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Get our 10 AI prompts to dominate SEO & AEO: https://clickhubspot.com/mbc Is SEO more relevant than we thought? Ep. 385 Kipp, Kieran, and Ethan Smith, CEO of Graphite, dive into the data behind the real state of SEO, debunking the myths that SEO is dead and uncovering what's really changing with the rise of answer engine optimization. Learn more on whether LLMs are really overtaking search, how marketers should invest between SEO and AEO, and the most repeatable tactics to rank #1 on Google and show up in AI-generated answers. Mentions Ethan Smith https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanls Graphite https://graphite.io/ Ahrefs https://ahrefs.com/ ChatGPT https://chatgpt.com/ Grok https://grok.com/ Claude https://claude.ai/ Perplexity https://www.perplexity.ai/ Get our guide to build your own Custom GPT: https://clickhubspot.com/customgpt We're creating our next round of content and want to ensure it tackles the challenges you're facing at work or in your business. To understand your biggest challenges we've put together a survey and we'd love to hear from you! https://bit.ly/matg-research Resource [Free] Steal our favorite AI Prompts featured on the show! Grab them here: https://clickhubspot.com/aip We're on Social Media! Follow us for everyday marketing wisdom straight to your feed YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGtXqPiNV8YC0GMUzY-EUFg Twitter: https://twitter.com/matgpod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matgpod Join our community https://landing.connect.com/matg Thank you for tuning into Marketing Against The Grain! Don't forget to hit subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts (so you never miss an episode)! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-against-the-grain/id1616700934 If you love this show, please leave us a 5-Star Review https://link.chtbl.com/h9_sjBKH and share your favorite episodes with friends. We really appreciate your support. Host Links: Kipp Bodnar, https://twitter.com/kippbodnar Kieran Flanagan, https://twitter.com/searchbrat ‘Marketing Against The Grain' is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by Hubspot Media // Produced by Darren Clarke.
In this episode of Content, Briefly, Jimmy chats with Nate Turner, co-founder and CEO of Ten Speed, about the evolving world of organic marketing and how AI is reshaping content strategy.They unpack what organic marketing really means today — beyond SEO — and explore how brands can unify SEO, content, LLM visibility, and digital PR into a powerful growth engine. Nate shares insights on the changing skills marketers need, the importance of leadership buy-in, and how to balance long-term strategy with agile execution.Tune in for a practical conversation on thriving in the new era of organic marketing — with plenty of real-world examples and actionable tips to help you plan for 2026 and beyond.This episode is sponsored by Ahrefs. Sign up for Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free to improve your site's SEO performance and grow traffic from search.************************Useful Links:Follow Jimmy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmydaly/Follow Nate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nateturner1/TenSpeed: https://www.tenspeed.io/************************Stay Tuned:► Website: https://www.superpath.co/► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@superpath► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/superpath/► Twitter: https://twitter.com/superpathco************************Don't forget to leave us a five-star review and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
How to Build a Winning Strategy for Your B2B Brand In a fast-paced business environment, marketers, agencies, and consultants must proactively help clients differentiate their brands in the marketplace. One way of doing this is by analyzing the strategy, messaging, and brand positioning, both for their own brands and key competitors. So how can teams conduct this kind of brand research and competitive analysis in a way that's insightful, efficient, and actionable for planning the next steps? Tune in as the B2B Marketers on Mission Podcast presents the Marketing DEMO Lab Series, where we sit down with Clay Ostrom (Founder, Map & Fire) and his SmokeLadder platform designed for brand research, messaging and positioning analysis, and competitive benchmarking. In this episode, Clay explained the platform's origins and features, emphasizing its role in analyzing brand positioning, core messaging, and competitive landscapes. He also stressed the importance of clear, consistent brand positioning and messaging, and how standardized make it easier to compare brands across multiple business values. Clay also highlighted the value of objective, data-driven analysis to identify brand strengths, weaknesses, and gaps, and how tools like SmokeLadder can save significant time in gathering insights to build trust with clients. He provided practical steps for generating, refining, and exporting brand messaging and analysis for internal or client-facing use. Finally, Clay also discussed how action items and recommendations generated from analysis can immediately support smart brand strategy decisions and expedite trust-building with clients. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4_o1PzF1Kk Topics discussed in episode: [1:31] The purpose behind building SmokeLadder and why it matters for B2B teams [12:00] A walkthrough of the SmokeLadder platform and how it works [14:51] SmokeLadder's core features [17:48] How positioning scores and category rankings are calculated [35:36] How differentiation and competitors are analyzed inside SmokeLadder [44:07] How SmokeLadder builds messaging and generates targeted personas [50:24] The key benefits and unique capabilities that set SmokeLadder apart Companies and links: Clay Ostrom Map & Fire SmokeLadder Transcript Christian Klepp 00:00 In an increasingly competitive B2B landscape, marketers, agencies and consultants, need to proactively find ways to help their clients stand out amidst the digital noise. One way of doing this is by analyzing the strategy, messaging and positioning of their own brands and those of their competitors. So how can they do this in a way that’s insightful, efficient and effective? Welcome to this first episode of the B2B Marketers in the Mission podcast Demo Lab Series, and I’m your host, Christian Klepp. Today, I’ll be talking to Clay Ostrom about this topic. He’s the owner and founder of the branding agency Map and Fire, and the creator of the platform Smoke Ladder that we’ll be talking about today. So let’s dive in. Christian Klepp 00:42 All right, and I’m gonna say Clay Ostrom. Welcome to this first episode of the Demo Lab Series. Clay Ostrom 00:50 I am super excited and very honored to be the first guest on this new series. It’s awesome. Christian Klepp 00:56 We are honored to have you here. And you know, let’s sit tight, or batten down the hatches and buckle up, and whatever other analogy you want to throw in there, because we are going to unpack a lot of interesting features and discuss interesting topics around the platform that you’ve built. And I think a good place to start, perhaps Clay before we start doing a walk through of the platform is, but let’s start at the very beginning. What motivated you to create this platform called Smoke Ladder. Clay Ostrom 01:31 So we should go all the way back to my childhood. I always dreamed of, you know, working on brand and positioning. You know, that was something I’ve always thought of since the early days, but no, but I do. I own an agency called Map and Fire, so I’ve been doing this kind of work for over 10 years now, and have worked with lots and lots of different kinds of clients, and over that time, developed different frameworks and a point of view about how to do this kind of work, and when the AI revolution kind of hit us all, it just really struck me that this was an opportunity to take a lot of that thinking and a lot of that, you know, again, my perspective on how to do this work and productize that and turn it into something that could be used by people when we’re not engaged with them, in some kind of service offering. So, so that was kind of the kernel of it. I actually have a background in computer science and product. So it was sort of this natural Venn diagram intersection of I can do some product stuff, I can do brand strategy stuff. So let’s put it together and build something. Christian Klepp 02:46 And the rest, as they say, is history. Clay Ostrom 02:49 The rest, as they say, is a lot of nights and weekends and endless hours slaving away at trying to build something useful. Christian Klepp 02:58 Sure, sure, that certainly is part of it, too. Clay Ostrom 03:01 Yeah. Christian Klepp 03:02 Let’s not keep the audience in suspense for too long here, right? Like, let’s start with the walk through. And before you share your screen, maybe I’ll set this up a little bit, right? Because you, as you said, like, you know, you’ve built this platform. It’s called Smoke Ladder, which I thought was a really clever name. It’s, you like to describe it as, like, your favorite SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tool, but for brand research and analysis. So I would say, like, walk us through how somebody would use this platform, like, whether they be a marketer that’s already been like in the industry for years, or is starting out, or somebody working at a brand or marketing agency, and how does the platform address these challenges or questions that people have regarding brand strategy, analysis and research? Clay Ostrom 03:49 Yeah, yeah. I use that analogy of the SEO thing, just because, especially early on, I was trying to figure out the best way to describe it to someone who hasn’t seen it before. I feel like it’s a, I’m not going to fall into the trap of saying, this is the only product like this, but it has its own unique twists with what it can do. And I felt like SEO tools are something everybody has touched at one point or another. So I was using this analogy of, it’s like the s, you know, Semrush of positioning and messaging or Ahrefs, depending on your if you’re a Coke or Pepsi person. But I always felt like that was just a quick way to give a little idea of the fact that it’s both about analyzing your own brand, but it’s also about competitive analysis and being able to see what’s going on in the market or in your landscape, and looking specifically at what your competitors are doing and what their strengths and weaknesses are. So does that resonate with you in terms of, like, a shorthand way, I will say, I don’t. I don’t say that. It’s super explicitly on the website, but it’s been in conversation. Christian Klepp 05:02 No, absolutely, absolutely, that resonated with me. The only part that didn’t resonate with me is that I’m neither a coke or a Pepsi person. I’m more of a ginger ale type of guy. I digress. But yeah, let’s what don’t you share your screen, and let’s walk through this, right? Like, okay, if a marketing person were like, use the platform to do some research on, perhaps that marketers, like own company and the competitors as well, right? Like, what would they do? Clay Ostrom 05:32 Yeah, so that’s, that is, like you were saying, there’s, sort of, I guess, a few different personas of people who would potentially use this. And initially I was thinking a little more about both in house, people who, you know, someone who’s working on a specific brand, digging really deep on their own brand, whether they’re, you know, the marketing lead or whatever, maybe they’re the founder, and then this other role of agency owners, or people who work at an agency where they are constantly having to look at new brands, new categories, and quickly get up to speed on what those brands are doing and what’s the competitive space look like, you know, for that brand. And that’s something that, if you work at an agency, which obviously we both have our own agencies, we do this stuff weekly. I mean, every time a new lead comes in, we have to quickly get up to speed and understand something about what they do. And one of the big gaps that I found, and I’d be curious to kind of hear your thoughts on this, but I’ve had a lot of conversations with other agency owners, and I think one of the biggest gaps is often that brands are just not always that great at explaining their own brand or positioning or differentiation to you, and sometimes they have some documentation around it, but a lot of times they don’t. A lot of it’s word of mouth, and that makes it really hard to do work for them. If whatever you’re doing for them, whether that’s maybe you are working on SEO or maybe you’re working on paid ads or social or content, you have to know what the brand is doing and kind of what they’re again, what their strengths and weaknesses are, so that you can talk about that. I mean, do you come across that a lot in your work? Christian Klepp 07:33 How do I say this without offending anybody? I find, I mean jokes aside, I find, more often than not, in the especially in the B2B space, which is an area that I operate in, I find 888 point five times out of 10. We are dealing with companies that have a they, have a very rude, rudimentary, like, framework of something that remotely resembles some form of branding. And I know that was a very long winded answer, but it’s kind of sort of there, but not really, if you know what I mean. Clay Ostrom 08:17 Yeah. Christian Klepp 08:17 And there have been other extreme cases where they’ve got the logo and the website, and that’s as far as their branding goals. And I would say that had they had all these, this discipline, like branding system and structure in place, then people like maybe people like you and I will be out on a job, right and it’s something, and I’m sure you’ve come across this, and we’ll probably dig into this later, but like you, it’s something I’ve come across several times, especially in the B2B space, where branding is not taken seriously until it becomes serious. I know that sounds super ironic, right, but, and it’s to the point of this platform, right, which we’re going to dig into in a second, but it’s, it’s things, for instance, positioning right, like, are you? Are you, in fact, strategically positioned against competitors? Is your messaging resonating with, I would imagine, especially in the B2B context, with the multiple group target groups that you have, or that your company is, is going after? Right? Is that resonating, or is this all like something that I call the internal high five? You’ve this has all been developed to please internal stakeholders and and then you take it to market, and it just does not, it just does not resonate with the target audience at all. Right? So there’s such a complex plethora of challenges here, right? That people like yourself and like you and I are constantly dealing with, and I think that’s also part of the reason why I would say a platform like this is important, because it helps to not just aggregate data. I mean, certainly it does that too, but it helps. To put things properly, like into perspective at speed. I think that might be, that might be something that you would have talked about later, but it does this at speed, because I think, from my own experience, one of the factors in our world that sometimes works against us is time, right? Clay Ostrom 10:19 No, I totally agree, yeah, and, you know, we’re lucky, I guess would be the word that we are often hired to work on a company strategy with them and help them clarify these things. Christian Klepp 10:33 Absolutely. Clay Ostrom 10:34 There are a million other flavors of agencies out there who are being hired to execute on work for a brand, and not necessarily being brought in to redefine, you know what the brand, you know they’re positioning and their messaging and some of these fundamental things, so they’re kind of stuck with whatever they get. And like you said, a lot of times it’s not much. It might be a logo and a roughly put together website, and maybe not a whole lot else. So, yeah, but I think your other point about speed is that was a huge part of this. I think the market is only accelerating right now, because it’s becoming so much easier to start up new companies and new brands and new products. And now we’ve got vibe coding, so you can technically build a product in a day, maybe launch it the next day, start marketing it, you know, by the weekend. And all of this is creating noise and