Checking a site’s traffic gives you a directional read on where a competitor stands, how a market is shifting, or whether a channel is worth pursuing. The tools that do this, SimilarWeb, Semrush, Ahrefs and others, estimate rather than measure. Understanding that distinction is what separates a useful competitive intelligence exercise from a strategy built…
SEO quackery is the practice of selling or following SEO advice that sounds credible, uses the right vocabulary, and promises measurable results, but has no real mechanism for improving rankings. It is widespread, commercially motivated, and genuinely damaging to businesses that act on it. The problem is not that bad SEO advice exists. The problem…
SEO quackery is the practice of selling search engine optimisation services, tactics, or guarantees that have no credible basis in how search actually works. It shows up as promised first-page rankings, secret algorithms, and proprietary methods that turn out to be recycled basics dressed in new language. The damage it does is real: wasted budgets,…
A local keyword is a search term that includes a geographic modifier, either explicitly stated by the user or inferred by the search engine based on location signals. “Accountant in Bristol,” “best coffee near me,” “emergency plumber Leeds” , these are all local keywords, and they represent something specific: a person with a clear need,…
Chick-fil-A advertising works because it does something most fast food marketing refuses to do: it builds a brand people feel something about before they ever walk through the door. The “Eat Mor Chikin” cows, the consistent values-led messaging, the deliberate restraint on discounting, these are not accidents. They are the output of a brand that…
A local keyword is a search phrase that includes a geographic modifier, either explicitly stated or implied by the searcher’s location, that signals intent to find a product, service, or business within a specific area. They are the bridge between a person ready to act and a business ready to serve them. Get the strategy…
Marketing and advertising are not the same thing. Advertising is one part of marketing, the paid placement of messages in front of an audience. Marketing is the broader system of decisions that determines who you’re talking to, what you’re saying, why it should matter to them, and how you’re going to reach them. Confusing the…
Chick-fil-A advertising works because it does something most fast food marketing refuses to do: it builds a brand that people feel something about, not just a menu they order from. The cows, the “Eat Mor Chikin” campaign, the consistent tone across every touchpoint, these are not accidents of creativity. They are the output of a…
Affiliate advertising is a performance-based channel where a brand pays a commission to a third party, the affiliate, for driving a specific action, typically a sale, a lead, or an install. The brand only pays when the action happens. The affiliate earns by promoting the brand to their audience. No action, no payment. That is…
Marketing and advertising are not the same thing. Marketing is the full system: understanding your market, defining your positioning, setting your pricing, shaping your product, and deciding how to reach people. Advertising is one part of that system, specifically the paid communication of a message to an audience. Conflating the two is not just a…
Practical marketing intelligence
for people who think.
© 2026 The Marketing Juice