Creative Brains Marketing: Marketing News, Tips and Strategies to Grow Your Business

LLM Sources Shifted 80% in 2 Months. Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Panic
AI search is still moving. What’s cited today across Google (AI Mode + AI Overviews) and ChatGPT might look different in a month. But there’s no need to scramble. For example, a dip in Reddit citations isn’t a reason to abandon conversational marketing or rebuild your plan from scratch. (Plus, it’s likely things aren’t always …
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Does Your Website Need an LLMs.txt File? + How to Create One
There’s been a lot of buzz around llms.txt. But no major AI platform has confirmed that they use it. Not yet, anyway. And there’s no evidence that any major large language model (LLM) actually uses it when crawling. So, why are some SEOs and site owners already adding it to their sites? Because LLM traffic …
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AI Prompts for Marketing Emails, Social Posts, & More
Use AI to grow on every channel this holiday season. These prompts will help you do it.
The post AI Prompts for Marketing Emails, Social Posts, & More appeared first on WordStream.

10 Key Trends & Insights to Inform Your 2026 Marketing Planning
Get the data and insights you need to inform your 2026 marketing plan and stand out from the competition.
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PMax Ad Examples for Every Placement (+Tips to Optimize for Each One)
See how your Performance Max ad assets look across placements in this complete PMax ad examples breakdown.
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Conversion Rate Benchmarks for YOUR Industry (Exclusive Data!)
What’s a good conversion rate? It depends on your industry and where you’re advertising, but we’ve got the data in this complete conversion rate benchmarks breakdown!
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AI Optimization: How to Rank in AI Search (+ Checklist)
When a potential user asks ChatGPT, Google AI, or Perplexity for recommendations, does your brand appear in the answer? Not just cited — actually mentioned in the response? That’s a crucial distinction. Brands that AI systems mention with context and positive sentiment attract the most intent-driven traffic. Semrush research shows that visitors who find a …
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The Complete Black Friday Marketing & Advertising Toolkit (+Free Template!)
Find out how your business can capitalize on Black Friday with these ideas, tips, template, and more.
The post The Complete Black Friday Marketing & Advertising Toolkit (+Free Template!) appeared first on WordStream.

Entity SEO in the Age of AI Search
Websites have been the foundation of SEO strategy for 20-odd years. That’s changing with AI search. When someone asks ChatGPT for a product in your category, it doesn’t always crawl websites in real-time. Its first move is to pull from what it already knows about you and your competitors from its existing knowledge. Clear and …
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Semrush AI SEO: How to Audit Your AI Search Visibility
AI answers are taking over search. More people are turning to Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity for recommendations. And if your brand isn’t showing up in those AI answers? You’re missing out on a huge (and growing) slice of your market. That’s why Semrush built the AI SEO Toolkit. It’s a major unlock for …
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How Much Do Facebook Ads Cost? (+9 Ways to Stretch Your Budget)
Find out average Facebook ads costs, what makes them worth the price, and how to stretch your budget!
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The Ultimate Guide to Google Local Services Ads
Learn everything you need to know about Google Local Services Ads so you can quickly connect with customers right from the SERP.
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Does Trendjacking Work? Dos, Don’ts & Examples
Trendjacking is a great way to gain attention. Here’s how to do it safely.
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Google Ads in AI Mode: Here’s What We Know
Google is testing ads in AI Mode, so we’re breaking down what this means for advertisers, how to show up here, and whether or not it’s actually worth it for your business.
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113 Haunted Halloween Puns for Scary Good Marketing & Messages
This huge list of spook-tacular Halloween puns will have your followers howling with laughter.
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The New SEO Checklist for Content That Ranks
This handy checklist walks you through the steps you need to follow to see your content rank in search results.
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Vibe Marketing: Hype, Reality, and Real Case Studies
AI has infinitely sped up the hype cycle in marketing. So when the term “vibe marketing” came onto the scene, you may have rolled your eyes for a moment before you said, “I have to try this.” In basic terms, vibe marketing means using AI to run entire marketing workflows. Usually, this involves a combination …
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How to Run Microsoft Ads: The Complete Guide
See how Microsoft Ads can benefit your business, and find out how you get started, in this full walk-through.
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ChatGPT Shopping: How to Get AI to Recommend Your Products
ChatGPT recommends products — complete with photos, pricing, and purchase links — to its 700 million weekly users. And now customers can complete purchases without leaving the chat. BIG deal. But will ChatGPT recommend your products? That’s not automatic. And you can’t pay for placement. What you can do is optimize your site so ChatGPT …
The post ChatGPT Shopping: How to Get AI to Recommend Your Products appeared first on Backlinko.
Audience Research: How to Know What Your Buyers Really Want
If I had a dollar for every time someone said “know your audience,” I could retire from marketing altogether. And yet, most teams are completely winging it. Too often, marketers equate audience research with half-baked customer relationship management (CRM) data, some social media metrics, and a few buyer interviews. But that’s just organizing information you …
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How to Do Social Listening in 2025: The New Rules
Social listening has evolved from an enterprise strategy to one small businesses need to adopt for growth and success.
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5 Easy Ways to Use AI (Tested for Small Businesses)
We tested five AI workflows to see if they could be adapted for local businesses. Here are the results.
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89 Fast, Fun, & Free Fall Content Ideas
Use this bounty of fall-themed content ideas to engage your audience this season.
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Reddit Marketing in 3 Hours/Week: From 0 Karma to Real Cred
Reddit marketing is delicate work. Show up with a sales pitch — or just a little too much enthusiasm for your product — and they’ll shut you down quickly. Without mercy. But that hostility is really standards in disguise. Redditors care about their communities. They care about real conversations and keeping the place worth coming …
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20 Ways to Squeeze Results Out of Dwindling Website Traffic
Many businesses are seeing traffic slashed due to search engine changes and AI impacts. Here’s how to make the most of the traffic you ARE getting.
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Every Instagram Marketing Tip, Template, Tool, & Example You Need
See how you can get started with Instagram marketing (and why it’s so important) in this complete guide.
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SEO and PPC: 8 Smart Ways to Align for Maximum ROI in 2025
Your SEO and PPC teams probably don’t share data. That’s problematic. Organic traffic is slipping. CPCs are climbing. And conversions aren’t keeping pace. It’s not just the LLMs — the SERP itself has changed. In 2025, every query is a blended battlefield of ads, AI overviews, videos, shopping units, map packs, and organic links. Yet, …
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What Is Content Marketing? How It Works in 2025
Content marketing is a growth accelerant. Learn how to get started and do it well right now.
The post What Is Content Marketing? How It Works in 2025 appeared first on WordStream.

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): How to Win in AI Search
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is one of the most important topics in search right now. It’s about making sure your brand shows up inside AI-generated answers — not just on traditional SERPs. As large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity reshape discovery, AEO ensures your content gets mentioned and cited where buyers are …
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Complete Guide to Google Ads Budgets (+Free Template!)
Get everything you need to calculate and optimize your Google Ads campaign budgets—including a free template!
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How Much Does Google Ads Cost? (2025 Data + Insights)
I analyzed over one million keywords across 10 industries. The average cost per click (CPC) for Google Search ads in 2025 is $8.34. And the median CPC is $4.52. Legal had the highest average CPC at $22.75. Ecommerce had the lowest, at just $0.82 per click. But there’s no flat rate for CPC. Even if …
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