At First Page Sage, I collaborate with companies that have established real authority in their fields, ensuring that their expertise shines online. Today, I had the pleasure of speaking with Mark Dugger, the Operations Manager at <a href=
Inspired by this post on First Page Sage Blog.
I’ve realized that chasing the perfect PPC budget split can be a never-ending task. Fixed budget ratios often struggle to withstand real-world scenarios, which is why I’ve learned to assess funnel health and adjust spending as market dynamics evolve.
Most PPC budget discussions revolve around balancing brand awareness with conversion-driven campaigns, but I’ve found that this is often not the ultimate goal.
In my experience, the ideal balance is subject to constant change, influenced by our business stage, market saturation, seasonality, competitive pressures, and revenue goals.
Yet, I’ve noticed that many teams treat funnel splits as fixed decisions—set it and forget it. While it might work today, it could be completely inappropriate in six months.
Budget conversations often lead to debates: should we reduce brand awareness spend since it doesn’t convert directly, or are we risking future pipeline issues if we only focus on conversions?
Both viewpoints have merit, which makes these decisions challenging for us.
When I think about the lower funnel, Shopping, Performance Max, and high-intent Search come to mind.
A term like “buy running shoes new york” signifies a ready-to-purchase mindset. Shopping categorically showcases the right product, while PMax exploits the conversion signals across all Google surfaces. The attributions are clear, ROAS is apparent, and this delights the CFO.
But I understand that these campaigns only capitalize on existing demand—they don’t generate new demand. Each conversion is fed by awareness sparked elsewhere:
I feel like I’m just picking fruit from a tree I didn’t plant.
Search is unique as it serves both ends of the funnel. For instance, a query like “best running shoes for marathon training” is more informational.
The individual is investigating rather than purchasing. With AI Max and broad match expansion, Google Ads pushes Search campaigns deeper into this space, enabling Search to straddle both ends of the funnel based on its configuration and captured queries.
It’s something I regularly review: Is our Search spend closing existing demand, or are we engaging with prospects earlier in their journey?
This strategy holds until it falters, often with slow warnings of decline.
Branded search volumes may stagnate, CPCs soar for core terms, and new customer acquisition rates may plateau as retention remains stable—symptoms of a brand living off existing demand without revitalizing it.
Lower-funnel efficiency is real, yet it counters future growth.
Dig deeper: PPC budget planning: Aligning business goals, ad spend, and performance
I’ve encountered issues quite specific to resellers and multi-brand ecommerce that don’t get enough attention.
If I sell branded products not owned by my organization, our lower funnel might perform well short-term.
Shopping and Search campaigns do wonders for established brands since brand owners have taken care of awareness. I’m simply reaping the demand built by major brands like Nike or Adidas.
Yet, I lack control over that demand. If a brand cuts back on marketing, exits the market, or loses relevance, our Shopping and Search performance suffers.
The ability to counter such shifts is hampered by the absent demand to harvest.
This predicament requires us to prioritize two strategic imperatives, something often overlooked.
Both strategies entail upper-funnel spending. Creating our brand necessitates campaigns to elevate product recognition. Building a reseller brand requires enduring efforts in Demand Gen, YouTube, and Display to ensure our brand is integral to the category, beyond individual brands. This applies beyond Google’s ecosystem.
Ultimately, these investments will not manifest in the short-term ROAS report but will signify next year’s resilience in business.
I often see brand awareness spend as the uncertain, tough-to-quantify budget segment, earmarked for leftover funds. This perspective, however, is misplaced.
Investing in the upper funnel is about creating a pool of future converters. Every Demand Gen ad impression on YouTube or Google Display isn’t a wasted effort—it’s a potential high-intent search opportunity in coming weeks, nurturing the top of the funnel for Shopping and Search endeavors to reap later.
Google’s Demand Gen campaigns effectively highlight this throughout a single platform. I use Demand Gen to engage with audiences unfamiliar with our brand, then track Search impression shares and query volumes that surge in subsequent weeks. This lag is both tangible and trackable.
Upper-funnel spending impacts lower-funnel effectiveness the next month, not immediately. This delay prompts cuts when budgets shrink, causing impacts six to eight weeks later rather than instantly.
