Google’s rollout of AI Overviews and AI Mode has already fundamentally changed how people find and interact with information online. With generative AI and agent-style search experiences on the rise, behavior has shifted toward longer, highly specific queries shaped by individual context and intent. This shift isn’t limited to Google — platforms like Bing, ChatGPT, and Perplexity are training users to expect their search tools to understand nuance, deliver synthesized answers, and even complete tasks for them.

After healing from Hurricane Helene, our resilient community is back, open, and ready to welcome you with open arms. Whether you’re strolling through downtown, hiking in Pisgah National Forest, or savoring farm-to-table flavors at local restaurants, Asheville has a little something special for everyone and right now, it needs support more than ever. 

At MLD, no two days are ever the same. You might be designing a new website one day, problem solving for a site being buggy the next. Every day presents new challenges, new opportunities for growth — and that’s exactly what I love most about my role.

Ever heard the phrase, “Don’t mix friends and business?” If you’re a millennial or more seasoned (as I like to say), you probably have.

This has often been a conundrum for me — why mixing business and friendship is so frowned upon or seen as “unprofessional”. Because I find the best work we do is with friends and among friends and that it always leads to something beautiful. Something rewarding.

It’s hard to put into words what Asheville means to us. Even though our company has evolved over the years and our team has expanded into the Triangle, Asheville is our home - our beginning.

Since starting MLD in 2017, and bringing two kids into the world since then, I’ve had to learn how to put on two hats and be present as a business owner and leader, and also as a mother. 

As my two littles have gotten older, childcare has been a big part of my life and my learning journey, and it’s greatly impacted my perspective on owning a business.

In 2022, we started our journey to become a B Corp, and two years later, here we are! It all started with wanting to be better — to be the kind of business people admire, respect, and believe in.

The journey began with a connection to purpose. Our company is driven by wanting to make a difference with how we build our team, the kinds of clients we work with, and how we operate day-to-day. 

In an intentional decision to prioritize family life and our team’s well-being, we made a big shift and implemented “Half Day Fridays” in June of 2023, and we can’t tell you what a difference they’ve made to our team! So, here’s a look at how they’re going and the different ways our crew is spending this sweet time. 

To respond to the tides of change in the SEO world, we have an action plan in place. We have already started by focusing on blog optimizations from an on-site perspective, but we will be strengthening our clients’ websites’ foundations in the following ways: Natural Language Optimization: By leveraging rich snippets and structured data, we're zeroing in on enhancing natural language strategies. This approach aims to prioritize rankings in Q&A boxes and top-featured resources. Learn about Rich Snippets.

Because of Casey and the rest of the team here at Mountain Laurel Digital, my former belief that “pressure is the only way to make diamonds” has been flipped on its head and taken for a ride. This team teaches me that beautiful things can grow from empowerment — that diamonds can form by support and teamwork, and that empathy is a key component to sustainable quality.

You deeply care about your business’ impact on your community and the environment. Ideas of how you can do better and be more impactful are swirling and frequently discussed among your team.

Have you hit a point where you’re thinking about a sustainability partnership?

We’re feeling that way now as we celebrate five glorious years of Mountain Laurel Digital. And what a truly beautiful journey it has been to arrive at this place. Five years of growing together, building relationships, and as our lovely, native mountain laurel has taught us, five years of persevering.

Our team culture and service model offers an empathetic marketing agency experience — one where we intentionally listen to your brand's purpose and vision, creating a personal and value aligned relationship. We focus on that word “relationship,” because we take it very seriously, and we know you do too.

All of a sudden, we’re at the end of yet another year, and we’re wondering, “where has the time gone!” Are you feeling like 2021 was a whirlwind too? We’re reflecting on the past 12 months, some of the lessons we’ve learned, and the many, many fun times we’ve had — as a team, with friends and family, and as individuals. There’s been exciting travel, special team get-togethers, a lot of laughs, (maybe even a little crying at times), but most of all, a lot of joy.

Meet Jamie Lamonde, founder and CEO of Kindship Group. She’s an incredible marketing professional, dedicated mother, and dear friend. We had the privilege of sitting down and chatting with Jamie, and we’re here to share a little bit of her story in celebration of our partnership with Kindship Group.

This article dives into what SEO can’t do. Why would we want to tell you what it doesn’t have the power to accomplish, when SEO is something we think you absolutely need to implement? Because whether you work with us, or tackle it yourself, your success with SEO depends upon your understanding of it—all aspects of it. What’s more, success happens when expectations are realistic and goals are reachable. And we really want you to be successful. Really, really successful. So, while can’t sounds negative, knowing what SEO won’t do for you is actually a positive.

The major thing that I have felt since I started has been empowerment. It never really meant much to me until I felt it and realized I had never really had it at a workplace before. I was wondering why, if this had been my fault, or if there had never been a fertile ground for it to develop because of the corporate cultures of places I worked at. Empowerment implies opportunity to grow, support in that growth, and it can only exist in a culture built on respect and trust.

Feeling like busy season is going to overtake you? We are right there with you….We’ve all experienced the message: “urgent” (no context), “need this by EOD please”, “hey just circling back here”, and the dreaded “are we pushing the deadline back? because we have to.”  It is easy to get sucked into the whirlwind of client facing activity. It’s what makes you great - an ever present commitment to maintaining great relationships and delivering the highest level of quality in your products and services… but it doesn’t make it easy! 

During my pregnancy, I definitely struggled with letting go of control. I was plagued with every mom’s typical fears: that I wouldn’t have a healthy birth, that as my body changed, I was less beautiful, that I was often overly emotional... and oh so much more. I reached out to the beautiful mamas in my network and was recommended countless resources. They’ve been wise, encouraging, and loving.

Google Ads is a powerful platform that allows for granular optimization of your ads if you know the platform and play by the rules. Knowing the ins-and-outs will undoubtedly help you make the most of your budget. Learn more…

Oh, hey October! (que nervous laugh) You came fast.

Here in Asheville, the crowds are swelling with an influx of tourists who are here to enjoy autumn in the mountains. Our home city is a place with thriving tourism, hospitality, and food & bev industries, which means our commerce patterns largely dependent on seasonal changes.

In building your brand, you will inevitably realize at some point that you’ll need to bring in creative professionals to achieve your marketing goals. Whether it’s a campaign you’re building or a total rebrand, there are some things you simply CAN’T do inhouse, and other things that you might be able to wing, but that are better left to the professionals for truly stunning results.

The idea was hatched months ago, after talking with fellow creatives in Asheville who love to co-work, but who also expressed a desire for more strategy and intention behind their decisions to lease space for their businesses.