Ctrl Alt Ask

What actually works for web creators right now? Across this season of Ctrl Alt Ask, we spoke with SEO experts, ad strategists, branding pros, creator coaches, and founders navigating real traffic swings. In this episode, we’ve distilled the most important lessons into eight clear, actionable takeaways for independent publishers.

You’ll learn how to:

• Think about Google without letting it control your strategy
• Improve your search performance with small but meaningful site changes
• Attract advertisers by strengthening your audience relationship
• Build a smarter YouTube strategy across Shorts and long-form
• Clarify your brand so it cuts through noise
• Promote your work confidently without burning out your audience
• Protect your content in the age of AI
• Adapt to Google Discover as it reshapes traffic

Whether you're focused on SEO, monetization, branding, or just staying sane as a creator, this episode pulls together the most practical advice from across the show into one focused guide.

There’s a part of Google quietly driving millions of clicks to websites every day–and a lot of creators don’t even realize they’re publishing for it. In this episode, we ground the conversation in what Google Discover actually is, where it lives, and why it matters right now for creators navigating a shifting search landscape.

Guest Tim Konrad of Unofficial Networks shares what it’s been like riding the feature’s highs and lows, and why traffic to his ski and snowboard site can rise and fall faster than the alpine slopes he covers. Tom Critchlow, Raptive’s EVP of Audience Growth, breaks down what’s changed inside Google Discover, which signals still matter, and what creators can do to improve their chances of getting surfaced.

00:00 Introduction to Google Discover

00:44 Meet Tim Konrad and Tom Critchlow

01:12 Get to Know Tom via his Google Discover Feed

02:27 Tim Konrad's Journey with Google Discover

04:46 Understanding Google Discover

07:24 Google Discover's Impact on Traffic

10:10 Challenges and Volatility in Google Discover

14:32 Optimizing Content for Google Discover

27:36 Future of Google Discover

31:23 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Additional resources:

https://raptive.com/blog/why-you-should-be-optimizing-for-google-discover/ 

How can smaller news and entertainment creators compete with giant publishers? Should creators chase breaking news, or focus on evergreen content? And what actually wins in today’s SEO and discovery ecosystem?

These are the questions facing creators like Jamie Broadnax of Black Girl Nerds and entertainment creators everywhere. With massive publishers dominating the space, how can high-quality independent sites break through? 

Raptive’s SEO expert Eddie Mercado joins the pod to help us unpack why search is especially stacked against entertainment creators, and what they can do to win anyway. Eddie breaks down where Google traffic really comes from in 2026, and how to use your niche as a competitive advantage.

You’ll learn:

• Where creators should focus for traffic: Google Search, Google News or Google Discover?
• Should creators push for breaking news vs. evergreen content?
• Why niche beats scale, and how to use yours as your superpower

00:00 Introduction: The challenge facing entertainment sites

00:44 Meet the Expert: Eddie Mercado

01:26 Icebreaker: Why Eddie’s favorite TV show is a discoverability winner

02:31 Jamie’s question: Help!

07:01 Understanding Google Discover

08:39 Challenges unique to entertainment sites

10:37 Timely vs. evergreen content strategies

13:56 Why knowing your niche matters

15:57 Optimizing content for Google Search, News and Discover

Substack is no longer just an email platform, it has grown into a fully fledged social media site. But does that mean you need to start one? Best-selling author, podcaster and Substack aficionado Jo Piazza joins to share how Substack fits into her larger creator and marketing ecosystem. 

The question asker this week is Steve Snyder of Club Trader Joes. He’s started a free Substack and gained some traction, but how can he grow it and build a community? And how can he turn it into a monetized income stream?

Additional resources:

• Jo Piazza’s Podcast
• Jo Piazza’s Substack 

At the end of 2025, so many creators are telling us they’re feeling burnt out. And this phenomenon is more than tiredness or overwhelm: it’s a state of fight or flight, and it could be the thing zapping our creativity. So how do we get out of that state and tap back into our love of making content?

This week, our creator guest, food and lifestyle entrepreneur Laura Fuentes poses this question, and she confesses that creating has been feeling the same old, same old. 

Josh Zimmerman, The Creator Coach, joins as our burnout expert to help Laura (and all of us) get our spark back. Together, he and Steph discuss why creators are especially susceptible to burnout and offer actionable advice on how to reconnect with our flow state.

