Overviews: Every … Read more
Google claims AI Overviews are revolutionizing search behavior. But the data tells a different story. Since launching AI Overviews in 2024, Google CEO Sundar Pichai has repeatedly claimed they’re transforming search behavior: People are using it to Search in entirely new ways, and asking new types of questions, longer and more complex queries… and getting … Read more
Google Discover desktop data is already trackable in Search Console. Here’s how to prepare ahead of the full rollout. Data suggests Google Discover has been in testing on desktop for over 16 months. Desktop Discover data reveals lower traffic than mobile (only 4% in the US). Publishers can access their desktop Discover performance now in … Read more
When I was first setting up my freelance business website, I read tons of articles and social media posts about how to find and attract quality leads. Because none of that advice said much about designing the actual form for capturing those leads, I didn’t put much thought into whether lead form best practices even … Read more
In this edition of Ask An SEO, a marketing leader reaches out with a question: My company put pressure on me to deliver results of more traffic to our product pages. How can I try to convince the CMO that we should invest more in brand building that will most likely reduce traffic? There’s so … Read more
Google updated their Google News crawler documentation to correct an error that implied that publisher crawler preferences addressed to Googlebot-News influenced the News tab in Google search. Google News Tab The Google News tab is a category of search that is displayed near the top of the search results pages (SERPs). The news tab filter … Read more
Google’s John Mueller clarifies that automatically changing XML sitemap dates doesn’t boost SEO and could make it harder for Google to find actual content updates. The “Freshness Signal” Myth Busted On Reddit’s r/SEO forum, someone asked if competitors ranked better by setting their XML sitemap dates to the current date to send a “freshness signal” … Read more
Google Ads introduced a quiet but impactful change last week to how ads can show up on the search results page. High-performing ads that used to be eligible only for top-of-page positions can now also appear at the bottom. This means advertisers can show up more than once on the same results page: once at … Read more
OpenAI has added several new features to ChatGPT’s search tool. You can now shop for products, search through WhatsApp, and see improved source citations. These updates build upon the real-time search features introduced in October, demonstrating OpenAI’s increasing challenge to Google and other search engines. New Shopping Features Now Available The most significant addition in … Read more
You and I both know it: there’s no secret to a successful social media campaign. Instead, there’s just strategy; nowadays, posting won’t cut it — and social media marketers are feeling the pressure more than ever. Tons of moving parts constitute a high-performing, truly modern social strategy. According to HubSpot’s 2025 Social Media Trends Report, … Read more
Here’s a question: How can you boost the performance of your Instagram posts and reels in one minute or less? The answer lies in your Instagram Stories. I do this for every post I share on Instagram, and it never fails to help my content gain traction. That’s because reposting my feed posts to my … Read more
We’re back with the latest edition of our series, @Me Next Time, where we invite Team Sprout and some of our favorite social experts to share how they really feel about the latest trends. This time, we’re breaking down what brands get wrong about influencer sourcing. We’ve all seen those overly-scripted, cringe-worthy sponsored videos. The … Read more
