The StackOptic Blog
Practical guides on identifying website technologies, SEO and GEO, web performance and lead generation — from the team behind StackOptic.
How to Build a Cold Outreach Prospect List That Converts
Build a cold outreach list that converts: define an ICP, source and enrich prospects, verify emails, segment for personalisation, and keep it lawful and sharp.
How to Identify a WordPress Theme and Its Plugins
Once you know a site runs WordPress, here is how to find its theme and its plugins — from the source, the style.css header and asset paths to detectors.
How to Detect Live Chat and Chatbot Tools on a Website
Intercom, Drift, Zendesk, Tidio, Crisp — chat widgets load from recognisable domains. Here is how to detect a site's live-chat and chatbot tools from DevTools.
How to Write a robots.txt File (with Examples)
robots.txt tells crawlers where they can and cannot go. Here is the syntax, real examples, the crawl-vs-index distinction, and handling AI crawlers like GPTBot.
What Are Canonical Tags and How to Use Them
A canonical tag tells search engines which URL is the master version of duplicate pages. How rel=canonical works, where it goes, and the mistakes to avoid.
How to Optimize Images for the Web
Images dominate page weight. How to optimise them with modern formats, compression, correct sizing, responsive images and lazy-loading to speed up your site.
What Is HTTPS and Why Your Site Needs It
A clear guide to HTTPS: what TLS encryption protects, why it matters for privacy, trust and SEO, how HSTS and redirects work, and how to verify yours.
How to Write Good Alt Text for Images
Alt text makes images accessible and helps SEO. Here are the rules for writing it well — by image type — with clear good and bad examples and a decision table.
How to Rank in the Google Map Pack (Local 3-Pack)
The Google map pack is the three local results shown above the organic listings. How Google ranks it, and exactly what you can influence to get in it.
How to Find Out What Programming Language a Website Is Built In
Identify the server-side language behind any site — PHP, Node.js, Python, Ruby, ASP.NET or Java — from HTTP headers, cookies, URL extensions and errors.
What Is Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) and How to Fix It
Cumulative Layout Shift measures visual stability: how much a page jumps while loading. What CLS is, what causes it, and how to fix every common source.
How to Find What Email Marketing Platform a Website Uses
Mailchimp, Klaviyo, HubSpot, ConvertKit — email platforms leave form actions and scripts behind. Here is how to detect a site's ESP from its signup form.
How to Optimize Content for Google AI Overviews
Google AI Overviews are the generative answers atop some results. How Google builds them and how to be included: concise answers, strong SEO and E-E-A-T.
How to Create an XML Sitemap and Submit It to Google
An XML sitemap helps search engines find your key pages. Here is what to include, the format and size limits, how to make one, and how to submit it to Google.
What Are Local Citations and Why NAP Consistency Matters
Local citations are online mentions of your business name, address and phone number. Why NAP consistency matters for local rankings, and how to fix them.
How to Find the Competitors of Any Company Online
Map any company's competitors with SERP overlap, similar-site tools, shared tech footprints and review categories, then turn the list into lookalike prospects.
How to Check if a Website Is Accessible
Automated scanners catch only a fraction of accessibility issues. Here is how to combine free tools with manual keyboard and screen-reader testing to be sure.
How to Tell if a Website Has Been Hacked
Spot a compromised website: redirects, injected spam, malware warnings and rogue admin users. How to check externally, and what to do if you are hacked.
How to Qualify Leads with Website Data
A company's website is full of buying signals. How to read tech stack, performance, SEO and hiring signals to score and qualify B2B leads before contact.
How to Find Out What Payment Processor a Website Uses
Stripe, PayPal, Adyen, Square — payment processors leave scripts and network calls behind. Here is how to detect a site's payment gateway from the checkout.
How to Optimize Your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is the cornerstone of local visibility. A clear step-by-step guide to claiming, completing and optimising it the right way.
How to Check What JavaScript Libraries a Website Uses
Detect the JavaScript libraries behind any site — jQuery, React, Vue, lodash, GSAP and more — using the DevTools console, the Network tab and detectors.
How to Get Cited by AI Search Engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI)
A practical GEO playbook for earning citations in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI: answer-first content, cited statistics, schema and AI crawler access.
How to Reduce Page Weight for a Faster, Greener Website
Page weight drives load speed, Core Web Vitals and carbon at once. Here is how to measure it and cut it in impact order: images, JavaScript, fonts and more.