No Hacks with Slobodan Manic
No Hacks with Slobodan Manic is a weekly podcast about how AI is changing the internet. Each episode examines one concrete example, such as a website charging AI crawlers, an assistant that answered after being turned away, or a company that failed to deliver on a promise. The host assesses whether the development is good, bad, or pointless, and explains what listeners can do about it. Episodes usually run about fifteen minutes and are mostly solo, with occasional guests. Slobodan Manic is a CXL-certified conversion specialist, WordPress Core Contributor, and creator of Machine-First Architecture.
Епизоде
232: The Agentic Web Is Still A Single-Player Game
A hundred and seventy-two companies have put their name to A2A, the standard for AI agents at different companies to find each other and talk. I took the web address the project lists next to each name and asked 135 of them the question the standard is built around. Four answered. The reason is not technical: MCP needs one person to say yes, A2A needs two organisations.Chapters00:00 - AWS, Microso
231: A Paywall Stopped ChatGPT From Reading The Article. It Confidently Summarised It For Me Anyway.
A magazine put a paywall in front of its journalism to stop AI reading it. I tested what that paywall actually checks. It reads one line of your request, the name you type in yourself, and compares it against a list. Say who you are and you get a bill. Make something up and you walk straight in. Then I asked two assistants to read the article anyway. Both got charged, both answered, and neither ha
230: A Shoe Company And A Cookie Company Now Say The Exact Same Thing To AI Agents
On August 5 Shopify switched on a second way into every store on its platform, built for AI agents instead of people. Nothing to install, no merchant asked. I opened three unrelated stores, Allbirds, Brooklinen and Partake Foods, and asked each what it could do for a machine. All three answered with the same roughly 800 words, identical character for character, and no merchant wrote a syllable of
229: Does llms.txt Work? What 137,000 Domains' Server Logs Show
Most of what's sold as AI search optimization has never been tested by the people selling it, and this episode is me checking the biggest one against server logs. Ahrefs looked at 137,000 domains in June: 97% of llms.txt files got zero requests in May, and the biggest readers of the rest were SEO audit tools. I also lay out the line I use to sort every pitch: a hack tries to influence what th
228: OpenAI Killed Its AI Browser
I came back from a month off the grid to find OpenAI had killed Atlas, its most glamorously launched product, nine months after the keynote. It barely matters, though. The automated, non-human visitor Atlas was sending to your website is still coming, through whatever shell comes next. Build for the visitor, not the browser.Timestamps00:00 - Back from break, and the bad news01:17 - Atlas: the most
227: ChatGPT Shopping Is Scraped Google Shopping with Malte Landwehr, CMO/CPO at Peec AI
I sat down with Malte Landwehr, who left VP of SEO at Idealo to become CPO and CMO at Peec AI, the platform that tracks what ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews actually cite. We open on the strangest finding of the year. GummySearch, a Reddit analytics tool that shut down last November, now sits behind about 0.1% of all ChatGPT citations. From there we get into why clicks are the wro
226: Most Brands Are Chasing AI Visibility Backwards with Alisa Scharf, Chief AI Officer at Seer Interactive
This week I welcome Alisa Scharf, Chief AI Officer at Seer Interactive, to the podcast, to ask the question she fires back at every client who walks in wanting to "win at AI visibility." Her answer flips the whole project: fix what the models get wrong about you before you chase the category terms. We got into her research on why lower-authority websites earn more citations, why LLMs rec
225: Every Website Already Has An Agent Experience And Most Are Bad With Netlify CEO Matt Biilmann
The user-agent string in the HTTP header has been there since the 1990s. The web was built with software navigating it on someone's behalf. For thirty years that someone was a human. That changes now. Matt Biilmann, CEO and co-founder of Netlify, was one of the first to take seriously what it means when the "user" navigating the web is an AI agent. He published the foundational essa
224: Google's OS-Level AI Agent: Building Samantha Into Android
We are significantly closer to movie Her than we were just 6 months ago.Most coverage reads Google's last six months as a string of independent product updates. They aren't. Read together, they're the whole agentic-web stack closing one component at a time. Tuesday's Gemini Intelligence on Android announcement named the keystone - the first OS-level web-agent integration any co
