ChatGPT Ads versus Google Ads: what the study says
A study compares ChatGPT Ads and Google Ads. We break down conversions, CPC, sales and organic traffic, with the sample and attribution caveats.
Read edition →Articles by Alejandro Castillo Cantón
Desayuno SEO
One SEO idea at a time, explained without turning it into a doctoral thesis. News when it has practical consequences, experiments, and guides you can apply. The articles are translated from the Spanish originals. The podcast version is only available in Spanish.
Error 404: when to fix it and when to leave it alone
Learn how to review 404 errors, trace broken links and decide whether to restore a page, redirect it or keep its 404 or 410 response.
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How to create a YouTube playlist and organise a series
Learn how to create YouTube playlists, choose their privacy, arrange videos and read their analytics, with links to official sources.
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YouTube Analytics: what it is and how to read your first reports
Learn what YouTube Analytics is, where to find reports and how to review traffic sources, retention and audience before changing your next video.
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YouTube thumbnails: size and titles that work together
Prepare YouTube thumbnails and titles that match your video. Review size, readability, A/B tests and CTR using official documentation.
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How to find keywords for YouTube and choose your next video
Find keywords for YouTube, understand search intent and choose your next video. Keep Google search volumes separate from YouTube data.
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YouTube SEO: how to optimise your videos step by step
Learn how to choose video intent, prepare titles, descriptions and thumbnails, and review YouTube SEO results using official sources.
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Your link is nofollow. Now what?
What a nofollow link is worth today: the real case of the Spotify podcast, what changed at Google in 2019 and what we know (and don't) about mentions and AI.
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How to choose keywords for a local business
Choosing keywords for a local business is not copying an ecommerce store's. Learn to measure your city's demand and pick the ones that bring customers.
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How to turn Search Console impressions into more clicks
Getting impressions but missing clicks? Diagnose why in Search Console and win the click with better titles, snippets and intent.
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How to hire a freelance SEO consultant
What a freelance SEO consultant does, when it beats an agency and what to ask before hiring, based on Google's documentation.
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SEO in Castellón: how to show up when people search nearby
SEO in Castellón: how to show up when people search in your area, with your Google listing, service areas and a matching website, according to Google.
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How to show up on Google Maps: step-by-step guide
How to show up on Google Maps step by step: create or claim your Business Profile, verify it and complete it, following Google's official help.
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Local SEO audit: what to review before investing
What to review in a local SEO audit before investing: Google listing, reviews, photos and website, with a checklist and what Google says.
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Customer photos on your Google listing: what you can do
Your customers can upload photos to your Google listing. What Google says, where to see them, how to reply, when to report them and how to take care of yours.
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How to reply to a five-star review on Google
How to reply to a five-star review on Google without sounding like a template: what Google says, what to include, examples and mistakes to avoid.
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What to do if someone asks you for money to remove a Google review
If someone asks you for money to remove fake or negative Google reviews, don't pay. What evidence to gather, how to report the extortion and what Google does next.
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When you can report a review on Google
When you can report a review on Google, which reviews it removes and how long it takes. Steps, report statuses and how to appeal if Google doesn't remove it.
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How to reply to a one-star review on Google
How to reply to a one-star review on Google: what Google says, a four-step reply structure and examples to adapt to your business.
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How to get more Google reviews by asking the right way
How to ask for Google reviews with your listing's link and QR code, when to do it and what message to send so your customers tell their experience.
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llms.txt: what it is and whether your website needs it
What llms.txt is, how to write it and what Google says. An optional file that Google Search ignores, with an example and a rule to decide whether to create it.
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Screaming Frog: how to audit your website step by step
How to use Screaming Frog to audit your website: install, crawl, read tabs and Issues, export and fix the first things. Free version up to 500 URLs.
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Sitemap.xml: what it is, what to include and how to submit it to Google
What a sitemap.xml is, why to always add one, which URLs to include, what lastmod does and how to submit it in Search Console. With a 10-minute review.
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Core Web Vitals guide: what they are and how to improve them
What LCP, INP and CLS are, which values Google considers good, where to measure them with real data and where to start improving them on your website.
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Search Console guide from scratch: what to look at and in what order
How to add your website to Search Console, read Performance and Indexing and which alerts not to ignore, based on Google's official help.
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Schema is not magic: structured data explained for beginners
Structured data helps Google understand your page, but doesn't guarantee rich results. What it is, which format to use and how to validate it.
