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 Tools
SEO Tools for Keyword Intent, Audience
July 8, 2024 • Ann Smarty
AI is transforming traditional keyword research. Here are innovative tools for search intent, audience targeting, and more.
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SEO Tools
Tracking AI Overviews: Queries, Citations
July 1, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Organic search optimization now requires knowing which queries trigger AI Overviews and the URLs those summaries reference. Neither metric — queries or links — is easily identified.
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SEO Tools
3 Ways to Depersonalize Google SERPs
June 24, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Google search results vary by user based on search history, clicks, and more. Removing the personalization helps understand what others may see.
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SEO Tools
How to Monitor Google’s Updates
June 17, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Tracking the changes to Google's search algorithm takes work. These four tools can help.
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Technical SEO
AI Overviews: Initial Tests and Studies
June 10, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Thus far AI Overviews appears in a relatively small percentage of queries. The impact on conventional listings changes near daily.
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SEO
Yes, Clicks and Engagement Impact SEO
June 3, 2024 • Ann Smarty
For years Google denied using clicks on organic listings in its ranking algorithm. Recent revelations show otherwise.
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SEO Tools
Chrome Extensions for Search Console
May 27, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Data from Search Console can seem overwhelming. These three tools can help.
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Technical SEO
Early Look at Google’s AI Overviews
May 20, 2024 • Ann Smarty
The new feature in search results is an AI-generated response to queries. Here's our first assessment of the traffic impact.
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Platforms & Apps
AI Tools to Convert Articles into Videos
May 14, 2024 • Ann Smarty
New AI tools can repurpose text into video — suitable for TikToks, Reels, YouTube Shorts, and more.
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Platforms & Apps
Using ChatGPT’s Memory Feature
May 6, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Enabling memory in ChatGPT facilitates personalized responses. The related "temporary chats" option is handy for privacy.
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SEO Tools
Gemini’s YouTube Extension Streamlines Marketing
May 2, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Google's Gemini offers extensions to expedite tasks — such as YouTube video marketing.
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Keyword Research
How AI Improves Keyword Research
April 25, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Traditional keyword tools expand on an existing core term. AI tools discover new terms.
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Platforms & Apps
Chrome Extensions for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini
April 24, 2024 • Ann Smarty
We test third-party Chrome extensions for organization, productivity, and more.
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SEO Tools
Pinpoint Traffic Drops with Search Console, GA4
April 18, 2024 • Ann Smarty
The first step in diagnosing declines in organic search traffic is identifying which pages and queries account for the loss.
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On-page SEO
ChatGPT vs. Gemini for SEO Tasks
April 16, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Gemini can suggest keywords, content, topics, and more.
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Technical SEO
SEO Takeaways from SGE’s Partial Rollout
April 11, 2024 • Ann Smarty
How will Google's Search Generative Experience impact organic listings?
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Social Media
AI Apps for Social Media Images, Videos, Infographics
April 8, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Visuals in social media posts drive engagment. New AI tools produce those visuals instantly from text prompts.
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SEO Tools
How to Discover Shoppers’ Questions
April 4, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Responding to questions of customers and prospects can generate traffic and sales.
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Design & Dev Tools
AI Tools for Meeting Notes, Recaps, To-dos
April 1, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Reviewing meeting recordings for takeaways and action items used to take hours. No more.
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Link Building
AI-powered Internal Linking Tools
March 28, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Internal links are critical for organic search rankings and, also, time-consuming to implement. AI can help.
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Platforms & Apps
AI Platforms for Competitor Research
March 25, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Competitor research was once limited to enterprise brands with big budgets. No more.
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Technical SEO
Traffic Recovery from Domain Changes
March 21, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Changing domain names can seriously reduce organic search traffic. Here's how to recover.
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Customer Retention
AI Tools for Ideal Customer Profiles
March 17, 2024 • Ann Smarty
"Ideal customer profiles" help merchants select marketing channels, create ad copy, narrow outreach, and more.
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On-page SEO
Google Spam Policies, Explained
March 13, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Google's latest updates prioritize spam — manually and algorithmically — in three key areas.
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Platforms & Apps
AI-powered Transcription Tools, Tested
March 11, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Today's transcription platforms are fast and sophisticated. We test three of them.
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On-page SEO
Helpful Content Recovery, per Studies
March 7, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Industry research finds correlations between site elements and Helpful Content impacts.
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Photography & Video
AI Tools for Video Captions
March 4, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Captions improve retention, comprehension, engagement, and accessibility.
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SEO Tools
Tools to Export Google’s SERPs
February 29, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Knowing the URLs in search engine result pages leads to further analysis, such as referring domains, page authority, word count, and more.
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Design & Dev Tools
AI Tools for Logos and Branding
February 27, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Impressive AI-driven branding platforms can create or perfect logos, colors, templates, and more.
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Platforms & Apps
AI Tools to Turn Text into Podcast Conversations
February 22, 2024 • Ann Smarty
Innovative technology can transform an article into an audio conversation, with realistic voices and dialog.
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