223: I Scored 33/100 on Cloudflare's New Agent-Readiness Scanner
I ran the Cloudflare Agent Readiness scanner on nohacks.co, got 33 out of 100, and felt insulted. One toggle later the score was 67. That gap is where this episode starts. My case: the web is splitting into two economies. A retailer-friendly agentic web where AI-referred traffic now converts 42 percent better than human traffic. And a page-view-driven publisher web losing 20 to 90 percent of its G
222: AI Visibility Is a Vanity Metric with Wil Reynolds
Wil Reynolds, founder of Seer Interactive, shares how losing 80% of organic traffic actually revealed that his team had been tracking the wrong metrics for years. We get into why AI visibility is a vanity metric, how 44% of LLM users include brand names in their prompts, the real security risks of wrong phone numbers in AI answers, and why trust (not visibility) is the only moat that matters.Chapt
221: Machine-First Architecture: The Framework for Building Websites That Work for AI and Humans
In 2009, Luke Wroblewski's "mobile first" changed how every website gets built. Start with the harder constraint, and the rest gets better. Now the harder constraint is not a small screen. It's no screen at all. Sani introduces Machine First Architecture, a four-pillar framework covering everything from how you define your business to how machines interact with your website. Id
220: Google Patented Replacing Your Landing Page With AI
Google was granted patent US 12536233B1 in January 2026, describing a system that scores your landing page and, if it falls below a quality threshold, replaces it with an AI-generated version personalized to each searcher. This episode breaks down how the patent works, how the industry reacted, and what website owners should do to prepare.Chapters00:00 - Introduction01:24 - How the Patent Works, S
219: Your Homepage Is Not Your Homepage Anymore with Rand Fishkin
Rand Fishkin, co-founder of SparkToro and one of the most influential voices in digital marketing history, shares research proving that AI brand recommendations are wildly inconsistent. You'd need to ask ChatGPT 1,500 times to get the same brand list in the same order twice. We discuss why AI ranking tools are selling metrics that don't exist, why Google is still 210x bigger than ChatGPT
218: Five Years of No Hacks - The Guest Host Takeover
Five years. 218 episodes. 110 hours of content. To celebrate, five returning guests flip the script and interview Sani about the agentic web, the future of web optimization, and what makes this podcast tick. Kelly Wortham, Iqbal Ali, Talia Wolf, Jon MacDonald, and Shiva Manjunath each bring their own questions, their own perspectives, and a few personal ones too.Chapters00:00 - Five years of No Ha
217: The Browser Wars Are Back. This Time With AI Agents!
In the 1990s, Microsoft and Netscape fought for control of the browser, the gateway between humans and the internet. Netscape went from 90% market share to zero in five years. Now, with over 30 agentic browsers launching in under 18 months, the same war is playing out again, only this time the stakes are higher. This episode breaks down the 90s browser wars, compares the tactics to what's hap
216: The Machine Layer - Building Trust in the Age of AI Search with Duane Forrester
Duane Forrester, 30-year search veteran who co-launched Schema.org and built Bing Webmaster Tools, explains why AI systems prioritize trust above all else. We discuss machine comfort bias, chunk-level content optimization, why SEO is now a multidisciplinary role, and how to prepare for a world where LLMs decide who gets cited.About the GuestDuane Forrester is the author of "The Machine Layer&
215: The Agent-Broken Web - Why AI Can't See Your Website
Your website might rank #1 on Google but be completely invisible to ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. In this episode, let's break down why a huge chunk of the web is fundamentally broken for AI systems - not because of bad content, but because of technical decisions that made sense for humans but make sites invisible to the AI systems rapidly becoming the front door to the internet.Chapter Ti
214: How Google Just Took Control of AI Commerce (UCP + Apple Deal Explained)
Google just made two massive moves in 48 hours, and together, they could reshape how AI interacts with commerce forever.First: the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an open standard that lets AI agents shop on your behalf. Discovery, checkout, payments, post-purchase, the whole journey, with one common language. Backed by Shopify, Walmart, Target, Visa, Mastercard, and 20+ others.Second: a multi-
213: Why Google & ChatGPT Are Ignoring Your "Dead" Content with Jono Alderson
