Ann Smarty
Ann Smarty is the founder of Smarty Marketing, a boutique SEO agency based in New York, focusing on viral and Reddit marketing as well as cross-channel organic visibility.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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On-page SEO
Content Optimization Checklist for SEO
December 2, 2024 • Ann Smarty
The best content for search engines and humans places keywords and concepts strategically and naturally on a page.
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SEO
Action Steps for Bing’s AI SEO Guidelines
November 25, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Bing's newly published optimization guidelines are short on implementation tactics.
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SEO Tools
How to Audit HTML Headings on Any Page
November 18, 2024 • Ann Smarty
H1, H2, and H3 headings are among the most important SEO elements on a page. Here are tools to identify, audit, compare, and more.
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Keyword Research
Keyword Volume: Google vs. Semrush vs. Ahrefs
November 12, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Keyword search volume metrics are imprecise and vary among the three principal sources.
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Product Pages
Structured Data Markup for Ecommerce Product Pages
November 4, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Structured data helps search engines understand a page's purpose and elevate its visibility in organic listings.
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On-page SEO
SEO for Product Category Pages in 7 Steps
October 30, 2024 • Ann Smarty
The purpose of category pages is not just to attract traffic but to engage visitors into buying products.
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Link Building
Is Your Site Vulnerable to a Google Update?
October 21, 2024 • Ann Smarty
No site is safe from a Google update, but some experience more ranking declines than others.
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SEO Tools
My Top SEO Tools to Analyze Backlinks
October 14, 2024 • Ann Smarty
External backlinks, especially from trustworthy sites, remain a key ranking factor and generate clicks and engagement.
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Analytics & Data
Handy Chrome Extensions for Google Analytics
October 8, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Here are three third-party extensions to create GA4 reports, add annotations, and access data quickly.
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SEO Tools
Free SEO Spreadsheet for Better Rankings
September 30, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Here's how to create a detailed spreadsheet identifying the best-performing pages, missed opportunities, and areas of improvement.
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SEO Tools
How to Compare SEO of Competing URLs
September 23, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Only Google knows most ranking signals, although some are public. Examples include keyword usage, content structure, and backlinks.
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SEO Tools
Google’s ‘About this result’ Explained
September 15, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Google provides additional info on every organic search result behind the three dots to its right.
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SEO Tools
Underused SEO Reports in Search Console
September 9, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Search Console is the free powerhouse for organic rankings. Yet some helpful reports are little used.
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Link Building
Tips for Internal and External Page Links
September 3, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Links remain critical to search engine optimization despite confusion and suggestions otherwise.
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SEO Tools
Get Your Free Bing SEO Scan
August 26, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Site scans in Bing Webmaster Tools are helpful and free. Here's how to get started.
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Design & Dev Tools
7 Image-to-Text Tools, AI-powered
August 20, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Generating text from images accelerates accessibility, SEO, social media captions, language translation, and more.
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SEO Tools
SEO Tools to Analyze HTML Headings
August 12, 2024 • Ann Smarty
HTML headings such as H2 and H3 help Google understand a page and are thus powerful ranking signals.
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Technical SEO
SEO Aspects of Content Syndication
August 5, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Publishers who syndicate their content can drive referral traffic and raise brand visibility. The tactic does little for search engine optimization, however.
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Technical SEO
The Right Way to Pass PageRank
July 29, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Inbound links remain critical for organic rankings. Managing PageRank is critical, too.
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On-page SEO
How to Audit Content for Better SEO
July 22, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Organic search performance starts with optimized content. Here's how to improve both.
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SEO Tools
Why Use Google’s Disavow Tool?
July 15, 2024 • Ann Smarty
There's one possible reason to disavow inbound links in circa 2024.
Did Google Just Prevent Rank Tracking?
Google-Criteo Deal Unlocks Retail Media
Vibe Coding Is Ecommerce's New Excel
Visa’s VAMP Could Cost Banks and Merchants
Google PMax Unveils Optimization Tools
Can AI Send the Perfect Ecommerce Promo?
SEO for AI, Low Traffic, No Clicks
Tariff Turmoil: How Ecommerce Brands Can Still Win