Over The Bull®

Over The Bull®

Tired of marketing fluff, shady sales tactics, and overpriced agencies that sell fear instead of results? Over the Bull is a no-nonsense podcast where we share real stories from inside the agency world—the wins, the failures, and the clients we had to cut loose. Join me each week as we break down the reality of running a business, expose the marketing BS that’s holding companies back, and talk about what actually works. No generic reports. No empty promises. Just real strategy from the trenches.

Episodes

August 13, 2025 42 mins

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In this episode of Over The Bull, Ken peels back the fantasy surrounding AI and Google’s so-called “all-knowing” powers. Using fantasy films as a launching point, we explore the common misconception that these systems magically understand everything online. But here’s the truth: without structure, even the smartest algorithms miss the point.

We ground the conversation with a practical tool—schema markup—a way...

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IMPORTANT UPDATE: We discovered that an incorrect audio file was uploaded for this episode. The file has now been replaced with the correct recording. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for listening to Over the Bull. 

ChatGPT racked up over 3.1 billion visits last September—more than Bing. If that stat doesn’t make you pause, it should. In this episode, we unpack how businesses sabotage their own digital g...

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Local SEO isn’t dead—it’s evolving. In this episode of Over The Bull, Ken breaks down seven essential strategies to optimize your Google Business Profile (formerly GMB) and keep your business visible in a world increasingly shaped by AI search results.

You’ll learn:
•Why your business address still matters (even in 2025)
•The truth about NAP consistency and directory syndication
•How reviews, resp...

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In this deep-dive episode of Over the Bull, we tackle two emerging threats in digital marketing that may be quietly undermining your brand:


1. Landing Page Pitfalls

Are you driving ad traffic to low-quality pages? Optimized landing pages now convert at up to 55%, while average rates sit at 2–5%—a staggering gap between real strategy and wasted ad dollars. Companies using 40+ tailored pages generate 500% more l...

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In this episode of Over the Bull, we break down how AI is rewriting the rules of search, SEO, and online marketing — and what that means for brands trying to stay relevant.

From zero-click search to AI-generated content flooding the web, we read directly from some of the most respected sources in the industry. Hear what marketing leaders and researchers from Bain & Company, SearchPilot, Forbes, and Tom’s ...

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In this episode of Over The Bull, Ken breaks down how Google’s new AI Overviews are reshaping local business visibility—drawing from a recent whitepaper by Local Falcon, a leader in local SEO tracking and analysis.

AI Overviews now appear at the top of many local search results, replacing the traditional map pack in some cases and pushing small businesses further down the page. But does your proximity to the ...

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In this episode of Over The Bull, Ken shares two real-world stories from just the past week that spotlight a growing problem in the digital landscape: service providers that simply aren’t ready for the credibility demands of the AI era.

First up is a vacation rental platform that forces businesses to host booking pages off their own domain—eliminating any SEO benefit and causing a jarring trust gap for users ...

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Most business owners start with the wrong question: What platform should I use? In this episode, we flip that thinking on its head. Ken breaks down why the real question should be: What am I trying to achieve—and who am I trying to reach?

From DIY builders like Wix and Squarespace to niche industry platforms and open-source tools like WordPress, we explore the strengths and traps of each. But more importantly...

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As artificial intelligence transforms the way people discover and interact with businesses online, traditional digital advertising tactics are beginning to lose their edge. In this episode of Over the Bull, we uncover why the once-reliable Google Ads strategy—built around microsites and keyword-stuffed landing pages—is quietly becoming outdated in the face of AI-driven search engines and smarter algorithms.

K...

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Ever feel like you’re doing your vendor’s job for them — and still footing the bill? In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the hidden costs of poor vendor relationships. From endless back-and-forth emails to fixable mistakes, to the time you spend double-checking work that should’ve been right the first time, we explore how inefficiencies chip away at your bottom line.

We’ll talk real-world examples of...

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In this episode of Over The Bull, Ken Carroll explores the unraveling of once-trusted marketing tactics in the face of AI-powered search. From low-domain microsites to landing-page hacks and pay-per-click crutches, strategies that used to dominate are now in their death throes.

AI isn’t just disrupting the game—it’s rewriting the rules. Ken explains how large language models are bypassing gimmicks and favorin...

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What if the biggest threats to your marketing success aren’t your competitors — but your own habits?

In this episode of Over The Bull, host Ken Carroll breaks down the Four Horsemen of Marketing: Panic, Ego, Indecision, and Tech Obsession. These aren’t just abstract concepts — they’re the real-world behaviors that quietly derail campaigns, exhaust budgets, and leave business owners wondering why “nothing seem...

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In this high-impact episode of Over The Bull, Ken breaks down how top-performing businesses use KPIs not just to measure progress—but to win territory. Inspired by a New York-based private equity group acquiring multiple companies, we explore how strategic awareness campaigns paired with smart conversion tracking become the ultimate arsenal in the fight for market dominance. If you’re only measuring phone calls, you’r...

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In this episode, we venture into the chaotic frontier of modern branding—where Canva templates, color mismatches, and inconsistent visuals run rampant. It’s the wild wild west out there, and without a clear brand standard, your message can get lost in the dust.

Ken breaks down why consistency matters more than ever, how quick-reference style guides can save a project from creative drift, and why working with ...

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Paying a Premium for an Illusion: In this episode, we pull back the curtain on an agency we vetted during a client review process—one that promised white-glove service but was, in reality, reselling a cookie-cutter platform with massive markups.

We explore how agencies like this thrive by banking on a client’s lack of technical insight, and how their tactics—fancy dashboards, inflated fees, and vague service ...

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In this episode of Over The Bull, we pull back the curtain on the AI-generated content boom—and the hidden dangers behind it. From lifeless language to content “inbreeding,” we break down how agencies are quietly replacing human creativity with algorithms, and why it’s eroding trust, killing brand authority, and flushing your E-E-A-T score down the drain.

Plus: how to spot the red flags, what the “Habsburg Th...

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Some clients aren’t just demanding—they’re draining. In this episode of Over The Bull, Ken Carroll breaks down how just 20% of your clients can cause 80% of your stress, and why holding onto them (especially during slow seasons) might be costing you more than you think.

We’ll cover:
•Red flags that signal a client needs to go
•Why “being nice” can ruin your business
•The real ROI of letting go

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In this episode of Over The Bull, Ken Carroll walks through the early planning stages of helping a current client—a custom cabinet maker—explore a new business direction: storage solutions for mudrooms, pantries, and laundry rooms.

This isn’t a success story (yet). It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the real questions, trade-offs, and strategy conversations that happen when a business wants to grow but needs to...

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Behind every marketing campaign is a psychological lever. Fear, pride, trust, guilt, envy—these emotional triggers influence the way people think, click, and buy. But where’s the line between persuasion and manipulation?

In this episode of Over The Bull, host Ken Carroll breaks down the emotional triggers that drive modern marketing. From classic examples like Edward Bernays’ “Torches of Freedom” campaign to everyday b...

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In a world where everyone calls themselves a creative, how can business owners tell who’s legit—and who’s just selling templates in disguise?

In this episode of Over The Bull, we sit down with a 30-year design veteran to talk about what separates real creative work from the cookie-cutter designs flooding the market. We cover what happens when businesses undervalue originality, the hidden cost of hiring the wr...

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