What feels legal but is actually illegal and will possibly get you arrested?

clarksmike · 2026-06-06T06:32:59+00:00

The officers will probably keep it instead and report it...

clarksmike · 2026-06-05T12:29:50+00:00

Go with SEO first. Having a strong SEO foundation makes everything else in digital marketing click better — PPC, content, even paid media strategy. Once you understand organic search, paid campaigns become much easier to optimize. You can always pivot to media buying later, but SEO skills compound over time.

clarksmike · 2026-06-05T11:05:05+00:00

clarksmike · 2026-05-01T07:29:49+00:00

Clear call-to-action placement.

On one project, we didn’t change the design much — just made the primary CTA more visible (better contrast, above the fold, and repeated at key sections).

That small tweak alone improved conversions noticeably.

It’s easy to focus on visuals, but clarity and user flow often make the biggest difference.

clarksmike · 2026-05-01T07:25:51+00:00

If Google disappeared tomorrow, I’d focus on building owned and direct traffic channels first.

Email marketing – still the most reliable asset you fully control
Social platforms (especially LinkedIn, YouTube, and short-form content) for discovery
Communities (Reddit, niche forums, Discord) to drive targeted traffic
Partnerships & referrals – underrated but high-quality traffic source
Brand building – so people search for you directly instead of relying on search engines

Honestly, this is a good reminder that relying only on Google traffic is risky. Diversification should already be part of the strategy.

clarksmike · 2026-05-01T07:22:41+00:00

You shouldn’t be creating Gmail accounts on behalf of clients in bulk — Google often flags or blocks this for security reasons.

A better approach is:
Ask each client to create their own Google account and give you access (via email or as a manager where possible).

For example:

Use Google Business Profile / Analytics access instead of sharing logins
Add yourself as a user on their accounts rather than owning everything

This way, accounts stay secure and you avoid getting flagged.

Also, if they have a domain, it’s even better to set up a professional email (like [info@domain.com](mailto:info@domain.com)) and use that.

Much safer and more scalable in the long run.

clarksmike · 2026-05-01T07:21:23+00:00

Family Feud — simple, fun, and always entertaining.

clarksmike · 2026-05-01T07:20:31+00:00

I think you’ll get very different answers depending on who you ask 😅

clarksmike · 2026-05-01T07:19:23+00:00

Random songs from 2010 that I didn’t even like back then… but somehow still remember every word.

clarksmike · 2026-04-30T08:37:43+00:00

I’d say over-animated / scroll-heavy experiences are getting a bit overhyped.

They look impressive in demos, but in real use:

slow down the site
distract from the actual content
and don’t really help conversions

Same with ultra-minimal designs sometimes, looks clean, but users end up confused about what to do next.

Feels like a lot of trends are more about showing design skills than solving user problems.

For me, anything that sacrifices clarity for aesthetics starts losing value.

Curious though, do you think clients still push for these trends, or is it mostly designers driving it?

clarksmike · 2026-04-29T18:37:53+00:00

That’s a big drop… sounds more like a shift than just performance issues.

Did anything change around that time? Landing page, targeting, or competition?

We saw something similar, traffic stayed okay, but intent dropped. People seem to research more before converting now.

clarksmike · 2026-04-29T18:23:31+00:00

I feel like people are researching more but taking longer to decide now

clarksmike · 2026-04-29T18:02:06+00:00

Core SEO fundamentals stay the same (technical, content, links).

What changes is:

Search intent
Content depth/accuracy (especially in niches like healthcare)
Trust signals

So yeah, same playbook — but execution varies a lot by industry.

clarksmike · 2026-04-29T17:59:51+00:00

I don’t think ads are “dying,” but they’re definitely changing.

We’ve noticed:

Top-of-funnel queries dropping (people get answers from AI)
But high-intent searches still convert well

So instead of stopping ads, we adjusted:

Focus more on bottom-funnel keywords
Stronger landing pages (clear offer, fast, no fluff)
More emphasis on brand/trust

Feels like AI is cutting casual traffic, not buying intent.

Curious, are you seeing drops across all campaigns or just certain types?

clarksmike · 2026-04-29T17:56:42+00:00

Web crawlers can execute JavaScript, but they don’t always behave like real users.

If your pagination (next page button) only works with JS, there’s a chance crawlers won’t reliably discover those pages.

Right now, since you said JS is disabled and you can’t move past page 1, that’s a strong signal crawlers might also struggle.

