Written by: Eric Brister Benefits of Hiring an Amazing WordPress Designer: Why Pretty Websites Don’t Pay the Bills At Chris McElroy SEO Agency, we've spent years watching developers build websites that look good but don’t work. It's not uncommon to run into fancy layouts with pages take five seconds to load or find copy that just doesn't connect with people and get the job done. They stack plugin on plugin, then wonder why the site collapses under its own weight. They call it design. I call it sabotage. Because every broken form, every lagging page, every confused visitor... that’s money lost, rankings gone, leads that never called back. Websites aren’t trophies. They’re tools. And when a developer forgets that or doesn't know enough about building successful businesses online, the client pays the price dearly. We've rebuilt too many disasters to count, and we decided a long time ago that we don't actually sell websites... We sell working businesses tha...

It's 2026 and publishing tools abound. Every day, it seems new publishing tools emerge, giving content writers more choices about how, when, and where to publish new content. Not all of these newfangled tools are worth your time. On the other hand, there are some proven, tried and tested, publishing tools that will still do the trick. Even in 2025. Let's take a look at 5 Web publishing tools you can use in 2025. Then I'll tell you which publishing tool wins the prize for the best—hands down. 5 Popular Web Publishing Tools in 2025 I'm not going to say you shouldn't try these publishing tools, but these are not the best publishing tools for every occasion. Still, these 5 publishing tools are pretty decent depending on what type of publishing you do and your audience. Medium - Medium has been around a while. Writers who want to build a platform flock to Medium because it's easy to use. Plus, Medium publications allow writers to extend their reach and audience enga...

by  Eric Brister  -  Chris McElroy SEO Agency AI Search Optimization 101: What is Search Everywhere Optimization Now?  Every time a new technology comes along, people start sounding the alarm that SEO is dead. It happened when Google shifted its algorithm, when social media started driving traffic, and now with the rise of AI search tools. The reality? SEO is not DEAD. SEO is doing what it's been doing all along... Evolving. What we call it today is Search Everywhere Optimization . The game is no longer just about ranking on Google. It’s about making sure your brand gets mentioned wherever people are searching, whether that’s on TikTok, LinkedIn, AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, or in traditional search engines. We have a quote below from Chris McElroy SEO Agency, from a recent post we did on the topic of AI search optimization. AI search optimization is about adapting your strategy so you’re visible across other popular platforms buyers go for answers, because AI a...

by  Eric Brister  -  Chris McElroy SEO Agency If Your Website Designer Doesn't Know SEO and CRO, He's Wasting Your Time As a business owner, it's easy to get caught in the trap of thinking, "I need a website first." You know you need to attract clients and drive sales to your product or services. But the truth is, if you pour thousands into design, graphics, and slick animations, most of the time you'll realize later that you have no traffic, no leads, and no real strategy to fix it.  And by then, the budget’s gone. At Chris McElroy SEO Agency , we take a different approach.   Your website should be a tool in a larger, strategic marketing plan. Not the centerpiece of it. We help clients think bigger: Who are you trying to reach? What’s your value proposition? How are you going to get found? How are you going to convince people to buy ? A website doesn’t answer those questions. A marketing plan does. And your website should be built around that plan from...

by  Eric Brister  -  Chris McElroy SEO Agency Zero to On-Page SEO Expert in 3 Minutes: How to Get Your Content to Perform Better 46% of all Google searches are local. That means n early half of your potential customers are looking for nearby businesses right now. SEO is what helps them find you in search results. But it’s only the first step. Rankings aren’t stable (just 17% of sites hold the same spot on desktop and mobile , while 37% drop when the search is mobile ). And even if you manage to get perfect rankings, they still can’t make visitors stay, trust you, or buy. Without clear copy, structure, and UX, SEO is just a word.   You can also win clicks and still lose customers. That’s why Chris McElroy SEO Agency  combines  smart SEO with CRO and user-first content to turn browsers into prospects and clicks into revenue. In this guide, you’ll learn the core on-page SEO elements every small business needs and how to make them convert. If you follow this ...