For effective demand management, I consider upper-funnel campaigns as pipeline investments. The central question isn’t “What is the ROAS on this campaign?” but rather “How much qualified demand is being generated for my Shopping and Search strategies to convert?”
Dig deeper: Paid media efficiency: How to cut waste and improve ROAS
Fixed rules like the 70/30 or 60/40 I often see are merely broad averages seen across different businesses and contexts. They’re decent starting points but poor long-term strategies.
I must account for what affects the optimal split.
Conversely, when we face financial constraints or urgent revenue goals, patience for an eight-week upper-funnel maturation isn’t possible. In such cases, focusing on the lower funnel becomes necessary, accepting inevitable drawbacks while planning future awareness investments as pressures ease.
In essence, both choices are appropriate given context. A set split disregards context entirely.
Rather than adhering to fixed ratios, I advocate establishing criteria that trigger budget adjustments where needed.
Increase upper-funnel focus when:
Emphasize the lower funnel when:
Within Google Ads, the necessary data for monitoring this is accessible without additional tools. Trends in branded query and impression share on non-branded terms, along with Demand Gen metrics and customer segmentation data, provide a comprehensive view of funnel health.
Consistent review is as critical as the metrics themselves. I aim for at least monthly funnel split reviews—quarterly rounds are often too infrequent. By the time quarterly evaluations reveal declining branded queries, vital pipeline time has already been lost.
The conversation on funnel balance isn’t typically a matter of analytics—it’s political.
In meetings, lower-funnel spending is easy to defend thanks to visible ROAS and conversion statistics. Conversely, arguing for upper-funnel spending involves creating narratives about future campaign efficacy—a trickier sell under pressure.
Rather than avoiding this justification, I focus on changing the evidence basis.
Ultimately, budget allocation isn’t static but a reflection of growth strategies.
Choosing to optimize solely for current ROAS is one decision; investing in future demand drivers another.
For resellers, it also entails whether the business base is self-controlled or rented from brand owners with independent priorities.
I believe the best PPC ventures strike a balance, knowing strategically when to shift focus.
Dig deeper: How to optimize B2B PPC spend when budgets and confidence are low
Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
Recently, I’ve noticed that many AI visibility platforms base their insights on a limited set of prompts. It’s time we explore more suitable metrics for our ever-evolving query landscape.
Traditional share of voice (SOV) has become outdated. But what concerns me even more is how organizations are embracing AI share of voice, an equally flawed metric.
Software vendors are now attempting to quantify brand visibility across platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity with a single percentage score. This approach relies on a denominator none of us can see.
Unlike the traditional search with a fixed set of keywords, AI prompts are limitless, making these metrics often unreliable.
Though traditional SOV had its drawbacks, its assumptions were clear. We marketers would define a keyword list, observe our visibility against competitors, and use a stable denominator.
This methodology is no longer valid. With dynamic and personalized search results taking over, it’s vital that AI visibility platforms stop presenting precise percentages that lack auditing or validation.
For this reason, we must redefine how we measure visibility in AI searches to avoid misleading leadership teams with fictional metrics.
The core principles of SEO and digital brand tracking have been disrupted by two significant trends: the end of static result pages and the rise of personalized interfaces.
Search engines have become dynamic and change constantly based on real-time data.
With AI-generated summaries, localized results, and continuous scrolling, one person’s search experience will never be identical to another’s.
Given this, gauging an accurate ‘share’ of screen space is now mathematically impossible.
In today’s landscape, being ranked first might still mean sitting beneath several higher-priority elements like sponsored listings or AI-generated content.
Search engines now tailor layouts dynamically based on immediate user intent and past interactions, resulting in hourly ranking fluctuations.
Attempting to gauge share of voice on these terms is as inefficient as measuring ocean tides with a ruler.
As traditional rank tracking became less relevant, vendors provided new metrics like LLM Visibility or AI share of voice, promising polished and reliable percentage scores.
These metrics claim to chart a brand’s footprint across various platforms, yet they obscure key methodological weaknesses that demand attention.
Legacy Tracking vs. LLM visibility: Legacy methods allowed for fixed keyword lists and auditable ranks on SERP, whereas LLM relies on random subsets and subjective denoting.
