iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Users are no longer sold by informing them about a product or service because an AI result has already provided that when they get to your site. Duane outlines how to decide what users now need from you when they arrive at your site regardless of how they got there

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Looking at the Gemini Grounding API you quickly understand "AI Contribution Pilot" Publishers have an audit trail for contributions in the Gemini Grounding API. Google saved publishers once with AdSense which monetized content when newsletters and begging just weren't cutting it. History Repeats!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I strongly suggest reading this post it outlines user behaviour that explains why current AI Success KPIs were ill conceived in particular visibility metrics of citations & mentions. Bottom line is users don't use them & CONTENT EXPECTATIONS when they do arrive at sites have changed significantly!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

SEO tool providers must be having real problems getting Google SERP links true destinations. I ran 400 yesterday and 96 returned 403 or 429 response codes. Fair enough! I was doing head checks to lessen the load for both ends so I ran another script asking for a partial. 6 came back 206 and 4 404s

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I have been pretty much of the opinion that claims of "fair use" were nonsense and the content thieves knew it but were/are counting on expensive litigation to lessen their risk!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

No click SERPs have been the Google goal since 2006 w/purchase of Orion patents began a transition from a pure lexical indexer to an entity based answer engine with an understanding of concepts and relationships. That we are where we are shouldn't be a surprise! It's only going to get worse!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Spent some time scrubbing Google goto links from grounding data for study of: 1. How well sites in Google AI results rank for target terms & grounding queries (fan-out) 2. Compare use of parametric memory of 3.5 to 3.8 3. Determine source overlap of 3.5 to 3.8 4. Sensitivity to triggers 3.5 to 3.8

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Joe makes great points on many of the "GEO bros" techniques. Many are clearly spam that work only because the AI providers aren't yet equipped to handle it. They will because in the end the public starts talking about their shite results and survival mode kicks in! ashla.ai/p/is-your-ge...

ashla.ai

Is Your "GEO" Just Another Name For Spam?

You might be making yourself a target for the next spam update!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Interesting post by Pedro Dias about measuring AI visibility. I've been comparing output from Gemini 3.5 and 3.8 which indicates the problems Pedro is discussing will not improve they're quite likely becoming the "norm". theinference.io/p/it-was-the...

theinference.io

It Was There a Minute Ago

A missing brand mention gives you a result. The explanation attached to it deserves a much harder look.

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

It was obvious to me that stealing content and bandwidth w/little to no benefit to the site wasn't a sustainable business model for a search platform. It appears OpenAI/ChatGPT have been building an index since 2024. Whether that decreases site fan-outs is TBD in due time peec.ai/blog/chatgpt...

peec.ai

ChatGPT built its own search index - Peec AI

ChatGPT uses Google and Microsoft, but owns its own index Read more on the Peec AI blog.

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

The post where I replied saying there was no change in grounding data wasn't accurate I'm currently in the midst of preparing to compare output from 3.5-flash and 3.8-flash.

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Great Post! In regards to schema and AI platforms. No they do not use schema in the way we normally expect, but, being dumb as a fencepost AI does read it and treat it like text! So it is one method of adding a machine readable layer to your page.

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

There are smart AI providers like Google & Bing! Then there's the rest! Google and $MS have started providing some useful data in GSC & BWT realizing marketers need data to rationalize spend! The others can't give us anything cuz they fear litigation. They steal content & bandwidth for RAG

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Seen a drop in Google AI clicks ? Consider there are far fewer links in AI. In June I saw popups w/multiple links in overview & AI card at right of it. Now I see a few cited sources & AI card at right. Gemini Grounding data has little change in POSSIBLE citations, share of voice or cited sites!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

This is an excellent list of AI RFP questions. Very interesting to me cuz I've been working on an app that provides grounding data directly from Google. It will answer many of these questions differently than most visibility monitors

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Love that Ca. people have made it easy for Carney to stand up to Trumps bullying. Recent Poll: "The appetite for retaliation was even stronger: 74% supported a special tax on electricity exports to the United States and the same proportion supported taxes on Canadian oil and natural gas exports."

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Unfortunately posts like these are necessary! There was a time when SEOs actually had to know how this stuff works. Sad to see this is where we're at.

