Welcome!

FAQs are all the rage…

 Don’t let your website FAQs become an eyebrow-crunching, cringe fest. Follow our tips instead. 🙂

(I know — we’re leaving you hanging. #sorrynotsorry)

• “Your newest competitors aren’t other brands.” Stephanie Trovato from Martech makes the case that AI has created a variety of “synthetic” competitors. The thing is, this isn’t really a new concept. “Search competitors” are the folks that show up in your key result pages and are not your core competitors. We see the list of AI synthetic competitors is larger due to AI’s depth of data research abilities and willingness to cite more obscure websites. One of the solutions put forth in the article to combat synthetic competition is building brand authority (of course!). Another way we approach this with our SAIO strategy is a sharp focus on the keywords/prompts that are most relevant to your target audience and produce content that rises above the AI slop.

• Think with Google offers an SAIO “don’t” checklist: “Good SEO is good GEO.” Thanks to AI, Google saw an all-time high in search queries in Q1 2026. Two of the don’ts we feel are important reminders regarding SEO/SAIO strategy are:
  • Don’t forget your website. Build a great web experience.
  • Don’t get distracted by noisy metrics — focus on your business goals.

• Search Engine Journal offers thoughts on Google’s AI search data reporting. Here’s our summary: Query data is being rolled out in Google Merchant Center — when will it roll out to GSC? Citation page data in Google Search Console (GSC) is a good start, but when we will see AI click data is anyone’s guess. 

• Social media isn’t as social anymore. Recent study findings say over 55% of people are posting less than they did 5 years ago. 51% agree that posting feels like work. The standards for social media content are high to break through the noise. Though the survey was fielded to consumers, we think the results are equally important for brands. Focusing on the “social” aspect instead of just the “media” part of the phrase is critical for success.

• An Optimizely global survey of 2,000 marketing leaders found “many teams are paying a growing ‘revision tax’ as time saved through automation is increasingly replaced by the work required to review, refine and manage AI-generated outputs.” In other words, AI isn’t always a time saver. Other findings worth noting:
  • 25% admit they frequently or always publish AI-generated content they know is not fully on-brand when under deadline pressure.
  • 30% say they frequently or always pass off AI-generated work as their own, human-created, original work.

• A new Google Ads Performance Max feature test is allowing users greater control of spending and excluding inventory from third-party search partners. It’s a pilot, but would be a win to allow some control back to marketers.

For every therapist in the U.S., there are about 340 people in need of mental health support. With such an inundated system, there has to be another more attainable solution. Give an Hour was started by therapists volunteering an hour of their time to support those in need. Now, they work on informing the public with wellness ambassadors and peer-to-peer groups to fill in the gaps. Learn more about them through this video or check out their website.

As I was chasing my frenetic pup who was chasing our outside cat up a tree, I again realized how our emotions get soaked up by those around us.

Years of walking Reya, my German Shephard mutt, has shown me how much more reactive she gets when I show my frustration — this frantic bout proved it for the umpteenth time.

How often does this happen with people? When someone walks in with a pinch in their neck and a sneer on their cheek, it’s easy to soak up.

We can’t be perfect emotional regulators, but we can practice compassionate responses. It might help (or not), but in whatever case, you preserve your peace.

After Reya *let* me catch her, I thought about how to handle her energy in the future, because the only thing anyone can control in those situations is their response.

(Side note: Orange Cat is all good and back pawing our glass door for more food.)

Practice preserving your peace, and I’ll see you next week. 🙂

Natalie

Give an Hour has some insightful resources on mental health topics from the emotional cost of financial fraud to supporting rare disease advocacy.