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What worked in January might already be dead.

The half-life of strategy is shrinking. AI tools evolve monthly. Search behavior shifts. Paid ads tighten. Privacy rules expand. Algorithms adjust. And most businesses are still running last quarter’s playbook.

In this episode, we break down hard data on:
• Google Ads decay and why generic landing pages burn money
• The real relationship between press releases and SEO
• Why email marketing is still one of the highest ROI channels
• First-party data as the new currency

...and more!

SOURCES:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/237974/online-advertising-spending-worldwide/

https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2014/03/17/what-is-a-good-conversion-rate

https://unbounce.com/conversion-benchmark-report/

https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-marketing/

https://privacysandbox.com/

https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/data-and-measurement/first-party-data-strategy/

https://www.litmus.com/resources/email-marketing-roi

https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/guides/email-marketing-benchmarks/

https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/guidelines/link-schemes

https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/qualify-outbound-links

https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/google-discover

https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content

https://developers.google.com/search/blog

https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/sentient-ai

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/could-a-

Support the show

This show breaks down the unglamorous marketing systems that actually work—structured websites, schema, local signals, consistency, and momentum over time. No hacks. No trends. No dopamine marketing.

Each episode explains why boring, repeatable actions compound, how businesses accidentally reset their own progress, and what to build if you want growth that doesn’t collapse when the campaign ends.

If you’re tired of starting over, this is for you.

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Legacy media isn’t collapsing because digital exists.
It’s struggling because it’s trying to sell digital services it wasn’t built to deliver.

Newsrooms are shrinking. Journalists are being laid off. Entire sections are disappearing. At the same time, many historic media brands are expanding into SEO, website development, social media management, and digital advertising.

The question is simple:

Does a 100-year-old reputation automatically translate into digital competence?

In this episode of Over The Bull, Ken Carroll breaks down:
•The structural decline in newsroom employment
•The pivot from journalism to digital sales
•Why brand equity is being used as a substitute for operational capability
•The difference between selling digital and actually executing digital

This isn’t an attack on journalism.
It’s an examination of misalignment — systems built for one era attempting to monetize another.

History built trust.
But trust alone doesn’t produce measurable results.

If you’re a business owner evaluating digital services, this episode will help you separate reputation from real execution.

SOURCES:

Washington Post cuts a third of its staff: https://apnews.com/article/923f87d4bd319c8a64b278165d0a6e27  

U.S. newsroom employment has fallen 26% since 2008 (Pew Research Center): https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/07/13/u-s-newsroom-employment-has-fallen-26-since-2008/  

Media Layoffs & Employment (Pew Research Center topic page): https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/news-habits-media/news-media-trends/media-industry/media-layoffs-employment/  

US Newsroom Staffing Has Dropped 26% in 12 Years (TheWrap summary of Pew data): https://www.thewrap.com/us-newsroom-staffing-has-dropped-26-in-12-years-research-shows/  

Newspaper newsroom employment fell 57% since 2008 (Pew data summary): https://mustreadalaska.com/newspaper-newsrooms-have-shed-57-jobs-since-2008/  

Washington Post layoffs continued criticism and context (The Guardian): https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/feb/06/bob-woodward-washington-post-layoffs  

Mass layoffs at The Washington Post reported internationally (Le Monde): https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/02/05/the-washington-post-legendary-american-daily-is-shaken-by-mass-layoffs_6750173_4.html

Support the show

This show breaks down the unglamorous marketing systems that actually work—structured websites, schema, local signals, consistency, and momentum over time. No hacks. No trends. No dopamine marketing.

Each episode explains why boring, repeatable actions compound, how businesses accidentally reset their own progress, and what to build if you want growth that doesn’t collapse when the campaign ends.

If you’re tired of starting over, this is for you.

Schedule A Free Consultation

Over The Bull® is brought to you by IntegrisDesign.com. All rights reserved.

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This episode is designed to cut through Google Business Profile (GBP) folklore by deferring authority directly to Google’s published documentation. Where Google is silent, we clearly label recommendations as risk-based, experience-driven guidance—not official policy.

Google’s Stance:
- The business name must reflect real-world usage and branding.
- Legal registration alone is not sufficient.
- Google may request evidence such as signage, branding, and customer-facing materials.

Step 1: Stop making changes. Frequent edits reduce trust.
Step 2: Align the business name with real-world branding.
Step 3: Correct address/service-area setup.
Step 4: Reduce categories to the most accurate primary + limited secondary.
Step 5: Remove policy-violating content (posts, photos, descriptions).
Step 6: Rebuild trust gradually—photos, legitimate reviews, consistent updates.
Step 7: Document proof (licenses, signage, utility bills) in case reinstatement is needed.

If a tactic requires justification gymnastics, it is likely non-compliant.
Google rewards accuracy, consistency, and real-world legitimacy—not clever loopholes.