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Some of the best SEO advice I've seen in a while! SEO and any other #EO you want to call it. It's all still digital marketing where we're using information systems and ideation to get the job done. AI can't do that! All it can do is "parrot" our ideation and creativity!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

1 of the things I've avoided as an SEO was doing gap analysis simply because everyone else does it, IMO gap analysis implemented by misguided SEOs was a huge component of HCU. Add content because it serves a function on your site ie it has a fcking reason for being there! Not just to drive traffic!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Well ole' orangehead just dumped on the wrong guys. I'll now buy China before US! The Ca. tariffs are not about trade it's about annexation. I applaud Carney for standing up to a bully! I say we start charging export tax on electricity and oil which other countries are already lining up to buy!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Although the answers are different my limited research (Gemini Grounding API) indicates the GROUNDING queries seldom change and several of the contributors are found in multiple answer variations w/differing share of conversation. What you don't see in the SERP you can review using the API

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I agree w/Joe when he writes that too much attention is paid to the answer when the real important info is in the grounding stats (Google and lesser extent $MS) moreso the grounding queries (result queries) than fanout queries (what's out there) ashla.ai/p/your-under...

ashla.ai

Your Understanding Of RAG Is Critical To Unlocking AI Search & GEO Success

Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) is the future of SEO

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Anyone whose been in this game for any length of time should have already realized the business model of content theft to train LLMs & stealing bandwidth w/fanout queries knows this isn't a sustainable business model! When site owners realize they're being played it's not going to end well for SEOs

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Fact! Other than link building the most effective SEO techniques are based on analysis of user behaviour and user intent. For someone who has actually seen and went through the kind of change AI is currently bringing to SEO I am disappointed that the industry hasn't seen it for what it ACTUALLY is!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Regarding my last post IMO, the Times is still cloaking even if using HTTP content negotiation because the content users see is significantly different than the content AI is crawling which is an important criteria for cloaking otherwise it would be delivering the same content formatted for AI bots

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Well thought out piece! I think the SEO vs. GEO debate is partially fuelled by the fear of anyone who has been around SEO long enough realizes we are all painted with the same brush. IMO, Most of the GEO claims are a house of cards that IME, always end badly.

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Duane explains why entity maps are a Google thing! Have been seeing discussion about these entity maps but resisted a deeper dive because if AI truly understood it they would treat Schema less like text & more like the machine language it is. duaneforresterdecodes.substack.com/p/entity-map...

duaneforresterdecodes.substack.com

Entity Mapping Works on Google. Does Any of It Reach ChatGPT?

Entity mapping treats Google and ChatGPT as one system. They are not, and knowing where the line falls is where the real value in this work sits.

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

In traditional SEO, keyword volume defined the landscape. In AI visibility tracking, synthetic prompt tracking creates vanity metrics cuz users don't search that way. Measuring natural search queries in a pure user state... is the only way to get a realistic picture of a brand's true visibility.

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

So why do AI platforms need to pound servers with NEEDLESS requests? Cuz they aren't search engines w/ an index of pages. They're literally content vaccuums that exist only because we allow them to steal content and bandwidth so some VCs and NERDS in Silicon Valley can SOMEDAY RULE THE FCKING WORLD!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

LOL you heard it here first when months ago I predicted the failure of OpenAI. IMO, it has completely mismanaged their funding thinking they can just rip off investors like they did our content! I normally don't applaud bankruptcy but it was earned and can't come soon enough for me!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Having never used Perplexity I thought I'd give it a go. The two sources? Both Top sources in Gemini Grounding API. The answer? Pretty close to what Google has accept Google have more links to their sources since they aren't stealing content they can show exactly what they're doing

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Duane's asking the right questions! I'm not too happy w/the players currently in the game. It's about time that SEO and AI tools are affordable by all with actual actionable data!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Today I was wrestling with how to deal with a post I wrote four years ago and is on it's 4th update which IMO, with dumbasse AI crawlers these updates are going to be needed more frequently. So part of CreativeWork is hasPart which it looks like prime usage is for episodes of shows and podcasts

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

If you're looking to use machine readable files for clueless AI platforms Simon's post will help you a lot. I think Googlers experience with machine readable files by SEOs has more to do w/ their reluctance. I'm betting with time yes... I'd use content negotiation ie if they wanna read it they can.

