Best Marketo alternatives worth evaluating in 2026

Adobe Marketo Engage has long been the go-to for enterprise demand generation teams. But over the past few years, a growing number of marketing operations leaders have started asking a harder question: Is Marketo actually the best tool for us, or are there Marketo alternatives we should be aware of?

How to write a CRM RFP (with free template)

CRM buying decisions go sideways in a predictable way. Sales wants pipeline automation, IT wants an on-premise option, marketing wants native email, and finance wants to know why there’s a $200K line item with no defined ROI. By the time procurement gets involved, you’ve got four vendors, three opinions, and zero consensus.

SEO for a new website: A sequencing guide for your first 90 days

Starting SEO for a new website feels like being handed a 40-item to-do list and told not to break anything. 

Luckily, you only have to do a few of the right things, in the right order. We'll walk you through exactly that, even if you're a complete beginner.

What is query fan-out? How to find & optimize for subqueries

A search query used to be just that: one query, one set of results. Now, one complex AI search query can trigger an estimated eight to 20 or more background searches (Google hasn't published exact counts), each producing its own results. These results are scored for relevance, with the strongest ones across all the sub-searches being synthesized into one comprehensive answer.

Consider the AI tear down

Find a safe critic.

Upload your essay, your book, your artwork, your business plan or your resume to Claude. Then, pick a critic.

“Write a detailed, specific negative review that might appear on Amazon/in ArtNews/at a Ph.D defense/from a disappointed venture capitalist/from a recruiter”

ChatGPT's Search Index Serves Small Sites Too, Data Shows

Resoneo says hundreds of outlets with no OpenAI content deal were served by OpenAI’s in-house search index exactly the way its licensed partners were. In its free-account data, that index handled most ChatGPT search results.

What is enterprise marketing automation? Features, platforms, and best practices

Enterprise marketing automation is how large organizations scale personalized marketing across multiple teams and channels without disrupting their data or workflow. If you’re evaluating platforms or trying to modernize a fragmented stack, this guide covers everything you need to make a confident decision.

When AI Takes The Click, Click Worthiness Should Guide Your Strategy

In my previous Search Engine Journal article, I argued that organizations need to build Brand Sovereignty by becoming the most authoritative source of truth for AI. As AI increasingly serves as the intermediary between businesses and customers, the organizations most likely to be recommended will be those that provide the highest-confidence evidence about their products, services, and expertise.

Microsoft Advertising Adds AI Visibility Insights, PMax Testing, And Creative Preview Updates

Microsoft Advertising introduced its first monthly product newsletter on LinkedIn this week. It brings together several features announced over the past few months while introducing new capabilities across AI reporting, Performance Max testing, and creative review.

Why AI Recommends Your Competitor & What To Do About It

Kris Jones joined me for an episode of Search Engine Journal’s podcast. He has been in search since the late 1990s and now runs the agency LSEO, after building and selling Pepper Jam. We spent most of the conversation on one question, which is what actually decides whether an AI system recommends your brand.