Nick Carroll

Notes

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  Nick Carroll · Jun 19

  Ahrefs lays out the ten SEO shifts they're actually seeing in client data this year, not just predicting. It covers traffic pattern changes, E-E-A-T signals, and how AI is reshaping what ranks. Good annual benchmark to check your own content assumptions against, especially if your site has been flat or sliding.
  
  

  

  10 SEO Trends I’ve Seen Firsthand in 2026 (With Data)

  We used forecasted search volume to see which SEO trends are set to explode in 2024.

  SEO Blog by Ahrefs
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  Nick Carroll · Jun 19

  AI search engines don't just retrieve pages, they retrieve answers to specific decision moments. This piece covers how to map your content to those moments, which Semrush calls 'category entry points.' For a practice-area page trying to get cited when someone asks an AI a legal question, this framing is more useful than traditional keyword targeting.
  
  

  

  Why category entry points belong in every AI search strategy

  Learn how CEP-anchored content performs across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and AI Overviews. A research experiment in AI search.

  Semrush Blog
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  Nick Carroll · Jun 18

  These numbers for the March 2026 update are worse than I thought they'd be. Just another reminder that relying on one source of organic traffic isn't very prudent. Firms should always be considering ways to increase the surface area of where they can be found. And launching individual attorney sites is the simplest way to do it. Especially publish.law sites 😉
  
  

  

  Google March 2026 Update Hit 55% of Law Firms | Taqtics

  Google

  Taqtics
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  Nick Carroll · Jun 18

  Kratom post from @jed. First published to The Legal Examiner, and archived at jedcain.com...

  

  What the NIH Kratom Trial Means for Consumers

  Federal researchers will study a kratom compound for opioid use disorder as questions about consumer safety and product liability remain.

  jedcain.com
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  Nick Carroll · Jun 17

  AI agents are increasingly the ones 'visiting' your site and deciding whether to surface your firm in answers. This piece walks through a five-layer framework for making sure your content is readable and citable by those systems, not just by humans on Google.
  
  

  

  How to optimize for the agentic web: a guide for marketers

  Agentic web optimization gets your brand found, trusted, and chosen by AI agents. Learn the five-layer stack.

  Semrush Blog
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  Nick Carroll · Jun 17

  New NJ research worth your time. When people ask ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, or Perplexity for a divorce lawyer, individual attorneys surface independently of their firms. The signal isn't just firm SEO. It's attorney-authored publishing, credentials, and recognition tied to a person.
  
  The part I keep coming back to: you don't have to wait until you start your own firm to build that authority. Publish under your own name now. It compounds, and it travels with you.
  
  

  

  AI Visibility Among New Jersey Divorce Lawyers: Findings from a Statewide Analysis | Pillar Legal Marketing

  We analyzed which New Jersey divorce law firms appear most frequently across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and Perplexity and identified the authority signals associated with stronger AI visibility.

  Pillar Legal Marketing
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  Nick Carroll · Jun 17

  If you've been publishing more to get found, this is why it might be backfiring. Google is getting better at recognizing thin or redundant content, and a pile of loosely related posts can actually dilute your authority on the topics that matter. Fewer, sharper pieces on your core practice areas will outperform a high-volume content calendar every time now.
  
  

  

  Why Publishing More Content Is Making Your SEO Worse

  Publishing more content used to boost SEO, but AI-driven search now rewards semantic clarity over volume. Learn why content dilution hurts rankings and how to build authority density instead.

  Search Engine Journal
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  Nick Carroll · Jun 16

  There's a real difference between an AI pulling your content into an answer and an AI actually linking back to you, and this piece breaks down why that distinction matters for how you build content. If you're writing for AI visibility, you need to know which one you're optimizing for.
  
  

  

  Retrieval vs. citation: How AI search changes content strategy

  From product pages to third-party publications, learn how to create content that helps AI systems understand your brand and who it serves.

  Search Engine Land
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  Nick Carroll · Jun 15

  A team generated over 1,000 AI citations by creating original research data that AI systems reference. Smart approach for law firms wanting to build authority and get discovered when potential clients ask AI tools about legal issues.
  
  

  

  How One Team Earned 1,000+ AI Citations With Unique Research Data

  Learn how to earn quality citations through effective digital PR campaigns that resonate with journalists and boost visibility.

  Search Engine Journal
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  Nick Carroll · Jun 14

  Hi @courtney-carroll! How are things?