For the last 20 years, digital marketing had one goal: drag a human across a "threshold", onto your website, so you could control the message and sell the product.In 2026, the threshold is gone.In this episode, Jono Alderson argues that we have entered the era of "Marketing to Machines." We are no longer optimizing for clicks; we are optimizing for the AI agents that intermedia
212: Goodbye 2025 - Digital Tinnitus and the Non-Human Future
If 2025 felt like a constant, high-pitched ringing in your ears, you aren't alone. We call it "Digital Tinnitus", the exhausting result of two years of AI hype, "pivot or die" mandates, and confident mediocrity.In this 2025 finale, let's shut off the noise.We look back at why "Fatigue" was the word of the year, and why the crash of the hype cycle is actually
211: Why AI is Killing Your Clicks: The New Metrics for a Zero-Click World with Joe Doveton
The ground beneath the digital marketing industry is shifting. For decades, the mantra was simple: optimize for traffic, measure clicks, and track conversions. But with the rise of Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), and Answer Engines, that rulebook is obsolete. In this powerful episode, I sit down with Joe Doveton to discuss the urgent reality facing every brand that relies on web traff
210: AI Agents Are Here (And They Hate Your Website) with Jes Scholz
There is a new user on the internet. It doesn't have eyes, it reads code, and it has zero tolerance for bad UX.In this episode, I sit down with Jes Scholz (SEO Futurist & Marketing Consultant) to discuss the "Great Correction" coming to our industry. We talk about why a decade of obsessing over short-term metrics has "corrupted" brand marketing, and why AI is finally f
209: The Zero-Effort Lie - How AI Is Accelerating the Death of the Internet
The promise is irresistible: generate anything you want, instantly, with zero effort. We’ve been told that AI is the great democratizer, but in this episode, we argue it’s actually the most catastrophic lie of the digital age.The truth is, this endless supply of cheap, fast content is fundamentally destroying value and driving the collapse of the internet as we know it. We're not seeing liber
208: How AI Is Forcing Brands to Be More Human with Brent Csutoras
As the world rushes to adopt AI, what if the most future-proof skill isn't mastering the machine, but mastering human connection? In this episode, Sani sits down with Brent Csutoras, a true OG of the internet who has been a core member of the Reddit community since 2006.Brent argues that the unfiltered, honest, and often chaotic conversations happening on Reddit, a platform he calls "the
207: The Empathy Advantage - Bryan Eisenberg on Why Stories, Not Tools, Will Win in the Age of AI
What do you do when you feel like you've swallowed an elephant? For Bryan Eisenberg, a pioneer of Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), that feeling was both a personal crisis and the inspiration for his new book.In this deep and insightful conversation, Bryan takes us on a journey through his 30-year career, from the earliest days of the internet to the current age of AI. He reveals the one-wo
206: The Vibe Coding Trap and What to Do Instead
Welcome to No Hacks, the podcast that cuts through the noise to reveal the truth about the future of work and the impact of AI. In this episode, we're taking a look into the phenomenon of "vibe coding" – the idea that you can simply describe an app to an AI and have it magically built.Is Vibe Coding the shortcut to tech success, or just another false promise?Sani argues that the hyp
205: AI, Search, and the Jobs of Tomorrow with Olga Andrienko
The world of work is changing faster than ever, and AI is leading the charge. What does this mean for industries like SEO, marketing, and content? And more importantly, what does it mean for your career?In this episode of No Hacks, I’m joined by Olga Andrienko, a marketing leader who transitioned from VP of Brand Marketing into AI operations. Her journey is the perfect case study for how professio
204: #ChatGate - Your ChatGPT Conversation Could Be Indexed and Anyone Could Read Them
In this emergency solo episode I walk you through #ChatGate, the discovery that thousands of “shared” ChatGPT conversations are now fully searchable on Google. We de-mystify the site: operator, trace the unusual timeline that puts OpenAI, Google Cloud and Microsoft on a collision course, and explain why some marketers cheer while privacy advocates panic. Most importantly, you’ll learn how to check
203: No Juniors, No Google, No Chill: Survival Tips for the AI Shake-Up with Erin Weigel and Lukas Vermeer
What does life look like when search engines, junior tech jobs, and even human therapists start losing ground to generative AI? In this lightning-charged round-table, host Sani sits down with experimentation legends Erin Weigel and Lukas Vermeer to test-drive a future that’s already creeping into the present.In this episode you’ll hear:“RIP Google SERPs?”. Lukas explains why he’s stopped opening S
