Rand Fishkin
randfish.bsky.social
Rand Fishkin
@randfish.bsky.social
Cofounder of SparkToro, Alertmouse, & Snackbar Studio. Geraldine's husband.
Reposted by Rand Fishkin
Hey folks, I'm sleeping outside tonight, this is why...
youtube.com/shorts/deKHw...
Why I'm sleeping outside tonight - and why I would love your support
YouTube video by Wil Reynolds
youtube.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Reposted by Rand Fishkin
After much deliberation and a grueling interview process, I’m pleased to announce that I’ve accepted a new job and will not need any financial support from my parents to cover the high costs of childcare going forward. #AmericanDream #ThisIsYourCity
November 18, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Reposted by Rand Fishkin
The best advice for freelance journalists today is to be born rich. The second best advice is to marry well. This is not shade.

This week's long-form essay has been a long time in the making, as I go deep into the sad state of freelance journalism over on ESC KEY .CO:
www.esckey.co/the-death-of...
RIP freelance journalism: Candid advice to the young writers the world needs to read
Every year, freelance journalism pays less. A typical gig today pays 80% less than the same assignment in 2001. It is no longer a sustainable career. It is, more often, a side-hustle, or the domain of...
www.esckey.co
November 18, 2025 at 1:39 PM
www.hcn.org/issues/57-11... is a beautifully written account of a beautiful project.

It's the kind of piece no AI could write, where the author's passion for the subject and love for the people shines through.
Heavy metal is healing teens on the Blackfeet Nation - High Country News
In response to youth suicides, teachers show students the power of headbanging at Fire in the Mountains festival.
www.hcn.org
November 18, 2025 at 4:28 PM
nautil.us/the-surprisi... great advice

"Sticking with impossible goals can take a real toll, with research suggests it can lead to higher stress, poorer well-being, and even physical health costs. But letting go and—crucially—reengaging with new goals, was found to restore purpose and well-being.”
The Surprising Benefits of Giving Up
The Surprising Benefits of Giving Up: Ditching or adjusting goals in the face of adversity might often be the best thing for us.
nautil.us
November 18, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Rarely do I read something thoughtful & nuanced about Israeli/Palestinian politics.

Rarely do I read something thoughtful and nuanced about creative uses for AI.

And yet, www.betterconflictbulletin.org/p/what-you-c... is somehow simultaneously both. (it's a podcast, too, for those who prefer)
What You Can Learn from 4,000 Conversations Between Israelis and Palestinians
Adam Becker is building an AI-powered platform for difficult conversations - BCB #171
www.betterconflictbulletin.org
November 14, 2025 at 8:06 AM
NEW in SparkToro today: Take Action

16 common marketing tasks (from PR pitches to content ideation to landing page suggestions) made easier by combining real audience data + LLM calls.

Anyone can try it free starting now 👇
November 12, 2025 at 7:01 PM
DONATE here: www.sleepout.org/participants...

Next week, I'm chipping in $6,500 and sleeping outside in the freezing Philly cold w @wilreynolds.bsky.social, not b/c I want to (dear god I am not built for sleeping outside in a cardboard box 😅🥶), but b/c it's important.

Would 💗 your support
November 11, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Reposted by Rand Fishkin
Google's new deceptive ad layout not only tricks people into clicking more ads

It's costing businesses real money 💸
November 4, 2025 at 8:29 PM
No. Your Twitter traffic did NOT double overnight.

What happened?
Twitter's been stagnating/declining since 2023
The growth team growth hacked (making links auto-open in webview)
They hope marketers will fall for it & pay more attention again.
But, it's nothing more than smoke & mirrors.
November 4, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Got interviewed re: the digital marketing AI "revolution" (which I admit has changed a lot, but has also caused a lot of dumb decisions): www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7a5...

The first 60 second-trailer bit almost convinced me to watch the whole thing and I was there the first time around! 😎👇
AI Hype vs Reality: What actually works in marketing (w/ Rand Fishkin)
YouTube video by Lunio
www.youtube.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Reposted by Rand Fishkin
*puts on best Mighty Mouse outfit* Here I come to save the day!! 🦸🧀
I *know* Google Alerts is aware of these brand mentions for my company. And yet... 😡😤😒😠🤬 they won't send me alerts. It's inexplicable. Google (the search engine) clearly has these URLs indexed, so what gives? Mystifying. Thank goodness for🔔🐭
October 30, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Reposted by Rand Fishkin
Used @randfish.bsky.social’s awesome new tool, @alertmouse.bsky.social (a better version of Google Alerts) for a whole 30 seconds only to learn that my name was mentioned in Forbes this week.

(1/2)
October 30, 2025 at 3:48 AM
I *know* Google Alerts is aware of these brand mentions for my company. And yet... 😡😤😒😠🤬 they won't send me alerts. It's inexplicable. Google (the search engine) clearly has these URLs indexed, so what gives? Mystifying. Thank goodness for🔔🐭
October 29, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Looking good @thekraken.bsky.social !
October 29, 2025 at 7:14 AM
I've got a new job today: alertmouse.com

Not leaving my other jobs, but alongside my friends Adam & Nathan, we built a "what if Google Alerts was really good?" product.

Your first alert is free forever; I suspect that if Google's let you down the way it has me, you'll like it a lot 😎👇
October 28, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Reposted by Rand Fishkin
Agency owners: Fill it now!

PS: I'll feature in today's edition of #SEOFOMO 👀
AGENCY OWNERS! Help yourself & your fellow agencies out: randfish.typeform.com/to/eFoJ3tXz

Paddy Moogan is once again running the Digital Agency Owner Survey for 2025. Last year's results were incredibly compelling; this year's will be, too.
October 26, 2025 at 7:46 AM
This week I made a distinctly American variant of risotto that was, unquestionably, one of the most beautiful things I've ever plated.

But... Gotta say it wasn't my favorite. I fell for an Instagram recipe based on looks > flavor. Still good just not *great*.
October 23, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Reposted by Rand Fishkin
The world: “metaphors are to complicated”

Me: “fine, let’s spell it out for you.”
October 22, 2025 at 8:36 PM
AGENCY OWNERS! Help yourself & your fellow agencies out: randfish.typeform.com/to/eFoJ3tXz

Paddy Moogan is once again running the Digital Agency Owner Survey for 2025. Last year's results were incredibly compelling; this year's will be, too.
October 21, 2025 at 10:14 PM
"You need to use AI to make your marketing tasks more efficient."
- everyone's boss right now

I've been notably skeptical of AI, but begrudgingly admit... sometimes it's helpful. So, we built a "Take Action" SparkToro feature. If you're up to test, email me. Details 👇
October 21, 2025 at 5:17 PM
If 100 people ask ChatGPT the same question, how many different answers will they get? 🤔

Drives me bananas there's no good data about this.

So... let's do it ourselves. Volunteer to help out here: forms.gle/xHuGQcBSPqX7...
LLM Consistency Testing Project (for science!)
Volunteer here to help Rand and co. test the consistency of AI tools
forms.gle
October 17, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Seattle! C'mon down to SparkTogether tomorrow. The weather's fine. The venue's lovely. The fits are poppin'.

sparktoro.com/sparktogether
October 15, 2025 at 9:06 PM
I'm going this weekend and have yet to be paid anything! Why won't Antifa pay me? 🙃
Sean Duffy: "The No Kings protest, Maria, really frustrating. This is part of antifa, paid protesters. It begs the question who's funding it."
October 13, 2025 at 11:30 PM