Insights on AI search, websites and software
Guides and how-tos for business decision-makers, with primary sources, dates and a clear statement of what’s proven.
50 articles · last published
Guides
Each guide gives you the big picture on one topic and links to every article that goes deeper.
Guide · AI search & GEO
What is generative engine optimization (GEO)?
What generative engine optimization (GEO) is, how ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google pick their sources, and what the evidence shows. Definition and first steps.
Guide · SaaS & software
What is SaaS? A guide for founders and SMEs
SaaS (software as a service) explained: how it works, what it costs, EU hosting and the path from MVP to a multi-tenant product. For founders and SMEs.
Guide · Websites & SEO
Technical SEO: a guide for business websites
Technical SEO for business websites: crawling, indexing, page speed, structured data and multilingual setup, using this site’s own test pipeline as the example.
How our insights work
You’ll find these formats here: Guides give you the big picture on a topic. Explainers answer “What is …?” questions. How-tos walk you through a task step by step. Comparisons and cost guides help you decide. Lists and data pages collect facts with sources.
Every article opens with the answer, followed by the key takeaways. Each figure comes with its source and date, and at the end you’ll find every source we cite and a log of later changes. When we cite a provider’s prices, we don’t name the provider.
Latest insights
How-to · Websites & SEO
Comparing website quotes: 10 things every quote should include
How to compare website quotes: 10 points every quote should state in writing, a grid to fill in, and what eight German providers publish about their packages.
Comparison · Business software
CRM vs. ERP: what does a small business actually need?
Sales or fulfillment: which system fixes your bottleneck, where CRM and ERP overlap and what official data shows by sector, with a recommendation for each case.
How-to · SaaS & software
How to choose a software developer: 12 questions to ask
How to vet a software developer: 12 questions on team, price, quality, security and exit, each with a good answer and a red flag. Ask them before you sign.
How-to · Websites & SEO
How to measure page speed: Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights and CrUX
Read Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights and CrUX correctly: lab vs. field data, the median of five runs, common mistakes. With measurements from datafalke.de.
How-to · Websites & SEO
Move a domain without email downtime: DNS, MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC
Move a domain without email downtime: copy the zone, check MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC, then change nameservers. With commands and our own move as an example.
How-to · AI search & GEO
Publishing your prices so AI answers can quote them
How to publish prices so AI answers can cite them: a review of 35 providers, a template for price statements, as-of dates and what belongs in your HTML.
All insights by topic
AI search & GEO
How AI assistants pick their sources, how to show up in their answers and how to measure it.
- What is generative engine optimization (GEO)? Guide ·
- GEO vs. AEO vs. SEO: what’s the difference? Comparison ·
- How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT How-to ·
- Service pages for AI search: eight fields every page needs How-to ·
- Google AI Overviews and AI Mode: how Google chooses its sources Explainer ·
- Opting out of AI Overviews and AI Mode: is it worth it? How-to ·
- What is query fan-out? Explainer ·
- What is AI grounding? Explainer ·
- What is RAG (retrieval-augmented generation)? Explainer ·
- What is E-E-A-T? Explainer ·
- Entity SEO: why AI search mixes up your company with others Explainer ·
- AI crawlers and robots.txt: what to allow List ·
- What is llms.txt, and does it actually work? Explainer ·
- How to measure AI search visibility How-to ·
- How to track AI traffic beyond GA4 How-to ·
- How much does generative engine optimization (GEO) cost? Cost guide ·
- Publishing your prices so AI answers can quote them How-to ·
- How to choose a GEO agency for AI search: 12 questions to ask How-to ·
- AI search in Germany: key statistics Data ·
Websites & technical SEO
What makes a website fast, findable and accessible, and what it costs.
- Technical SEO: a guide for business websites Guide ·
- Why isn’t my website showing up on Google? How-to ·
- Why isn’t my website generating leads? How-to ·
- Core Web Vitals explained: LCP, INP and CLS Explainer ·
- How to measure page speed: Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights and CrUX How-to ·
- Structured data and schema markup: what helps, what doesn’t Explainer ·
- Bing and IndexNow: get new pages found faster How-to ·
- JavaScript and AI crawlers: how to check what ChatGPT sees How-to ·
- Static site or WordPress? A comparison with real measurements Comparison ·
- A contact form without tracking or spam: how we build it How-to ·
- Website migration SEO checklist: redesign without losing rankings How-to ·
- Move a domain without email downtime: DNS, MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC How-to ·
- How much does a website cost in Germany? Cost guide ·
- Comparing website quotes: 10 things every quote should include How-to ·
SaaS & software
How SaaS and software are planned, built and paid for.
- What is SaaS? A guide for founders and SMEs Guide ·
- What is a multi-tenant SaaS architecture? Explainer ·
- Build or buy software? How to decide Comparison ·
- Low-code vs. custom development: how to choose Comparison ·
- What is vibe coding? Explainer ·
- Developer lock-in: how to keep control of your software How-to ·
- How to write a software requirements specification How-to ·
- How to choose a software developer: 12 questions to ask How-to ·
- How much does custom software development cost? Cost guide ·
- Fixed price or time and materials? Software contract models Comparison ·
- How much does it cost to build a SaaS product? Cost guide ·
- How much does software maintenance cost? Cost guide ·
- Technical debt: what it costs and when to pay it down Explainer ·
Business software & processes
When custom software pays off for your processes, and how to replace Excel spreadsheets and Access databases.
Cost guides
What websites, software and generative engine optimization (GEO) cost in Germany, with price ranges, dates and worked examples.
Cost guide · Websites & SEO
How much does a website cost in Germany?
What a website costs in Germany: euro price ranges from a simple site to a custom build, the main cost drivers and ongoing costs, so you can plan your budget.
Cost guide · SaaS & software
How much does custom software development cost?
What custom software development costs: euro price ranges for web apps, customer portals and SaaS, hourly rates, maintenance and the main cost drivers.
Cost guide · AI search & GEO
How much does generative engine optimization (GEO) cost?
What generative engine optimization costs: prices from 18 providers for audits, setup and retainers, cost drivers, worked examples and how to compare quotes.
Cost guide · SaaS & software
How much does it cost to build a SaaS product?
What it costs to build a SaaS product: euro price ranges from nine German providers, cost drivers like multi-tenancy and billing, and ongoing costs.
Cost guide · SaaS & software
How much does software maintenance cost?
What software maintenance costs: models from hourly rates to maintenance contracts, market prices in euros, response times and our own maintenance tiers.
Research and data
AI search in Germany: key statistics
How often Google shows AI Overviews in Germany, how many people use AI chat and how much traffic it sends: over 30 metrics with sources, dates and a CSV.
AI search by the numbersWho writes here, and how we check
Mohammad Alboush, a software engineer and the owner of Datafalke in Bottrop, Germany, is responsible for every article. Research and drafts are produced with AI. The editorial note at the end of each article shows whether he has already checked its sources, figures and claims.
Every article cites at least three primary sources and shows its publication date and any later changes. Our articles are not legal advice.
You can read more about the author on Mohammad Alboush’s profile.
How we’ll measure