Tips Tuesday – AI Search Traffic, Short Video Ideas, Genesis Updates
Tips this week include:
- Traffic from AI Search – Workshop this week
- Last days to get SEO course discount
- Close of AI Discover Hub and EZ Digital Designs courses
- Redirect Domains in Cloudflare – new tutorial
- Coping skills for overwhelm and burnout that work
- How I’m completing 3 tasks in 1 project – and getting multiple videos from it
- Why short tips rock
- SEO is NOT dead
- DOJ coming for Chrome – and what that means for us
- Clarity on future WP releases – sort of
- Genesis updates – and what you should consider switching too – soon
It’s the last week of Q1. Are you on your way to Thrive in ‘25?
I am, with a few modifications to my schedule, and a 3-in-1 opportunity, which I’ll tell you all about in a moment.
Course Happenings
Traffic from AI Search – Workshop on Thursday
Last week in the DIY SEO Everywhere course we had a look at all of the AI Search Engines – and there are way more of them than you think!!!
I believe I made some new fans of Perplexity, which I like more than ChatGPT for search, and even more than Google for many things these days.
We also had a look at how some of those AI Search Engines are summarizing our posts and which ones are showing links to posts.
That’s where we are getting our traffic from AI Search.
So, this week, we’ll be looking at our metrics in GA4, GSC, and EZ Metrix to see which of these AI Search platforms are sending us the most traffic, and how hard it is now to determine ranking in Google because of their AI Overviews.
Plus, there’s a new AI component in Bing Webmaster Tools now too, and we’ll have a look at that.
Last Days on the SEO Course Discount
If you’re ready to get more eyeballs on your content beyond Google, now is the time to jump into the DIY SEO Everywhere course.
Contact me to get your $100 off discount. This is the last week on these big savings.
Close of AI Discover Hub
Thank you to everyone who subscribed to AI Discover Hub, and a special thank you to everyone who joined the AI Images for Profit course.
We had a LOT of fun learning all about AI when it first came out. And several of us created new income streams with the help of AI images too.
While the platforms keep improving, there really isn’t as much innovation with AI image generation these days. So, I chose to close this course as I believe we can easily keep up with the minor improvements on our own.
Close of EZ Digital Designs
In an effort to help me focus my attention and time on the info we need the most, I also closed the course on how to create digital products to sell using Google Docs.
I find Canva overwhelming. Plus, they are a bit vague on how you can use/sell their assets. So, I was hoping more folks would want an alternative.
But, it turns out that many folks rather use Canva, so this course was not a big seller. Thank you to everyone who did purchase. And now that all subscriptions have expired, I chose to close the course over on eCreators Hub.
Redirect Domains in Cloudflare
Since I’m no longer choosing to cover AI as a separate topic, and since the AI Images for Profit course was the only thing left on the AI Discover Hub, I chose to close it as well. I redirected that domain, and all links on the site, to a page I created for it on eCreators Hub that says it is closed, but to subscribe to ECH News, as I cover AI tools in metrics and ecommerce there.
I updated my tutorial in the Webmaster Training course for how to do domain-level redirects like this in Cloudflare.
They’ve deprecated the old way of doing them with Page Rules and now have a new way to do it with a dedicated Redirect Rule.
In the tutorial, I show 2 examples:
- Redirecting to a new domain while leaving all slugs intact – this is great for rebranding
- Redirecting all URLs to a specific page on a different domain, which is what I did with AIDH.
- You could also use this method to redirect all URLs to a single page on the same domain if you are sunsetting a site but want to have a static HTML page up for a while to let folks know.
Be sure to contact me if you are rebranding or sunsetting a site because there are a lot of steps to do it properly.
I’m sure glad I had my checklist that I use for this service handy so that I didn’t miss anything while doing my own site!!
BlogAid Happenings
Coping Skills for Overwhelm and Burnout
All through the fall and winter I was a tutorial-making maniac building all manner of new courses for eCreators Hub.
