The better you get, the easier you are to cancel

Posted by Dave CollinsDigital Marketing, Marketing

A serenely swimming duck. Underneath the water though...

I recently decided to cancel my subscription for the software I’m using right now to write this. The problem wasn’t the software. It did everything I wanted and more. The problem was I could do almost everything in Claude AI. Paying for two tools was a waste of money. I was wrong. The mistake was caused by invisible value. When … Read More

AI Is Trained on Bad Content. Here’s the Workaround.

Posted by Dave CollinsAI

At some point in the past year or two, you asked AI for advice. And it was probably terrible. Here’s why, and also how to fix it in under 5 minutes. I’m going to show you what the problem is. And how to bypass it. Using a simple process to turn your AI ideas from generic to useful. Jump straight … Read More

When Google Ads Whisper, Small Businesses Should Listen (But Not Too Closely)

Posted by Dave CollinsDigital Marketing, Google Ads

I have a confession that might resonate with many small business owners. Every time I go into a Google Ads account, I understand less about what I see. And that’s despite more than twenty-five years in digital marketing. This complexity led me to a slightly disturbing thought. That Google Ads has become both essential and dangerous for small businesses. Essential … Read More

Less is more. Pruning for clarity.

Posted by Dave CollinsDigital Optimisation, Digital Optimization, Website Usability

Ten seconds to impress? Not even close. This figure shocked me. If you’ve ever wondered how quickly visitors decide to stay on or leave a website after landing, you’re not alone. Common sense suggests this is probably 5 – 10 seconds. This is wrong. It’s much lower. The confusion arises from two distinct types of visitor types with different behavioural … Read More

Practical AI for your business

Posted by Dave CollinsAI

“Anyone promising AI will fully automate your job is selling snake oil,” Greg Baugues says with a smile. He should know. From tinkering with BASIC code on his TRS-80 (back in the day) to leading developer relations at Twilio, Greg truly understands cutting-edge tech and practical business challenges. These days, as founder of haihai.ai, he’s focused on helping developers build … Read More

The Simplest Way to Optimize for AI Search: Just Ask It

Posted by Dave CollinsAI, SEO

While the SEO experts debate complex theories about AI search optimisation, I’ve discovered something surprisingly simple. You can simply ask AI systems what factors they consider when recommending businesses. Even more surprisingly, they’ll tell you – in as much detail as you want. This isn’t theoretical. Let me show you exactly how this works. A Real-World Test: Local Tyre Services … Read More

The Website Myth

Posted by Dave CollinsWebsite Usability

Every business owner lives with a disturbingly misleading illusion: the website myth. It’s the gap between how you think people see your website and how they actually experience it. When visitors arrive, they often see something completely different to you. Consider this: When was the last time you truly saw your website through fresh eyes? Do you speak to them … Read More

The Science of Trust: Transforming your About page

Posted by Dave CollinsContent, Marketing, Website Usability

The Trust Crisis Imagine walking into a store where the salesperson refuses to make eye contact, tell you their name or what they do, or answer basic questions about the business. You’d likely walk right out. Yet online, countless companies do exactly this by burying their About pages in footer links or filling them with corporate jargon. The cost? Massive. … Read More

Block or block not

Posted by Dave CollinsAI, Content

Based on recent emails, you fall into one of two categories: You’re considering blocking AI bots from your content or have done it already. You couldn’t care less. Most of you fall into the latter for now. You should care. Here’s why. You work hard on your content. After publishing, an AI tool can swoop in and take all the … Read More