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SEO research from real data, not recycled stats.
We audit real domains and real keyword lists, publish what we find with the method and the limits, and track a live relaunch in public.
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Studies
Each one names its sample, method and limits.
Case studyLive case study: relaunching an old domain portfolio
We are rebuilding sites on a portfolio of 224 old domains that started with almost no authority, and publishing every number as it comes in.
DomainsDo old domains have authority?
We audited 224 real domains with a median age of 22.4 years. They still had a median of 251 linking domains, but 96% scored 2 or less out of 100 for authority, and 14 were showing someone else's website.
DomainsWhat happens to expired domains
We followed 37 domains that had been allowed to expire. 30% were picked up by someone else, and some of those now serve spam or copycat sites.
KeywordsKeyword difficulty vs search volume
We compared search volume and keyword difficulty for 483 keywords. Bigger keywords are harder on average, but 36% of those with 10,000+ searches a month still scored under 30.
Aged domains with Authority Score ≤ 296%of 224, median age 22.4 years
Expired domains caught by others30%11 of 37 traced
10k+ keywords with difficulty under 3036%of 69 keywords
SEO Insights Central
Outside research worth knowing, checked at the source, with learnings and caveats.
AI search and clicksGEO: Generative Engine Optimization
Adding quotations from relevant sources raised visibility the most, about 41% over the unchanged page on their main measure. Our summary of what it found, what to do about it, and what to keep in mind.
AI search and clicksAI Overviews and the top-ranking page: 300,000 keywords
The top-ranking page got about 34.5% lower average CTR when an AI Overview was present than the control group trend would predict. Our summary of what it found, what to do about it, and what to keep in mind.
AI search and clicksGoogle users click less when an AI summary appears
People clicked a regular result on 8% of visits to pages with an AI summary, against 15% when there was no summary. Our summary of what it found, what to do about it, and what to keep in mind.
AI search and clicksAI Overviews and click-through rate: 15 months of client data
Organic CTR on queries with an AI Overview fell 61% over the period, from 1.76% to 0.61%. Our summary of what it found, what to do about it, and what to keep in mind.
AI search and clicksAI features and your website (Google's own guidance)
Google says there are no extra requirements and no special optimizations needed to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. A page must be indexed and eligible to show a snippet. Our summary of what it found, what to do about it, and what to keep in mind.
Clicks and zero-click searchZero-click search in 2024: most Google searches end without a click
58.5% of U.S. Google searches and 59.7% of EU searches ended without a click on any result. Our summary of what it found, what to do about it, and what to keep in mind.
Links and authorityThe Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine
PageRank scores a page by the scores of the pages linking to it, with each linking page's score shared across its outgoing links. Our summary of what it found, what to do about it, and what to keep in mind.
Links and authority11.8 million Google results: what correlated with ranking
The top result had about 3.8 times more backlinks than results in positions 2 to 10, and about 3 times more referring domains. Our summary of what it found, what to do about it, and what to keep in mind.
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AI search and clicks: what the studies found
SEO statistics cheat sheet
Before you buy an expired domain
Keep, sell or drop a domain: scorecardGuides based on the research
Keep, Sell or Drop? A 4-Gate Framework for Every Domain You OwnA simple framework for deciding which domains to build on, sell or let expire, with a scoring rubric and a re…
Before You Buy an Expired DomainWhat to check before buying an expired or aged domain for SEO: history, backlinks, spam, trademarks and what …
How to Audit Your Domains' DNS (and Why 14 of Ours Showed Strangers' Sites)A step-by-step DNS audit for anyone who owns several domains: find dead, stale and misdirected domains before…