Come the first of 2025, I had an insanely long to-do list of things I had put on the back burner so that I could get those courses out to waiting clients.
Plus, that to-do list included all of the things I wanted to get going in Q1 for all of my income streams.
I worked super hard on it for 3 weeks, and while I got a lot done, for every 1 thing I scratched off, 3 new things got put on it.
After a while, that 7-page to-do list left me feeling overwhelmed all of the time. And I was looking square in the face of burnout.
So, I made a change.
I sectioned off everything on that one big list into separate lists by topic, like one to-do list for each course or such.
And every day I choose one big, priority thing to work on and one small thing. After I got those done, I had the rest of the day to live my life as I chose.
That change has opened a flood of creative energy.
I have the freedom to do anything I’m vibing with that day without concern for where it falls in the pecking order of the to-do lists or which one it’s on.
I’m actually getting way more accomplished.
And I have time and energy for fun projects that I do mainly in the evening, like creating the things that will be in my new music video YouTube channel.
Are you letting overwhelm paralyze you into doing nothing? Maybe try adopting some type of coping skill so that you don’t have a zero-day with things you want to do. Even doing a little adds up over time.
Marketing Tips
Three Birds, One Stone
It’s going to be warm enough in the basement garage this week to open my woodshop for the season.
And I’m so excited about being able to combine tasks on 3 of my to-do lists in my very first project!!!!
I’m building a new corner desk for my new music gear. That’s task 1.
That new setup will help me create music for my new YouTube channel. That’s task 2.
And, the very first tutorial video I’ll be making for Heartwood Art is on the new, red marking pencils I got a couple of months ago. That’s task 3.
In fact, that one build will help me make at least 5 short videos, all of which will focus on a single tool, product, or method, which is my new goal for that YouTube channel. That way, I don’t have all of these great tips and searchable keywords hidden in a big, long, build video where they will rarely get seen.
Plus, I will have affiliate linking opportunities for the tools and products too. That’s how I’ll get paid twice for these videos – from YouTube ads and affiliate commissions.
Short Tips Rock!
How can you combine activities from your life into content you can use in multiple ways?
I’m thinking about foodie bloggers.
If you’re going to be preparing something anyway, what tip can you highlight in a short video about it?
Same with gardening. What’s your favorite tool and why?
Quick videos like that are so easy to record, edit, and post. In fact, you may not need any editing at all.
I bet you could come up with 10 ideas right off the top of your head.
Or just pay attention to what you’re doing the next time you’re doing it and explain it out loud as you go through the steps, like you’re explaining the how and why to someone who has never done it before. There’s your script. And I bet new ideas for tips to highlight pop right out for you.
It could be the simplest thing that you take for granted, like why you don’t turn the burner up to high on an empty skillet just to get it going. That could warp the skillet!! You’d be amazed at how many folks don’t know that.
That’s just one more reason why you talk out loud as you’re doing something and don’t skip anything.
That’s exactly why you like my tutorials so much. I literally talk you through the how and why of every single step without assuming you know anything about it.
And you’re all interested in what plugin or such I like for a task, right? Well, telling folks why you like a tool or process you use is helpful for others too.
Stop taking what you know for granted, or thinking that others know it, or that it’s too basic.
Make that video tip!!
SEO Tips
SEO is NOT Dead
Search Engine Land has made their living by mainly reporting on what’s going on with Google
But these days, Google has stiff search competition from all corners.
That’s why SEL says Search is not dead in this post – far from it!!!
They give lists of all the places folks search – well beyond Google.
And it’s the same reason why I expanded the DIY SEO Everywhere course to focus beyond Google now too.
DOJ Coming for Chrome
There have been administrative changes to the Dept. of Justice since Trump took over. And that means a few big changes have been made to cases that were already in process from the previous administration.
The DOJ is still coming after Google’s monopoly, but they’ve shuffled the deck a bit on how they intend to break it up.