202: Behavioral Design Secrets from YouTube, Google, and Duolingo with Katie Dove
Why don’t users do what they say they’ll do? Why does great UX still fail sometimes? And what do the world’s top companies know about behavior that most of us miss?In this episode, Sani sits down with Katie Dove, behavioral designer at Irrational Labs, to break down the Three B Framework, a powerful behavioral design tool used by teams at Google, YouTube, and Duolingo. They unpack how context shap
201: Know Your Customer, Grow Your Brand: Email Marketing Masterclass with Omar Lovert
What separates email campaigns that convert from those that get ignored? It all comes down to understanding your customers, deeply.In this episode, Sani welcomes back Omar Lovert for a masterclass on customer-centric email marketing. Together, they unpack why AI can’t replace real customer insight, how to use RFM segmentation to identify your most valuable users, and the frameworks that top-perfor
200: Magician vs. Conductor: How to Build (and Fix) Products with AI in 2025
Heads-up: I use some salty language. Nothing hateful, just passionate about this topic. Skip if that’s not your vibe.It’s 2 AM, your side-project just went viral, and the signup flow is on fire. Do you keep “vibe-coding” blind prompts, or step up as the conductor who actually knows the score? In this first-ever solo episode, I unpack why “anyone can code with AI” is 2025’s biggest myth and show yo
199: Data Minimalism, Experimentation, and Ethical AI with Matt Gershoff
In this episode, Sani sits down with Matt Gershoff, CEO and Co-founder of Conductrics, to talk about how being intentional, not just fast, leads to better experimentation, better customer relationships, and better outcomes.Matt shares the wild story of how a machine learning summer school (and donkeys in pajamas!) helped spark Conductrics. They unpack why "just in case" data collection i
198: Google Doesn’t Need Your Blog Posts Anymore, Here’s What to Do Instead with Jono Alderson
Is content marketing finally dead? In this no-BS conversation, I’m joined by digital strategist Jono Alderson to unpack the new reality of SEO, content, and how Google’s evolution is leaving traditional marketing behind.Jono explains why so much content is now obsolete, how search is changing with AI, and why the only real path forward is to be more human, more trustworthy, and more brand-driven t
197: Is the Internet Dead? The Rise of Bot-to-Bot Web & the Decline of Human Content with Anne Berlin
In this episode of No Hacks, host Sani is joined by technical SEO strategist Anne Berlin to explore one of the most disturbing and fascinating topics on the web today: the Dead Internet Theory. Is most of what we see online actually created by bots, for bots? What happens when the web becomes a wasteland of AI-generated slop and abandoned digital ruins? Anne draws on her extensive experience analy
196: Growing Smarter, Not Louder: The 1-1-1 Framework for Early-Stage Startups with Ward van Gasteren
Growth doesn’t have to mean being everywhere at once or chasing every shiny new tactic.In this episode of No Hacks, I talk with Ward van Gasteren — one of Europe’s first growth hackers — about how to grow smarter, not louder. Ward shares his go-to method for helping early-stage startups: the 1-1-1 Framework — one audience, one channel, one message.We dig into how founders and product teams can sto
195: Winning Buy-In: How to Build a Support Network for Digital Experimentation with Sam Barber
In this episode, senior experimentation specialist Sam Barber joins me to unpack what it really takes to drive change through digital experimentation. Spoiler: it’s not just about tests and tools, it’s about people. They explore how to build a solid support network inside any organization, how to win over skeptics, and why shouting (strategically) about your wins might just be your best move.Topic
194: What Go-to-Market Really Means — Early Traction, Smart Systems, and AI with Maja Voje
You’ve probably heard “go-to-market” thrown around like it’s just a product launch. But it’s way more than that — and today’s guest breaks it all down with clarity, energy, and zero fluff.In this episode, I sit down with Maja Voje, an internationally recognized go-to-market strategist who’s worked with over 750 companies, including global giants like Google, Bayer, and Rocket Internet. We unpack w
193: What Google Analytics Can’t Tell You (But Your Users Will) with Daniël Granja Baltazar