competition, and it’s all stuff that we have to deal with as marketers. We have to understand the landscape. We’ve got to quickly be able to analyze all these different brands, see where the strengths and weaknesses are and all that stuff. So… Christian Klepp 11:46 Absolutely. Clay Ostrom 11:46 But, yeah, that, I think that the speed piece is a huge part of this for sure. Christian Klepp 11:51 Yeah. So, so we’re okay, so we’re on the I guess this, this will probably be the homepage. So just walk us through what, what a marketing person would do if they want to use this platform, yeah? Clay Ostrom 12:00 So the very first thing you do when you come in, and this was when I initially conceived of this product, one of the things that I really wanted was the ability to have very quick feedback, be able to get analysis for whatever brand you’re looking at, you know, right away to be able to get some kind of, you know, insight or analysis done. So the first thing you can do, and you can do this literally, from the homepage of the website, you can enter in a URL for a brand, come into the product, even before you’ve created an account, you can come in and you can do an initial analysis, so you can put in whatever URL you’re looking at, could be yours, could be a competitor, and run that initial analysis. What we’re looking at here, this is, if you do create an account, this is, this becomes your, as we say, like Home Base, where you can save brands that you’re looking at. You can see your history, all that good stuff. And it just gives you some quick bookmarks so that you can kind of flip back and forth between, maybe it’s your brand, maybe it’s some of the competitors you’re looking at and then it gives you just some quick, kind of high level directional info. And I kind of break it up into these different buckets. Clay Ostrom 13:23 And again, I’d love to kind of hear if this is sort of how you think about it, too. But there’s sort of these different phases when you’re working on a brand. And again, this is sort of from an agency perspective, but you first got the sort of the research and the pitch piece. So this is before maybe you’re even working with them. You’re trying to get an understanding of what they do. Then we have discovery and onboarding, where we’re digging in a little bit deeper. We’re trying to really put together, what does the brand stand for, what are their strengths and weaknesses? And then we have the deeper dive, the strategy and differentiation. And this is where we’re really going in and getting more granular with the specific value points that they offer, doing some of that messaging analysis, finding, finding some of the gaps of the things that they’re talking about or not talking about, and going in deeper. So it kind of break it up into these buckets, based on my experience of how we engage with clients. Does that? Does that make sense to you, like, does that? Christian Klepp 14:28 It does make sense, I think. But what could be helpful for the audience is because this, this almost looks like it’s a pre cooked meal. All right, so what do we do we try another I mean, I think you use Slack for the analysis. Why don’t we use another brand, and then just pop it into that analysis field, and then see what it comes out with. Clay Ostrom 14:51 So the nice thing about this is, if you are looking at a brand that’s been analyzed, you’re going to get the data up really quickly. It’ll be basically pop up instantly. But you can analyze a brand from scratch as well. Just takes about a minute or so, basically, to kind of do some of the analysis. So for the sake of a demo, it’s a little easier just to kind of look at something that we’ve got in there. But if it’s a brand that you know, maybe you’re looking at a competitor for one of your brands, you know, there’s a good chance, because we’ve got about 6000 brands that we’ve analyzed in here, that there’s a good chance there’ll be some info on them. But so this is pipe drive. So whoever’s not familiar Pipedrive is, you know, it’s a CRM (Customer Relationship Management), it’s, it’s basically, you know, it’s a lighter version of a HubSpot or Salesforce basically track deals and opportunities for business, but this so I flipped over. I don’t know if it was clear there, but I flipped over to this brand brief tab. And this is where we we get, essentially, a high level view of some key points about the brand and and I think about this as this would be something that you would potentially share with a client if you were, you know, working with them and you wanted to review the brand with them and make sure that your analysis is on point, but you’ll see it’s kind of giving you some positioning scores, where you rank from a category perspective, message clarity, and then we’ve got things like a quick overview, positioning summary, who their target persona is, in this case, sales manager, sales operation lead, and some different value points. And then it starts to get a little more granular. We get into like key competitors, Challenger brands. We do a little SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis, and then maybe one of the more important parts is some of these action items. So what do we do with this? Yeah, and obviously, these are, these are starting points. This is not, it’s not going to come in and, you know, instantly be able to tell you strategically, exactly what to do, but it’s going to give you some ideas of based on the things we’ve seen. Here are some reasonable points that you might want to be looking at to, you know, improve the brand. Make it make it stronger. Christian Klepp 17:13 Gotcha. Gotcha. Now, this is all great clay, but like, I think, for the benefit of the audience, can we scroll back up, please. And let’s just walk through these one by one, because I think it’s important for the audience/potential future users,/ customers of Smoke Ladder, right? To understand, to understand this analysis in greater depth, and also, like, specifically, like, let’s start with a positioning score right, like, out of 100 like, what is this? What is this based on? And how was this analyzed? Let’s start with that. Clay Ostrom 17:48 Yeah, and this is where the platform really started. And I’m going to actually jump over to the positioning tab, because this will give us the all the detail around this particular feature. But this is, this was where I began the product this. I kind of think of this as being, in many ways, sort of the heart and soul of it. And when I mentioned earlier about this being based on our own work and frameworks and how we approach this, this is very much the case with this. This is, you know, the approach we use with the product is exactly how we work with clients when we’re evaluating their positioning. And it’s, it’s basically, it’s built off a series of scores. And what we have here are 24 different points of business value, which, if we zoom in just a little bit down here, we can see things like reducing risk, vision, lowering cost, variety, expertise, stability, etc. So there’s 24 of these that we look at, and it’s meant to be a way that we can look across different brands and compare and contrast them. So it’s creating, like, a consistent way of looking at brands, even if they’re not in the same category, or, you know, have slightly different operating models, etc. But what we do is we go in and we score every brand on each of these 24 points. And if we scroll down here a little bit, we can see the point of value, the exact score they got, the category average, so how it compares against, you know, all the other brands we’ve analyzed, and then a little bit of qualitative information about why they got the score. Christian Klepp 19:27 Sorry, Clay, Can I just jump in for a second so these, these attributes, or these key values that you had in the graph at the top right, like, are these consistent throughout regardless of what brand is being analyzed, or the least change. Clay Ostrom 19:42 It’s consistent. Christian Klepp 19:43 Consistent? Clay Ostrom 19:44 Yeah, and that was one of the sort of strategic decisions we had to make with the product. Was, you know, there’s a, maybe another version of this, where you do different points depending on maybe the category, or, you know, things like that. But I wanted to do it consistent because, again, it allows us to look at every brand through the same lens. It doesn’t mean that every brand you know there are certain points of value that just aren’t maybe relevant for a particular brand, and that’s fine, they just won’t score as highly in those but at least it gives us a consistent way to look at so when you’re looking at 10 different competitors, you know you’ve got a consistent way to look at them together,. Christian Klepp 20:26 Right, right, right. Okay, okay, all right, thanks for that. Now let’s go down to the next section there, where you’ve got, like this table with like four different columns here. So you mentioned that these are being scored against other brands in their category. Like, can you share it with the audience? Like, how many other brands are being analyzed here? Clay Ostrom 20:51 Yeah, well, it depends on the category. So again, we’ve got six, you know, heading towards 7000 brands that we’ve analyzed collectively. Each category varies a little bit, but, you know, some categories, we have more brands than others. But what this allows us to do is, again, to quickly look at this and say, okay, for pipe drive, a big focus for pipe drive is organization, simplification. You know, one of their big value props is we’re an easier tool to use than Salesforce or HubSpot. You can get up to speed really quickly. You don’t have all the setup and configurations and all that kind of stuff. So this is showing us that, yes, like their messaging, their content, their brand, does, in fact, do a good job of making it clear that simplicity is a big part of pipe drive’s message. And they do that by talking about it a lot in their messaging, having case studies, having testimonials, all these things that support it. And that’s how we come up with these scores. Is by saying, like the brand emphasizes these points well, they talk about it clearly, and that’s what we base it on. Christian Klepp 22:04 Okay, okay. Clay Ostrom 22:06 But as you come, I was just gonna say as you come down here, you can see, so the green basically means that they score well above average for that particular point. Yellow is, you know, kind of right around average, or maybe slightly above, and then red means that they’re below average for that particular point. So for example, like variety of tools, they don’t emphasize that as much with pipe drive, maybe compared to, again, like a Salesforce or a HubSpot that has a gazillion tools, pipe drive, that’s not a big focus for them. So they don’t score as highly there, but you can kind of just get a quick view of, okay, here are the things that they’re really strong with, and here are the things that maybe they’re, you know, kind of weak or below average. Christian Klepp 22:58 Yeah, yeah. Well, that’s certainly interesting, because I, you know, I’ve, I’ve used the, I’ve used the platform for analyzing some of my clients, competitor brands. And, you know, when I’m looking at this, like analysis with the scoring, with the scoring sheet, it, I think it will also be interesting perhaps in future, because you’ve got a very detailed breakdown of, okay, the factors and how they’re scored, and what the brand value analysis is also, because, again, in the interest of speed and time, it’d be great if the platform can also churn out maybe a one to two sentence like, summary of what is this data telling us, right? Because I’m thinking back to my early days as a product manager, and we would spend hours, like back then on Excel spreadsheets. I’m dating myself a little bit here, but um, and coming up with this analysis and charts, but presenting that to senior management, all they wanted to know was the one to two sentence summary of like, come on. What are you telling me with all these charts, like, what is the data telling you that we need to know? Right? Clay Ostrom 24:07 I know it’s so funny. We again, as strategists and researchers, we love to nerd out about the granular details, but you’re right. When you’re talking to a leader at a business, it does come down to like, okay, great. What do we do? And so, and I flipped back over to slacks. I knew I had already generated this but, but we’re still in the positioning section here, but we have this get insights feature. So basically it will look at all those scores and give you kind of, I think, similar to what you’re describing. Like, here’s three takeaways from what we’re seeing. Okay, okay, great, yeah, so we don’t want to leave you totally on your own to have to figure it all out. We’ll give you, give you a little helping hand. Christian Klepp 24:53 Yeah. You don’t want to be like in those western movies, you’re on your own kid. Clay Ostrom 24:59 Yeah. We try not to strand you again. There’s a lot of data here. I think that’s one of the strengths and and challenges with the platform, is that we try to give you a lot of data. And for some people, you may not want to have to sift through all of it. You might want just sort of give me the three points here. Christian Klepp 25:19 Absolutely, absolutely. And at the very least they can start pointing you in the right direction, and then you could be, you could then, like, through your own initiative, and perhaps dig a little bit deeper and perhaps find some other insights that may be, may be relevant, right? Clay Ostrom 25:35 Totally. Christian Klepp 25:36 Hey, it’s Christian Klepp here. We’ll get back to the episode in a second. But first, I’d like to tell you about a new series that we’re launching on our show. As the B2B landscape evolves, marketers need to adapt and leverage the latest marketing tools and software to become more efficient. Enter B2B Marketers on a Mission Marketing Demo Lab where experts discuss the latest tools and software that empower you to become a better B2B marketer. Tune in as we chat with product experts. Provide unbiased product reviews, give advice and deliver insights into real world applications and actionable tips on tools and technologies for B2B marketing. Subscribe to the Marketing Demo Lab, YouTube channel and B2B Marketers on a Mission, on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Christian Klepp 26:21 All right. Now, back to the show, if we can, if we could jump back, sorry, to the, I think it was the brand brief, right? Like, where we where we started out, and I said, let’s, let’s dig deeper. Okay, so then, then we have, okay, so we talked about positioning score. Now we’re moving on to category rank and message clarity score. What does that look like? Clay Ostrom 26:41 Yeah. So the category rank is, it’s literally just looking at the positioning score that you’ve gotten for the brand and then telling you within this category, where do you sort of fall in the ranking, essentially, or, like, you know, how do we, you know, for comparing the score against all the competitors, where do you fall? So you can see, with Slack, they’re right in the middle. And it’s interesting, because with a product like Slack, even though we all now know what slack is and what it does and everything. Christian Klepp 27:18 Yeah. Clay Ostrom 27:19 The actual messaging and content that they have now, I think maybe doesn’t do as good of a job as it maybe did once upon a time, and it’s gotten as products grow and brands grow, they tend to get more vague, a little more broad with what they talk about, and that kind of leads to softer positioning. So that’s sort of what we’re seeing reflected here. And then the third score is the message clarity score, which we can jump into, like, a whole different piece. Christian Klepp 27:48 Four on a tennis not a very high score, right? Clay Ostrom 27:52 Yeah. And again, I think it’s a product, of, we can kind of jump into that section. Christian Klepp 27:57 Yeah, let’s do that, yeah. Clay Ostrom 27:59 But it’s, again, a product, I think of Slack being now a very mature product that is has gotten sort of a little vague, maybe a little broader, with their messaging. But the message clarity score, we basically have kind of two parts to this on the left hand side are some insights that we gather based on the messaging. So what’s your category, quick synopsis of the product. But then we also do some things, like… Christian Klepp 28:33 Confusing part the most confusing. Clay Ostrom 28:36 Honestly to me, as I get I’d love