The need to transition from pure search volume metrics to evaluating how well a brand is integrated in digital dialogues is evident. Rather than focusing solely on keywords, evaluation should revolve around a brand’s prominence in AI’s conceptual frameworks.
1. Share of Mentions: AI models build connections rather than simply recording pages. Thus, a brand needs to be part of the training dataset or real-time retrieval sources used by AI to ensure visibility.
2. Share of Recommendations: This measures how frequently your product is advised when buyers consult AI engines. A precise and well-documented position in the market is crucial for prominence.
3. Share of Narrative: Monitoring the qualitative nature of mentions is essential, as being depicted negatively despite frequent mentions can be detrimental to the brand.
Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
I recently dove deep into the fascinating world of ChatGPT Ads with insights from Adthena. It turns out, the advertising space on ChatGPT is a treasure trove of competitive information that many search teams are missing out on.
Your competitors are running stealth campaigns via ChatGPT, and the frustrating part is that it’s not immediately visible what they’re bidding on or what creative strategies they’re adopting. Unlike Google Ads, there’s no native way—yet—to get a behind-the-scenes look at this in ChatGPT.
When OpenAI launched advertising within AI-generated responses, brands jumped on board quickly. With the Ads Manager and lowered spending thresholds, this new ad channel grew rapidly. And with plans to expand to U.K. markets soon, there’s a quickly closing window for early adopters to gain a significant advantage.
From the start, we’ve been closely monitoring these developments, and what we’ve found is eye-opening.
Our analysis spans nearly a million queries across 20 industries in five markets, telling a clear story of the current landscape.
In the U.S., ads are run on about 4.5% of queries. In contrast, during the same period, the U.K. had none. The U.S. dominates, accounting for 90% of ChatGPT ad placements in our dataset, with Canada and New Zealand also active and Australia at 1.6%.
For U.K. teams, it means while the channel isn’t live yet, U.S. competitors are already fine-tuning prompts and creative strategies, placing them at a strategic advantage when the U.K. market opens.
On average, ChatGPT presents only 1.06 ad items per response in the U.S., implying a single sponsored slot per query. This level of exclusivity changes the game completely compared to multi-slot Google Ads.
Certain sectors, like Legal and Pharma, show no ad activity due to what seems to be OpenAI’s deliberate restrictions, although this could change, providing proactive teams an edge.
Logistics, Home & Garden, and Beauty & Cosmetics are leading in ad frequency, indicating high potential for growth in these sectors.
Retail & Fashion accounts for a vast share of U.S. ad items, indicating robust advertiser demand, far surpassing the national average. This suggests the significant investments made by retail brands in this space.
Without tools like Auction Insights, understanding your competitive landscape on ChatGPT is practically impossible. You’re spending budget where you can barely track competitor activity. It’s a gap that Adthena aims to close.
Adthena’s ChatGPT Ads Intelligence offers broader insights by monitoring a plethora of prompts daily, providing a competitive overview previously unavailable.
You can now see who bids on your prompts, track share of voice, and spot open prompts ripe for targeting before competitors do.
In a new and rapidly evolving channel, being an early mover is an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed. Try ChatGPT Ads Intelligence free for 21 days and unlock the full potential of your advertising strategy.
As users move towards AI-driven searches for high-intent queries, such as product recommendations, it’s essential for search practitioners to adapt. Simply put, the game is changing.
If you’re attentive to ChatGPT Ads now, you’ll be hard to budge later. Our data shows a window of opportunity open now, similar to the early days of Google Ads. Capitalize on this before it closes.
Start your free 21-day trial of Adthena’s ChatGPT Ads Intelligence today to discover what’s unfolding in the ChatGPT ad space.
Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
When I heard that Google had added a new help document to its search developer documentation, I knew I needed to dive in. This new document, “Google Search’s guidance on using third-party SEO tools, services, and advice,” provides updated insights into the world of SEO, especially revolving around the hot topic of generative AI optimization.
Google also revamped its “Do you need an SEO?” guide, adding fresh content around generative AI topics. The intent behind these updates, as stated by Google, is to highlight what to consider when evaluating third-party tools and to simplify existing documentation. They want us to be cautious about trusting these tools and advice without proper verification.
