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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-

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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.

Send a text

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.