to hear your experience with this, but coming into a new brand, this is sometimes one of the most enlightening parts, because it shows me quickly where some gaps in what we’re talking about, and in this case, just kind of hits on what we were just saying a minute ago. Of the messaging is overloaded with generic productivity buzzwords, fails to clearly differentiate how Slack is better than email or similar tools, etc. But also, this is another one that I really like, and I use this all the time, which is the casual description. So rather than this technical garbage jargon, you know, speak, just give me. Give it to me in plain English, like we’re just chatting. And so this description of it’s a workplace chat app for teams to message, collaborate, share files. Like, okay, cool. Like, yeah, you know, I get it. Yeah, I already know what slack is. But if I didn’t, that would tell me pretty well. Christian Klepp 29:33 Absolutely, yeah, yeah. No, my experience with this is has been, you know, you and I have been in the branding space for a while. So for the trained eye, when you look at messaging, you’ll know if it’s good or not, right. And we come I mean, I’m sure you do the same clay, but I also come to my own like conclusions based on experience of like, okay, so why do I think that that’s good messaging, or why do I think that that’s confusing messaging? Or it falls short, and why and how can that be improved? But it’s always good to have validation with either with platforms like this, where you have a you have AI, or you have, you have a software that you can use that analyzes, like, for example, like the messaging on a website, and it dissects that and says, Well, okay, so this is what they’re getting, right? So there’s a scoring for that, so it’s in the green, and then this is, this is where it gets confusing, right? So even you run that through, you run that through the machine, and the machine analyzes it as like, Okay, we can’t clearly, clearly define what it is they’re doing based on the messaging, right? And for me, that’s always a it’s good. It’s almost like getting a second doctor’s opinion, right? And then you go, Aha. So I we’ve identified the symptoms now. So let’s find the penicillin, right? Like, let’s find the remedy for this, right? Clay Ostrom 30:56 Yeah, well, and I like what you said there, because part of the value, I think, with this is it’s an objective perspective on the brand, so it doesn’t have any baggage. It’s coming in with fresh eyes, the same way a new customer would come into your website, where they don’t know really much about you, and they have to just take what you’re giving at face value about what you present. And we as people working on brands get completely blinded around what’s actually working, what’s being communicated. There’s so much that we take for granted about what we already know about the brand. And this comes in and just says, Okay, I’m just, I’m just taking what you give me, and I’m going to tell you what I see, and I see some gaps around some of these things. You know, I don’t have the benefit of sitting in your weekly stand up meeting and hearing all the descriptions of what you’re actually doing. Christian Klepp 31:59 I’m sorry to jump in. I’m interested to know, like, just, just based on what we’ve been reviewing so far, like, what has your experience been showing this kind of analysis to clients, and how do they respond to some of this data, for example, that you know, you’re walking us through right now? Clay Ostrom 32:18 Yeah, I think it’s been interesting. Honestly, I think it can sometimes feel harsh. And I think again, as someone who’s both run an agency and also built worked on brands, we get attached to our work on an emotional level. Christian Klepp 32:42 Absolutely. Clay Ostrom 32:42 Even if we think about it as, you know, this is just work, and it’s, you know, whatever, we still build up connections with our work and we want it to be good. And so I think there’s sometimes a little bit of a feeling of wow, like that’s harsh, or I would have expected or thought we would have done better or scored better in certain areas, but that is almost always followed up with but I’m so glad to know where, where we’re struggling, because now I can fix it. I can actually know what to focus on to fix, and that, to me, is what it’s all about, is, yes, there’s a little bit of feelings attached to some of these things, maybe, but at the end of the day, we really want it to be good. We want it to be clear. We don’t want to be a 4 out of 10. We want to be a 10 out of 10. And what specifically do we need to do to get there? And that’s really what we’re trying to reveal with this. So I think, you know, everybody’s a little different, but I would say the reactions are typically a mix of that. It’s like, maybe an ouch, but a Oh, good. Let’s work on it. Christian Klepp 33:55 Absolutely, absolutely. Okay. So we’ve got brand summary, we’ve got fundamentals, then quality of messaging is the other part of it, right? Clay Ostrom 34:02 So, yeah, so this, this is, this is where the actual 4 out of 10 comes. We have these 10 points that we look at and we say, Okay, are you communicating these things clearly? Are you communicating who your target customer is, your category, your offering, where you’re differentiated benefits? Do you have any kind of concrete claim about what you do to support you know what you’re what you’re selling? Is the messaging engaging? Is it concise? You’ll see here a 7% on concise. That’s basically telling us that virtually no brands do a good job of being concise. Only about 7% get a green check mark on this, and kind of similar with the jargon and the vague words big struggle points with almost every brand. Christian Klepp 34:55 Streamline collaboration. Clay Ostrom 34:58 So we can see here with Slack. You know some of the jargon we got, KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), MQLs (Marketing Qualified Lead), if you’re in the space, you could argue like, oh, I kind of know what those things are. But depending on your role, you may not always know. In something like Salesforce marketing cloud, unless you’re a real Salesforce nerd, you probably have no idea what that is. But again, it’s just a way to quickly identify some of those weak points, things that we could improve to make our message more clear. Christian Klepp 35:27 Yes, yes. Okay, so that was the messaging analysis correct? Clay Ostrom 35:33 Yeah. Christian Klepp 35:33 Yeah. Okay. So what else have we got? Clay Ostrom 35:36 Yeah, so I think one other thing we could look at just for a sec, is differentiation, and this is this kind of plays off of what we looked at a minute ago with the positioning scores. But this is a way for us to look head to head with two different brands. So in this case, we’ve got Slack in the red and we’ve got Discord in the greenish blue. And I think of these, these patterns, as sort of the fingerprint of your brand. So where you Where are you strong? Where are you weak? And if we can overlay those two fingerprints on top of each other, we can see, where do we have advantages, and where does our competitor have advantages? So if we come down, we can sort of see, and this is again, for the nerds like me, to be able to come in and go deep, do kind of a deep dive on specifically, why did, why does Discord score better than Slack in certain areas. And at the bottom here we can see a kind of a quick summary. So slack is stronger in simplification, saving time, Discord has some better messaging around generating revenue, lowering costs, marketability. But again, this gives us a way to think about what are the things we want to double down on? So what do we want to actually be known for in the market? Because we can’t be known for everything. You know, buyers can maybe only remember a couple things about us. What are those couple things where we’re really strong, where we really stand out, and we’ve got some separation from the competitors. Christian Klepp 37:18 Right, okay, okay, just maybe we take a step back here, because I think this is great. It’s very detailed. It gets a bit granular, but I think it’s also going back to a conversation that you and I had previously about, like, Okay, why is it so important to be armed with this knowledge, especially if you’re in the marketing role, or perhaps even an agency talking to a potential client going in there already armed with the information about their competitors. And we were talking about this being a kind of like a trust building mechanism, right? For lack of a better description, right? Clay Ostrom 38:03 Yeah, I think to me, what I like about this, and again, this does come out of 10 years of doing work, this kind of work with clients as well, is it’s so easy to fall into a space of soft descriptions around things like positioning and just sort of using vague, you know, wordings or descriptions, and when you can actually put a number on it, which, again, it’s subjective. This isn’t. This isn’t an objective metric, but it’s a way for us to compare and contrast. It allows us to have much more productive conversations with clients, where we can say we looked at your brand, we we what based on our analysis, we see that you’re scoring a 10 and a 9 on simplicity and organization, for example. Is that accurate to you like do you think that’s what you all are emphasizing the most? Does that? Does that resonate and at the same time, we can say, but your competitors are really focused on there. They have a strong, strong message around generating revenue and lowering costs for their customers. Right now, you’re not really talking about that. Is that accurate? Is that like, what you is that strategically, is that what you think you should be doing so really quickly, I’ve now framed a conversation that could have been very loose and kind of, you know, well, what do you think your strategy is about? What do you know? And instead, I can say, we see you being strong in these three points. We see your competitors being strong in these three points. What do you think about that? And I think that kind of clarity just makes the work so much more productive with clients, or just again, working on your own brand internally. So what do you think about that kind of perspective? Christian Klepp 40:08 Yeah, no, no, I definitely agree with that. It’s always and I’ve been that type of person anyway that you know you go into a especially with somebody that hasn’t quite become a client yet, right? One of the most important things is also, how should I put this? Certainly the trust building part of it needs to be there. The other part is definitely a demonstration of competence and ability, but it’s also that you’ve been proactive and done your homework, versus like, Okay, I’m I’m just here as an order taker, right? And let’s just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it right? A lot and especially, I think this has been a trend for a long time already, but a lot of the clients that I’ve worked with now in the past, they want to, they’re looking for a partner that’s not just thinking with them, it’s someone that’s thinking ahead of them. And this type of work, you know what we’re seeing here on screen, this is the type of work that I would consider thinking ahead of them, right? Clay Ostrom 41:18 No, I agree. I think you framed that really well. Of we’re trying to build trust, because if we’re going to make any kind of recommendations around a change or a shift, they have to believe that we know what we’re talking about, that we’re competent, that we’ve done the work. And I think I agree with you. I think like this, it’s kind of funny, like we all, I think, on some base level, are attracted to numbers and scores. It just gives us something to latch on to. But I think it also, like you said, it gives you a feeling that you’ve done your work, that you’ve done your homework, you’ve studied, you’ve you’ve done some analysis that they themselves may have never done on this level. And that’s a big value. Christian Klepp 42:08 Yes, and a big part of the reason just to, just to build on what you said, a big part of the reason why they haven’t done this type of work is because it’s not so much. The cost is certainly one part of it, but it’s the time, it’s a time factor and the resource and the effort that needs to be put into it. Because, you know, like, tell me if you’ve never heard this one before, but there are some, there are some companies that we’ve been working with that don’t actually have a clearly, like, you know, a clear document on who their their target personas are, yeah, or their or their ICPs, never mind the buyer’s journey map. They don’t, they don’t even have the personas mapped out, right? Clay Ostrom 42:52 100% Yeah, it’s, and it’s, I think you’re right. It’s, it’s a mix of time and it’s a mix of just experience where, if you are internal with a brand, you don’t do this kind of work all the time. You might do it at the beginning. Maybe you do a check in every once in a while, but you need someone who’s done this a lot with a lot of different brands so that they can give you guidance through this kind of framework. But so it’s, you know, so some of it is a mix of, you know, we don’t have the time always to dig in like this. But some of it is we don’t even know how to do it, even if we did have the time. So it’s hopefully giving, again, providing some different frameworks and different ways of looking at it. Christian Klepp 43:41 Absolutely, absolutely. So okay, so we’ve gone through. What is it now, the competitor comparison. What else does the platform provide us that the listeners and the audience should be paying attention to here? Clay Ostrom 43:55 So I’ll show you two more quick things. So one is this message building section. So this is… Christian Klepp 44:03 Are you trying to put me out of a job here Clay? Clay Ostrom 44:07 Well, I’ll say this. So far in my experience with this, it’s not going to put us out of a job, but it is going to hopefully make our job easier and better. It’s going to make us better at the work we do. And that’s really, I think that’s, I think that’s kind of, most people’s impression of AI at this point is that it’s not quite there to replace us, but it’s sure, certainly can enhance what we do. Christian Klepp 44:36 Yeah, you’ll excuse me, I couldn’t help but throw that one out. Clay Ostrom 44:38 Yeah, I know, trust me, I’m this. It’s like I’m building a product that, in a sense, is undercutting, you know, the work that I do. So it is kind of a weird thing, but this message building section, which is a new part of the platform. It will come in, and you can see on the right hand side. And there’s sort of a quick summary of all these different elements that we’ve already analyzed. And then it’s going to give you some generated copy ideas, including, if I zoom in a little bit here, we’ve got an eyebrow category. This is again for Slack. It’s giving us a headline idea, stay informed without endless emails. Sub headline call to action, three challenges that your customers are facing, and then three points about your solution that help address those for customers. So it’s certainly not writing all of your copy for you, but if you’re starting from scratch, or you’re working on something new, or even if you’re trying to refresh a brand. I think this can be helpful to give you some messaging that’s hopefully clear. That’s something that I think a lot of messaging misses, especially in B2B, it’s, it’s not always super clear, like what you even do. Christian Klepp 45:56 Don’t get me started. Clay Ostrom 45:59 So hopefully it’s clear. It’s, you know, again, it’s giving you some different ideas. And that you’ll see down here at the bottom, you can, you can iterate on this. So we’ve got several versions. You can actually come in and, you know, you can edit it yourself. So if you say, like, well, I like that, but not quite that, you know, I can, you know, get my human touch on it as well. But yeah, so it’s a place to iterate on message. Christian Klepp 46:25 You can kind of look at it like, let’s say, if you’re writing a blog article, and this will give you the outline, right? Yeah. And then most of the AI that I’ve worked with to generate outlines, they’re not quite there. But again, if you’re starting from zero and you want to go from zero to 100 Well, that’ll, that’ll at least get you to 40 or 50, right? But I’m curious to know, because we’re looking at this now, and I think this, I mean, for me, this is, this is fascinating, but, like, maybe, maybe this will be part of your next iteration. But