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Articles by Leigh McKenzie
Shopify SEO: The complete beginner’s guide
Imagine transforming your Shopify store into a magnet for eager buyers. That’s what effective search engine optimization (SEO) can do for you. By researching target keywords, optimizing content, using a logical site structure, and following more Shopify SEO best practices, your site can rank highly on the search engine results page (SERP). This is particularly powerful for transactional keywords. They attract visitors ready to make a purchase—swiftly turning clicks into sales.
ChatGPT is using Google Search – We tested it
Last month, Abhishek Iyer ran a sharp experiment: He created a brand-new nonsense term, got it indexed only in Google, and then asked ChatGPT about it. ChatGPT returned a perfect summary — despite the fact that Bing had never seen the page. That test got our attention. So we ran our own. We invented a new fake SEO term, NexorbalOptimization, published a dedicated page on Backlinko, and made sure only Googlebot could crawl it. Then we waited.
Search everywhere optimization guide (+ free checklist)
The way people search has changed. But most SEO strategies haven’t. Search doesn’t just happen on Google anymore. It happens across dozens of surfaces — Search, Reddit threads, TikTok feeds, YouTube videos, Amazon listings, Gen AI tools like ChatGPT. That means ranking #1 in Google isn’t enough. You need to show up everywhere your customers are discovering, comparing, and deciding. That’s where Search Everywhere Optimization comes in.
Google Gemini vs ChatGPT: Which AI chatbot is better in 2026?
Google Gemini and ChatGPT can speed up your workflows and make many aspects of your life—both personal and professional—much easier. But which app is better? We ran head-to-head experiments with both AI tools to find out. Read on to find out whether Gemini or ChatGPT is better for: All kinds of research Understanding complex concepts Image generation SEO tasks Creative content And much more.
Top 100 most visited websites in the world (June 2026)
Over 1.9 billion websites make up the internet. However, a select few dominate online traffic. According to the latest data from Semrush’s Traffic Analytics tool, the 100 most visited sites range from search engines and social media to e-commerce and news. The table below ranks the web’s top destinations by monthly visits. It offers a fascinating look at where people spend their time online. Use it to guide your digital marketing, stay informed, or simply satisfy your curiosity.
Digital PR examples: 13 powerful campaigns and strategies that work
Key takeaways: Survey-based campaigns can spark emotional reactions and high engagement that lead to widespread coverage. Seasonal campaigns gain visibility by aligning content with holidays or events when audience interest peaks. Newsjacking leverages trending topics to quickly capture press attention and earn backlinks. Viral content campaigns often succeed when the content is highly shareable and emotionally engaging.
Google rolls out worldwide agentic restaurant booking via AI Mode
Google has made agentic restaurant booking through AI Mode globally available. Rose Yao, Google’s Vice President of Product Management, announced the worldwide rollout via X on April 10, 2026: “Date nights and big group dinners just got a lot easier.
Google’s releasing Google-Agent: Here’s what to know
On March 20, Google added Google-Agent to its user-triggered fetchers documentation. The documentation update is straightforward: Google added the user agent name (Google-Agent), published the associated IP ranges, and noted that Google-Agent is used by agents hosted on Google infrastructure to navigate the web and take actions on behalf of users. Google named Project Mariner as an example in this updated documentation.
ChatGPT Searches Google Shopping to Create its Recommendations
More and more research is unwrapping the hidden logic and processes that happen in the background of ChatGPT's search functions. Interestingly, most of these lean on Google. For example, previous experiments have confirmed that ChatGPT uses SerpApi for its search functionality. The reason why is pretty simple: Google has had 27+ years to build an enormous information ecosystem.
Semrush: ChatGPT's AI visibility study reveals rebalancing of citation model | Leigh McKenzie posted on the topic | LinkedIn
Over the past quarter, Semrush led one of the largest multi-platform AI visibility studies to date. We analyzed more than 230,000 prompts across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and Perplexity to understand how often major domains are cited inside AI-generated answers. What we found was not a minor fluctuation. It was a structural realignment in how LLMs reference information. The most visible example is ChatGPT’s sharp reduction in citations to Reddit, Inc. and Wikipedia.
AI Search Strategy: The Seen & Trusted Brand Framework
Originally published on Backlinko AI is already reshaping how buyers discover and choose brands. When someone asks ChatGPT or Google AI Mode about your category, two things happen: Brands are mentioned in the answer Sources are cited as proof Most companies get one or the other. Very few win both. And that’s the problem. According to the latest Semrush AI Visibility Index, only a small fraction of companies appear in AI answers as both seen (mentions) and trusted (citations).
ChatGPT Is Using Google Search - We Tested It
Last month, Abhishek Iyer ran a sharp experiment: He created a brand-new nonsense term, got it indexed only in Google, and then asked ChatGPT about it. ChatGPT returned a perfect summary — despite the fact that Bing had never seen the page. That test got our attention. So we ran our own. We invented a new fake SEO term, NexorbalOptimization, published a dedicated page on Backlinko, and made sure only Googlebot could crawl it. Then we waited.
Generative engine optimization (GEO): How to win AI mentions
Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the practice of positioning your brand and content so that AI platforms like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity cite, recommend, or mention you when users search for answers. If that sounds abstract, the results aren’t. For bootstrapped form builder tool, Tally, ChatGPT became the #1 referral source. They’re not alone. Across industries, the shift is already measurable. ChatGPT reaches over 800 million weekly users.
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