#website crawl optimization

[modernmarketingmethods]

How Hiring an AI SEO Agency Increased Our Organic Traffic by 300%

For years, we struggled with inconsistent search rankings, declining organic traffic, and underperforming content. We had tried traditional SEO agencies, freelancers, and in-house efforts with mixed results. But it wasn’t until we partnered with an AI SEO agency that we saw a dramatic shift in our performance. Within just six months, our organic traffic grew by over 300%.

This wasn’t magic. It was machine learning, automation, and data-driven precision — all delivered through AI SEO services. If your business is stuck on page two or watching competitors outrank you, this story is for you.

Here’s how investing in an AI SEO agency transformed our digital visibility, step by step.

Step 1: Smarter SEO Audit With Machine Learning

The very first thing our AI SEO agency did was conduct an in-depth audit of our website. Unlike manual audits that take days and miss critical details, AI-powered crawlers scanned every page of our site in minutes.

The audit revealed technical SEO issues we didn’t even know existed — from slow load times and broken links to poor mobile experience and missing schema markup. The agency prioritized fixes based on what would move the needle the fastest.

Step 2: Predictive Keyword Strategy

Traditional keyword research tools had us targeting high-volume terms that never converted. The AI SEO services we received went beyond volume and looked at keyword intent, competition dynamics, and trend predictions.

Our new keyword strategy was rooted in user behavior analysis and competitor benchmarking. The AI helped identify long-tail keywords that had low competition but high conversion potential. This change alone brought us significant gains in qualified organic traffic.

Step 3: Content Optimization With NLP Tools

We thought we had good content, but it wasn’t ranking. Our AI SEO agency used Natural Language Processing (NLP) to optimize our blogs, landing pages, and even product descriptions. These tools evaluated readability, keyword placement, topical depth, and semantic relevance.

The result was a content overhaul that improved both search rankings and user engagement. Our bounce rates dropped, and average time on site increased, two critical ranking signals.

Step 4: Technical Fixes That Boosted Crawlability

The AI tools detected site structure issues that were slowing down Google’s ability to crawl and index our pages. By restructuring our internal links, improving XML sitemaps, and fixing crawl errors, we made our site more accessible to search engines.

Our AI SEO services also included performance optimization such as reducing image load time and enabling browser caching, which boosted our Core Web Vitals score.

Step 5: Link Building Powered by AI

Previously, our backlink strategy was messy and inconsistent. The AI systems used by our agency identified backlink gaps and outreach opportunities that we never considered. The result? We landed backlinks from high-authority websites in our niche without wasting resources on spammy outreach.

Our AI SEO agency prioritized relevant and trusted domains, helping us improve domain authority and trust signals.

Step 6: Real-Time Reporting and Strategy Tweaks

Unlike the static monthly reports we used to get, AI SEO services gave us live dashboards. We could track rankings, traffic, conversions, and even Google algorithm update impacts in real time.

This allowed our team to collaborate with the agency and make faster decisions, adjusting keywords, refreshing content, and optimizing pages on a weekly basis.

The Results: 300% Organic Growth and Long-Term Gains

By month six, our website traffic had tripled. More importantly, the traffic of qualified users was staying longer, engaging more, and converting better. Our ROI from organic search was the highest it had ever been.

What made the difference? It wasn’t just the tools. It was the strategy behind the tools. A good AI SEO agency doesn’t just automate SEO. It makes your entire SEO ecosystem smarter.

If you’re still stuck with traditional SEO approaches, it’s time to evolve. Investing in AI SEO services was the smartest marketing move we’ve ever made.

Final Thoughts

The SEO landscape is no longer about simple keyword stuffing or writing blog posts and hoping for the best. It's about making informed, fast, and scalable decisions. With an AI SEO agency, you don’t just chase rankings. You build a future-proof strategy that adapts in real time.

Whether you're struggling with stagnant traffic or looking to dominate your industry niche, AI SEO services can help you bridge the gap between data and results.

Our 300% traffic boost wasn’t luck. It was AI done right.

[arianasuchi]

Google Indexing: The SHOCKING Truth

Think you've mastered Google indexing? Think again! Even seasoned SEOs miss these key points:

Crawl Budget Matters: Google doesn't index every page. Prioritize valuable content by auditing and optimizing your site.

Indexing ≠ Ranking: Indexation is just the start. Focus on quality content, backlinks, and user experience.

Mobile-First is Real: Google primarily indexes your mobile site. Optimize for a seamless mobile experience.

JavaScript Rendering Can Be Tricky: Ensure Google can render your JS content. Consider SSR or dynamic rendering.

Sitemaps are Suggestions: Google decides what to index, not just what you submit. Monitor your indexation status in GSC.

Internal Linking is Key: Strategically link internally to boost key pages.

Freshness Counts: Regularly update content to encourage frequent crawling.

Negative SEO is a Threat: Monitor your backlink profile and disavow harmful links.

HTTPS is Essential: Secure your site with HTTPS.

GSC is Your Lifeline: Regularly monitor Google Search Console for indexing issues. To speed up indexing for new content and backlinks, consider using tools like SpeedyIndex to expedite discovery. Mastering these nuances is key to SEO success!

To truly maximize your SEO efforts, remember that a comprehensive strategy encompasses not only content optimization and technical excellence but also efficient links indexing. Ensuring that Google discovers and indexes your backlinks is crucial for realizing their full value. Techniques like manual submission, pinging services, and leveraging tools designed for accelerated google indexing are all valuable components. By proactively working to index links, you're essentially amplifying the signals that contribute to your website's authority and visibility in search results. https://blog.speedyindex.com/google-indexing/google-indexing-secrets-10-things-even-experts-get-wrong/

[digitalshahabaaz]

How to Fix Crawl Budget Issues That Are Tanking Your Traffic

Is your website traffic dropping for no clear reason? You might have a crawl budget problem. Don't worry – it sounds complicated, but it's actually simple to understand and fix.