will this, will this generate messaging that’s already SEO optimized. Clay Ostrom 47:02 You know, it’s not specifically geared towards that, but I would say that it ends up being maybe more optimized than a lot of other messaging because it puts such an emphasis on clarity, it naturally includes words and phrases that I think are commonly used in the space more so than you know, maybe just kind of typical off the shelf Big B2B messaging, Christian Klepp 47:27 Gotcha. I had a question on the target persona that you’ve got here on screen, right? So how does the platform generate the information that will then populate that field because, and when I’m just trying to think about like, you know, because I’ve been, I’ve been in the space for as long as you have, and the way that I’ve generated target personas in the past was not by making a wild guess about, like, you know, looking at the brand’s website. It’s like having conducting deep customer research and listening to hours and hours of recordings, and from there, generating a persona. And this has done it in seconds. So… Clay Ostrom 48:09 Yeah, it’s so the way the system works in a couple different layers. So it does an initial analysis, where it does positioning, messaging analysis and category analysis, then you can generate the persona on top of that. So it takes all the learnings that it got from the category, from the product, from your messaging, and then develops a persona around that. And it’s, of course, able to also pull in, you know, the AI is able to reference things that it knows about the space in general. But I have found, and this is true. I was just having a conversation with someone who works on a very niche brand for a very specific audience, and I was showing him what it had output. And I said, Tell me, like, Don’t hold back. Like, is this accurate? He said, Yeah, this is, like, shockingly accurate for you know, how we view our target customer. So I think it’s pretty good. It’s not again, not going to be perfect. You’re going to need to do some work, and you still got to do the research, but, but, yeah. Christian Klepp 49:13 Okay, fantastic, fantastic. How do, I guess there’s the option, I see it there, like, download the PDF. So anything that’s analyzed on the platform can then be exported in a PDF format, right? Like, like, into a report. Clay Ostrom 49:28 Yeah, right now you can export the messaging analysis, or, sorry, the the messaging ideation that you’ve done, and then in the brand brief you can also, you can download a PDF of the brand brief as well. So, those are the two main areas. I’m still working on some additional exports of data so that people can pull it into a spreadsheet and do some other stuff with it. Christian Klepp 49:49 Fantastic, fantastic. That’s awesome, Clay. I’ve got a couple more questions before I let you go. But this has been, this has been amazing, right? Like and I really hope that whoever’s in the one listening and, most importantly, watching this, I hope that you really do consider like, you know, taking this for a test drive, right? How many I might have asked you this before, because, you know, I am somebody that does use, you know, that does a lot of this type of research. But how much time would you say companies would save by using Smoke Ladder? Clay Ostrom 50:24 It’s a good question. I feel like I’m starting to get some feedback around that with from our users, but I mean, for me personally, I would typically spend an hour or two just to get kind of up to speed initially, with a brand and kind of look at some of their competitors. If I’m doing a deep dive, though, if I’m actually doing some of the deeper research work, it could be several hours per client. So I don’t know. On a given week, it might depend on how many clients you’re talking to. Could be anywhere from a few hours to 10 hours or more, depending on how much work you’re doing. But, yeah, I think it’s a decent amount. Christian Klepp 51:07 Absolutely, absolutely. I mean, this definitely does look like a time saver. Here comes my favorite question, which you’re gonna look at me like, Okay, I gotta, I gotta. Clay Ostrom 51:17 Now bring it on. Let’s go. Christian Klepp 51:22 Folks that are not familiar with Smoke Ladder are gonna look at this, um, and before they actually, um, take it upon themselves to, like, watch, hopefully, watch this video on our channel. Um, they’re gonna look at that and ask themselves, Well, what is it that Smoke Ladder does that? You know that other AI couldn’t do, right, like, so I guess what I’m trying to say is, like, Okay, why would they use? How does the platform differ from something like ChatGPT, Perplexity or Claude, right? To run a brand analysis? Clay Ostrom 52:00 Yeah, no, I think it’s a great question. I think it’s sort of the it’s going to be the eternal AI question for every product that has an AI component. And I would say to me, it’s three things. So one is the data, which we talked about, and I didn’t show you this earlier, but there is a search capability in here to go through our full archive of all the brands we’ve analyzed, and again, we’ve analyzed over 6000 brands. So the data piece is really important here, because it means we’re not just giving you insights and analysis based on the brand that you’re looking at now, but we can compare and contrast against all the other brands that we’ve looked at in the space, and that’s something that you’re not going to get by just using some off the shelf standard LLM (Large Language Model) and doing some, you know, some quick prompts with that. The next one, I think, to me that’s important is it’s the point of view of the product and the brand. Like I said, this is built off of 10 plus years of doing positioning and messaging work in the space. So you’re getting to tap into that expertise and that approach of how we do things and building frameworks that make this work easier and more productive that you wouldn’t get, or you wouldn’t know, just on your own. And then the last one, the last point, which is sort of the kind of like the generic software answer, is you get a visual interface for this stuff. It’s the difference between using QuickBooks versus a spreadsheet. You can do a lot of the same stuff that you do in QuickBooks and a spreadsheet, but wouldn’t you rather have a nice interface and some easy buttons to click that make your job way, way easier and do a lot of the work for you and also be able to present it in a way that’s digestible and something you could share with clients? So the visual component in the UI is sort of that last piece. Christian Klepp 54:01 Absolutely. I mean, it’s almost like UX and UI one on one. That’s, that’s pretty much like a big part of, I think what it is you’re trying to build here, right? Clay Ostrom 54:13 Yeah, exactly. It’s just it’s making all of those things that you might do in an LLM just way, way easier. You know, you basically come in, put in your URL and click a button, and you’re getting access to all the data and all the insights and all this stuff so. Christian Klepp 54:29 Absolutely, absolutely okay. And as we wrap this up, this has been a fantastic conversation, by the way, how can the audience start using Smoke Ladder, and how can they get in touch with you if they have questions, and hopefully good questions. Clay Ostrom 54:47 Yeah, so you can, if you go to https://smokeladder.com/ you can, you can try it out. Like I said, you can basically go to the homepage, put in a URL and get started. You don’t even have to create an account to do the initial analysis. But you can create FREE account. You can dig in and see, you know, play around with all the features, and if you use it more, you know, we give you a little bit of a trial period. And if you use it beyond that, then you can pay and continue to use it, but, but you can get a really good flavor of it for free. Christian Klepp 55:16 Fantastic, fantastic. Oh, last question, because, you know, it’s looking me right in the face now, industry categories. How many? How many categories can be analyzed on the platform? Clay Ostrom 55:26 Yeah, yeah. So right now, we have 23 categories in the system currently, which sounds like a lot, but when you start to dig into especially B2B, it’s we will be evolving that and continuing to add more, but currently, there’s 23 different categories of businesses in there. Christian Klepp 55:46 All right, fantastic, fantastic. Clay, man. This has been so awesome. Thank you so much for your time and for your patience and walking us through this, this incredible platform that you’ve built and continue to build. And you know, I’m excited to continue using this as it evolves. Clay Ostrom 56:06 Thank you. Yeah, no. Thanks so much. And you know, if anybody, you know, anybody who tries it out, tests it out, please feel free to reach out. We have, you know, contact info on there. You can also hit me up on LinkedIn. I spend a lot of time there, but I would love feedback, love getting notes, love hearing what’s working, what’s not, all those things. So yeah, anytime I’m always open. Christian Klepp 56:30 All right, fantastic. Once again, Clay, thanks for your time. Take care, stay safe and talk to you soon. Clay Ostrom 56:36 Thanks so much. Talk to you soon. Christian Klepp 56:37 All right. Bye for now.
In this episode of the Simple and Smart SEO Show, Crystal Waddell (that's me!) welcomes back Ashley from Deviation to dive deep into the evolving world of search. We break down digital silos across marketing teams, explore the power of unified metrics, and discuss why brand search and intent-rich content are key to dominating the search-everywhere era. From creating demand via social media to optimizing for long-tail keywords and leveraging data-driven strategy visuals, this conversation is packed with tactical and strategic gold for business owners, content creators, and SEOs alike.
Send us a textWhat if one small, free tool could earn you more backlinks, leads, and trust than months of blogging? We dive into engineering as marketing, a strategy that turns lightweight, useful tools into link magnets and lead engines, especially powerful as AI search surfaces cited, authoritative resources.I walk through the core idea: build a free tool that solves a real problem right next to your product's value. From HubSpot's Website Grader to Ahrefs' free Backlink Checker, we break down why these tools spread so fast, how they capture qualified interest, and what makes them defensible. You'll learn the principles that matter most: tight product alignment, single-purpose scope, instant output, and honest value that earns shares without heavy gating. We also talk about how this approach fits top-of-funnel intent, attracting people who are problem-aware but not yet shopping, and why that early trust compounds into stronger SEO performance and brand recognition.Then we get practical. I outline how to choose the right idea, avoid feature bloat, and plan a small but focused launch to trigger the first wave of links and usage. We cover lightweight promotion on LinkedIn and Twitter, tapping your network for early feedback, and using supporting content to answer questions and strengthen search visibility. The point is simple: difficulty becomes your moat—if it's genuinely useful and hard to copy, it will keep earning attention over time.If you're ready to stand out from a sea of lookalike content, this is your playbook for building something people can't wait to share. Subscribe for more SEO strategies, share this with a teammate who's stuck on content ideas, and leave a quick review to tell me which tool you'll build next.SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tipsTo get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me nowSee Edd's personal site at edddawson.comAsk me a question and get on the show Click here to record a questionFind Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & TwitterFind KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Send us a textGreg Gifford joins the Near Memo to break down his large-scale Local SEO study of 3,000 personal injury law firm's Google Business Profiles. He reveals what #1 ranked PI las firms are doing that #10 ranked practioners are not. From review response rates and schema misfires to UTM tracking errors, the trio unpacks what's real in local SEO and what's hype. The episode closes with a lively debate about the AI-driven future of the SERP.Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/
If you want your brand to show up in ChatGPT, do you follow the same rules as ranking in Google—or is it a completely different game?To settle the debate, we brought in Patrick Stox, one of the most experienced SEO professionals in the industry. Patrick's been tracking the rise of “Answer Engine Optimization” (AEO) and has strong opinions about the advice new experts are spreading.In this episode, we dive deep into how AI chatbots pull information, how to get your brand mentioned by them, and why AEO might not be as new as it sounds.Here's what you'll learn:(00:00) Intro(02:05) Do AI bots render JavaScript? The surprising answer(04:20) To get cited by AI, should your content be the same or different?(10:18) How Large Language Models (LLMs) actually work(15:10) The most important AEO tactic isn't SEO—it's this(20:00) Actionable tactics to control what AI says about you(26:20) Why a Korean search query might cite an English page(29:39) AEO is bringing desktop optimization back—here's why(32:00) How to repurpose content for maximum AEO impact(36:20) Why YouTube is a bigger opportunity than ChatGPT today(41:20) Using communities, PR, and affiliates to shape your AI narrative(44:10) The big secret: Answer Engine Optimization is just good marketingConnect with Patrick:X: @patrickstoxLinkedIn: patrickstoxConnect with Tim:X: @timsouloLinkedIn: timsouloWebsite: timsoulo.com
In this episode of Content, Briefly, Jimmy, Eric, and Chloe dig into the role of podcasts in B2B content strategies — where they fit, who should host them, how to repurpose them, and whether they're truly essential in 2025.Eric shares how the Dock podcast became the backbone of his content strategy — a goldmine of first-party insights that fueled blogs, newsletters, and social content. Chloe opens up about her love-hate relationship with podcasts and how repurposing audio into bite-sized or story-driven pieces helped her reconnect with the medium. Jimmy reflects on the unique connection podcasts create with listeners — one that blog posts and social media can't replicate.Together, they unpack the realities of running a B2B podcast: founder-led shows, consistency challenges, and the art of turning conversations into content that drives real business results.This episode is sponsored by Ahrefs. Sign up for Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free to improve your site's SEO performance and grow traffic from search.Join us on Thursday, November 13 for a free event with Ahrefs: Make Your Business Discoverable in AI, Search, and BeyondYou can register here: https://luma.com/3irom2vd************************Useful Links:Follow Jimmy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmydaly/Follow Chloe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloethompson3/Follow Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edoty/************************Stay Tuned:► Website: https://www.superpath.co/► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@superpath► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/superpath/► Twitter: https://twitter.com/superpathco************************Don't forget to leave us a five-star review and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Thank you to Ahrefs for being the sponsor of this episode.Check out the Webmaster Tools - https://ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025This week's show topic is a response to the speculation of a Halloween Google Core Update. Since I had the data from all the dates in question, I thought it might be fun to go back as see if there were any alternate explanations for the volatility and ranking swings.Spoiler alert!!! There are!Last week's episodeTopical Cohesion vs Topical AuthorityMentioned in the show:Speculation reported on "unannounced" Google updatehttps://www.seroundtable.com/google-search-ranking-volatility-october-28-40339.html Indexation Research - Crawl Or No Crawl Tools that I use and recommend:Indexzilla -https://www.indexzilla.io (indexing technology)GSC Tool -https://bit.ly/gsctoolAhrefs Marketing Platform - Webmaster Tools https://ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025Youtube Channel -Confessions of An SEO®https://g.co/kgs/xXDzBNf -------- Crawl or No Crawl Knowledge panelInterested in supporting this work and any seo testing?Subscribe to Confessions of an SEO™ wherever you get your podcasts. Your subscribing and download sends the message that you appreciate what is being shared and helping others find Confessions of an SEO™An easy place to leave a review https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/confessions-of-an-seo-1973881You can find me onCarolyn Holzman - LinkedinAmerican Way Media Google DirectlyAmericanWayMedia.com Consulting AgencyNeed Help With an Indexation Issue? - reach out Text me here - 512-222-3132Music from Uppbeathttps://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/fugue-stateLicense code: HESHAZ4ZOAUMWTUA