Google Analytics shows you what users do — but it can’t tell you why. In this episode, Daniël Granja Baltazar explains how qualitative research reveals the story behind the numbers, helping marketers improve conversion, fix broken journeys, and build better customer experiences.With real examples from his work at Vodafone Business, Daniël shares how interviews, mini surveys, and sales-marketing co
192: The Power of Founder Brand: Why B2B Growth Starts With You with Ognjen Bošković
Most B2B founders wait too long to start building their personal brand—if they think about it at all. But those who get it right unlock a massive competitive edge. In this episode, Ognjen Bošković breaks down what founder branding actually is, why it works, and how to do it without falling into the typical LinkedIn traps.About the GuestOgnjen Bošković is the founder of Raven, a consultancy and com
191: Podcasting 101: Building Brand Awareness and Networking with Anja Lordanić Mustać
Just Start. That’s the message Anja Lordanić Mustać had for anyone procrastinating on launching their podcast.I had an awesome chat with her about why podcasting is such a game-changer for personal branding and business. We talked about:🎙️ Overcoming the fear of starting (because yeah, you’ll suck at first, and that’s fine!)🎙️ The crazy networking opportunities a podcast creates🎙️ Simple, no-BS st
190: Optimizing Events & Growth: Behind the Scenes of Europe’s Biggest Growth Summit with Julia Rumpf
What does it take to optimize one of Europe’s most impactful growth and digital experimentation conferences?In this episode, Julia Rumpf shares her insights into planning GMS—from curating high-impact speakers to leveraging AI and digital tools to enhance attendee experience. She reveals the intersection of digital and physical event elements, the behind-the-scenes challenges of running an interna
189: The Extreme Growth Mindset with Chris Out
What separates entrepreneurs who achieve extreme growth from those who don’t? According to Chris Out, it all comes down to intention, bold action, and brutal honesty. In this episode, he shares how being extreme, not just in effort, but in strategy, can be the key to scaling faster than you ever imagined.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:🔥 Why extreme growth requires extreme intention – Hope won’t
188: Bridging the Gap: How Product and CRO Are Merging with Hesh Fekry
In this episode, I talked to Hesh Fekry from CXL about the evolving relationship between Product and Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO). How are these once-separate disciplines are increasingly overlapping in scope, mindset, and execution? The conversation touches on the historical separation of CRO from Product, the shift towards experimentation as a more fitting term, and how AI and new tools ar
187: Breaking It, Fixing It, Building It: The Mindset Behind Startup Success with Kevin Henrikson
In this episode of No Hacks Podcast, host Sani chats with Kevin Henrikson, an entrepreneur and engineering leader whose journey began on a pig farm. Kevin co-founded Acompli, sold it to Microsoft in just 18 months, and helped turn it into Outlook Mobile. He explains how to move fast without sacrificing quality, why your first-time user experience (“Kleenex user”) is so crucial, and how to adopt an
186: How to Design Products That Drive Real Behavior Change with Roos van Duijnhoven
Too many product teams fall into a dangerous trap—they optimize for in-app engagement while forgetting the bigger picture: real behavior change.In my latest episode of No Hacks Snacks, I sat down with Roos van Duijnhoven to break down the difference between:✅ Designing for engagement – Keeping users interacting with your product.✅ Designing for behavior change – Helping users take action outside t
185: Can E-Commerce Sites Ever Be Fully Optimized with Anthony Morgan
In this No Hacks Snacks episode, I talked to Anthony Morgan, CEO and founder of CRO Agency Enavi, about the never-ending process of optimizing e-commerce websites. Can an e-commerce site ever reach a point where it's fully optimized? See Anthony explain why e-commerce is a moving target and how brands must continually adapt to changing markets, competitors, and customer behaviors. We discusse
184: AI vs Human Intuition in E-commerce with Mike Ryan
Where do humans still have the edge over AI in e-commerce?AI-driven algorithms are optimizing ad campaigns, automating decisions, and shaping digital strategies faster than ever. But does that mean human intuition is becoming obsolete?In a recent No Hacks Snacks conversation, I spoke with Mike Ryan, Head of e-commerce Insights at Smarter Ecommerce (smec), about the evolving balance between human e
183: B2B SEO That Actually Drives Sales: Money Keywords & No-BS Strategies with Sam Dunning
Is SEO really dead? Not even close. But many B2B companies fall into the same traps: chasing traffic that doesn’t convert, relying on outdated strategies, or focusing on technical SEO that barely moves the needle.In this episode, Sam Dunning breaks down how to make SEO actually generate sales, not just traffic. He shares his "blow out the water" strategy that helped him outrank HubSpot i