What Is Crawl Budget?

Think of crawl budget as Google's daily allowance for visiting your website. Just like you have a budget for spending money, Google has a budget for how many pages it will check on your site each day.

Google sends out little robots called "crawlers" to read websites. These crawlers have limited time and energy. If your site wastes their time, they might not see your important pages. This means those pages won't show up in search results.

Why Crawl Budget Matters for Your Traffic

When Google can't crawl your pages properly, several bad things happen:

Your new content doesn't get found quickly. Updated pages don't get refreshed in search results. Important pages might get ignored completely. All of this leads to less traffic from Google.

Small websites usually don't have crawl budget problems. But if your site has hundreds or thousands of pages, this becomes critical.

Common Signs You Have Crawl Budget Problems

Here are the warning signs to watch for:

Slow Indexing: New pages take weeks to appear in Google search results instead of days.

Traffic Drops: Your organic traffic is falling even though you're publishing good content.

Important Pages Missing: When you search "site:yourwebsite.com" on Google, some of your key pages don't show up.

Server Overload: Your website becomes slow because Google's crawlers are requesting too many pages at once.

What Wastes Your Crawl Budget

Several things can eat up your crawl budget unnecessarily:

Duplicate Content

If you have the same content on multiple pages, Google wastes time crawling identical information. This includes pages that are almost the same with tiny differences.

Low-Quality Pages

Pages with thin content, no real value, or auto-generated text make crawlers work harder for no benefit.

Infinite Scroll and Pagination

Some websites create endless pages through filters, categories, or pagination. Google can get stuck crawling these forever.

Broken Links and Redirects

When crawlers hit broken links or long chains of redirects, they waste time following dead ends.

Session URLs and Parameters

URLs with tracking codes, session IDs, or unnecessary parameters create multiple versions of the same page.

How to Check Your Crawl Budget Status

Use Google Search Console

Go to Google Search Console and look at the "Coverage" report. This shows which pages Google found and any crawling errors.

Check the "Crawl Stats" section to see how often Google visits your site and if there are any server errors.

Look at Your Server Logs

Your web hosting provider can show you server logs. Look for requests from "Googlebot" to see what Google is crawling most often.

Check Your Sitemap

Make sure your XML sitemap only includes pages you actually want Google to find. Remove any low-quality or duplicate pages.

Simple Ways to Fix Crawl Budget Issues

Clean Up Duplicate Content

Find pages with the same or very similar content. Either delete the duplicates or use canonical tags to tell Google which version is the main one.

Use tools like Screaming Frog or even manual checking to find duplicates on your site.

Block Unimportant Pages

Use your robots.txt file to tell Google not to crawl pages that don't matter, such as:

Admin pages

Search result pages

Thank you pages

Print versions of pages

Fix Your Internal Links

Remove or fix broken internal links. Make sure your most important pages get the most internal links pointing to them.

Create a clear site structure where important pages are only a few clicks away from your homepage.

Optimize Your Sitemap

Keep your XML sitemap clean and updated. Only include pages that:

Are important for your business

Have good, original content

Are meant for search engines to find

Remove any pages that return errors or redirects.

Improve Page Loading Speed

Slow pages take longer for Google to crawl. Make your pages load faster by:

Optimizing images

Using a good web hosting service

Minimizing code bloat

Using a content delivery network (CDN)

Handle URL Parameters Properly

If your site uses URL parameters (like ?color=red&size=large), set up parameter handling in Google Search Console. This prevents Google from crawling thousands of similar pages.

Manage Your Crawl Rate

In Google Search Console, you can see if Google is crawling too fast and causing server problems. While you can't directly control crawl rate anymore, you can improve server response time to handle more requests.

Advanced Tips for Larger Websites

Prioritize Your Most Important Pages

Make sure your best pages get crawled first by:

Linking to them from your homepage

Including them high up in your sitemap

Getting external links pointing to them

Use Pagination Correctly

If you have long lists of products or blog posts, use proper pagination with rel="next" and rel="prev" tags. This helps Google understand the relationship between pages.

Monitor Crawl Frequency

Keep track of how often Google crawls different sections of your site. If important sections aren't getting crawled often enough, improve their internal linking and make sure they're included in your sitemap.

Tools to Help You Monitor Crawl Budget

Google Search Console: Free and essential for tracking crawl stats and coverage issues.

Screaming Frog SEO Spider: Great for finding technical issues like broken links and duplicate content.

Server Log Analyzers: Tools like Botify or DeepCrawl can analyze your server logs to show detailed crawling patterns.

Website Auditing Tools: Platforms like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Moz can help identify technical SEO issues affecting crawl budget.

Measuring Your Success

After making changes, watch these metrics to see if you're improving:

Faster Indexing: New pages should appear in search results more quickly.

Better Coverage: More of your important pages should show up when you search "site:yourwebsite.com".

Increased Traffic: Your organic search traffic should start growing again.

Fewer Crawl Errors: Google Search Console should show fewer errors in the Coverage report.

Don't Panic – Start Small

Crawl budget optimization sounds technical, but you don't need to fix everything at once. Start with these simple steps:

Clean up obvious duplicate pages

Fix broken links on your most important pages

Update your sitemap to remove low-quality pages

Block unimportant pages with robots.txt

Even small improvements can make a big difference in how efficiently Google crawls your site.

Conclusion

Crawl budget issues can seriously hurt your website traffic, but they're fixable with some focused effort. The key is helping Google's crawlers work more efficiently by removing obstacles and focusing their attention on your best content.

Start by identifying the biggest problems on your site, then work through the fixes systematically. Monitor your progress with Google Search Console, and be patient – it can take a few weeks to see the full impact of your changes.