In this episode of Content, Briefly, Chloe Thompson sits down with Rachel Bicha, a Boston-based freelance content strategist whose tagline—“an analog girl in a digital world”—captures her refreshingly human approach to B2B marketing.They explore how Rachel blends creativity and experimentation to bring meaning back to content marketing. From print newsletters to serialized storytelling, she shares why “small experiments” can transform how brands connect with audiences—and why playing it safe is the biggest risk of all.The conversation dives into what makes content meaningful (hint: it should make you feel something), how print is becoming a powerful “pattern disrupt” in digital-first industries, and why people-focused stories beat product features every time. Rachel also unpacks how to pitch creative ideas to leadership, measure success beyond leads, and start small without losing momentum.It's an inspiring look at how freelancers and brands alike can rediscover creativity, personality, and purpose in B2B content.This episode is sponsored by Ahrefs. Sign up for Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free to improve your site's SEO performance and grow traffic from search.************************Useful Links:Follow Chloe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloethompson3/Follow Rachel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-bicha-44080/Know more about Rachel's work: https://rachelbicha.notion.site/Stay in touch with Rachel Bicha: https://the-creative-side.kit.com/e2ef48d2ea************************Stay Tuned:► Website: https://www.superpath.co/► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@superpath► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/superpath/► Twitter: https://twitter.com/superpathco************************Don't forget to leave us a five-star review and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Send us a textIn this episode, we are joined by copywriter and messaging strategist Chrysanthi Stamou, who specializes in helping service-based businesses create conversion-focused and SEO-friendly websites.Chrysanthi breaks down what every small business owner needs to know to turn their website into a powerful, client-generating tool. From homepage structure to SEO myths and writing calls-to-value that resonate, you'll learn how to write website copy that reflects your personality—and gets results.This conversation is a must-listen if you're building or updating your SEO-friendly website and want it to actually bring in leads.Crafting High-Converting Website CopyKey TakeawaysWhy an SEO-friendly website still matters in 2025, despite the rise of short-form video and social media platforms.What makes a website conversion-focused: using customer-driven research, clear messaging, and benefit-led structure.Call-to-value vs. call-to-action: How to write CTAs that encourage clicks and reduce resistance.Homepage hero section best practices:Focus on the transformation your services offer.Use benefit-driven, keyword-rich headlines.Include clear direction with action-oriented CTAs.About page that connects:Move beyond listing credentials.Share your story and values in a way that builds trust.SEO insights:Why SEO is not dead—and how it fuels AI tools as well as Google rankings.How to measure your site's SEO performance with Google Search Console or Ahrefs.Website audit tips:Replace generic page headers with value-driven messaging.Spread testimonials across key decision points—not hidden in sliders.Simplify your navigation (5–6 links max) to reduce choice paralysis.Welcome to the Savvy Scribe Podcast, I'm so glad you're here! Before we start the show, if you're interested, we have a free Facebook group called "Savvy Nurse Writer Community"I appreciate you following me and listening today. I would LOVE for you to subscribe: ITUNESAnd if you love it, can I ask for a
[Expertpanelen] Avsnitt 147 med Alexander Öqvist, AI Lead, senior SEO-specialist och digital strateg på Synlighet, om de senaste nyheterna och trenderna inom SEO och sök. Det här är ett avsnitt i ett nytt format där jag bjuder in experterna i min panel för att diskutera aktuella nyheter, trender och viktiga uppdateringar inom deras områden. Först ut är SEO och sök där vi börjar med att prata lanseringen av AI Mode i Sverige. Vi pratar också om allt från hur AI Overviews har påverkat företag till lanseringen av AI-webbläsaren ChatGPT Atlas. Du får dessutom höra om: Varför AI Mode-lanseringen i Sverige blev en besvikelse Hur sökbeteende förändras när AI-sök blir mainstream Verktyg som mäter synlighet i AI-sök och hur de gör det Kampen som har blossat upp kring AI-drivna webbläsare Agentisk shopping och om vi bör optimera för det nu Om gästen Alexander Öqvist är AI Lead, senior digital strateg och SEO-specialist på Synlighet, en norsk marknadsföringsbyrå. Han har tidigare varit ansvarig för Danske Banks svenska webb och ledde arbetet med SEO i Norden. Alexander är också en del av min expertpanel och fokuserar på SEO och organiskt sök. Tidsstämplar [00:02:34] Googles AI Mode har rullats ut i Sverige. Men det är en avskalad version utan produktkaruseller, Maps och resemål. Alexander och Tony diskuterar varför det känns som steg tillbaka och vilka legala skäl som kan ligga bakom. [00:07:38] AI Overviews påverkan så här långt. B2B och andra bolag med informationstunga sajter ser tydliga dropp i CTR medan e-handlare ofta ser förbättring. Går igenom hur påverkan varierar mellan branscher och innehållsstrategier. [00:16:45] Hur sökbeteende förändras med AI-sök. Diskuterar om vad som händer med sökfrågor för traditionellt sök när fler använder sig av AI-assistenter och hur företag bör tänka kring optimering kring AI-sök. [00:28:31] Verktyg för att mäta synlighet i AI-sök. Genomgång av Ahrefs, SE Ranking och Nimt. Vad de faktiskt mäter, vilka begränsningar som finns och varför svenska marknadsförare borde börja spåra detta idag snarare än att optimera. [00:35:33] Kampen om framtidens AI-webbläsare. ChatGPT Atlas lanseras som fristående webbläsare medan Google integrerar Gemini i Chrome. Djupanalys av varför detta slagfält är viktigare än många tror och vad det betyder för webbplatsägare. [00:47:26] Agentisk shopping för svenska marknadsförare. OpenAIs Instant Checkout möter Googles betalningsprotokoll med 60 partners. Ärlig diskussion om vad som fungerar, varför Google har fördel och om vi bör optimera för detta nu. Länkar Alexander Öqvist på LinkedInSynlighet (webbsida) AI Mode is now available in more languages and locations around the world - Google (artikel) Svenskarna och internet (rapport) Köp i ChatGPT: Direkt till kassan och Agentic Commerce Protocol - OpenAI (artikel) Powering AI commerce with the new Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) - Google (artikel) Verktyg för att mäta AI-sök:AhrefsSE Ranking Nimt.aiSemrushSistrix AI-webbläsare:ChatGPT Atlas Perplexity CometOpera NeonDiaGemini i Chrome Claude in Chrome
Thank you to Ahrefs for being the sponsor of this episode.Check out Brand Radar https://ahrefs.com/brand-radar?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025This week's topic was inspired from a fellow SEO, Shaun Anderson, creating his breakdown of Google's internal Content Warehouse API documentation that was leaked in May 2024.I love how he did this and while I differ from the specific conclusions made about Topical Authority - he also confirmed siteFocus and siteRadius - relate to the topical width and breadth of a site - something I refer to as "Topical Cohension." And this is at the heart of my Helpful Content System analysis.Check it out - a Rose is a Rose is a Rose no matter what you call it.Last week's episodehttps://www.confessionsofanseo.com/podcast/let-the-games-begin-season-5-ep-42/Mentioned in the showhttps://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-dashboard/https://www.hobo-web.co.uk/topical-authority/https://x.com/Hobo_Web/status/1980924240766407152https://www.hobo-web.co.uk/hobo-seo-quadrilogy/Indexation Research - Crawl Or No Crawl Tools that I use and recommend:Indexzilla -https://www.indexzilla.io (indexing technology)GSC Tool -https://bit.ly/gsctoolAhrefs Marketing Platform - Brand Radar https://ahrefs.com/brand-radar?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Youtube Channel -Confessions of An SEO®https://g.co/kgs/xXDzBNf -------- Crawl or No Crawl Knowledge panelInterested in supporting this work and any seo testing?Subscribe to Confessions of an SEO™ wherever you get your podcasts. Your subscribing and download sends the message that you appreciate what is being shared and helping others find Confessions of an SEO™An easy place to leave a review https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/confessions-of-an-seo-1973881You can find me onCarolyn Holzman - LinkedinAmerican Way Media Google DirectlyAmericanWayMedia.com Consulting AgencyNeed Help With an Indexation Issue? - reach out Text me here - 512-222-3132Music from Uppbeathttps://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/fugue-stateLicense code: HESHAZ4ZOAUMWTUA
AI search is exploding — and everyone wants to teach you how to show up in ChatGPT.But in this new “Wild West,” who can you actually trust?Meet Ryan Law, Ahrefs' Director of Content Marketing.Ryan and his team have carried out some of the largest studies on AI search, backed by millions of data points, to understand what actually works when it comes to Answer Engine Optimization (AEO).If you've been waiting for a credible, data-backed guide to getting your brand and content visible in AI search — this is it.What you'll learn in this episode:00:00 — Intro01:06 — The Current State of AI Search03:46 — 3 Ways to Influence Your AI Visibility07:55 — The “Era of Off-Page SEO”: Why Mentions Are the New Backlinks14:48 — Optimizing the Content Types AI Prefers to Cite18:33 — How to Write for AI (and Humans)25:51 — Finding and Fixing “Hallucinated URLs” from AI27:18 — The Untapped Training Data Sources LLMs Love28:37 — How to Perform a Content Gap Analysis for the AI Era32:56 — The #1 Technical Mistake in Answer Engine Optimization34:40 — Fan-Out Queries: How AI Actually Searches Google39:50 — The Spam Strategy You Must Avoid41:00 — A Simple 2-Category Framework for AEO42:32 — AI Search vs. Google's AI Overviews44:50 — OutroConnect with Ryan:LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/thinkingslow/X — @thinking_slowConnect with Tim:LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/X — @timsouloWebsite — https://www.timsoulo.com/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to follow the Ahrefs Podcast and share it with a friend.Referenced:Ahrefs Brand Radar — https://ahrefs.com/brand-radarAhrefs Site Explorer — https://ahrefs.com/site-explorerAhrefs Web Analytics — https://ahrefs.com/webmaster-toolsClearscope — https://www.clearscope.ioG2 — https://www.g2.comReddit — https://www.reddit.comQuora — https://www.quora.com
In this episode of Content, Briefly, Jimmy Daly sits down with Eric Doty and Chloe Thompson to ask a big question: Does strategy still matter in content marketing?As AI accelerates change across every channel, the trio explores how content teams can balance experimentation withlong-term planning. They discuss why “random acts of content” are still a trap, how to adapt strategy on shorter timelines, and which fundamentals—brand, positioning, messaging—remain constant.They also touch on shrinking teams, the blurred lines between content and enablement, and why AI might actually give marketers space to be creative again. It's an honest look at how strategy is evolving in an era of speed, uncertainty, and endless possibility.This episode is sponsored by Ahrefs. Sign up for Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free to improve your site's SEO performance and grow traffic from search.************************Useful Links:Follow Jimmy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmydaly/Follow Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edoty/Follow Chloe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloethompson3/************************Stay Tuned:► Website: https://www.superpath.co/► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@superpath► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/superpath/► Twitter: https://twitter.com/superpathco************************Don't forget to leave us a five-star review and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
UNLOCK THE 13 SYSTEMS EVERY AGENCY OWNER NEEDS TO REACH 8 FIGURES:https://bit.ly/41Sm05NIn this episode, Jordan Ross sits down with Alexey Pekovsky, founder of NuOptima, an agency dominating e-commerce with geo SEO and AI search strategies.Alexey shares how he transitioned from building Europe's largest CBD marketplace to running a leading SEO agency, and why listicles, authority content, and AI-optimized structures are now the secret weapons to visibility on Google, ChatGPT, and Perplexity.If you're an agency owner, marketer, or e-commerce brand wondering how to future-proof your traffic strategy, this episode unpacks tactical steps you can implement right now—whether bootstrapped or scaling with an agency partner.Chapters – Why the future of traffic is geo + LLM search – Alexey's journey: From CBD marketplace to SEO powerhouse – What's working now in SEO & geo marketing – The rise of listicles: why they dominate AI rankings – Formatting content for AI queries (informational, comparative, transactional) – What makes a good listicle & how to bootstrap one with AI agents – How to choose the right SEO/geo agency – Tools for keyword testing: Ahrefs, AI prompts & scrappy workflows – Turning listicles into revenue streams (media model approach) – Beyond listicles: optimizing collection pages for LLM visibility – Avoiding legal risks in comparative SEO content – Final tip: Why building authority beyond your site is critical – Where to find Alexey onlinehttps://nuoptima.com/https://www.youtube.com/@alexejpikovskyhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/alexej-pikovsky-9743701/To learn more go to 8figureagency.co
In this episode of Content, Briefly, Jimmy Daly chats with Becky Lawlor, founder of RedPoint Insights, about her new report, Content That Converts: 2025 B2B Buyer Insights.They dig into what today's B2B buyers value most—from credibility and original research to how AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are changing the content journey. Becky shares findings on which formats drive conversions, why case studies still lead the pack, and how owning your research can boost brand trust and ROI.This episode is sponsored by Ahrefs. Sign up for Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free to improve your site's SEO performance and grow traffic from search.************************Useful Links:Follow Jimmy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmydaly/Follow Becky on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckylawlor/What Really Drives B2B Buyers to Convert in 2025: Free Report DownloadEpisode 72 with Becky Lawlor on Original Research Done Right************************Stay Tuned:► Website: https://www.superpath.co/► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@superpath► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/superpath/► Twitter: https://twitter.com/superpathco************************Don't forget to leave us a five-star review and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