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

HYPE around AI is getting to the annoying point. Agentic web is likely years away from users ACTUALLY DOING what the hype masters want them to do now. Does nobody remember it took Mobile literally years to take majority of search? HUMANS ARE CREATURES OF HABIT seems as an industry we've forgotten?

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

IMO 2 things the SEO industry hasn't really grasped is that Google still owns search and all the other AI platforms combined have less share than Bing. The other mystery is how an industry where USER based analysis was a cornerstone of methods has missed the fact USERS don't prompt! Keywords RULE!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Great post with references for several good tools to research query fan-out. I am working on a tool that tracks answers and fan-out queries. IMO, queries are stable cuz they are the basis for the synthesized answer if the fan-out changes IME that changes the answer. signal.zyppy.com/p/fan-out-fr...

signal.zyppy.com

Fan-out Framework: 5 Steps to Optimize for Fan-out Queries

A proven 5-step method to use AI fan-out queries to improve your visibility in SEO and AI search

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

That's just stupid cloaking how long do they expect to stay in business? Not long w/dumbasse moves like this!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Some excellent tips on dealing w/ Google Core updates. I still believe the best way to deal with them is to not get hit by them. Good SEO has ranking sustainability (future proofing) at its core. www.advancedwebranking.com/blog/diagnos...

advancedwebranking.com

From Patents to Practice: Diagnosing, Auditing, and Recovering from Core Updates

Learn how Google core updates assess quality, diagnose ranking drops, reduce quality debt, and build authority that drives lasting SEO and AI search resilience.

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Some interesting thoughts here! Hype around AI makes all this even more complicated. Most of the new protocols and what not are based on significant changes to how users & devs do things. Prompts for instance have not been adopted very widely by users yet many in the industry act as if they have!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

It's not like markdown is some new fangled technology! There's a reason the web has gotten by without the half assed markup that markdown is. It's ugly to look at and that's why it's just for machines. It's just a dogs breakfast of asterisks and dashes!!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

I don't know... at some point even the dumb as fencepost AI platforms will see it for what it is... when an SEO technique has a name like this... it has an EFFECTIVE shelf life of about 6 months cuz everybody is doing it. When people are complaining about too many in the results that's a red flag!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Did you hear that? It was a home run hit into the Level of Excellence at the Skydome!! These kind of insights are the reason if you're not following Barry... you can't be in publishing.

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

If only I was 40 again! Lots of new stuff to play with! www.msn.com/en-ca/money/...

msn.com

MSN

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

AI search is like the person who feels they need to comment on everything even if it makes no sense... IMO, AI is that person!

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Week 3 of studying how Google generates answers. Seeing "answer data" at the byte level can be an eye opening experience. ;-)

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Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T @terryvanhorne.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Matt pointed out a good one! Roger did a great job on what I've called topic drift. What SEO's think is a related topic is often far off the mark because they use human common sense and Google uses math ie: vector embeds. That was IMO, the point that many PUBLISHERS didn't grasp about HCU!

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Reposted by Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T

Mark Williams-Cook @markwilliamscook.com · 28/05/2026

Do LLMs use schema? I did an experiment that was widely misunderstood, so I’ve taken the time to write up all of the detail on the theory and look at available evidence. This is the new nuanced and long-form answer on my Substack. 🤓 open.substack.com/pub/markwill...

open.substack.com

Schema, LLMs and the Low Bar for “Evidence” in GEO

I built a fake company with nonsense schema. The LLMs returned the address anyway. That is not the win the GEO industry thinks it is.

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Reposted by Terry Van Horne AKA Webmaster T

Barry Adams 📰 @polemicdigital.com · 28/05/2026

Report: The Zero-Click Content Shift What is zero-click search, and does it really pose an existential threat to the publishing business? voices.media/zeroclick/

voices.media

Report: The Zero-Click Content Shift

What is zero-click search, and does it really pose an existential threat to the publishing business? Our new report, The Zero-Click Content Shift, aims to answer exactly that question. Produced in…

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