Remember, the goal isn't to get Google to crawl more pages. It's to make sure Google crawls the right pages – the ones that will bring you traffic and help your business grow. If you are looking for freelance digital marketer in Kochi to increase your conversion through sales, get in touch.

[deep-definition]

11 SEO Lessons Learned From Auditing 500+ Websites

Discover 11 powerful SEO lessons from auditing over 500 websites. Learn how to fix technical issues, improve crawlability, boost Core Web Vitals, and avoid common SEO mistakes. 11 Easy SEO Lessons Learned From Auditing 500+ Websites I’ve been doing SEO audits for over 12 years. During this time, I’ve reviewed more than 500 websites—from small blogs to giant ecommerce stores. And you know what I…

[pickmyurl-ai-marketer]

1st Choice Digital Marketing Agency

A trusted digital marketing powerhouse driving exceptional results through innovative strategies and data-driven expertise.v

[searchoptimo]

Description

Empower your website’s visibility with our cutting-edge index monitoring service. Our platform delivers real-time Google indexing insights, automated alerts, and comprehensive technical SEO audits. By optimizing crawl budgets and pinpointing index coverage issues, we help you maintain a robust online presence, ensure high-quality content gets recognized, and drive sustainable organic traffic.

Website

https://searchoptimo.com/

[anujapatel1]

Websaudit URL Redirect Checker – Fix SEO Redirect Issues

Ensure your website’s redirects are optimized with WebsAudit’s URL Redirect Checker. This tool helps analyze 301 (permanent) and 302 (temporary) redirects to prevent SEO errors, slow loading speeds, and redirect loops. Check up to 10 redirects in a single scan, detect chains, and follow best SEO practices to enhance website performance. Avoid ranking drops due to improper redirects and ensure seamless navigation for users and search engines. Test your redirects now for a smooth SEO experience!

Best Practices for Managing Redirects

To keep your website’s redirects optimized for both SEO and user experience, follow these best practices:

Use 301 Redirects for Permanent Moves: Always use 301 redirects for permanent URL changes, as this ensures that link equity is passed to the new page and that search engines understand the move is permanent.

Limit Redirect Chains: Avoid creating long redirect chains. Ideally, a URL should redirect directly to its final destination without going through multiple intermediate redirects.

Monitor Redirects Regularly: Periodically audit your site’s redirects, especially after making changes to your site structure or moving content. Tools like the Websaudit URL Redirect Checker can help you stay on top of potential issues.

Use Redirects Only When Necessary: Avoid unnecessary redirects, as they can slow down your site and negatively impact SEO. Only use redirects when pages are permanently moved or deleted.

Test Redirects After Site Changes: After any site migration or structural change, test your redirects to ensure that they are working as intended and not causing any SEO issues.

Conclusion

Managing URL redirects is a crucial part of maintaining a healthy SEO strategy. Redirect issues, such as chains, loops, and incorrect redirect types, can harm both user experience and search engine rankings. The Websaudit URL Redirect Checker is an essential tool for identifying and fixing these issues, ensuring that your website runs smoothly and that SEO value is preserved. By regularly auditing your redirects and following best practices, you can improve your website’s SEO performance, enhance user experience, and maintain strong rankings on search engines.

[gotogroww]

Technical SEO Services

Elevate your website's performance with our expert technical SEO services. We tackle crawl errors, enhance site speed, and optimize for mobile, ensuring better search engine rankings and visibility. Get the competitive edge with a solid technical foundation.

[guyrcook]

Boost Your SEO by Fixing 404 Errors FAST

In this video of the Practical Digital Strategies episode, viewers learn how to Boost Your SEO by Fixing 404 Errors FAST on their website using Google Search Console. Guy outlines a step-by-step process, starting from logging into the console to navigating through the settings and crawl stats to find pages that return 404 errors. By clicking on the relevant options, users can access a list of…

[isubhamdas]

Crawl Budget Optimization-Search Engine Visibility

Crawl budget optimization boosts your site’s search engine visibility. Learn about server response times, URL structures, and sitemap management. Continue reading for practical tips and expert insights on improving your website’s crawlability. Understanding Crawl Budget and Its ImpactKey Factors Affecting Crawl BudgetServer Response TimeURL StructureInternal LinkingOptimizing Your Crawl…

[arianasuchi]

Google Indexing: The SHOCKING Truth

Think you've mastered Google indexing? Think again! Even seasoned SEOs miss these key points:

Crawl Budget Matters: Google doesn't index every page. Prioritize valuable content by auditing and optimizing your site.

Indexing ≠ Ranking: Indexation is just the start. Focus on quality content, backlinks, and user experience.

Mobile-First is Real: Google primarily indexes your mobile site. Optimize for a seamless mobile experience.

JavaScript Rendering Can Be Tricky: Ensure Google can render your JS content. Consider SSR or dynamic rendering.

Sitemaps are Suggestions: Google decides what to index, not just what you submit. Monitor your indexation status in GSC.

Internal Linking is Key: Strategically link internally to boost key pages.

Freshness Counts: Regularly update content to encourage frequent crawling.

Negative SEO is a Threat: Monitor your backlink profile and disavow harmful links.

HTTPS is Essential: Secure your site with HTTPS.

GSC is Your Lifeline: Regularly monitor Google Search Console for indexing issues. To speed up indexing for new content and backlinks, consider using tools like SpeedyIndex to expedite discovery. Mastering these nuances is key to SEO success!