In this episode of Content, Briefly, Jimmy Daly and Chloe Thompson sit down with Tom Rudnai, founder of Demand-Genius, to dig into the State of Content Attribution report from Superpath and Demand-Genius.They explore why attribution is still one of content marketing's toughest challenges—and how teams can better connect their work to revenue. From leadership buy-in and data ownership to the overlap between content marketing and sales enablement, it's a candid conversation about proving content's impact and telling a stronger data story.This episode is sponsored by Ahrefs. Sign up for Ahrefs Webmaster Tools for free to improve your site's SEO performance and grow traffic from search.************************Useful Links:Follow Jimmy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmydaly/Follow Tom on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-rudnai-0539b6151/Follow Chloe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloethompson3/Get your free AI content audit from hereHow to Prove Your New Narrative Actually Drives RevenueContent attribution report 2025************************Stay Tuned:► Website: https://www.superpath.co/► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@superpath► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/superpath/► Twitter: https://twitter.com/superpathco************************Don't forget to leave us a five-star review and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Thank you to Hrefs for being the sponsor of this episode. Automate technical SEO with Ahrefs https://ahrefs.com/ai-tech-seo?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025. This week's show is me parsing out the answer to a question that I regularly get asked in my forensic analysis consulting.The TOP issue that I find regularly in my consulting relates to some form of duplicate content.And the question is - Why can't I keep doing what I'm doing when I see it everywhere?My answer: It works until...Last Week's episodehttps://www.confessionsofanseo.com/podcast/monopoly-bingo-season-5-episode-39/Mentioned in the showMy SEO Pet Peeves - Season 1, Episode 26 (2021)Google's Leaked API Documention - https://searchengineland.com/unpacking-googles-massive-search-documentation-leak-442716Looking for a TOC wordpress plugin that does NOT "confuse" Googlebots. We're close. https://carolynholzman.com/fix-the-canonical-scoring-in-helpful-content/Indexation Research - Crawl Or No Crawl Tools that I use and recommend:Indexzilla -https://www.indexzilla.io (indexing technology)GSC Tool -https://bit.ly/gsctoolAhrefs Marketing Platform - Automate technical SEO with Ahrefs https://ahrefs.com/ai-tech-seo?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025Youtube Channel -Confessions of An SEO®https://g.co/kgs/xXDzBNf -------- Crawl or No Crawl Knowledge panelInterested in supporting this work and any seo testing?Subscribe to Confessions of an SEO® wherever you get your podcasts. Your subscribing and download sends the message that you appreciate what is being shared and helping others find Confessions of an SEO®An easy place to leave a review https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/confessions-of-an-seo-1973881You can find me onCarolyn Holzman - LinkedinAmerican Way Media Google DirectlyAmericanWayMedia.com Consulting AgencyNeed Help With an Indexation Issue? - reach out Text me here - 512-222-3132Music from Uppbeathttps://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/fugue-stateLicense code: HESHAZ4ZOAUMWTUA
Send us a textTired of churning out endless blog posts that barely move the needle? There's a powerful alternative that smart brands are using to generate leads, backlinks, and unmatched brand authority.In this eye-opening episode, I dive deep into "engineering as marketing" – the strategy of creating free, useful tools that attract and convert your ideal customers. Unlike standard content marketing, this approach leverages your development resources to build something truly valuable that competitors can't easily replicate. I break down exactly how industry leaders like HubSpot and Ahrefs have used this strategy to build massive audiences and convert casual visitors into paying customers.You'll discover why these tools work so effectively as link magnets, how they target people at the perfect stage of awareness, and the specific qualities that make them irresistible to users. I share my firsthand experience implementing this strategy with KeywordsPeopleUse.com, explaining how our free tool option has generated substantial traction and conversions.The beauty of this approach is its staying power – once you've created and promoted your tool, it continues working for you with minimal maintenance, unlike content that quickly becomes outdated. Whether you're an established brand looking to differentiate yourself or a startup seeking traction, this episode provides actionable insights for implementing engineering as marketing in your business. Start thinking about what tool you could build today that would transform your marketing results tomorrow.SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tipsTo get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me nowSee Edd's personal site at edddawson.comAsk me a question and get on the show Click here to record a questionFind Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & TwitterFind KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
In this episode of Content, Briefly, Jimmy Daly, Eric Doty, and Chloe Thompson ask how content marketers should think about productivity now that AI has changed the game.They discuss the shift from output-heavy days to work that's more strategic, creative, and often harder to measure. Along the way, they share how tinkering with tools, blocking time for deep work, and aligning with managers can help content teams stay focused without falling into the “more is always better” trap.It's an honest conversation about balancing efficiency with impact—and how AI is forcing marketers to rethink what a productive day really looks like.This episode is sponsored by Ahrefs. You can sign up for Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, for free, to improve your website's SEO performance and grow traffic from search.************************Useful Links:Follow Jimmy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmydaly/Follow Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edoty/Follow Chloe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloethompson3/************************Stay Tuned:► Website: https://www.superpath.co/► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@superpath► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/superpath/► Twitter: https://twitter.com/superpathco************************Don't forget to leave us a five-star review and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring this episode. Apply a brand marketing use case to monitor and measure using Ahrefs.https://ahrefs.com/use-cases/brand-marketing?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025This show is kind of a follow up to Season 1, episode 2 "Why I Dislike Client SEO".But in this episode I parse out why we THINK that agency SEO is the only way to monetize our SEO skills.Maybe that's a weigh station for some that are like me and looking for a more balanced power dynamic between SEO and a principal.It took some doing but I think I've assembled the parts to create the true freedom I've been working to achieve these past couple of years once I knew an agency was NOT what I wanted.If that's you, grab a listen. Let me know.Last Week's episodehttps://www.confessionsofanseo.com/podcast/happy-4th-birthday-crawl-or-no-crawl-season-5-episode-37/Looking for a TOC wordpress plugin that does NOT "confuse" Googlebots. We're close. https://carolynholzman.com/fix-the-canonical-scoring-in-helpful-content/Indexation Research - Crawl Or No Crawl Tools that I use and recommend:Indexzilla -https://www.indexzilla.io (indexing technology)GSC Tool -https://bit.ly/gsctoolAhrefs Marketing Platform - https://ahrefs.com/use-cases/brand-marketing?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025Youtube Channel -Confessions of An SEO®https://g.co/kgs/xXDzBNf -------- Crawl or No Crawl Knowledge panelInterested in supporting this work and any seo testing?Subscribe to Confessions of an SEO® wherever you get your podcasts. Your subscribing and download sends the message that you appreciate what is being shared and helping others find Confessions of an SEO®An easy place to leave a review https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/confessions-of-an-seo-1973881You can find me onCarolyn Holzman - LinkedinAmerican Way Media Google DirectlyAmericanWayMedia.com Consulting AgencyNeed Help With an Indexation Issue? - reach out Text me here - 512-222-3132Music from Uppbeathttps://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/fugue-stateLicense code: HESHAZ4ZOAUMWTUA
John Corcoran is a recovering attorney, an author, and a former White House writer and speechwriter to the Governor of California. Throughout his career, John has worked in Hollywood, the heart of Silicon Valley, and ran his boutique law firm in the San Francisco Bay Area, catering to small business owners and entrepreneurs. Since 2012, John has been the host of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, where he has interviewed hundreds of CEOs, founders, authors, and entrepreneurs, including Peter Diamandis, Adam Grant, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Marie Forleo. John is also the Co-founder of Rise25, a company that connects B2B businesses with their ideal clients, referral partners, and strategic partners. They help their clients generate ROI through their done-for-you podcast service. In this episode… The world of podcasting and digital marketing is changing fast as generative AI and shifting SEO rules redefine how audiences find and consume content. With so much uncertainty, how can businesses ensure their podcasts remain visible, relevant, and powerful tools for authority building? According to John Corcoran, a seasoned podcaster and business strategist, the fundamentals of SEO and relationship-driven marketing remain more important than ever. He emphasizes that while AI and search engines may evolve, building credibility, cleaning up websites, and delivering valuable content are timeless strategies for growth. John highlights how tools like Ahrefs can uncover hidden technical issues and how reading the right resources can sharpen SEO strategy. Tune in to this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast as Chad Franzen interviews John Corcoran, Co-founder of Rise25, to discuss adapting podcasting and SEO in the age of AI. They explore how generative AI impacts podcast growth, why tools like Ahrefs are essential for visibility, and the SEO books every marketer should read. John also shares how podcasting helps professionals in even the smallest markets attract clients and build authority.
Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring this episode. Get tickets and check out the speaker lineup for Ahrefs Evolve.https://ahrefsevolve.com/?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025This time every year since 2022, I take the time to celebrate the "birthday" of this project. It is, outside of Google, the longest running SEO testing having completed year 4 and moving into year 5.There is no one more surprised than me at the amount of valuable side benefits to testing for first pass and second pass through Google's indexation system.Its led to some ground breaking analysis in regards to the Helpful Content System now wrapped into the Core algo.In case you're wondering, I am proud of this work.Mentioned in the show:Crawl or No Crawl Indexation Group Last week's episode - https://www.confessionsofanseo.com/podcast/google-retains-custody-of-chrome-season-5-ep-36/Looking for a TOC wordpress plugin that does NOT "confuse" Googlebots. We're close. https://carolynholzman.com/fix-the-canonical-scoring-in-helpful-content/Indexation Research - Crawl Or No Crawl Tools that I use and recommend:Indexzilla -https://www.indexzilla.io (indexing technology)GSC Tool -https://bit.ly/gsctoolAhrefs Marketing Platform - https://ahrefsevolve.com/?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025Youtube Channel -Confessions of An SEO®https://g.co/kgs/xXDzBNf -------- Crawl or No Crawl Knowledge panelInterested in supporting this work and any seo testing?Subscribe to Confessions of an SEO® wherever you get your podcasts. Your subscribing and download sends the message that you appreciate what is being shared and helping others find Confessions of an SEO®An easy place to leave a review https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/confessions-of-an-seo-1973881You can find me onCarolyn Holzman - LinkedinAmerican Way Media Google DirectlyAmericanWayMedia.com Consulting AgencyNeed Help With an Indexation Issue? - reach out Text me here - 512-222-3132Music from Uppbeathttps://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/fugue-stateLicense code: HESHAZ4ZOAUMWTUA
SEO Secrets: Why Do Search Engines Rank Webpages Higher Than Others? with Favour Obasi-Ike) | Get exclusive SEO newsletters in your inbox.This discussion focuses on web page ranking and SEO strategies, particularly in the context of evolving search algorithms and AI. Favour highlighted the importance of domain authority and page authority, emphasizing that content needs to be contextual, comprehensive, and in multimedia formats to rank effectively. They discuss practical tools like Google Search Console and SEOGets for analyzing website data and improving rankings. Additionally, the conversation touches on the accelerated pace of content indexing due to social media and podcasts, suggesting that unique analysis and experience, especially through quotes and diverse content clusters, are crucial differentiators in a world saturated with AI-generated content.Next Steps for Digital Marketing + SEO Services:>> Need SEO Services? Book a Complimentary SEO Discovery Call with Favour Obasi-Ike>> Need more information? Visit our Work and PLAY Entertainment website to learn about our digital marketing services.FAQs on Elevating Web Page Ranking in the AI Era1. Why do some web pages rank highly on search engines while others don't?Web pages rank differently due to various factors that influence their visibility to search engine algorithms and users. Key reasons for higher rankings include strong domain authority, relevant and contextual content, the use of multimedia formats, and addressing user queries effectively. Conversely, pages may not rank well if their content is outdated, contains error messages or broken links, lacks credibility, or fails to provide the type of information users are actively seeking. Essentially, a page's ability to rank is a reflection of its usefulness, credibility, and technical optimization in the eyes of search engines.2. What is "domain authority" and why is it important for web page ranking?Domain authority refers to the credibility and trustworthiness of your entire website in the eyes of search engines. It's often represented by a score from 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating greater authority. A strong domain authority is crucial because it signals to search algorithms that your website is a reliable source of information. This trust is built through the credibility of your content and its context. A website with high domain authority can help its individual web pages rank more easily, even if a new page is just published, because the overarching trust established with Google (and other search engines) extends to all its content. Tools like Ahrefs can be used to check your website's domain authority.3. How do content pillars and content clusters contribute to a webpage's ranking?Content pillars and content clusters are strategic approaches to organizing your website's content to improve ranking. Content pillars are broad, foundational topics central to your business or niche. Content clusters are groups of related, more specific articles or pages that link back to a central pillar page. This structure creates a "roadmap" for both users and search engines, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of a topic. By providing detailed, interconnected content around specific themes, you establish your website as an authoritative resource, allowing people to find you based on various related search queries, thus boosting your overall search visibility.4. How can multimedia and different content formats improve web page rankings?Incorporating multimedia and diverse content formats significantly enhances a web page's ranking potential. While basic text is important, pages that include elements like embedded YouTube videos, infographics, FAQs, pricing lists, and even quotes, offer a richer user experience. Videos, for example, generate captions (text within text), and podcasts can be transcribed, effectively creating "text to the power of three" (text, audio, video