Google's new BlockRank research (covered in Search Engine Journal) shows how large language models can rank web pages by reading a query alongside multiple documents and determining which one best answers what the user's looking for. DeepMind calls this In-Context Ranking (ICR), and it represents a real shift toward evaluating pages based on meaning, not …
Continue reading BlockRank and the Future of Ranking: Why Traditional SEO Still Matters
The AI content licensing landscape transformed dramatically in September-October 2025, shifting from bilateral agreements to systematic marketplace infrastructure. This comprehensive analysis examines the major deals shaping AI search results, including OpenAI's $250+ million News Corp partnership, Reddit's $60-70 million annual agreements with Google and OpenAI, and the groundbreaking Real Simple Licensing (RSL) protocol. The $1.5 billion Anthropic copyright settlement—the largest in history—established a $3,000-per-work baseline that fundamentally changed licensing economics. With 60% of major publishers now blocking AI crawlers and Cloudflare's Pay Per Crawl marketplace launching, the industry faces a critical inflection point. This deep dive reveals how licensing deals directly impact which content appears in AI search results reaching 800 million weekly users, the 93% zero-click problem threatening publisher revenues, and strategic implications for content creators navigating this rapidly evolving landscape.
When should I use sameAs versus knowsAbout in Schema.org markup to optimize a webpage for SEO, Google AI Overviews, and semantic indexing?
I was trying to get ChatGPT to render my most recent post on Search Influence as markdown so I could check a chunking tool I made -- copying one from Dejan, Dan Petrovic, (SEO Automation: How I Built an AI-Powered Question Discovery System with Make.com) and it was giving me a hard time, but it …
Most law firms are still stuck on outdated SEO strategies. Today, AI ranks brands based on clear entity relationships—not keywords. This guide breaks down what AI-driven SEO means for law firms, how to build trust signals across platforms, and the specific steps lawyers should take to win in local search.
Imagine being THE authority on a topic and still losing the AI search. That’s exactly what’s happening to Working Genius. And the problem isn’t content quality. It’s design. A series of UX decisions are making their core message invisible to machines. Angie (my partner in all things) introduced me to the Working Genius model to …
Continue reading What AI Search Sees – and What It Doesn’t: Lessons from Working Genius
AI search—like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Copilot—doesn’t just crawl keywords. It retrieves, reasons, and synthesizes answers from sources it trusts.
Discover 15 expert tips on AI search optimization. Learn how to structure content, target entities, and balance AI and traditional SEO to improve search visibility.
Automate your Google Business Profile updates with Zapier, Google Sheets & AI tools. Boost SEO, stay visible, and save time. Watch the video to learn how! #LocalSEO #Automation
Google AI Overviews are the Cliff Clavin of search. So sure of themselves. So wrong. Like Cliff from Cheers, Google’s AI doesn’t always know the right answer, but it’s going to give you one anyway — confidently, whether it’s right or not. Bad news if you rely on search for accurate information. But great news …
Continue reading To Win AI SEO: Become A Discovery Optimization Expert
Will Scott 