Reading through Google’s new guidance, I found some valuable advice on thoughtfully evaluating third-party SEO services. Here’s how they suggest approaching it:
Evaluate external SEO advice against Google’s official guidelines, think critically about third-party tools, and always verify the claims made by these services.
While Google doesn’t endorse any third-party tools, they emphasized using Google Search Console for credible data directly from Google Search. We need to be wary of tools claiming to guarantee success since they lack access to Google’s internal ranking data.
With the updated “Do you need an SEO?” document, Google has also covered topics like Optimizing for generative AI. It includes essential reminders that if an SEO uses a third-party tool, one should not assume it’s approved by Google, and during audits, access to Search Console should be limited initially.
In essence, before making any site changes based on third-party audits, it’s crucial to cross-reference their advice with Google’s official resources, especially when it comes to AI optimization strategies.
Understanding these updates helps us not only in improving our own SEO strategies but also in promoting ethical and effective use of tools.
The document updates come as a reminder for us to regularly check Google’s official documentation. Staying informed about new guidelines ensures that we’re always on the right path in our SEO journey.
Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
Last updated: June 5, 2026
In this report, I’ve ranked the top SEO agencies of 2026 that specialize in the solar industry. To do this, I evaluated 31 agencies across five key factors:
1. Notable Clients (28%): Agencies with a proven track record of providing SEO for solar companies showcase their skill and potential for future success. For those with less experience in solar, we also considered their broader work with home services clients.
2. Leadership Experience Score (22%): The direction and culture of an agency are often set by its leadership. I assessed each leader’s marketing expertise overall and their specific experience in the solar sector.
3. Average Review Score (22%): Publicly available client reviews were averaged, with more weight given to feedback from solar industry clients.
4. Year Founded (16%): Agencies with a longer history demonstrate adaptability to evolving search algorithms, sustained client relationships, and consistent results.
5. Company Size (12%): The size of an agency can indicate its ability to deliver results through strong client relationships and performance.
The top seven solar SEO agencies from my study, along with their unique approaches to SEO, are detailed in the table below.
First Page Sage: As the leader, First Page Sage uses thought leadership in content marketing to become the preferred resource for mid-market and enterprise solar providers. Their strategies include creating geo-targeted landing pages and insightful white papers.
Siana Marketing: Specializing in industries that intersect with solar, Siana Marketing brings SEO and GEO expertise tailored to the unique cycles and behaviors of solar installers.
Anchour: Known for their branding prowess, Anchour is ideal for smaller solar companies looking to make a mark with strong creative and strategic marketing initiatives.
XEN Solar: This agency stands out with a focus on technical SEO and HubSpot optimization, catering to solar companies needing agile technical assistance.
Each of these agencies brings something unique to the table, perfect for solar companies looking to enhance their online presence in 2026.
Inspired by this post on First Page Sage Blog.
Last updated June 5, 2026
Throughout the beginning of 2026, I embarked on a journey to evaluate around 60 healthcare content marketing agencies. By focusing on experience, specialties, notable clients, and genuine reviews, I unearthed the top 8 agencies excelling in their field.
Here
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Last updated: June 5, 2026
From March to May 2026, my team and I embarked on an in-depth evaluation of 63 healthcare lead generation agencies across the U.S. We meticulously selected the top 8 agencies based on a series of weighted criteria. Allow me to share with you the factors we used for scoring:
Industry-Specific Expertise (25%): We assessed each agency’s specialization in healthcare lead generation, rating them from 1.0 to 5.0 based on their website and service offerings.
Average Client ROI (20%): The average return on investment based on case studies and results each agency reported.
Notable Clients (15%): We considered the quality and prominence of healthcare clients in each agency’s portfolio, with insights from their website and third-party reviews.
Customer Review Score (15%): This score is aggregated from verified third-party review platforms, including G2, Clutch, and Google Reviews.
Leadership Experience Score (10%): We evaluated each agency’s leadership team, focusing on their experience in lead generation and the healthcare industry.
Media References (10%): An estimation of total citations across authoritative publications and industry media outlets.
Specialty (5%): We assessed how well each agency’s focus aligns with the specific needs of healthcare lead generation clients.