To truly maximize your SEO efforts, remember that a comprehensive strategy encompasses not only content optimization and technical excellence but also efficient links indexing. Ensuring that Google discovers and indexes your backlinks is crucial for realizing their full value. Techniques like manual submission, pinging services, and leveraging tools designed for accelerated google indexing are all valuable components. By proactively working to index links, you're essentially amplifying the signals that contribute to your website's authority and visibility in search results. https://blog.speedyindex.com/google-indexing/google-indexing-secrets-10-things-even-experts-get-wrong/

[seohabibi]

https://digitalhabibi.com/the-role-of-technical-seo-in-improving-user-experience-and-search-rankings/

This comprehensive guide delves into the nuances of SEO and PPC strategies, helping businesses in Dubai navigate the dynamic digital landscape and choose the optimal approach for their marketing success.

[techniver]

Will our blog be indexed quickly by Google if we register with Google News (Publisher Center)?

Yes, registering with Google News (Publisher Center) can help your blog get indexed quickly by Google.

Google News is a news aggregator that indexes and ranks news articles from around the web. When you register your blog with Google News, Google will crawl your blog more frequently and index your new articles more quickly.

This is because Google News is always looking for fresh news content, and it wants to be able to surface it to its users as quickly as possible.

However, it's important to note that there is no guarantee that your blog will be indexed instantly, even if you are registered with Google News. Google still needs to crawl your blog and determine that it is a high-quality news source.

Here are some tips for increasing your chances of getting your blog indexed quickly by Google after registering with Google News:

Make sure your blog is well-designed and easy to navigate.

Write high-quality, informative articles that are relevant to your target audience.

Publish new articles on a regular basis.

Submit your blog's RSS feed to Google News Publisher Center.

Promote your blog on social media and other websites.

If you follow these tips, you should see your blog start to appear in Google News results within a few days or weeks.

Please Follow, comment, and like this answer if you found it helpful. Thank you for reading!

[starryhutcherson]

━━ A NEW FAMILIAR

author's note: crawled out of my hole for this one guys. sorry for being so ghost mode im working on putting out more stuff, apologies if this isn't of the highest quality as i'm running on sugar free redbull and three hours of sleep ! love my life hahahahaAHHHH

'୧ ‧₊ pairing: best friend!mike schmidt x reader warnings: 18+ sexual content! oral sex (f!receiving), p in v, unprotected sex, dirty talk, swearing word count: 4600+ ⋆ ✩‧₊

Mike’s expression always glooms when you bring up the next date you’ve arranged. He knows how this story plays out; he knows the truth behind the men you’ve matched with on whatever sketchy website you’ve wasted your time on. They’ve molded themselves into the embodiment of perfection, through falsified photos and fabrications buried in their bios. His patience crumbles like fireplace ash as you skip around his living room and drone on about whatever dickhead you’ve set your poor, precious heart on.

He knows, always, the the outcome is running makeup and salty cheeks, sobbing on the floor of his living room in a creasing satin dress and his welcoming arms, a bitter exclamation of “you were right Mike” leaving your lips in the knowing silence and him gritting his jaw and pretending that it doesn’t bother him the the only habits you ever find yourself falling back into are the bad ones. 

It’s no different today. 

Mark or Matt or Mitch – you really were killing him, because it should be Mike. It should be him. Him that you’re getting ready for, him that you’re daydreaming about. And it’s an odd feeling, like a movie where your favorite character dies and then movie finishes and you have to accept that they aren’t coming back, no matter how long you sit glued to the reclinable chair, popcorn crunched beneath your sneakers and the credit-scene reflected in your shrinking pupils. 

Mike’s not the type to be happier with the hope – he’d let the truth swallow him up, sink into his creaking bones, he’d live with the loss. But he still has hope for you. He has hope that your eyes will open and you’ll seep into his brain and his breath and his bed. He hopes you’ll start seeing him instead of just looking. Maybe it's wishful thinking. Ignorant optimism.

It feels like it. 

It feels like it, right now, when he’s leaning against the doorframe of his bathroom and watching you get ready, your animated chatter reverberating around the small space between coats of mascara. He offered to give you a ride before you’d even asked, and he’ll tolerate the sting of watching you get out of the car looking all pretty for someone who isn’t him, just to make sure you get there safely. It’s the type of sacrifice he’ll make for you. 

“I can’t even feel my face, I’ve been smiling so hard all day!” You squeal, powdering your cheeks with more purposeless product – he thinks it’s all pointless. You’re radiant, even in the harsh lighting of his bathroom. 

He offers a low grunt. What is he supposed to say? He’s not happy. And he’s not gonna pretend he is. 

You either don’t notice or choose to ignore, continuing to doll yourself up to whatever standards you have for yourself. “I mean, he says he’s been skiing since he was 6. He’s practically an olympian.” 

Mike scoffs. 

“What?”

“Nothing,” he grumbles, shaking his head. “Can you hurry up?”

“Alright, grumpy. Calm down. I gotta do my lips and then I’m ready. Plus, nobody told you that you gotta stand here.” 

A fleeting flush of fuchsia permeates his cheeks, but he looks down at his worn shoes to hide it. It’s true. He didn’t have to stand here. But if an angel was populating your bathroom you’d want to take a peek, would you not? That’s how he thinks you look. Angelic. Glowing from your soul, a content smile knitted on your lips. You might as well have a halo and wings – that heaven-sent aura is reinforced when you douse yourself in lingering washes of that sweet perfume that’s branded itself to you. He’d recognise that floral aroma anywhere, the way a shark detects a drop of blood amongst saline scattered seas. 

“Okay, I’m ready. How do I look?”

Cruelest question of them all. “You look… fine. Good.”

A knot forms in your brow. “All this effort for that terrible answer?” Playful, but with a truthful undertone. Why do you value his opinion so much? He doesn’t want to assume anything. 

“Well I’m not the person you’re dressing up for.” I wish I was. He doesn’t say the other words, but he thinks them so hard he’s half convinced if you were listening in the right spot, or looking into his eyes for long enough that you’d hear it anyway. 