Google will not be required to sell off their AI investments because Trump wants to keep the U.S. at the top of the AI game.
The DOJ is still shifting on how they want to deal with Google owning Android phones.
But, what hasn’t changed, and what they are still coming hard after, is Google selling Chrome.
Y’all, the data that Google collects from the #1 browser in use worldwide is going to cripple their ability to rank sites and sell ads. And that’s going to hit them in the wallet in huge ways that will change their core business.
I’m not sure it will matter what else they own at that point.
That change, especially in how it impacts ranking, is going to affect us too.
I’ll keep my eye on this for us, as it will mean a huge shift for how we get traffic. And my bet is that shift will be to more of these AI platforms. And that’s why is so important for you to get on that bandwagon now, as well as jump on other platforms like Substack and such too.
We’ve already done one Substack workshop in the DIY SEO Everywhere course and more are coming – like a mastermind on the strategy of how to use it when you already have an existing blog.
WordPress Tips
Clarity on Future WP Releases – Sort of
I’ve been reporting on the upcoming WP 6.8 release, including the confusion over what would be in it. That confusion stems from Matt Mullenweg being in charge of this release and using a smaller, paid staff at Automattic to do it.
And then he started talking about only doing one big release a year. Then that turned into a battle of the need for more minor releases and what would be in them.
And they also explain why Matt keeps lowering the number of hours that the Automattic staff are being given to work on WP. It’s a tit-for-tat race to the bottom with WP Engine lowering how many volunteer hours they are willing to give.
And this whole “fewer major releases, more minor releases” idea is whack.
I was okay with fewer major releases.
But minor releases update automatically. And they would be throwing in things that should be reserved for major releases and more testing.
Remember when they were trying to reserve the WP 5.0 release for Gutenberg and the fiasco it caused with major stuff getting put into minor releases because Gute was taking longer than expected?
Yeah, it would be a return to that mess.
So, to get around the objections, Matt has proposed releasing all of these major and minor updates on WP.com sites first. And he’s encouraging all fully managed hosts to do the same.
In other words, Matt is willing to cut development to the core and use live sites for mass testing, and burn WP to the ground before he will give an inch on a fight he started with WP Engine for no good reason.
And he thinks that this, plus spending $15 million annually on litigation – that could be better used to pay for dev’s salaries, is a way to shame WP Engine and make more folks sympathetic to his position.
It’s not working Matt. Read the room.
The only good news is that we have a way to turn off both major and minor releases, if it comes to that. But the caveat is that we would miss security updates in minor releases that need to be done asap – like the day they roll out.
There’s even talk about delaying the current 6.8 release, which is already in Beta and due out on April 15. But there is too much pushback on it to stop the cycle, I believe.
I’ll be keeping my eye on all of it, and advising my clients and webmasters accordingly.
I don’t know about y’all. But I’m getting damn tired of being a pawn in other people’s political maneuvering that is strictly for their gain, not mine.
Theme Tips
Genesis Updates
Genesis has multiple updates rolling out to both themes and plugins.
If you are using either, I suggest you read through this article carefully.
And if you have questions, you will want to ask your designer about them.
I would also like to strongly encourage you to switch to Kadence this year, and here’s why.
Genesis is owned by WP Engine and they have stopped putting adequate resources toward Genesis for at least the last 2 years.
While Genesis is keeping current with WP and PHP, which is mainly what this recent update is about, they aren’t doing any real innovation and they are falling way behind all other theme frameworks.
In fact, many of the top Genesis designers are moving away from this framework for new sites. Some are even going to FSE themes that start with the WP default theme rather than use Genesis now.
I paid to have 4 of my sites switched from Genesis to Kadence and I’m so glad that’s behind me now. So, my money and my time are where my mouth is on this advice.
Get this on your calendar for sooner rather than later this year – I hope you can hear my sense of urgency.