Based on this comprehensive algorithm, we ranked the agencies and identified the top 8. Our findings are captured in the table below, followed by detailed profiles of each firm.
Here, I’m diving deeper into each agency to give you a clearer picture of their unique offerings.
First Page Sage masterfully combines the technical rigor of enterprise SEO with healthcare industry expertise and advanced GEO strategies. Their approach is uniquely poised to help mid-market and enterprise healthcare companies transform high-intent traffic into qualified leads. Few agencies can integrate all these elements, giving First Page Sage a significant edge in complex healthcare environments where basic content often falls short.
Their team produces long-form, authoritative content that connects directly with clinical, operational, and procurement decision-makers in healthcare. This methodology is particularly effective for high-ticket or complex healthcare services, where educating the buyer can significantly boost conversion rates. First Page Sage’s clientele includes a wide range of healthcare verticals, from medical devices to telehealth platforms and regional clinical practices, showcasing their consistent success.
This agency received the highest composite score in our analysis, excelling in Industry-Specific Expertise, Customer Reviews, Leadership Experience, and ROI. Their GEO capability offers a foundational advantage as AI-driven search reshapes how healthcare buyers discover vendors and make decisions.
Operating in the healthcare sector since 2002, Sagefrog boasts over two decades of industry-specific experience, which is reflected in their notable scores in Industry-Specific Expertise and Customer Reviews. They have perfected an approach that fuses brand strategy with HubSpot-powered demand generation and paid media, creating an all-in-one program that consistently yields results in compliance-sensitive environments.
While Sagefrog’s methodology favors inbound and brand-first strategies, making it ideal for healthcare companies seeking cohesive results-driven campaigns, it may not be the fastest choice for rapid outbound pipeline development or high-volume cold outreach programs.
Running marketing programs exclusively for healthcare organizations since 2006, Healthcare Success stands out as one of the most tenured agencies in our list. Their longevity indicates a robust leadership capability to adapt to changing marketing dynamics and economic shifts.
Their client portfolio spans hospitals, multi-location practices, urgent care centers, and addiction treatment programs. Their method focuses on a comprehensive approach beginning with an in-depth strategy phase, making them perfect partners for healthcare systems seeking full marketing infrastructure management for the long haul.
Revnew is tailored for healthcare organizations where the quality of the pipeline supersedes sheer volume. Their outbound methods are calibrated for medical device and pharma companies, focusing on long, complex sales cycles. This precision targeting, although involving longer onboarding, is invaluable when the right conversation matters more than volume.
Cardinal Digital Marketing is a specialist in healthcare, focusing exclusively on patient acquisition for multi-location provider groups and MSOs. With a primary strategy of coordinated PPC and paid social campaigns, they excel at driving appointment volume for consumer-facing providers.
Although Cardinal may not be suited for B2B verticals in medtech or health IT, their approach is ideal for practices focused on patient acquisition.
Belkins is highly rated for B2B appointment setting, offering what they term “allbound” outreach. This includes a synchronized mix of cold emails, LinkedIn outreach, cold calls, and conference-based engagements.
While healthcare is just one of the many industries they serve, their proven methodology is ideal for high-volume outbound appointment setting without the need for vertical-specific nuances.
Callbox blends appointment setting with modern CRM integration to create robust lead generation pipelines for B2B healthcare clients. Though some request more service customization, most rave about the high volume and quality of leads generated, making Callbox an excellent choice for those prioritizing scale.
For healthcare businesses aiming for more efficient sales conversations without adding to internal teams, Launch Leads offers an unpretentious yet effective solution. It’s particularly beneficial for breaking into new markets or invigorating outdated outreach, consistently delivering on its promises.
Inspired by this post on First Page Sage Blog.
I’ve discovered that Profound is the ultimate hub for marketers aiming to excel in the AI-driven landscape. It’s where I run my visibility, sentiment, and accuracy analyses.
This platform is my go-to for building marketing Agents and uncovering new opportunities. It’s here that I generate innovative content and take action based on deep insights.
Given all these functions, it’s only natural that Documents have found a home here too. Profound seamlessly integrates document management into my existing marketing workflow.
Inspired by this post on Try Profound Blog.