182: Why Proper Consent Management Matters with Marin Radovan
In this episode of No Hacks Snacks, I talked to Marin Radovan, a digital analytics and martech expert about the intricacies of consent mode in Google Tag Manager. Marin emphasized the importance of setting up a proper Consent Management Platform (CMP) and the significant repercussions of neglecting this essential step. Marin highlighted legal risks, particularly under GDPR regulations, and the pot
181: What Skills Will Marketers Need to Stay Ahead in the Future with Jindrich Faborsky
In this episode of No Hacks Snacks Jindrich Faborsky discussed the rapidly evolving skills necessary for marketers looking ahead to the next few years. He emphasized the impact of AI on the marketing landscape and underscored the importance of agility and the ability to connect diverse pieces of knowledge. The conversation highlighted how AI has simplified many tasks that previously required speci
180: How Experimentation Can Make You Customer Centric with Emilija Milevska Velkovski
In this episode of No Hacks Snacks, I had a great conversation with Emilija Milevska Velkovski, a product strategist with deep expertise in growth and personalization.We talked about how experimentation helps companies become more customer-centric, and why it should be more than just an occasional test. Emilija explains why making experimentation a core part of a company’s strategy leads to a bett
179: Do Agile Product Teams and Experimentation Belong Together with André Morys
In this episode of No Hacks Snacks, I talked to André Morys, CEO and founder of konversionsKRAFT, to explore the benefits of integrating agile product teams with experimentation. André discussed the often separate worlds of CRO/AB testing and agile product development, and why merging them can lead to better outcomes. He highlighted the legacy issues that keep these areas apart, and the advantages
178: Navigating the Balance Between Product Clarity and Brand Voice with Lenka Stawarczyk
In this episode of No Hacks Snacks, I sit down with Lenka Stawarczyk, a brand strategy and tone of voice expert, to explore the delicate balance between product clarity and a strong brand voice. We discuss why having a tone of voice guide isn’t always enough and how real-world interactions often require flexibility. Lenka shares insights on bridging the gap between marketing and product teams, ens
177: Beyond Conversion Rates: The Ethics and Hidden Costs of Optimization with Maren Costa
In this powerful season three premiere, I sit down with Maren Costa, featured in Netflix's "Buy Now" documentary and former Amazon UX designer turned climate justice advocate.Maren shares her 15-year journey at Amazon, from the early days of helping build a user-friendly e-commerce site to her awakening about the hidden environmental and human costs of our digital convenience. She r
176: Safe Spaces, Democracy, and Experimentation with Marta Mijatov
In the latest episode of No Hacks Snacks, I taked to Marta Mijatov about the importance of fostering a culture of experimentation within organizations. Marta explained the concept of 'safe spaces' for experimentation, emphasizing the need for an environment where team members feel encouraged to propose ideas, take calculated risks, and learn from outcomes without fear of criticism. She a
175: Best Practices Are Almost Always Out of Date with Manuel Krähe
In this episode of No Hacks Snacks, I sit down with Manuel Krähe, a digital growth and Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) expert and founder of notion.ch, to discuss the limitations of UX best practices as starting points for experimentation. Manuel shared his insights on why relying solely on these practices can be misleading and emphasizes the importance of individualized data analysis and formi
174: What Startup Founders Can Learn from Product People with Moshe Mikanovsky
In this No Hacks Snacks interview, I talked to Moshe Mikanovsky, product director and host of not one, but two popular podcasts (🤯): Product for Product Podcast and Beyond the Product. Moshe shared some incredible insights on what startup founders can learn from seasoned product managers, emphasizing the importance of falling in love with the problem rather than the solution. Safe to say your host
173: Minimizing Friction in E-commerce with Usability Testing with András Kobza
Welcome to the latest episode of No Hack Snacks! In this one, I was by e-commerce expert, András Kobza, to explore the crucial role of friction in shopping experiences. Should you always strive to reduce friction, or are there cases where a bit of friction adds value? Why do luxury brands like Ferrari and Rolex intentionally build friction into their processes to increase anticipation and value? L