all contributing to textual content). This multi-format approach provides more context and content for algorithms to parse, caters to different learning preferences, and increases user engagement, signaling to search engines that the page is valuable and comprehensive.5. What role do search engines like Google Search Console play in optimizing web pages for ranking?Google Search Console (GSC) is a free and essential tool for website owners to monitor their site's performance in Google Search. It acts as the "internet service provider" for your website within Google's database. GSC provides valuable data on how users find your site, which queries they use, and how your pages are performing. By tracking queries, impressions, and clicks, you can identify what information people are seeking and then strategically create or refine content to address those needs. Submitting your sitemap and regularly checking GSC allows you to ensure your content is indexed, track its performance, and make informed decisions to improve rankings. Other search engines like Bing and Yandex also offer similar tools.6. How can an individual's unique analysis and experience differentiate their content in an AI-driven world?In an era where AI can rapidly generate vast amounts of content, unique analysis and personal experience have become paramount differentiators. While AI can produce factual information, it often lacks the nuanced insights, personal anecdotes, and real-world expertise that a human can provide. For instance, when discussing a topic like cooking eggs, an AI might list recipes, but a human can share their experience with different pan types or specific techniques that yield better results. Injecting your personal perspective, insights, and expert opinions into your content creates a level of authenticity and depth that generic, AI-generated content cannot replicate, making your pages more valuable and trustworthy to both users and search algorithms.7. What are some actionable strategies for improving web page rankings quickly today?The landscape of SEO has evolved, allowing for quicker ranking compared to a decade ago. Here are some actionable strategies:Utilize Google Search Console (GSC): Install GSC, analyze query and page data (potentially with tools like SEO Gets), and use AI to help create prompts for analyzing this data to build better web pages.Leverage Domain Authority: If you have a powerful website, new or revised content can rank faster due to Google's existing trust. Press releases can also help promote important content as news is a strong signal to search engines.Content Context & Clusters: Focus on creating contextual content around specific topics, using content pillars and clusters to cover subjects comprehensively.Multimedia Integration: Embed videos, infographics, and other visual or audio elements. Ensure these elements have accompanying text (captions, transcriptions).Answer User Queries (The 5 W's and 1 H): Create content that directly answers common questions people are asking, using the "who, what, when, where, why, and how" framework in your articles and URLs.Create "Tools" Content: Articles or pages about "tools" (free or paid) often attract significant traffic because users are actively seeking solutions.Consistency and Recurrence: Regularly update and create content, and don't be afraid to revisit and expand on successful topics over time.8. How has AI impacted the way web pages rank, and what does it mean for content creators?AI has significantly altered the ranking landscape. While traditional search engines (Google, Bing) remain crucial, AI search (like ChatGPT or Google Gemini) now plays a role in how information is discovered. For content creators, this means adapting to a system where "ranking" on AI might be more accurately described as "earning impressions" or "citations." AI models scrape data from existing online sources, so content that already ranks well on traditional search engines is more likely to be cited by AI.This emphasizes the importance of:Traditional SEO Foundations: Continue to optimize for Google and other search engines, as they remain the primary data source for many AI models.Clarity and Intent: Create content that directly answers user questions in a clear, structured manner, as AI prioritizes direct answers.Attribution and Sourcing: Ensure your content is authoritative and properly attributed, so AI tools can confidently cite your work.Podcasts as a Ranking Tool: Podcasts, with their associated show notes and transcripts, are becoming a powerful way to rank quickly on both traditional and AI-driven searches, as they offer rich, contextual audio and text.Digital Marketing SEO Resources:>> Read SEO Articles>> Subscribe to the We Don't PLAY PodcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring this episode. Use Ahrefs for Competitive Intelligence. You can get started with Ahrefs for free today!https://ahrefs.com/use-cases/competitive-intelligence?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025This week's topic is about where Google stops and Chrome begins and much like the judge in the antitrust case brought by the DOJ, its not clear.What actually IS the relationship between Google, Chrome, paid ads and search??? Equally not that clear. Google has to share and in that sharing they will get to keep custody of "Thor's hammer" also known as Chrome.Mentioned in the show:https://www.vanderbilt.edu/jetlaw/2025/05/25/googles-chrome-antitrust-paradox/https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/google-must-pay-425-million-class-action-over-privacy-jury-rules-2025-09-03/https://www.seobythesea.com/2013/06/google-patents-on-author-signature-values-and-authority-scores/Last week's episode - https://www.confessionsofanseo.com/podcast/the-google-crawler-crisis-of-august-2025-season-5-ep-35/Looking for a TOC wordpress plugin that does NOT "confuse" Googlebots. We're close. https://carolynholzman.com/fix-the-canonical-scoring-in-helpful-content/Indexation Research - Crawl Or No Crawl Tools that I use and recommend:Indexzilla -https://www.indexzilla.io (indexing technology)GSC Tool -https://bit.ly/gsctoolAhrefs Marketing Platform - https://ahrefs.com/use-cases/competitive-intelligence?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025Youtube Channel -Confessions of An SEO®https://g.co/kgs/xXDzBNf -------- Crawl or No Crawl Knowledge panelInterested in supporting this work and any seo testing?Subscribe to Confessions of an SEO® wherever you get your podcasts. Your subscribing and download sends the message that you appreciate what is being shared and helping others find Confessions of an SEO®An easy place to leave a review https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/confessions-of-an-seo-1973881You can find me onCarolyn Holzman - LinkedinAmerican Way Media Google DirectlyAmericanWayMedia.com Consulting AgencyNeed Help With an Indexation Issue? - reach out Text me here - 512-222-3132Music from Uppbeathttps://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/fugue-stateLicense code: HESHAZ4ZOAUMWTUA
In this episode of Content, Briefly, Jimmy Daly, Eric Doty, and Chloe Thompson dive into a lively debate: is the company blog dead, and what role do platforms like Substack or Beehive play in modern content strategy?They explore the tradeoffs between traditional CMS-driven blogs and newsletter-first approaches, covering everything from SEO libraries to thought-leadership microsites. With real examples from Dock, Intercom, and past experiments on Medium, the group unpacks how content teams can balance discoverability, brand affinity, and speed of publishing.This conversation is both a critique of bloated, SEO-heavy blogs and a forward-looking look at how marketers can experiment with new distribution models while still supporting business goals.This episode is sponsored by our friends at Ahrefs. You can sign up for Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, for free, to improve your website's SEO performance and grow traffic from search.************************Useful Links:Follow Jimmy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmydaly/Follow Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edoty/Follow Chloe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloethompson3/Is the Company Blog Dead? - https://newsletter.mkt1.co/p/episode8-company-blog-deadFin AI: https://fin.ai/ideas/************************Stay Tuned:► Website: https://www.superpath.co/► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@superpath► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/superpath/► Twitter: https://twitter.com/superpathco************************Don't forget to leave us a five-star review and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring this episode. Learn about Ahrefs Web Analytics. You can get started with Ahrefs for free today!https://ahrefs.com/web-analytics?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025This week's topic is about the recent incident where Googlebot and even Bingbot stopped crawling some particular sites. Lots of information that is was happening since August 8, 2025.But what REALLY happened? Why did Google not know it was happening? How do we know it wasn't the failure of some server side rendering (SSR) hosting platforms? How do we know Google fixed it?All this and more in this week's episode.Mentioned in the show:Primary News Coverage & SEO Industry ReportsSearch Engine Roundtable (Barry Schwartz - most comprehensive coverage):https://www.seroundtable.com/google-crawl-rate-decline-40013.htmlSearch Engine Land (official confirmation):https://searchengineland.com/google-fixes-reduced-crawling-issue-impacting-some-websites-461334PPC Land (detailed analysis with data):https://ppc.land/google-crawl-rate-declines-affect-multiple-hosting-platforms/Search Engine Journal (technical analysis):https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googlebot-crawl-slump-mueller-points-to-server-errors/553715/Last week's episode - https://www.confessionsofanseo.com/podcast/is-mo-content-mo-better-season-5-episode-34/Looking for a TOC wordpress plugin that does NOT "confuse" Googlebots. We're close. https://carolynholzman.com/fix-the-canonical-scoring-in-helpful-content/Indexation Research - Crawl Or No Crawl Tools that I use and recommend:Indexzilla -https://www.indexzilla.io (indexing technology)GSC Tool -https://bit.ly/gsctoolAhrefs Marketing Platform - https://ahrefs.com/web-analytics?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025Youtube Channel -Confessions of An SEO®https://g.co/kgs/xXDzBNf -------- Crawl or No Crawl Knowledge panelInterested in supporting this work and any seo testing?Subscribe to Confessions of an SEO® wherever you get your podcasts. Your subscribing and download sends the message that you appreciate what is being shared and helping others find Confessions of an SEO®An easy place to leave a review https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/confessions-of-an-seo-1973881You can find me onCarolyn Holzman - LinkedinAmerican Way Media Google DirectlyAmericanWayMedia.com Consulting AgencyNeed Help With an Indexation Issue? - reach out Text me here - 512-222-3132Music from Uppbeathttps://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/fugue-stateLicense code: HESHAZ4ZOAUMWTUA
Sign up for my FREE 3 Day Marketing Bootcamp for Therapists- Scale your Practice to a 7-Figure Group → https://members.mccancemethod.com/free-3-day-live-course/In this episode I sit down with Felicia Keller Boyle, aka The Bad Therapist, to talk about marketing for the modern therapist. Felicia shares her expert insights on building a standout digital presence—from strategic websites and SEO to making Instagram work for your practice. Whether you're still in solo practice or navigating the complexities of group practice, you'll walk away with powerful, practical marketing strategies to attract more clients and grow with purpose.Make sure to bring your paper and pen because this episode is full of actionable tips!Here are some key points in this episode:[08:34] Why a polished website with strong messaging is now the bare minimum for attracting clients[11:23] How SEO has evolved and the essential on-page and off-page strategies you should know[14:39] Tools that simplify and gamify content optimization[15:36] Felicia's take on Instagram marketing and how therapists can build traction without losing themselves[20:00] The story behind “The Bad Therapist” brand and redefining professional identityLinks From The Episode:UTMed link: https://thebadtherapist.coach/?utm_source=businesssavvytherapistpodcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=website Felicia's private practice fee calculator, The Magic Sheets: https://thebadtherapist.ck.page/revenue-stimulator?utm_source=businesssavvytherapistpodcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=magicsheetsoptin Ahrefs: https://ahrefs.comSurfer SEO: https://surferseo.comBook: Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller: https://amzn.to/4dOmEGj More about Felicia:Felicia Keller Boyle, known as The Bad Therapist®, is revolutionizing how therapists build private practices. By empowering overworked and underpaid professionals, she helps them create joyful, profitable, and ethical businesses. Having established her own six-figure, cash-pay practice while maintaining a balanced three-day workweek, Felicia offers expertise in marketing, money mindset, and team building. Her coaching clients have achieved remarkable milestones—hitting their first $10k, $15k, and even $28k months; filling their practices; launching coaching offers; and growing their Instagram followings to over 10k in less than a year. Combining professional insight with a fresh, modern approach, Felicia is a sought-after mentor for therapists ready to transform their practices and lives.Want to Connect with Felicia?The Bad Therapist: https://thebadtherapist.coach/ Felicia's Instagram: @the_bad_therapistThe Bad Therapist Podcast: Follow me on Instagram, @nicole.mccanncemethod. If this episode provided you with value and inspiration, please leave a review and DM to let me know. Click here: https://www.instagram.com/nicole.mccancemethod
In this solo episode of Content, Briefly, Jimmy Daly revisits his January 2025 post, The Only 2025 Marketing Plan That's Guaranteed to Work. With 2026 on the horizon, he reflects on how content distribution has shifted, the limits of LinkedIn, and the risks of chasing channels.Instead of hunting for silver bullets, Jimmy makes the case for going back to basics—practical content, human connection, and brand building—as the most reliable path forward for content marketers.This episode is sponsored by our friends at Ahrefs. You can sign up for Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, for free, to improve your website's SEO performance and grow traffic from search.************************Useful Links:Follow Jimmy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmydaly/Read the Post: https://www.superpath.co/blog/2025-marketing-plan************************Stay Tuned:► Website: https://www.superpath.co/► YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@superpath► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/superpath/► Twitter: https://twitter.com/superpathco************************Don't forget to leave us a five-star review and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring this episode. Learn about Ahrefs Brand Radar Addon. You can get started with Ahrefs for free today!https://ahrefs.com/brand-radar?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025In this episode I share my thoughts about the opening at Google for the New Google Search Liason position. It has a new name and depending on where you live - that salary is going to either make you or break you apparently.Then I delve into the exciting world of content - whether its word count or seo as a service feature - do we and our clients do BETTER with more content or are we shooting ourselvs in the foot? Mentioned in the show:https://www.google.com/about/careers/applications/jobs/results/83309779497165510-external-communications-manager-searchGoogle's NEW "search liason" positionhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKoriHae71wMartin and Lily discussing content questionsLast week's episode - https://www.confessionsofanseo.com/podcast/ai-seo-confession-season-5-ep-33/Looking for a TOC wordpress plugin that does NOT "confuse" Googlebots. We're close. https://carolynholzman.com/fix-the-canonical-scoring-in-helpful-content/Indexation Research - Crawl Or No Crawl Tools that I use and recommend:Indexzilla -https://www.indexzilla.io (indexing technology)GSC Tool -https://bit.ly/gsctoolAhrefs Marketing Platform - https://ahrefs.com/brand-radar?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025Youtube Channel -Confessions of An SEO®https://g.co/kgs/xXDzBNf -------- Crawl or No Crawl Knowledge panelInterested in supporting this work and any seo testing?Subscribe to Confessions of an SEO® wherever you get your podcasts. Your subscribing and download sends the message that you appreciate what is being shared and helping others find Confessions of an SEO®An easy place to leave a review https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/confessions-of-an-seo-1973881You can find me onCarolyn Holzman - LinkedinAmerican Way Media Google DirectlyAmericanWayMedia.com Consulting AgencyNeed Help With an Indexation Issue? - reach out Text me here - 512-222-3132Music from Uppbeathttps://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/fugue-stateLicense code: HESHAZ4ZOAUMWTUA
