Ann Smarty

Articles by: Ann Smarty

Ann Smarty

Ann Smarty is the founder of Smarty Marketing, a boutique SEO agency based in New York, and Viral Content Bee, a social media promotion tool.

Ann's search engine optimization career began in 2005. She is the former editor-in-chief of Search Engine Journal and contributor to prominent search and social blogs, including Small Business Trends and Mashable.

Ann is also a frequent speaker at Pubcon and many other digital marketing events.

Contact Ann via email or LinkedIn.

SEO
Sites Have Little Control in Google SERPs

July 21, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Over the years, Google has limited how websites can control their appearance in search results.
Keyword Research
Keywords Don’t Work for AI SEO

July 14, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Merchants looking for AI visibility should create problem-solving content. Attempting to match keywords to prompts is fruitless.
SEO
The End of Traffic-Only Content

July 9, 2025 • Ann Smarty

In 2025, only content relevant to a business's core mission or expertise drives visibility in organic search and large language models.
SEO
How Co-Citations Drive AI SEO

June 30, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Co-citations are now critical because platforms such as AI Mode, ChatGPT, and Gemini rely on external lists for brand and product recommendations.
SEO
How to Extract ChatGPT’s Fan-Out Queries

June 23, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Knowing the fan-out queries associated with an initial prompt helps publishers understand the platform's interpretations and priorities.
SEO
Answer Engine Optimization, Explained

June 16, 2025 • Ann Smarty

AEO is not new. But with the rise of generative AI, optimizing content to appear as sources or citations is crucial.
Keyword Research
SEO for Google’s AI Fan-Out Results

June 9, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Google's new AI Mode delivers "query fan out" search results. The term is new, but the concept is not.
SEO
The Post-Traffic SEO Shift

June 2, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Brand mentions, entity recognition, and problem-solving now matter more than keywords and rankings.
SEO
SEO for AI Mode, per Google

May 26, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Google's new post on optimizing content for AI answers offers few new tactics but does hint at the future of organic search traffic.
SEO Tools
How Search Console Reveals AI Overviews

May 20, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Google provides no comprehensive reports of links in Overviews. We're left with Search Console.
On-page SEO
Google’s EEAT Done Right

May 12, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness inform human evaluators and do not directly impact organic ranking algorithms.
Platforms & Apps
Get Your Products on ChatGPT Shopping

May 5, 2025 • Ann Smarty

ChatGPT recommends products directly in search results for prompts with clear purchase intent.
SEO
How to Track Visibility in GenAI Platforms

April 29, 2025 • Ann Smarty

How can brands evaluate their inclusion in generative AI answers? Three tools are attempting to fill the need.
Link Building
How to Earn Backlinks as a Quoted Expert

April 21, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Being quoted in reputable publications drives backlinks and topical authority as an entity.
Analytics & Data
How to Track ChatGPT Traffic in GA4

April 14, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Traffic from ChatGPT is low volume but often the most engaging referral source, even more than organic search.
Keyword Research
How Keywords Drive Helpful Content

April 8, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Keywords no longer guarantee traffic, but they do reveal prospects' needs.
Keyword Research
Search Volume Tools for Marketers

March 31, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Search terms rise and fall in popularity. Understanding the movements aids informed decisions.
SEO
Brand Visibility Is the New SEO

March 24, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Search engines drive brand discovery for genAI platforms and research for humans.
SEO
Bad SEO Advice: 5 Tips to Ignore

March 18, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Four common SEO recommendations that waste time, or worse.
SEO
‘Do’ Queries Are an SEO Priority

March 11, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Google's quality raters' guidelines suggest a new approach to searchers' intent: "know simple," "know," and "do."
SEO
Why Search Rankings Are Driving Less Traffic

March 4, 2025 • Ann Smarty

A drop in traffic usually stems from lower rankings. But what if rankings are unchanged?
SEO
How to Optimize for GenAI Answers

February 24, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Consumers increasingly turn to ChatGPT and similar channels for product and brand recommendations.
SEO
SEO Considerations for New Domain Names

February 17, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Shoppers are discovering brands on generative AI and then searching for them on Google.
On-page SEO
‘Helpful Content’ per Google’s Latest Guidelines

February 10, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Google's core search algorithm includes a "helpful content" component, making its definition of the term critical.
SEO Tools
It’s Time to Pay Attention to Bing

February 3, 2025 • Ann Smarty

ChatGPT uses Bing's index and search platform. And Bing's advertising program is growing.
On-page SEO
‘Your Money or Your Life,’ Defined by Google

January 27, 2025 • Ann Smarty

YMYL topics affect a person’s health, safety, financial stability, and well-being.
SEO Tools
How to Track Rankings with Search Console

January 20, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Google now blocks third-party organic rank-tracking tools. Here's how to monitor rankings in Search Console.
Technical SEO
What to Know about Meta Descriptions

January 14, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Here's how meta descriptions impact traffic but not organic search rankings.
Technical SEO
How Google Detects Duplicate Content

January 6, 2025 • Ann Smarty

Google seeks diverse search results and must choose when two or more pages are the same or similar.
On-page SEO
Google’s Site Reputation Abuse Policy, Explained

December 9, 2024 • Ann Smarty

Sites that publish unrelated third-party content abuse their reputation, per Google, and risk penalties.