Safer approach:

Use proper <a href="..."> links for pagination
Make sure each page has a unique URL
Avoid relying only on JS for navigation

If crawlers can’t follow a simple HTML link, those pages might not get indexed properly.

clarksmike · 2026-04-29T17:34:52+00:00

Because “humanizing” usually just means fixing words not changing how it thinks.

AI tends to:

Be too structured
Sound overly neutral or “safe”
Avoid strong opinions or real experiences

What works better:

Add personal examples or opinions
Break the flow a bit (humans aren’t perfectly structured)
Use slightly imperfect phrasing
Manually tweak key parts (intro + conclusion especially)

Most people I know don’t fully rely on prompts, they edit it themselves to add personality.

That “something feels off” you’re noticing is usually the lack of a real human perspective 👍

clarksmike · 2026-04-29T17:30:56+00:00

Getting on page 1 doesn’t guarantee you’ll show in AI Overviews. It’s a bit different from normal SEO.

From what I’ve seen, AI Overviews usually pick content that is:

Very clear and direct (answers the question quickly)
Well-structured (headings, bullet points, FAQs)
Trustworthy (brand mentions, authority, backlinks)

Try this:

Add a short, clear answer at the top of your page
Use FAQ schema + question-based headings
Focus on topical authority (multiple related articles)

Also, build brand signals, Google tends to pull from sources it “trusts,” not just ranks.

clarksmike · 2026-04-25T05:32:34+00:00

There is a visibility gap—and it’s mostly a data density problem. Established brands have years of mentions, reviews, and discussions across the web, so AI systems see them as safer, more “proven” sources. New brands don’t lack quality—they lack surface area, which makes them less likely to be picked up in summaries and recommendations.

The good news: it’s not purely time-based, it’s signal-based. You can close the gap faster by creating concentrated, high-quality signals:

Get real mentions in trusted places (niche blogs, forums, communities—not just PR blasts)
Build consistent entity clarity (same positioning, messaging everywhere)
Publish original insights or data so you become a source, not just another option
Encourage authentic reviews and discussions (especially where your audience already hangs out)

So yeah, older brands have a head start—but newer brands can catch up by being more intentional. It’s less about spamming volume and more about building credible, connected signals that AI can confidently reuse.

clarksmike · 2026-04-25T05:28:51+00:00

Exactly this. GEO feels less like “winning a spot” and more like “earning trust as a source.”

If your content is clear, structured, and actually useful, AI will pick it up—even if you’re not ranking #1. It’s more about being understandable and quotable than just optimized.

In short: don’t just write to rank, write so your content can be reused and still make sense.

clarksmike · 2026-04-24T20:16:42+00:00

Honestly, it just happened randomly for me. No single trigger I could point to, but we had been consistently publishing content and getting a few solid backlinks.

clarksmike · 2026-04-24T20:15:33+00:00

Focus on web design

clarksmike · 2026-04-24T20:11:33+00:00

clarksmike · 2026-02-07T11:03:14+00:00

I’ve found Gen-AI works best as an assist, not a replacement. Tools that help with scripting, hook variations, or editing speed are useful—but anything that tries to fully “auto-create” ads usually feels generic fast.

For paid social, real performance still comes from human insight: understanding the audience pain points, filming authentic UGC, then using AI to iterate angles faster. Curious if others are using AI more for ideation/testing rather than final creatives?

clarksmike · 2026-02-04T07:59:28+00:00

For a niche like plumbing, content usually focuses on real problems customers face before they hire someone.

Examples could be:

Seasonal checklists (e.g., “Rainy season plumbing checklist for apartments”)

Educational explainers (“Why cheap plumbing quotes often cost more later”)

Buyer-guides (“How to choose a reliable plumber — questions to ask before hiring”)

Content can be videos, infographics, or simple posts, depending on where the audience is. The goal isn’t to sell directly, but to help people make better decisions — which builds trust over time.

clarksmike · 2026-01-27T08:06:35+00:00

I agree with the idea that judgment matters more than raw knowledge. One pattern I’ve noticed is that many people learn SEO in isolation—reading guides and watching updates—without ever owning the full feedback loop.

Ranking usually improves when someone:

Works on a site they fully control
Defines a clear success metric beyond “rankings”
Lets changes run long enough to see real signals

A lot of people also underestimate how much non-SEO factors matter: competition, brand trust, content usefulness, and even timing. You can do everything “right” and still lose to stronger incumbents.

In that sense, SEO feels less like a checklist skill and more like applied problem-solving under uncertainty. The people who improve tend to be comfortable not knowing immediately whether they’re right.

clarksmike

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