Sources:
https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en

https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en

https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en

https://support.google.com/business/answer/9157481?hl=en

https://support.google.com/business/answer/13763036?hl=en-NA

https://support.google.com/business/answer/7249669?hl=en

https://support.google.com/business/answer/14114287?hl=en

https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474050?hl=en

https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en

https://support.google.com/business/answer/7213077?hl=en

https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en

Suspension & enforcement overview:
https://support.google.com/business/answer/14114287?hl=en

Support the show

This show breaks down the unglamorous marketing systems that actually work—structured websites, schema, local signals, consistency, and momentum over time. No hacks. No trends. No dopamine marketing.

Each episode explains why boring, repeatable actions compound, how businesses accidentally reset their own progress, and what to build if you want growth that doesn’t collapse when the campaign ends.

If you’re tired of starting over, this is for you.

Schedule A Free Consultation

Over The Bull® is brought to you by IntegrisDesign.com. All rights reserved.

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This episode wasn’t recorded lightly. We talk about the words that show up when business relationships break down—and how those words often carry more weight than the facts behind them. From “hijacked” to “held hostage,” we unpack where these phrases come from, when they’re legitimate, and when they do more harm than good.

Support the show

This show breaks down the unglamorous marketing systems that actually work—structured websites, schema, local signals, consistency, and momentum over time. No hacks. No trends. No dopamine marketing.

Each episode explains why boring, repeatable actions compound, how businesses accidentally reset their own progress, and what to build if you want growth that doesn’t collapse when the campaign ends.

If you’re tired of starting over, this is for you.

Schedule A Free Consultation

Over The Bull® is brought to you by IntegrisDesign.com. All rights reserved.

Send us a text

Artificial intelligence is moving fast. Faster than most businesses are ready for.

In this episode of Over the Bull, Ken Carroll digs into what it really means to operate in a transhuman business world—where AI tools and human judgment now overlap. Sparked by a frustrating spam-style outreach email, this conversation cuts through the noise around automation, “AI marketing,” and shortcut tactics that erode trust instead of building it.

We talk about:
•The right vs. wrong ways to use AI in sales and marketing
•Why EEAT principles (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust) matter more than ever
•How automation can support human connection—not replace it
•The growing gap between tools that scale work and practices that destroy credibility
•What ethical, transparent AI use should actually look like for small businesses

AI isn’t the problem. How we use it is.

If you’re tired of spam, faceless automation, and marketing that feels disconnected from reality, this episode is about choosing a better path—one where technology enhances humanity instead of stripping it away.

Support the show

This show breaks down the unglamorous marketing systems that actually work—structured websites, schema, local signals, consistency, and momentum over time. No hacks. No trends. No dopamine marketing.

Each episode explains why boring, repeatable actions compound, how businesses accidentally reset their own progress, and what to build if you want growth that doesn’t collapse when the campaign ends.

If you’re tired of starting over, this is for you.

Schedule A Free Consultation

Over The Bull® is brought to you by IntegrisDesign.com. All rights reserved.

Send us a text

Lately, it feels like everything is getting more expensive, more complicated, and harder to trust.

Insurance companies are pulling back. Marketing platforms keep changing the rules. Vendors promise protection, optimization, or “peace of mind,” but struggle to explain what they’re actually doing—or why it’s working.

In this episode of Over The Bull, we step back from the noise and look at the bigger pattern: complex systems, fear-based selling, and a growing gap between what business owners are paying for and what they actually understand.

This isn’t an episode about insurance.
It’s about how to tell whether any provider—marketing, tech, finance, or otherwise—is giving you clarity… or quietly making you dependent.

We break down a simple set of questions every business owner should be able to ask:
•Can this be explained in plain language?
•Is there real evidence behind the decisions being made?
•Are incentives aligned—or stacked against you?
•What happens when conditions change?
•And who actually owns the outcome?

If you’ve ever felt like the system is rigged, the rules keep changing, or the experts sound more like magicians than guides, this episode is for you.

No hype. No hacks.
Just a clearer way to see through the bull.

Support the show

This show breaks down the unglamorous marketing systems that actually work—structured websites, schema, local signals, consistency, and momentum over time. No hacks. No trends. No dopamine marketing.

Each episode explains why boring, repeatable actions compound, how businesses accidentally reset their own progress, and what to build if you want growth that doesn’t collapse when the campaign ends.

If you’re tired of starting over, this is for you.

Schedule A Free Consultation

Over The Bull® is brought to you by IntegrisDesign.com. All rights reserved.

Send us a text

You can’t control the Kraken.

The internet isn’t a machine you command—it’s a living, chaotic environment. Yet modern marketing is often sold like magic: guaranteed outcomes, secret systems, and the promise of control.

