Notes for owners
What changed, and what to do about it.
One note a day for owners with no technology department. Each starts from the week's news and rests on the published rules behind it.
- How RV dealers can ask for reviews without breaking the federal rule
How a recreational vehicle dealer can ask for reviews under the federal rule, and what Google's non-incentivized filter means for reviews.
- Country club management software: how nearby golfers find your club
Google is testing AI Overview local packs that drop call, directions and website buttons. Here is what a Vero Beach golf club can map first.
- Booking system for restaurants: let customers book from search
How a full-service restaurant in New York can let customers book from search, what Google's new booking links mean, and the first steps to take.
- Does Brave's index hold your pages, and can you see AI citations?
Brave sells its search index to AI companies. Here is how to check whether your pages are in it, and which reports show AI citations.
- Country club management software: where AI fits and what stops it
Where AI helps a golf course or country club with calls and paperwork, what stops owners from adopting it, and the first step to map.
- How Jackson, WY electrical contractors let customers book from search
How an electrical contractor in Jackson, WY can let customers request a time from search, what the trade numbers say, and which step to map first.
- How to find AI assistant visits in GA4, Shopify and Search Console
A large publisher says Google referrals fell about 37%. Here is where AI visits show in GA4, Shopify and Search Console.
- How much AI assistant traffic does your analytics actually show?
Google Analytics now has an AI Assistant channel. It only labels the visits it can match. Here is how to read those numbers before you act on them.
- How much of your Google traffic comes from AI Overviews?
One site's test put AI Overviews and AI Mode at an estimated 21% of its Google clicks. Here is what you can measure and what to check this week.
- How a Katy RV dealer shows up in nearby search and maps
Google added a help page on offers in Business Profiles. Here is what a Katy RV dealer should check on its listing and website this week.
- How an online appliance store gets products into search results
How an online household appliance store gets its products shown in search results, with the product page steps and the review markup trap to avoid.
- Why did my Search Console clicks spike? Check for bots first
A sudden jump in Search Console clicks can be bot traffic, not customers. Here is how to check the reports and filter the spike before you act.
- Why shoppers leave an online floor covering cart, and what fixes it?
Why shoppers leave an online floor covering cart, what checkout research shows, and which fixes to test first, in order.
- Fix cart loss in a household appliances online store
Why shoppers abandon carts at an online household appliance store, and the checkout fixes to make this week, including Shopify's new /buy links.
- How to get more reviews for your restaurant within the rule
Ask for restaurant reviews without breaking the federal review rule: what 16 CFR Part 465 prohibits, a request workflow to set up, and the traps to avoid.
- Car dealer CRM software: how nearby shoppers find you on Maps
Google moves the Message button beside Call on Maps. How a new car dealer in Delray Beach can check the listing, the hours and the inbox this week.
- How a golf course country club can take bookings from search
Google now links AI Mode searches to booking pages. Here is how a golf course country club in Vero Beach can take tee times and tours from search.
- Search Console is lagging: how to check your pages anyway
Google's Page indexing report has fallen behind again. Here is how to confirm your key pages are indexed and eligible for AI answers while it catches up.
- Pet food brand usa: how to stop losing carts at checkout
Checkout testing shows where online carts are lost. Here are five steps to hand to whoever runs the site.
- Bing now shows which topics your site gets cited for
Bing added a Topics Portfolio view to AI Performance. Here is how an owner can read it, act on it, and avoid its traps.
- Pet food brands USA: the shipping rule and how to keep it
What the FTC's mail, internet or telephone order rule requires of a pet food brand, and a short ordered list for making shipping promises it can keep.
- Check which AI crawlers your site lets in before AI answers skip you
Cloudflare introduced a system to evaluate how well Verified bots follow site rules. Here is how to make sure your robots.txt and CDN let the right crawlers in.
- Robots.txt AI limits: which page tags control Google's AI answers
Google says robots.txt governs crawling only. Here is what owners can do with snippet tags to limit what AI answers use from a page.