Rand Fishkin

Founder/Wizard of Moz

SparkToro CEO. Author of Lost & Founder. Feminist. I love underdogs, cooking, & helping people do better marketing

I'm the cofounder and CEO of three companies: SparkToro, software that makes audience research accessible to everyone, indie game maker Snackbar Studio, and the vastly superior alternative to Google Alerts: Alertmouse. I'm also the author of Lost and Founder: (2018), prev founded & led Moz (2001-17) and am a frequent keynote speaker on marketing and entrepreneurship topics. But, I'm probably best known as the amateur chef husband of renowned author, Geraldine DeRuiter.

Cofounder & CEO

I co-founded SparkToro (with Casey Henry) to enable high quality audience research for marketers, PR folks, entrepreneurs, and product builders without the need for expensive, time-consuming, inaccurate surveys or impossible-to-scale manual research.

AI responses aren't lies; they're rarely dead wrong. But they're also nowhere near consistent. If you're using Google AI, ChatGPT, or Claude to get lists of recommendations (products, brands, etc.), or if you're trying to track if your own brand/product/entity in their responses, please arm yourself with this knowledge first.

Yesterday I published a heap of charts, graphs, dataviz, and stats... but for some people those don't land. So I made a short video attempting to sum up the painstaking AI consistency research that went near-viral after yesterday's launch (30K views in the first 24hrs!). Thanks to everyone who helped share it, and 🤞 this will help even more to wrap their heads around it 👇

Cofounder of SparkToro, Alertmouse, & Snackbar Studio. Author of Lost & Founder. Feminist. I love underdogs, cooking, & helping people do better marketing

NEW research: https://lnkd.in/gwyQz_wg

How consistent are AI tools when asked for a list of brands/products?

And do the answers mean those AI tracking tools are selling you a boondoggle of snake oil chicanery?

Oh my goodness, buckle up, because the answer took 3 months, dozens of surveys, thousands of AI requests, and more than a dozen graphs, charts, and visuals to uncover. Below, I've pasted just a little taste (3/15) of the data visualizations in this research, and, apologies, but for the full findings, including the conclusion, you're gonna have to read the post. 😎

p.s. Huge thanks to Patrick O'Donnell from Gumshoe AI for being my research partner on this. Couldn't have done it without him.

Nobody knows how to hate like LinkedIn's algorithm. They hate links with a passion, so much so that the classic "link in comments" workaround is now failing, too. LinkedIn's process? Just hide the comment, too!

But, for y'all who wanna get clever and are willing to put in a bit of work, it's still possible to drive traffic/signups/motivated visits with the right techniques, and that's the focus of this week's #5MinuteWhiteboard 👇

Me: "our brand positioning is audience research for marketers."
Google: "ha ha ha... your brand is whatever we say it is."

My advice:
Step 1 - monitor your search console ratio on branded terms, keeping a special eye on those where clicks:impressions is <65%.
Step 2 - set up brand mention alerts (because what others say about you on the web is how AIs decide what to say about you)
Step 3 - when a mention comes along that says great things about you and fits your positioning... QUOTE IT. CITE IT. LINK IT. SHARE IT.

👇👇👇

When your inventor friend is laid up after surgery, but already paid for a demo slot at CES Unveiled, what do you do?

DAMN RIGHT. You offer to fly to Vegas and present to hundreds of journalists in their stead. (even though you're more than a bit nervous 😅😅😅)

So, friends, especially #PR friends -- we could really use any advice on how to talk to journalists and influencers in the CES tech world.

I help YOU or YOUR team build authority to develop new business opportunities by providing comprehensive LinkedIn® training, coaching, and consulting. 
My process guarantees results by identifying, attracting, educating, engaging and nurturing relationships on LinkedIn®. Let's talk: +44(0)7976 894353

You are aware of the vast opportunities that can result from maximising your use of LinkedIn® but are unsure what to do next...

THAT'S WHERE I COME IN! ⬅️

🌶️  I deliver measurable, quantifiable results by helping you build a successful strategy for using LinkedIn® to its fullest extent to reach your goals.

🌶️  I blend customer insight, business strategy, and bespoke training to engage, educate, and motivate you and your team to measurably achieve one of your organisation’s most important goals - generating new business opportunities.

HERE'S WHAT I DO ⬅️

🌶️  I equip you to improve your authority and lead generation performance. 