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Robots.txt is not a padlock: blocking a URL doesn't take it out of Google
Robots.txt controls crawling, not indexing. Sitemap.xml suggests URLs, it doesn't guarantee them. What each file does, according to Google, and how to review them.
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Your Google listing has 14 photos of the facade and zero useful information
What Google looks at to rank local businesses, which fields of your listing matter and how to reply to reviews without making a fool of yourself.
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How to appear in Google AI Overviews: what works in 2026
What Google asks for to appear in AI Overviews: indexing, useful content, llms.txt, controls and measurement in Search Console. No citation promises.
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Astro flies. That doesn't mean your SEO does too
Moving from WordPress to Astro, Next.js or Hugo makes a site load faster, but that doesn't guarantee better SEO. What to check after migrating.
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Google doesn't penalize you for using AI. It only asks you to review what you publish
On October 1, 2026, Google updated its documentation on the use of content generated with artificial intelligence.
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Transactional SEO architecture: how to organize a website so Google understands where the business is
What a transactional architecture is, how to group pages by what the user searches for and why it helps Google understand your business.
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AI Overviews in brand searches: how to audit them
AI Overviews already appear in most brand searches and Google builds them with third-party sources. How to audit what they say about your company.
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Competitors in ChatGPT and Gemini: research their sources
AI assistants also rely on what others publish about your brand. How to research the sources, mentions and backlinks of your competitors.
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AI Mode agents: prepare your website for continuous search
AI Mode's information agents keep searching for the user after the first query. What changes for your website and what is worth reviewing.
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Drop after a spam update: compare what didn't fall
After a spam update, analyzing only the pages that fell leads to wrong conclusions. Also compare those that held and look for repeated patterns.
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GEO Writing: how to get AI to cite or mention you
How to write so an AI cites your website or mentions your brand: direct answers, data with a source and a checklist of nine questions to review.
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Internal linking: choose the format by intent
Text, CTA, card, breadcrumb or related block: each internal link serves a different function. How to choose the format before writing the anchor.
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SERP Reality Check: how to audit your real position on Google
Third in your rank tracker is not third on screen. How to audit the full SERP (ads, map, modules) and decide before optimizing.
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Google changes your page's title: causes and what to check
Google changing your title doesn't prove it ignores your work: it can use the H1, og:title or anchors. Seven checks in order before touching the title.
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Google ranks another URL: diagnose before touching anything
If Google ranks another URL and not your landing page, it isn't always down to the canonical. How to separate duplication from relevance and diagnose it in 5 steps.
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Drop in indexed pages in Search Console: how to act
A drop in indexed pages deserves investigation, not alarm. A 7-step diagnosis to find out which URLs were lost and whether they should be in the index.
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Google Search Profiles: what they are and how to prepare
Search Profiles brings together on Google the accounts of whoever publishes and lets you follow them. What changed this week and what is worth preparing without expecting miracles.
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Ad metrics in CrUX: what they measure and how to use them
Chrome has added four public ad-load metrics to CrUX. They are not an SEO factor, but they help audit the real experience of a website.
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Citation vs recommendation in AI: Lily Ray's study
An AI can cite your content and recommend another company. What Lily Ray found in 100 B2B queries and how to measure AI visibility without fooling yourself.
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Cloudflare and Googlebot: blocking AI crawlers with care
Blocking training crawlers on Cloudflare can also slow down Googlebot. What changes on September 15, 2026 and what to check on your CDN.
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Local vs transactional intent: car rental
In 'car rental in Alicante' the city is where the car is picked up, not where the user is. How to read that hybrid SERP and which signals to reinforce.
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Regex Guide 2026: what it is, what it is for and patterns
Complete guide to regular expressions (Regex): what it is, what it is for and the most used patterns with practical examples for SEO, marketing and analytics.
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What is a Canonical and why it is essential for your SEO
What the canonical tag is, what it is for in SEO, when to use it, differences from the 301 redirect and how to audit your canonicals.
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What is a Buyer Persona and why you can't improvise it
What a buyer persona is, why you can't improvise creating it and how to use AI with ready-made prompts to build real customer profiles.
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Keyword Analysis: A Practical SEO Guide
What keyword analysis is, why it matters for your SEO and how to find keywords with intent and low competition for your business.
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SEO and generative AI in 2024: what changes for the user
A 2024 reading: with generative results, nothing changes for the average user and for SEO only if it was working badly. This is what I said then.
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The first call is free and with no commitment. I tell you what I would do on your site and whether it makes sense to work together.