Eric Richmond a photographer, a [recovering] rock and roll roadie and Founder of Expert SEO Consulting. A 25 year veteran of digital marketing, he has focused on SEO since 2007 and has spoken on the subject at SMX, SES and HSMAI. He is on the Board of Directors of the Internet Oldtimers Foundation and the US Internet Pioneers Foundation. Eric is also a life long car enthusiast, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Valley Region of the Porsche Club of America where he is also Editor of Challenge - the Club's monthly magazine.

How to Future-Proof Your Content for AI Search: Using the AI Content Readiness Auditor

Search has fundamentally changed. By 2026, over 60% of search queries will be answered directly by AI systems like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews: without users ever clicking through to websites. This isn't a distant possibility; it's happening now. The problem? Most content wasn't built for AI consumption. Traditional SEO audits focus on keyword…

65% of AI Chats Have No Commercial Intent: What This Means for SEO & Content

The digital marketing landscape has fundamentally shifted, and here’s the data that proves it: 65% of AI chatbot conversations have absolutely nothing to do with buying anything. This isn’t speculation: it’s the hard reality uncovered by Dan Petrovic’s comprehensive December 2025 analysis of 3.9 million AI conversation turns. For SEO professionals and content marketers, this…

The Secret Engine of AI Search: What Are Fan-Out Queries?

Here’s the thing: the way AI search engines find and deliver information has fundamentally changed, and most content creators have no idea it’s happening. When you type a query into Google’s AI Mode, ChatGPT, or Perplexity, you’re not just triggering a single search. You’re launching an entire fleet of searches. Behind the scenes, artificial intelligence…

Proxies for Prompts & Broken Links: How to Think Like Your Audience and Fix Critical SEO Issues

As we head into 2026, two critical factors are determining which websites thrive and which disappear from search visibility: understanding how audiences actually search in the AI era, and maintaining technical excellence through proper link management. These aren’t nice-to-have optimizations anymore: they’re essential for survival. The rise of AI-powered search has completely transformed user behavior.…

Why Every AI Search Study Tells a Different Story: Lessons for Marketers in 2026

The AI search landscape has produced a bewildering maze of contradictory statistics that's leaving marketers scratching their heads. One study claims only 25% of #1 rankings appear in AI Overviews, while another reports a 33.07% chance of AI citation for top positions, and yet another suggests 87.6% of AI Overviews feature Position 1 results. Here's…

Google Discover Now Less Aligned with Search Rankings: What It Means for SEO

Google just fundamentally changed how content gets discovered: and 87% of SEO professionals are still operating under outdated assumptions. At Google Search Central Live in Zurich, Google’s Trust and Safety team dropped a bombshell that’s reshaping the entire digital marketing landscape: Google Discover now operates with “minimal alignment to search ranking.” This isn’t a minor…