The SMART Spark
SEO Then and Now: What Actually Moves the Needle in 2026
Why is our website traffic down? I've been getting the same question from clients a lot lately. "Why is our traffic down?" Sometimes it's framed differently. "We haven't changed anything — why are our rankings dropping?" Or: "We've been doing SEO for years and...
I Ran HubSpot’s AEO Grader on My Own Site. Here’s the Honest Result.
HubSpot's new AEO Grader checks how ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini currently represent your brand across five scored dimensions: Sentiment, Presence Quality, Brand Recognition, Share of Voice, and Market Position. I ran it on my site and scored zero out of seven...
HubSpot Agency or Freelance Consultant. Which One Do You Actually Need?
If your process is solid and you need someone to run it, hire for execution. When you want help with your architecture, automation or strategy, should you contact an agency or find a solutions partner? A prospect asked me this question last week. My honest answer: it...
We Used to Measure Marketing Like This; HubSpot Changed Everything
According to HubSpot’s 2026 State of Marketing Report, 86.4% of marketers now use AI tools. I've been writing about web analytics since before 2007. Back then, I published a post about how to measure the effectiveness of your online and offline marketing campaigns....
Why Companies Leave HubSpot (And Why Most of Them Didn’t Have To)
These frustrations aren't a HubSpot problem. They're a setup and management problem. A post is making the rounds on LinkedIn. A business owner explaining why they fired their HubSpot consultant — or never had one — and left the platform after years of overpaying. Too...
What Is Fractional HubSpot Admin Support — And Do You Actually Need It?
Whether it's 5 hours a month or 20. The point is consistent, knowledgeable attention.Fractional HubSpot admin support means hiring a certified HubSpot expert on a part-time or retainer basis to manage, optimize, and maintain your portal — without the cost or...
HubSpot Will Never Work Right Out of the Box. Here’s Why That’s Actually Fine
It looks ready. It isn't. HubSpot will never work right out of the box — and that's not a flaw. It's a platform, not a pre-packaged solution. Every business sells differently, markets differently, and defines success differently. HubSpot has to be configured around...
Podcasting Was a Buzzword. Now It’s a Pipeline Strategy
People will voluntarily listen to your message. What "podcasting" really means in 2026 In 2006, I wrote a post called Podcasting, the New Buzzword. I was genuinely excited about it. The idea that a small business in Wichita, Kansas could distribute audio content to an...
How to Understand HubSpot Reports
The numbers aren't wrong. They're just answering a different questions.Your numbers are fine. You're just asking different questions. Last week a client called me, clearly frustrated. Their HubSpot reports weren't matching their ad platform reports. Were the numbers...