by  Eric Brister  -  Chris McElroy SEO Agency New Website Launch Checklist - SEO & Content Quick Start Guide Launching a website is a high-five moment. That is until you realize Google doesn’t care how good it looks if you skip the backend essentials. That’s where most site owners drop the ball. Whether you’re launching for a local plumbing business, a coaching brand, or a slick new SaaS product, the difference between a pretty website and one that actually gets traffic and converts comes down to this: post-launch SEO and content readiness. You can’t afford to wing it. And frankly, neither can your clients. At Chris McElroy SEO Agency, we're an Austin-based SEO agency that bridges sales psychology with search, and we've been perfecting this checklist for years. It’s not just about metadata, image optimization, and headings with keywords in them. It’s about making sure the page communicates with prospects on time and that search engines can see how you've curated t...

  Easy Elementor Pro Sticky Header and Sticky Jump Links Tutorial Writing copy for business owners online has taught me one simple truth: if people can’t find what they want fast, they leave . They're just in a hurry, and don't have time for maybe . Back in my door-to-door days, that meant a slammed door. Today, it means a click to your competitor’s site. Same problem, different century.  But on our clients' sites, that's not happening.  We use Elementor Pro’s sticky headers and sticky jump links in our content architecture all the time. Think of them both as f riendly salesman who never walk away. .. They are always in view, and always ready to guide your visitor exactly where they want to go. They look sharp, they create a good user experience, and more importantly, they  don't leave people searching around your site when they need to navigate, though you really want to pick one or the other. Using sticky headers and sticky jump links on the same page is pr...

How to Improve Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) and Turn More Clicks into Customers Your website copy should be a closer, not a greeter. Anyone can say “Welcome!” But if that’s all your site is doing, you’re basically waving people in and then letting them wander out without buying a thing. In CRO terms, the magic isn’t in the hello— it’s in the handshake that seals the deal. That’s where the real sales flow comes in.  Just like a good salesperson has three moves: the opening, the pitch, and the close. Your marketing funnel works the same way: The Opening: Everything that happens before they land on your site. Ads, social posts, email teasers... All set the tone and expectation. The Pitch: Your on-page content delivers the value, builds trust, answers doubts, and keeps them reading. The Close: Clear, confident calls-to-action that make it nearly impossible to walk away without taking the next step.   When all three of these pieces are in sync, your website doesn’t just “ge...

  AI Impact on Search Engine Optimization and Why SEOs Should Be Changing with It AI has been shaking up the way people search, and if you’ve been wondering what that means for your brand, you’re in the right place. AI impact on search engine optimization is not about SEO being dead or replaced. It’s about SEO expanding . Instead of just worrying about rankings in Google, you now have to think about visibility in AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copilot, and Google’s own AI Overviews. Here’s a section from the original post that puts it simply: “At the end of the day, all of these acronyms point to one idea: You need to create better, clearer, more useful, higher quality content and help machines understand what you offer. No smoke and mirrors. Just better strategy, smarter structure, and consistent visibility across both traditional and AI-driven platforms.” - Chris McElroy SEO Agency What This Post Teaches You? The post makes one thing clear: AI SEO, or Generative Engine Op...

  Checklist for Human Blog Writers: Have All of These Checkpoints with You and AI Can't Even Compete If you’ve been watching the digital marketing space lately, you’ve seen AI-generated content everywhere. It’s faster, cheaper, and flooding search results daily. But here’s the thing most people forget: search engines, readers, and even AI itself all still rely on something AI hasn’t mastered...the human mind. That’s why today, we’re spotlighting a section from Chris McElroy SEO’s Human Blog Writer Checklist 2025;  a post that should be mandatory reading for anyone serious about ranking and converting in 2025. Chris has been in the trenches for decades, outlasting every algorithm update and content fad. What he shares here is a reminder that your brain, experience, and creativity are still your biggest competitive advantages. Here’s one of my favorite parts from his post: "Human Blog Writers Do It Better ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini, if you’re reading this, don’t be too i...