In this episode of Over The Bull, we use mythology to explain a very real problem—how marketing became hijacked by certainty it can’t deliver. From there, we walk through a simple way to pressure-test whether a marketing plan has a real chance of working, or whether it’s built on assumptions, dashboards, and hope.

This isn’t about tactics.
It’s about clarity, restraint, and dealing honestly with reality before money is spent.

Support the show

This show breaks down the unglamorous marketing systems that actually work—structured websites, schema, local signals, consistency, and momentum over time. No hacks. No trends. No dopamine marketing.

Each episode explains why boring, repeatable actions compound, how businesses accidentally reset their own progress, and what to build if you want growth that doesn’t collapse when the campaign ends.

If you’re tired of starting over, this is for you.

Schedule A Free Consultation

Over The Bull® is brought to you by IntegrisDesign.com. All rights reserved.

Send us a text

Christmas is often about gifts—but in business, gifts can be deceptive.

Some look valuable and impressive but never get used. Others aren’t exciting, but they’re exactly what a business needs to move forward.

As 2025 comes to a close, many business owners are left with a scrapyard of things they tried: new tools, new platforms, and big promises wrapped in polished presentations that never delivered real progress.

In this episode of Over The Bull, we start with the meaning of Christmas—not as sentiment, but as substance—and draw a clear line between appearance and reality in modern marketing.

We talk about why “too good to be true” usually is, how ornate packaging distracts from fundamentals, and why the most valuable thing you can give your business in 2026 isn’t another tactic—it’s clarity.

No hype. No gimmicks. Just a sober look at what actually builds momentum over time.

Support the show

This show breaks down the unglamorous marketing systems that actually work—structured websites, schema, local signals, consistency, and momentum over time. No hacks. No trends. No dopamine marketing.

Each episode explains why boring, repeatable actions compound, how businesses accidentally reset their own progress, and what to build if you want growth that doesn’t collapse when the campaign ends.

If you’re tired of starting over, this is for you.

Schedule A Free Consultation

Over The Bull® is brought to you by IntegrisDesign.com. All rights reserved.

Send us a text

Everyone is pitching “the latest AI tool.” Most want you to just sign up.

In this episode of Over The Bull, Ken breaks down a real email exchange with an AI sales vendor—no names, no screenshots, just the substance. What starts as a simple inquiry turns into a clear example of how speed, automation, and convenience can quietly undermine trust, brand equity, and expertise.

We talk about:
•Why AI responses that move too fast can signal risk
•The difference between activity, automation, and authority
•How “near-zero involvement” should raise red flags
•Where EEAT breaks down in fully automated outreach
•What serious businesses should demand before testing AI tools

This isn’t an anti-AI episode.
It’s a pro-thinking, pro-brand, pro-human one.

If you’re evaluating AI for marketing, sales, or content—and you care about credibility—this episode will help you ask better questions before you commit.

Support the show

This show breaks down the unglamorous marketing systems that actually work—structured websites, schema, local signals, consistency, and momentum over time. No hacks. No trends. No dopamine marketing.

Each episode explains why boring, repeatable actions compound, how businesses accidentally reset their own progress, and what to build if you want growth that doesn’t collapse when the campaign ends.

If you’re tired of starting over, this is for you.

Schedule A Free Consultation

Over The Bull® is brought to you by IntegrisDesign.com. All rights reserved.

Send us a text

In this episode of Over the Bull, Ken Carroll dismantles the obsession with “cutting-edge” marketing tactics and shiny new tools, arguing that the most effective strategy in today’s landscape is the one most businesses try to avoid: consistency, discipline, and doing the fundamentals exceptionally well.

From decades-old sales gimmicks to modern AI-fueled shortcuts, this episode exposes how quick fixes, hype-driven platforms, and abused automation are quietly eroding trust, credibility, and long-term business growth. Ken explains why credibility has become the real currency of the web—and why boring systems like structured websites, intent-driven service pages, proper schema, local citations, call tracking, and consistent content creation quietly compound into real momentum over time.

You’ll hear why momentum beats intensity, how “set it and forget it” marketing is costing businesses money, and what business owners should be demanding from their agencies right now—especially in an era where AI misuse is actively damaging otherwise healthy brands.

If you’re tired of chasing gimmicks, skeptical of easy promises, and ready to build something durable, trustworthy, and profitable, this episode is a reality check you don’t want to miss.

Support the show

This show breaks down the unglamorous marketing systems that actually work—structured websites, schema, local signals, consistency, and momentum over time. No hacks. No trends. No dopamine marketing.

Each episode explains why boring, repeatable actions compound, how businesses accidentally reset their own progress, and what to build if you want growth that doesn’t collapse when the campaign ends.

If you’re tired of starting over, this is for you.

Schedule A Free Consultation

Over The Bull® is brought to you by IntegrisDesign.com. All rights reserved.