Creator resources:

• Meet Josh Zimmerman, The Creator Coach

In a crowded digital landscape, how do you get your brand to stand out? In our first-ever live episode, host Stephanie Woodin gets the lowdown from Emily Robinson, a top entertainment publicist who has launched countless TV shows, products and global brands. Together, they translate lessons from Hollywood publicity to the world of web creators.

Get Emily’s Hollywood insider tips on brand strategy from goal setting to execution, and learn how content creators, influencers, and entrepreneurs can build stronger, more memorable brands online.

Free creator resources:
How do I stand out? Brand-building strategy for creators

AI crawlers are coming for your content: Should you block them, or let them in? In this episode of Ctrl Alt Ask, Raptive’s Chief Growth Officer, Marc McCollum, breaks down what every creator needs to know about AI scraping your site.
 
Our guest this week, Nate Hake, founder of Travel Lemming, shares why he’s already blocking AI bots, and why he thinks creators must unite to demand fair compensation from AI companies. From copyright lawsuits and licensing deals to the truth about traffic loss, this episode is a must-listen for all creators who publish online.

Free creator resources:

• Why we still recommend blocking AI crawlers
• Cloudflare prioritizes creators and publishers with new AI crawler controls
• When it comes to AI negotiations, publishers are stronger together
• Why ‘Do not scrape’ policies matter more than you think
• Protecting your content from unauthorized use

Resources for Raptive members:

• How to manually block common AI crawlers
• How to block common AI crawlers with the Raptive Ads WordPress plugin
• Keep “good bots” unblocked to maximize ad revenue

As a creator, your niche is your superpower for finding and retaining an audience. But is honing a super-specific category leaving advertising dollars on the table?

This week, Jess Coppom of Make & Do Crew, wonders if she should expand her crochet content to attract advertisers. 

To give Jess the best advice, we pulled in MaryRay Lombardo, Raptive’s SVP of Advertising Partnerships. She explains why advertisers are drawn to creator sites, and what they’re looking for. She brings the latest research to help creators find ways to attract more ad dollars without alienating their devoted audiences. 

Free creator resources:

• Raptive & Nielsen 2024 case study on brand effectiveness in the creator ecosystem
• Raptive Intelligence: Smarter ad targeting for better campaigns
• Meet Katie Swanson, Manager, Email Identity Performance

Resources for Raptive members:

• What is programmatic advertising?
• 9 ways to improve user experience

What does YouTube really want? For years, it was long-form content, where more minutes meant more revenue. But after the TikTok takeover, YouTube abruptly pivoted to short-form, which is great for getting creators more eyeballs, but not as great for ad dollars. 

This week’s creator, Aimee Page of the Crazy Craft Lady, has had success on YouTube with long-form content. But should she suddenly start creating short-form content to keep up with this trend? How should creators meet the algorithm at this moment? And, most of all: where do they find the time?

Fresh off Made on YouTube 2025, we’re joined by Linda Petta, who delivers the hottest updates about what YouTube is doing to help creators out. Linda shares the best strategies she’s learned from years of helping creators achieve the biggest ROI from their efforts. 

Free creator resources:

• The next 20: Powering the future of entertainment together at Made on YouTube

Resources for Raptive members:

• Turn your video views into sales with YouTube Shopping

Where did all my clicks go? This is a common question we’ve been hearing over the last few years as traffic has plummeted for creators across the board.

Our creator this week, Organically Addison, has noticed that Google is ranking Quora or Reddit forums above her gluten-free recipes. Is that where her traffic went? 

Tom Critchlow, Raptive’s EVP of Audience Growth, joins Stephanie to explain  what happened. As it turns out, it’s a bit more complicated than just favoring community forums. But there’s good news: Tom has a bunch of simple, tactical SEO tricks you can apply today to help improve your traffic.

Free creator resources:

• What Google’s June 2025 core update means for creators
• Analyzing the impact of Google’s helpful content updates
• What Google’s new AI Overviews means for Raptive creators and publishers
• Our take on the future of search: SEO, GEO, and beyond

Resources for Raptive members:

• Strengthen your site by reviewing low-performing content
• Recipe roundups outperform single recipes: here’s how to make yours stand out
• Optimize your above-the-fold content to boost credibility and clicks
• Unlocking the power of Google Discover
• How using one date improves SEO and click-through rates
• A smarter SEO framework for updating recipes the right way
• About page vs. author page: why both matter for brand and creator credibility
• The ultimate guide to refreshing content to boost rankings and drive traffic
• The ultimate guide to content production for audience and traffic growth