With a 30+ year career in sales and digital marketing, having set up over 25 businesses, I educate individuals and teams to maximise their use of LinkedIn®, connecting people and a process to enable them to build trust, loyalty and advocacy, leading to business growth.

HERE'S HOW I DO IT ⬅️ 

🌶️  I take a high-level consultative approach to understand your business development challenges.

🌶️  I deliver training to show you how to leverage LinkedIn® to achieve your goals. This often includes Business Owners, Directors and Managers in Business Development, Marketing, Leadership Development, Consultants and HR.

🌶️  I deliver training that leads to a MEASURABLE  📈 success for YOU and YOUR team. 

🌶️  I combine over thirty years of experience in setting up, running, managing, and occasionally selling businesses to help you be successful.

➡️ Successful relationships are generated by building trust, one step at a time. ⬅️

Let’s meet over Zoom for an initial discussion. 

Email me at nigel @ valueexchange.co.uk or pick up the phone: ☏ +44(0)7976 894 353

To learn more, visit: 👉 https://www.valueexchange.co.uk

🚀  I have one simple aim - to help my clients achieve their goals! 🚀

My reputation relies on it! Please see my Recommendations for verification! ✅

I look forward to working with you. 🏆

Please note: My LinkedIn® consulting services are independent and not sponsored by the LinkedIn® Corporation. My tips and advice are based on my experiences and client successes on this platform.

I am the proud Chair of the Community Foundation for Calderdale (CFFC).

#LinkedInTraining #LinkedInStrategy #LinkedInConsultant

Nigel Cliffe

Some people have suggested one of my predictions for 2026 is unfounded, how dare they?!

“2️⃣ Video isn’t optional anymore”

https://lnkd.in/eQf7UqYz

It’s like it’s the fashionable thing to do – I get it – so jump on the bandwagon, eh, Nigel?

Well, no, actually.

My thanks to Joe Lander this morning for perfectly demonstrating why video IS becoming so important. It has more impact than images, it increases dwell time and is only going to get better!

Companies like https://www.dicapri.you/ are making it easier for everyone to take their first step.

This is just a bit of fun, but the next iterations are going to be fascinating, don’t you agree?

Helping You Master LinkedIn® Through 12+ Years of Real-World Experience | Trainer, Speaker, Coach & Mentor | Personal, Practical & Proven LinkedIn® Strategies That Drive Real Results | Chair of CFFC (Charity)

How to search better (OFF LinkedIn) 🚀

Right now, a lot of people are panicking about LinkedIn’s new Brew360 changes.

❌ Search is changing
❌ Reach is getting squeezed
❌ Some features have gone
❌ Others feel hidden behind “Premium + wishful thinking”

But here’s the thing.

I’m not worried. At all.

Because I’ve never relied on LinkedIn’s search options to do the heavy lifting for me!

I’ve always used Boolean search properly.

And I’ve always used Google to find what LinkedIn prefers to hide. 🫣

And guess what?

It still works. Beautifully. ✅

Boolean isn’t a geeky trick.

It’s a commercial skill.

Most people are clicking LinkedIn filters and wondering why nothing shows up.
Meanwhile, I’m slicing through LinkedIn data via Google:

✅ site:linkedin.com/in/
✅ AND, OR, NOT
✅ phrases, wildcards, parentheses
and more…

This works for CEOs, recruiters, founders, jobseekers, sales pros, and creators.
In short, anyone trying to find people, seeking insights, or looking for new opportunities.

Which is most of us.

I’ve packaged everything I know into this resource:

➡️ A structured 'How to Do Boolean Search' guide. ⬅️

Updated for 2026

Google vs LinkedIn, side by side

With examples, comparisons, and real-world use cases

🧐 TL;DR

🌶️ Don’t let Brew360 limit you. 

LinkedIn may be narrowing the doors, but Google is wide open.

Boolean still shines.

This is genuinely one of the most valuable resources I’ve shared on LinkedIn.

📌 Grab the PDF ⬇️

✅ Use it.
✅ Save it.
✅ Share it.

Ask questions. Share it with your team. 

Or don’t… and enjoy having an unfair advantage 😉

If this helped you even a little, let me know why in the comments. Thanks. 🙏🏻

#Search #BooleanSearch #LinkedInTips #Recruitment #Brew360

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The Battle

Rand Fishkin

Nigel Cliffe

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The Battle

Rand Fishkin

Nigel Cliffe

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Rand Fishkin's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreNigel Cliffe's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreRand Fishkin's LinkedIn Performance