“Okay, okay, whatever. Let’s just get going, don’t wanna keep Mack waiting.” 

Two letters. That’s all it would take. That’s all he’d have to swap to make it him.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

✩‧₊˚

Even if you aren’t aware, even if he did offer, he drives begrudgingly. He focuses as much as he can, on the road ahead and not your glistening figure beside him in the passenger seat, the very definition of temptation. 

The mall parking lot is barren, a few gleaming cars scattered amongst the otherwise desolate area. He pulls into a space, sets the car in park, rakes in a greedy sigh of air. 

“If anything happens, call me.” 

You sneer teasingly. “Don’t be so pessimistic. It’s gonna be great, he could be my future husband, y’know.”

Yep. Mack, the 35 year old you've met online, who’s only notable talent seems to be skiing and his greatest life achievement to date is shooting a deer, whose head is mounted to the wall in his bedroom, typically visible in the background of his many instagram posts which involved his shirtless figure straining to flex his overly pronounced bulk. A match made in heaven. He wants to scream. 

And how can you even tell him to not be pessimistic? How can you look him in the eyes and act like this moment hasn’t happened time after time, the point of no return before an evening spent crying in his arms as he reassures you that your failed dates are never your fault, even though by now it seems like you must be seeking out the same genre of shitty man if you’re this good at getting your heart broken. He’s sick of picking up the fragile little pieces of his bathroom floor, cutting himself on the shards of a heart that’ll never be his. You deserve more than these half-baked, single night romances. He could show you that. 

“Yeah, sure,” he grits. “Future husband. Just call me, seriously.”

You roll your eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll call you.” 

And with that, you’re off, disappearing into the gaping mouth of the mall’s entrance, and he watches with an alkaline feeling growing in his stomach. Your hair is caught up in the wind like clothing on a washline and he thinks his hope is all drained out. 

✩‧₊˚

Mike spends a good two hours back at his house. His movements feel vacuous, staring ahead at the screen, barely processing the raging garbage that masquerades as reality TV. The rain has picked up outside, licking at the window panes with a growing intensity. 

He’s not happy about the jean skirt and tiny little tank top you’d clad yourself in prior to leaving, you’re probably frigid by now in the cold. You did however reassure him that Mack was gonna drive you home, or even worse, take you back to his place, so his stupid fucking elk head trophie could watch with it’s empty eyes while the pair of you fuck on the bed that his mom still has to make for him because he never can quite manage those fitted sheets, can he? Fucking manchild. 

Shit. Mike’s feeling so so bitter. Maybe it’s because he’s finally realized that this is the dreaded pattern he’s going to have to endure with you until death. Or until he braves up and actually tells you that he’s been in love with you since the fifth day of second grade, when you mouthily confronted Jerry Murdoch and told him to give Mike his crayons back.  

With a weak sigh, he turns the TV off with a click of the remote still encaptured in the loose hold of his fist, and decides to see if he can melt into any form of sleep – but the knock on his door prevents him from doing so. 

He arises lethargically, not having much on his mind but the denial of his slumber as he shuffles over and turns the handle, but then, it’s you. 

Fluttery lashes melted to black smudges beneath your eyes, a mixture of rainwater and tears, completely drenched and dripping all over his doormat, your body is trembling and you’re wracked with tiny little cries and he’s feeling so many emotions he believes he might implode. 

He pulls you inside and into his arms, stroking your back in gentle, soothing motions, and it kills him that this has become routine. He’s angry. He’s sick of this. 

“What happened this time?” He grunts softly. 

“He didn’t even show up. He couldn’t even send a message as to why, Mike,” you sniffle into his warm chest, drunk off the even echo of his heartbeat. 

A moment’s silence rots like aged fruit. He draws a breath in, then out, then in again. 

“Why didn’t you call me?”

You crane your face upwards to meet him, instantly bathed in a nervous shiver when you see how serious he looks. 

“My phone was dead.” Is all you can manage to mumble. 

“What?” He’s pissed. “Why didn’t you charge it? You could have charged it there, they have outlets at the mall. Or you could’ve used someone else’s, so you didn’t have to walk home in the rain, because you’re drenched.” 

“I don’t–”

“Y’know how dangerous it is to walk around alone in this shitty neighborhood? Half the street lights don’t even work, and I don’t even know any of my neighbors, or what kinda people walk around here at night.” He grumbles. “I shouldn’t have to tell you all this, I’m sick of explaining all this to you.”

You roll your eyes irritably, releasing yourself from his arms and crossing your own across your dripping wet torso. “How was I supposed to know he was gonna stand me up? You’re telling me I should just expect it?”

He blinks like a deer in headlights, silence settles into his flesh.

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

You scoff. “It’s what you implied.” 

“It’s not what I—” He grumbles weakly under his breath, cutting himself off, deciding reasoning with you is somewhat of a useless attempt. “Why can’t you just listen to me?”

“What, charge my phone next time? Bring a raincoat? Yeah, great help, seriously, don’t know where I’d be without you,” your sarcasm hits like gunshot wounds to the teeth. 

“Or maybe you should try to meet actual people, instead of fake ones from some stupid website.” 

After a cold shiver bites up your spine, your expression deepens with defense. What is his fucking problem? “At least I try to get out of the house! At least I don’t spend every hour of every day moping around and feeling sorry for myself!” 

The pair of you fight, sure, every good relationship, friend or romance or family or whatever should, but nothing like this. This is stone-set, it’s been coming for a while, the wild gesticulations and the pacing and the raised voices. It shakes the bones of the weakened house. 

“Don’t,” Mike says with a furious edge, fists tightening and untightening like he’s about to take a swing at the wall, like this is going to end with bleeding knuckles nipped with shards of worn plaster. “Don’t throw that in my face, I do everything I can, for you and Abby. It’s not like I have a choice.”

