Search, AI search and
what to do about it.

Three deep posts a week, the regular roundups, and live tests run on my own sites. Written for people running a business, not for other SEOs.

AI search18 Sep 2026

Does llms.txt matter for SEO?

Google says its Search doesn't use llms.txt files. Here's what llms.txt is, what it can and can't do, and when it's worth a small business adding…

AI search17 Sep 2026

How ChatGPT decides which businesses to recommend

What OpenAI documents about how ChatGPT searches the web, what's observed but not confirmed, and what a small business can do to be recommended.

AI search16 Sep 2026

How to appear in Google AI Overviews

What Google says it takes to appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode, what you can ignore, and the practical steps that got a small business…

AI search15 Sep 2026

Is AI search taking your clicks? How to check your own data

What the research says about AI Overviews and clicks, why the studies disagree, and how to check in Search Console whether AI answers are affecting your…

AI search14 Sep 2026

How to track traffic from ChatGPT in GA4

Use GA4's AI Assistant channel to see visits from ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot, build a report with conversions, and understand what it can't show.

AI search13 Sep 2026

Writing content AI tools will quote

How to write pages AI Overviews and AI assistants are more likely to cite: direct answers, first-hand detail and clear structure, based on Google's guidance.

Content12 Sep 2026

How to use AI for content that doesn’t read like AI

How a small business can use AI in its writing without producing generic content: what Google says, the patterns that give AI away, and an editing…

Content11 Sep 2026

How to build a content plan from search data

Build a content plan from Search Console, Google Ads search terms and customer questions, prioritise it by evidence, and turn it into a schedule.

Content10 Sep 2026

How to refresh old blog content that’s losing traffic

How to choose which old posts to refresh, find out why each one is declining, update it properly, and handle dates honestly, from a 29-post refresh.

Google Ads9 Sep 2026

Google Ads or SEO for a small business? How to decide

An honest comparison of Google Ads and SEO for UK small businesses: cost, speed, control and risk, and how to use your own data to split…

Google Ads8 Sep 2026

Should you bid on your own brand name in Google Ads?

When paying for your own brand searches makes sense, when it wastes budget, and how to test it with your own Google Ads and Search Console…

SEO7 Sep 2026

Google Search Console for small businesses: what to check and why

How a small business can set up Google Search Console, which reports matter, what to check each month, and what a brand new site's data looks…

Search and AI change every week, and most of what gets written about it is aimed at big companies with big teams. Everything here is written for UK small businesses: what’s changed, what it means for you, and what I’d do about it.

Regular analysis

Four recurring pieces, each with a fixed structure so you know what to expect.

Series How often What it covers
State of Search Every Friday The week’s Google updates, AI Overviews and AI Mode changes, AI assistants in search, and three things I’d do this week
Content Marketing Every other Wednesday Platform changes, what’s working in content, and AI in content production
State of AI First working day of the month The AI releases that matter for businesses, AI in search and marketing, and what I’m using and testing
Direction Mid-month Where search, AI and content could be heading, and how to prepare

Deep posts by topic

Three deep posts a week, each answering one question properly. They’re organised by the same areas as my services:

  • SEO: audits, Search Console, schema, keyword research and strategy
  • AI search: AI Overviews, ChatGPT, citations and tracking
  • Content: content plans, refreshes and writing with AI
  • Google Ads: management, brand bidding and paid and organic planning
  • Site migrations: replatforming, redesigns and recovering lost traffic

Guides

For the bigger subjects, the guides are living resources that get updated rather than rewritten, starting with What is SEO?

What makes these posts different

Most search news is repeated from the same few announcements, often without anyone checking what was actually said. Every post here goes back to the primary source, whether that’s Google’s own documentation or the AI company’s announcement, and says clearly what’s confirmed, what’s reported and what’s my opinion.

Each deep post also includes something you won’t get from a news story: what I’ve seen in real data from client and own sites, a worked example, and what I’d do about it if it were my business. If a subject doesn’t deserve a full post, it goes into the weekly roundup instead of being stretched thin.

Get State of Search every Friday

State of Search can land in your inbox every Friday, so you get the week’s search and AI changes, and three things to do about them, without having to go looking. [Newsletter sign-up form]

How it’s written

Every post is written and reviewed by me, with claims linked to their primary sources. The editorial policy explains how, and the AI use statement sets out where AI tools help.

Get started

Proof, not promises.

Tell me what's going on and I'll come back with what I'd do first. No obligation, and no report you need a translator for.

Over 925,000 impressions and 13,795 clicks in a year, from people asking one awkward question: what size do I need?condoms.uk, past 12 months

Brands and sites I have worked on

Brands worked on across nearly twenty years, in agency roles and directly.