172: AI in A/B Testing and Experimentation with Nils Stotz
In this episode of No Hacks Snacks, I sit down with product and experimentation expert Nils Stotz to discuss the evolving landscape of AI and its impact on A/B testing and experimentation.Nils shares his insights on how AI can transform the entire experimentation process, from idea generation and hypothesis creation to prioritization and design. He also raises critical questions about the potentia
171: The CRO Evolution: From Add-On to Essential Service with Luka Nikolić
In the latest episode of No Hacks Snacks, I had an insightful chat with Luka Nikolić about how Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is shifting from an add-on service to a core discipline in digital marketing.Key takeaways from our conversation:✅ CRO is going mainstream – It's following the path of PPC and SEO, moving from an afterthought to a necessity.✅ Specialization is the future – More age
170: Research Tips for Marketers and Product Builders with Brendan McNulty
In this episode of No Hacks Snacks, I talked to Brendan McNulty, a CRO, experimentation and product expert, about accessible research methods for optimizers and product builders. Brandon discussed using AI tools like SimilarWeb, GummySearch, and NotebookLM to gather customer insights quickly. He emphasized prioritizing customer understanding and validates findings with additional data sources. The
169: How Conferences Fuel Career Success with Marcella Sullivan
In this episode of 'No Hacks Snacks,' we interview Marcella Sullivan from Women in Experimentation to discuss how digital professionals can advance their careers through conferences. Marcella shares insights on the importance of attending and speaking at conferences, building networks, and finding your professional tribe. She highlights upcoming events like the Women in Experimentation S
168: Break Free from Amazon: The Step-by-Step Guide to Your DTC Journey with Dušan Popović
In this episode of No Hacks Snacks, e-commerce and Shopify expert Dušan Popović discusses how successful Amazon sellers can establish their own direct-to-consumer (DTC) channels. Dušan emphasizes the importance of building a brand independent of Amazon and offers practical steps to set up a Shopify store. He addresses challenges like marketing outside of Amazon's ecosystem, identifying target
167: How Experimentation and CRO Will Evolve in 2025 with Jonny Longden
In this No Hacks Snacks interview, Jonny Longden, Chief Growth Officer at Speero, talked about the evolution of digital optimization and experimentation, discussing how businesses need to shift their mindset by 2025 and beyond. Here are some key takeaways:✨ Redefine experimentation beyond A/B testing: Experimentation shouldn't be limited to just A/B tests and software; it should be a mindset
166: Level Up Your Life with Digital Optimization Tactics with Amrdeep Athwal
Just dropped a new Snack interview, and this one’s packed with insights from Amrdeep Athwal, someone who’s serious about optimization. Here’s a little taste of what we chatted about:1️⃣ How do we use digital optimization in our everyday lives?2️⃣ What’s the best way to boost your running performance using data?3️⃣ Can regular tasks be turned into cool optimization projects?4️⃣ How is running the u
165: The Do's and Don'ts of Successful Employer Branding with Ben Labay
Welcome to No Hacks Snacks, your go-to series for short-form insights from innovators and industry leaders. In this episode, we look into the crucial role of employer branding with Ben Labay, CEO of Speero. We explore why a compelling employer brand is essential for attracting the right talent and fostering a vibrant company culture. Don't forget to subscribe for more episodes like this!The I
164: Future-proofing CRO: From Landing Pages to Product with Veronika Morozová
In this short episode, I talked to Veronika Morozová, product manager and organizer of Berlin's first CRO meetup - CROdashians (how about that for a fun name!). Veronika shared her insights on the future of conversion rate optimization (CRO) and its anticipated evolution towards a product-centric and MarTech-focused approach. We got into how CRO's integration into product management enha
163: Unlocking the Secret to AI-Powered Copywriting with Chris Silvestri
Ready to learn about using AI in copywriting the right way? In the latest interview, I talked to B2B SaaS copywriting expert, Chris Silvestri. Here's what you will learn from the interview:🧠 How to create AI-driven copy that truly empathizes with your customer base?🧠 What are the common mistakes to avoid when leveraging AI for writing?🧠 Why is customer interaction essential for AI to generate