“So what, you’re so fucking miserable in your own life that you have to try and control mine?”

“Control? You’re like my child! You don’t even know how to take care of yourself half the time, so yes, I try to help you not to make such shitty decisions!” 

You scowl. “You’re not obligated to do anything for me, y’know Mike. Why do you keep me around if I’m that much of a chore for you!”

He snaps, the tension in his fists bleeding up into his throat, his mouth, the words clot behind his gums and suddenly they tumble out in a fury-fueled shout. “Because you’ve got no one else!” 

You deflate, wilting like a flame without oxygen, and Mike deems the silence to be more cruel than anything else you’ve said to him tonight. He’s feeling everything and nothing all at once, the quiet crumbles around him like a burning building and he fears he’ll become rubble beneath the debris. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I just… god, just–” His eyes flick to you, and then retreat back down to the faded living room carpet. He can’t swallow his guilt this time. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped like that.”

“It’s fine,” you say coldly, knuckling away an angry tear. The salt water is the trick of nostalgia, you’ve cried like this so many times. Your breakage of those promises to yourself. It’ll be different. And it never is. 

“No. It’s not – I’m a dick, I just… I hate watching other people ruin your life. You deserve better.”

Better. What is better? Some twisted fantasy that some people are indulged with and others are left longing for. That you’re left longing for. You know he’s tired of the same bullshit that you force yourself through, convincing yourself of change, painting yourself up to be fit for presentation, and hoping that whoever you’ve leeched onto likes what they see, so you don’t have to feel so alone anymore. You’re oblivious, painfully so. Because Mike could plaster together the cracks in your splintering psyche, if you’d just let him in. 

“Whatever, Mike. It’s true anyway.”

There’s a hole in his heart in the shape of your name. He begs you. Fill it. A part of him shatters at the defeat in your words — he’s crumbled you to the bone, to the marrow. He’ll build you back up. You deserve it. 

“No it isn't. No it isn’t. You have me. You’ll always have me.” 

A silence pervades; the look in his eyes is one of pleading, that you’ll stop and see what he’s offering you, that you’ll stop chasing your own tail, that you’ll stop the cycle. 

“Mike…”

“And Abby.”

You indulge him. 

“You have me. And you have Abby. And I know that’s… not much, but she loves you. So much. And I’m sorry, ‘cause I know I don’t say it enough, I don’t…. I don’t say how much you mean to me, but I just—”

“Mike.” 

He wallows in the waters of your rain kissed eyes, the way your pupils pulse and the words are falling before he can swallow them back down. 

“I love you.”

He gives you that stare. That stare that’s the color of black coffee, the look that you can feel, unearthing the graveyard of wilting feelings you’ve tried to bury, the heart that beats for him him him, lodged between the ivory bars of your ribcage. He maps you out with his eyes, he looks at you the way the sun hungers for daybreak. 

He’s waiting. He’d wait forever. 

“And… and seeing you with these… shitty people who don’t even care about you, it just…” He sighs exasperatedly, dragging a sweaty palm down his face. 

His sentences can’t seem to finish themselves. This is harder than it looks in the movies. Harder than when he’s practiced in the mirror, when Abby’s walked in and giggled at him and told him to just fess up. 

“You love me? Like…”

He looks up at you like a kicked puppy. “Yeah. I do.”

You’re beyond bewildered. He loves you. He loves you. 

“What– but… you—”

“You don’t have to… say anything. I just, I can’t… I can’t pretend anymore. I can’t do it.”

You reach for his hand. It’s a little clammy, a little trembly, but it’s a perfect fit. Just like you. 

“I love you too, Mike.”

What?

“You… do?”

He’s skeptical, but he’s also swooning. A stone man is slowly cracking. 

“I just didn’t… didn’t think I could have you. I mean, you’re so… you’re everything, y’know? You’re a good brother, and you work so hard, and you’re… I’m just… I don’t think I deserve you,” you whisper, confessing. With a newfound stroke of confidence, he approaches, one hand snaking around to the small of your back, another on your cheek. He’s gentle. In his eyes, you’re porcelain. Precious. Fragile. At least, at this moment. But you love him too and that’s all he needs. It’s all he’s ever needed. 

“You deserve everything.” He says it so quietly it’s barely audible. And then, nothing is audible because he’s carefully pulling your lips to his, linking you in every way, his hands tangle into your damp hair and he’s kissing you. 

His lips chase yours in messy, uncalculated movements. He’s starting small. It’s been a while. And he’s gonna take his time with you. He’s gonna show you what you deserve. Soft sounds squeak past his lips as they flutter against yours, and you’re closer and closer and closer still, impossibly so. 

Within moments he’s whisking you off to his bedroom, his hand tangled with yours, an interlace tight enough to cause ropeburn. His skin chafes with yours, and then he’s kissing you again atop his navy comforter. 

He’s gentle, respectful, but you understand what he’s trying to tell you, what he’s been trying to tell you. He speaks through silken drags of his tongue, through the hand that holds your cheek steady— he feels as though he’s gripping the very cusp of a constellation. You taste like stardust. You glow like the waning moon. 

He breathes heavily in the expanse of his throat, his pants have become tight and wet and filthy; he’s been subconsciously grinding down into your lap. You’re a little shaky and your pupils have darkened with lust and he is going to show you what you mean to him. What you’ve been missing. 

His hand falls lower, into the slope of torso that dips into your hips. His eyes travel back and forth, searching, hunting for the desire that he feels mirrored back at him. Do you want this, the way he does? Do you? His hardened stare doesn’t speak loud enough. He elaborates.

“Can I… uh… do you wanna…?”

Do you want to? You need to. 

“Shit, okay,” he croaks out, jaw tense and tight as he traces you beneath calloused fingers. You didn’t realize you said that out loud. 

He’s endearingly awkward – you know from languid late-night conversations that he hasn’t done this a lot. Maybe even at all. But he’s sweet, so sweet, like lapping up sugar and feeling it dissolve on your tongue, feeling him dissolve on your tongue, giving you comfort and cavities. 

“Can I take this off?” He asks nervously, fiddling with the hem of your camisole. A short nod, and he’s sliding it over your sweat-pricked figure, admiring your contours in the whisper of evening moonlight that bleeds through holes in his moth-eaten curtains. You’re perfect, and he knew you would be. 

He caresses your skin gently, drunk on the mellow feeling of your bare stomach beneath his fingertips. Your bra is black, a little lace peering along the straps, your breasts spilling into the fabric. He reaches around your back, fumbling at the clasp. When the garment drops, his hands are replacing it before you can even blink. 

“Beautiful,” he manages to get out, thumbing over your nipples. 

“Mngh, Mike—”

“Sh. Just let me… just let me. Let me make you feel good. Please?” He grunts out under his breathless voice, and how could you deny such a request?

The moment you agree, he’s grabbing you by the thighs and tugging you towards him slightly, so your back is nearly flat against his mattress and he’s settling himself in the gap that you create for him. 

Your skirt comes off first. Your panties are undeniably soused, his fingers trace the big wet spot that’s dripping all for him, teasing you through torturously thin cotton. 

“Mike,” you mewl gently, fingers settling in his nest of chocolate curls that are damp with sweat. A firm tweak and he’s groaning, his voice melting away into nothing like hot tar. 

“You’re so wet,” he mumbles to himself, like he’s never seen anything like it. Probably not in a while. His finger hooks beneath the waistband, pulls it out gently, and lets it go. It slaps against your hip bone and another fresh sound seeps from your lips.  

“Mike, shit, please just do something—”

“Okay,” he whispers, more to himself than you, carefully sliding your panties from your waist, down past your ankles, and he’s tossing them to join the pile of clothes that has begun to collect on his bedroom floor. 

You’re here, before him. The girl he waited for. Your soft flesh is glistening, clenching painfully around nothing, and he’s salivating at the sight of you. He pries your legs out further with his warm hands, leaving them to linger on your bare flesh for a few drawn out moments, before he claims what’s rightfully his. 

He presses a trialing kiss to your clit, and your back curves delicately, fingers tightening their grasp in his hair. He moans into you at this action, and you, in turn, moan as well. Confidence creates itself in him with each little whimper that he gets you to release, and he’s answering back, hearing your cries, your calls of his name with his own unabashed exclamations of pleasure. This is just as good for him, as it is for you. 

“Mike,” you whine gently, and he’s mumbling weak praise right into your cunt. 

“Fuck, you’re so pretty. Wanted this for so long.”

It’s barely audible between his languid sucks; he’s lapping at your drooling entrance, fingers subtly creeping closer, up and along your thighs and settling right above your throbbing clit. He presses his thumb against it, tracing sinful circles against your bud— once, twice, and then you’re far too close to the edge. 

“Oh, Mike I’m gonna come,” you choke out between gasps. 

“Do it. Please.”

He’s begging you. 

And you oblige. With a trembling sob, your thighs tense around his head, keeping him locked in place, capturing him and making sure he finishes the job, and oh does he plan to. When you soar, he’s still holding you in place, soothing the electric sparks pulsating throughout your body. 

He savors your sounds, and when they stop coming, he presses a lingering peck on your inner thigh, stubble scraping at the sensitive dermis. He then raises his face to your level, the light coruscating off the filthy souvenir etched all over his face, your glittering arousal that he wears so proudly. 

He steals a proper kiss from you, rubbing your side as a gentle comfort. He’s completely hard now, tenting his sweats, leaking against the fabric. You gingerly reach out, tracing what you assume to be the head of his cock, and he sags, boneless, against your touch. 

“Fuck, baby I—”

“Baby?” You chuckle softly, still hazed from the candy-coated afterglow of your orgasm. The first of many, he hopes. 

“Mngh— g… got a problem?” He grumbles softly, almost quivering as you begin to palm him with purpose.

“It’s out of character,” you tell him gently. 

“Shit, can I be inside you?” He asks you, voice ripped raw. 

And once again, Mike Schmidt leaves you breathless. 

“Yeah. I need it. I need you.”

He groans, slipping off his pants and boxers without so much as another word from your swollen lips. He’s hard, angrily so, his cock pulses violently and a little whimper escapes through the crack in his bitten lips when it slaps against his stomach. 

He’s stroking himself slowly, base to tip and then back again, collecting the pearls of precum that dribble from his slit. He’s never been so ready for something. For you. It’s all for you. 

He’s holding you, thumbing your hip bones and gently nudging himself into your hole, cooing at every cry that crawls from the crevices of your throat. When he bottoms out, finally, it’s safe to say that he gets a little dumb. “Oh, shit, I’m not— not gonna last long, you’re so tight, shit…” He’s rambling a little. It’s cute. 

A few wandering kisses land on you the way dandelion spores decorate a skyline – your cheek and your chin and your jaw, as he waits for you to let him move. You’re squeezing him for all he’s got and he’s three seconds away from spilling before he’s even so much as thrusted. You do this to him. 

All those days, staring into your eyes and wondering if you’d ever see him the way you do, all those nights, stroking your hair and softening your saddened sobs after failed date after failed date. They’re all worth it. 

You’re clamping down on him, warm and wet and wavering, and you’re exhaling softly through your nose and telling him to move, begging him to move, to make you feel good, and it’s what he does. 

He pumps into you with passion, magnetized to your every movement. He’s satisfying a decade worth of insatiable craving, he’s chasing your hips with his. You end where he begins. 