162: Navigating the Future of Product Development: Opportunities for Solopreneurs with Iqbal Ali
As we step into 2025, the world of product development is undergoing a seismic transformation. Join Sani and Iqbal in this thought-provoking conversation as they dive into the rise of solopreneurship and explore how AI and emerging technologies are reshaping the game. Discover how small teams, or even individuals—are outpacing traditional industry giants by leveraging agility, innovation, and the
161: Aligning Business Goals with OKRs & Experimentation Strategies with Bjarn Brunenberg
In this episode of the No Hacks Podcast, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Bjarn Brunenberg, Experimentation Lead at TomTom. Bjarn has a passion for turning big ideas into actionable steps, and in this conversation, we get into the nuts and bolts of OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), how they differ from KPIs, and why they’re a game-changer for teams and businesses alike.Bjarn shares some in
160: Segmentation 101: Demystifying Email Marketing Myths with Tara Dinoski
Unlock the secrets to effective email marketing and smarter audience engagement! In this episode, Tara Dinoski, CEO of Indico Digital, shares practical strategies for making email marketing work without overcomplicating it. Learn how to create meaningful segments (hint: start with customers vs. prospects), why overusing buzzwords and gimmicks won’t get results, and how integrating email with other
159: Bridging Data and Decision-Making: Bhavik Patel’s Take on Analytics
Welcome to No Hacks – the podcast where experimenters and optimizers share their secrets about CRO, experimentation, and mastering analytics to create impact! In this episode, we’re joined by Bhavik Patel, Director of Experimentation and Analytics at Lean Convert and founder of CRAP Talks, a renowned cross-discipline tech meetup. Bhavik brings years of experience leading analytics teams at compani
158: Experiment to Optimize: Balancing Risk and Growth with Gerda Vogt-Thomas
Welcome to No Hacks – the podcast where experimenters and optimizers share their secrets about CRO, business experiments, and balancing life! In this episode, we sit down with Gerda Vogt-Thomas, co-founder of a CRO agency called Koalatative. Gerda shares her insights on managing risk, growth, and using experimentation to optimize both business and life.Gerda starts by sharing her surprising journe
157: The Best Ideas Aren't the Loudest: Experimentation & Diversity with Lucia van den Brink
In this episode of No Hacks Podcast, Lucia van den Brink, co-founder of Increase Conversion Rate.com, takes us inside the world of advanced experimentation and shares why the best ideas aren’t always the loudest. With 800+ A/B tests under her belt and 25M+ visitors impacted, Lucia knows what it takes to elevate experimentation programs.We explore her unique “Collaboration Bonus” philosophy, where
156: Balancing Pragmatic Change Management and Effective CRO with Tim Stewart
In this episode of the No Hacks Podcast, Tim Stewart shares his wealth of knowledge from 25+ years of consultancy, breaking down what Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) really means for businesses today. Tim doesn’t just focus on the numbers—he dives into the balance between experimentation and perfection, and how making data-driven decisions can transform a business.You'll hear practical str
155: Understanding User Research: Surveys, Myths, and the Role of AI with Els Aerts
Are you passionate about user research and UX optimization? Then you won't want to miss our latest episode featuring the incredible Els Aerts, a user research legend, if there ever was one!In this episode, Els talks about her straightforward, data-driven approach to user research, tracing its evolution from the 1990s to today. With decades of experience, she offers a fresh perspective on how
154: Embrace the Fear: Courage in Leadership and Experimentation with Luiza de Lange
In this episode of No Hacks podcast, we explore the concepts of fear, courage, and leadership with Luiza de Lange, a prominent figure in digital experimentation and CRO at LeoVegas. Luiza recounts her incredible journey of building in-house teams at major firms like Electrolux and Tele2 and working with a diverse array of clients at the award-winning agency, PrecisDigital.Luiza discusses the impor
153: SEO and Beyond: How ADHD Enhances Optimization Skills with Arnout Hellemans
In the latest episode of No Hacks, we dive deep into the art of optimization in both digital and personal spheres with Arnout Hellemans, a renowned digital strategist. From addressing ADHD's impact on SEO skills to the importance of maintaining basic SEO fundamentals, Arnout shares his invaluable insights. He discusses common misconceptions in SEO, the significance of website performance, and