The headboard creaks and slams against thin plastered walls, one hand grips onto it with alabaster knuckles and the other one holds your hips for better leverage. He doesn’t need to say it, but each knocked kiss of his pelvis to yours is a silent I love you I love you I love you. 

“Oh my god Mike,” you sob, and he slides himself deeper, hitting everywhere he wants to reach. Everywhere to make you quiver beneath him.

“You d—don’t know how long I’ve wanted this,” he moans lowly. “How many times I’ve imagined you like— like this.”

He’s blabbering, every stray thought that passes through his head is already blossoming on his tongue and out into the air before he can even think twice. Admittedly, you’re too blissed out in your own mind to really respond, but it’s arousing all the same. 

“You’re so… so beautiful,” he’s flushed and he’s faltering, and you know he’s close before he even announces it. 

“Shit, baby, I can’t— can’t last much longer,” he stammers, his bruising pace beginning to shake. 

“Do it in me, Mike, please, please,” shit, are you trying to kill him? Your word is the only law he knows, and he’s wrapping his arms around your torso and diving his head in the elegant slope of your collarbone, biting down into the skin and spasming somewhere deep in your welcoming walls. 

He tries to keep himself quiet, but it’s really a futile effort. His hips jut sporadically as he empties himself inside you, and the sudden flood of subtle heat is all it takes for you to topple over as well. 

Bliss teeters back into reality after a seemingly ceaseless moment. He peels his head from its previous position to admire you, to stroke a stray lock of hair from your forehead and nervously greet it with a kiss.

He doesn’t let go of you. Not now, not ever, he thinks to himself. His arms snake around you tighter, and somehow it’s even more intimate after the fact. His bare chest collides with your back, his nose rests comfortably against the crown of your head. The pair of you follow each other into a dreamless sleep, safe in the sanctuary of a warm bed and an even warmer embrace. 

He’s found his new familiar. 

masterlist

✩‧₊

[intern-seraph]

PSA: there's someone on ao3 advertising an ai-generated story site via "fanfic"

Okay so. I cannot prove that this person is a bot, but they're either a bot or someone who works with the site they're advertising. Either way, they're... not very good at hiding the scheme once you dig a little. With a fucking spoon. Long post beneath the cut.

The user in question goes by FantasiaStories, which happens to also be the name of the website in question. Funny, that. They have posted 38 works in the past 2 months for a variety of fandoms, including TWST, which is how I found them. Other fandoms include CoD, Genshin Impact, JJK, and Marvel. The works are pretty much solely NSFW reader-insert fics. First red flag: in the notes of EVERY fic, beginning or end notes (it varies), they advertise their website. Examples (WARNING: suggestive text):

Okay. Weird. Suspicious, even! I am, of course, wary of weird links to unknown sites (as we should all be!). We will talk about that site in a bit.

Now, like, this isn't bad in and of itself. Whatever, maybe it's a personal site or something. Now, I took a look at one of the Malleus fics they put out a couple weeks ago.

First person POV isn't really my thing, so I ended up not finishing it beyond the first few sentences. Forgot about it, put it out of my mind, whatever.

Today, I was once again trawling the tag, looking for some good stuff (or for updates of the fics I'm following), and I see this:

Oo, looks fun! The tags sound familiar, though... Whatever. Let's take a look, see if it seems good —

And I immediately noticed: THIS IS THE SAME FUCKING FIC???

EXHIBIT A: THE RECENT FIC

EXHIBIT B: THE EARLIER FIC

IT'S THE SAME FUCKING FIC!!! I literally checked the author's profile to see if they were, perhaps, stealing from another writer, but NO! THEY JUST COPY-PASTED THE DAMN THING!

Okay. So now I'm confused. Upset, even. What the fuck is going on here? Who is this "FantasiaStories", and what is this site they keep hawking?

Well.

Ahah.

After sending some baffled texts to my friend, reporting the duplicate fics to Ao3 T&S for advertising, and several hours of waffling (and playing vidya games) about whether or not to click the link, I clicked the fucking link. I need to know what's going on. This is WEIRD.

WELL! The site is janky as all hell, first of all. Like, look at this shit:

Yeah, probably optimized for mobile but that is UGLY on desktop. And yes, that horribly-stretched png is a functional button! Shockingly. Let's go "learn how to play".

ah yes. the user guice. Welcome to visit our website :)))

So I scroll past the instructions on how to create an account, because I am not here to make an account. I am here to find the fucking truth. At first, the instructions give off the energy of this being an erotic mad libs site.

There's a feature for a narrator to read the text out loud to you as well. Personally I would crawl out of my skin but to each their own —

Oh. Ohhhh. Oh I see.

Now, when I look back at the Malleus fic that started all this, I noted something that, to anyone who has not played TWST, would go completely under the radar. I have helpfully highlighted this issue in the following screenshot:

The fic describes his eyes as being "gold and amber"

Any self-respecting TWST enjoyer knows that Malleus hAS GREEN EYES HOLY SHIT HIS WHOLE COLOR SCHEME IS BLACK AND GREEN YOU FUCKING SHAM! YOU CHARLATAN! YOU SCAMMER! This is SUCH a basic fact about his design that I simply cannot believe an actual human fan wrote this shit. ALSO the whole thing is generic af and it feels like malleus was just put in there because name recognition. this shit isn't malleus.

IN CONCLUSION: FANTASIASTORIES ON AO3 IS ALMOST CERTAINLY NOT WRITING THE STORIES THEY POST THEMSELVES, THEY ARE USING THEIR DOGSHIT WEBSITE THAT THEY KEEP ADVERTISING IN THE NOTES TO GENERATE AI SLOP FICS!! OH MY FUCKING GOD!!