In this episode of SEO 101, Scott Van Achte covers the August 2025 Google spam update, Ahrefs' new traffic tracker comparing LLMs and search engines, Googlebot crawling issues, practical Search Console tips for duplicate content, a survey on AI Overviews and zero-click searches, and advice for recovering from website hacks and strengthening site security best practices.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring this episode. Learn about Ahrefs Always-On-Audit tool. Get started with Ahrefs for free today!https://ahrefs.com/site-audit?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025In this episode I confess that I haven't been fully vocal about what has shifted but more importantly what has been rattling in my head for the last few months was liberated by two colleagues whose work I respect.I set up a page on my site because I want to see how many go through it but this is not an affiliate - whether you choose to see the light or not that's up to you.https://www.confessionsofanseo.com/entity-elevation-workshop/If you want to go straight through and not let me have any data - here you go - https://www.entityelevation.com/ai-seo-workshop/Last week's episode - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/born-in-an-oven-does-not-a-muffin-make-season-5-episode-32/Looking for a TOC wordpress plugin that does NOT "confuse" Googlebots. We're close. https://carolynholzman.com/fix-the-canonical-scoring-in-helpful-content/Indexation Research - Crawl Or No Crawl Tools that I use and recommend:Indexzilla -https://www.indexzilla.io (indexing technology)GSC Tool -https://bit.ly/gsctoolAhrefs Marketing Platform - https://ahrefs.com/site-audit?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025Youtube Channel -Confessions of An SEO®https://g.co/kgs/xXDzBNf -------- Crawl or No Crawl Knowledge panelInterested in supporting this work and any seo testing?Subscribe to Confessions of an SEO® wherever you get your podcasts. Your subscribing and download sends the message that you appreciate what is being shared and helping others find Confessions of an SEO®An easy place to leave a review https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/confessions-of-an-seo-1973881You can find me onCarolyn Holzman - LinkedinAmerican Way Media Google DirectlyAmericanWayMedia.com Consulting AgencyNeed Help With an Indexation Issue? - reach out Text me here - 512-222-3132Music from Uppbeathttps://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/fugue-stateLicense code: HESHAZ4ZOAUMWTUA
In this episode, Meredith's husband unpacks the rise of “zero-click searches,” where AI summaries reduce website clicks. He explains how website owners—especially photographers—can adapt by focusing on top Google rankings to ensure visibility in AI-driven results. While traffic may decline, the visitors who do click through convert at much higher rates, making SEO more valuable than ever.Chapter Markers[0:00] Introduction[0:24] Welcome to Insider's Inbox[0:32] Excitement about AI in SEO[1:42] Reddit study on ChatGPT using Google[2:31] How the test revealed Google reliance[3:40] Introduction to zero-click search[4:19] Fewer visits but higher conversions[4:58] Ahrefs study: 23x higher conversions from AI traffic[5:34] Decoupling impressions from visitors[6:15] Implications for photographers and local SEO[7:15] AI results tied to Google rankingsArticles referenced in this episode:https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1m47avn/chatgpt_plus_is_secretly_googlepowered_my_hidden/https://ahrefs.com/blog/zero-click-search/https://ahrefs.com/blog/the-great-decoupling/https://ahrefs.com/blog/ai-search-traffic-conversions-ahrefs/ --- Sign up for my upcoming Optimize for AI Guide
Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring this episode. Learn about Ahrefs Marketing Platform and their GBP Monitor. Get started for free today!https://ahrefs.com/gbp-monitor?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025This week's episode was a reality check on an article that was teasing with providing from fresh take on Google's indexation principles.The article appears to have taken a Google conference presentation (which was likely just explaining their existing processes) and repackaged it as if it contained new revelations.I am reminded of a famous Vermont quote about people who moved there, lived for 30 years and claim their children are "Vermonters".When a cat gives birth to kittens in an oven, that doesn't make them muffins.When basic SEO fundamentals are dressed up with unnecessarily complex language and industry jargon to create an illusion of groundbreaking insights, sometimes we have to just say no.Last week's episode - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pivoting-is-awareness-season-5-episode-31/id1547082306Looking for a TOC wordpress plugin that does NOT "confuse" Googlebots. We're close. https://carolynholzman.com/fix-the-canonical-scoring-in-helpful-content/Indexation Research - Crawl Or No Crawl Tools that I use and recommend:Indexzilla -https://www.indexzilla.io (indexing technology)GSC Tool -https://bit.ly/gsctoolAhrefs Marketing Platform - https://ahrefs.com/gbp-monitor?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025Youtube Channel -Confessions of An SEO®https://g.co/kgs/xXDzBNf -------- Crawl or No Crawl Knowledge panelInterested in supporting this work and any seo testing?Subscribe to Confessions of an SEO® wherever you get your podcasts. Your subscribing and download sends the message that you appreciate what is being shared and helping others find Confessions of an SEO®An easy place to leave a review https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/confessions-of-an-seo-1973881You can find me onCarolyn Holzman - LinkedinAmerican Way Media Google DirectlyAmericanWayMedia.com Consulting AgencyNeed Help With an Indexation Issue? - reach out Text me here - 512-222-3132Music from Uppbeathttps://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/fugue-stateLicense code: HESHAZ4ZOAUMWTUA
Timestamps: 0:00 jetpack was out of order 0:11 Trump wants Intel CEO to resign 1:34 OpenAI unveils GPT-5 4:36 Ahrefs! 5:25 QUICK BITS INTRO 5:35 Digital Foundry goes independent 6:09 Pixel 10 event leaks 6:52 Steam for Chromebook loses support 7:33 Win10 extended support update NEWS SOURCES: https://lmg.gg/g7B9B Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Why Are My Digital Marketing SEO Efforts Not Working? with SEO Expert, Favour Obasi-ike, MBA, MS | Get exclusive SEO newsletters in your inbox.This Clubhouse session features offering advice on Search Engine Optimization (SEO), particularly for small businesses. Favour explains that effective SEO involves consistent effort and strategy, likening it to a conversation where businesses answer frequently asked questions.He suggests creating diverse content formats, like long-form "pillar" blog posts supported by shorter "cluster" content, and emphasize the importance of localizing content for brick-and-mortar businesses.The discussion also touches upon tools like Semrush and Ahrefs for SEO analysis, while advocating for a "mindset, skillset, toolset" approach to digital marketing, stressing that understanding fundamental principles and consistent application are more crucial than expensive tools alone.Favour illustrates concepts with real-world examples and interactive exercises, encouraging listeners to apply the strategies themselves to improve their online presence and drive organic traffic.AD BREAK: Get 20% off your first booking & be the first to know about our new arrivals, spa deals, and events with Somatic MassageFrequently Asked Questions1. Why aren't my SEO efforts working, and what's the fundamental issue?SEO efforts often fall short due to a lack of consistent strategy and the failure to address user intent directly. The core problem is not "showing up for a term" because the relevant link or content isn't "activated." This means your content isn't directly answering the questions people are frequently asking online or isn't positioned to be easily seen by search engines. Expecting different results from repeating the same ineffective actions is likened to "insanity." Effective SEO, at its heart, is a conversation where your content provides clear, direct, and valuable answers to user queries, similar to how a meaningful conversation builds understanding and leads to further engagement.2. How can I effectively create content for SEO in 2025?The primary goal for content creation in 2025 is to answer frequently asked questions online and establish yourself as the authoritative "person of interest" providing those answers. This transforms SEO into a conversation. To achieve this, focus on creating content that directly addresses user queries. For instance, if the most searched question of 2024 was "What time is it?", then providing a direct answer makes you the "respondent to the answer." This content can be distributed through various formats, with podcast episodes and blogs being the fastest ways to publish. Consistency is key, with a suggested minimum of 10 minutes to 10 hours per week dedicated to content creation.3. What is the "pillar and cluster" content strategy, and how does it improve SEO?The "pillar and cluster" strategy involves creating a comprehensive "long-form" piece of content (the pillar) that covers a broad topic in depth, acting as a foundational resource. This pillar can include comparisons, statistics, infographics, videos, listicles, charts, and FAQs. Subsequently, you create "mid-form" and "short-form" content pieces (the clusters) that delve into more specific sub-topics or variations derived from the pillar. These clusters link back to the main pillar, creating a strong internal linking structure. This method allows you to cover a topic from multiple dimensions, compound your SEO interest, and establish semantic connections across your website. Each published blog can generate numerous new "keywords" or "seeds," further expanding your content ecosystem.4. How does updating old content contribute to better SEO, and what is a "last modified page"?Regularly updating old content is a powerful SEO tactic. When you update an existing article, especially with current information (e.g., changing "2025" to "2026"), it signals to search engines that your content is fresh and relevant. This updated page becomes a "last modified page," which AI algorithms prioritize and pick up more readily from the internet. The concept is that an active website with recently updated content is more likely to rank higher. By updating older posts and linking them to newer ones, you create a dynamic "spiderweb" of content, ensuring your website always appears "on" and active, leading to improved rankings and longevity.5. Are SEO tools like Semrush and Ahrefs crucial for a comprehensive hyperlocal SEO strategy, and are there free alternatives?While tools like Semrush and Ahrefs are excellent for comprehensive analysis, especially for hyperlocal strategies (e.g., checking Name, Address, Phone number consistency across directories), they are not strictly necessary to get started or achieve results. These tools can be expensive, and it might be more cost-effective to hire a professional or agency if you're not committed to learning and consistently using them yourself.For free alternatives and effective strategies, Google itself is your "best friend." You can use Google Search Console to identify search phrases and even leverage specific "search operators" (like blog/ [keyword]) to discover articles people are already finding. This allows you to identify topics and competitors for which you need to create your own content. Ensuring consistent "Name, Address, Phone number" (NAP) information across all online directories (Yellow Pages, Yelp, Google Business Profile, etc.) is crucial for local businesses, as inconsistencies can raise "red flags" with Google.6. How does consistency in business information and brand identity impact SEO?Consistency in business information and brand identity is paramount for SEO and overall online visibility. Just as a credit report requires matching details, search engines, particularly Google, look for consistent "Name, Address, Phone number" (NAP) across all online directories and platforms (social media, review sites, business listings). Inconsistencies or typos can confuse search engines, making it difficult for them to verify your business's legitimacy and location, leading to poor ranking.Beyond NAP, consistently presenting your brand name, author name for content, and overall messaging ensures that people recognize and trust your presence. This consistent "showing up with the same name" builds familiarity and reinforces your authority in your niche, proving to search engines and users that your brand is reliable and relevant.7. How does the "mindset, skillset, toolset" framework apply to successful SEO efforts?Successful SEO, like any business endeavor, operates within a "mindset, skillset, toolset" framework.Mindset: This refers to your approach and intention. It's about being proactive, understanding why your efforts might not be working, and being open to learning and adapting. It's about having the commitment to consistent action rather than expecting overnight results.Skillset: This is the knowledge and ability to execute SEO strategies. This includes knowing how to research keywords, create content, optimize pages, and analyze data. While tools can assist, the underlying skill to interpret and act on information is crucial.Toolset: These are the actual resources you use, whether paid SEO tools like Semrush, free Google tools like Search Console, or even basic search operators. The effectiveness of your tools depends on your skillset and mindset; a great tool is useless without the knowledge and consistent effort to wield it properly.Consistent "reps" across these three sets are essential for continuous improvement and achieving tangible SEO results.Digital Marketing Resources:>> Join our exclusive SEO Marketing community>> SEO Optimization Blogs>> Book Complimentary SEO Discovery Call>> Subscribe to We Don't PLAY PodcastBrands We Love and SupportLoving Me Beauty | Buy Vegan-based Luxury ProductsUnlock your future in real estate—get certified in Ghana today!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Just because a tool is popular doesn't mean it's effective. Boom. I know. BOLD talk, BOLD talk. But after years in this business, I've seen and tried a LOT of SEO tools and TBH- MOST of them are not all they are cracked up to be. In this episode, I'm walking you through 3 SEO tools that are 100% worth it, and 5 that I've tested and tossed. We're talking RankIQ, Ubersuggest, Keyword Research Kickstart—and why I say no to Moz, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and AI-generated keyword lists. This is your real-talk, no-fluff guide to what actually works. Hit play before you drop another dollar on something that won't help you rank AND get clients. Cut ALL the fluff and learn how to use Ubersuggest the EASIEST way in under an hour Rank IQ Affiliate Link Free training: Learn how to get 300X More Website Traffic in a Year in 3 Simple Steps Join Simple SEO Framework & Group Coaching Program. Learn how to get 300%, 500%, even 12,000% more website traffic in a year. to get your website set up for SEO Success in a DAY & learn how to maintain a traffic-generating machine in 2hrs/ week. Ready to get your website copy AND your SEO strategy DONE in a day? Snag a spot for a VIP Copy Day! Book your discovery call here! Join the Facebook Group Email info@faithhanan.com Book Your SEO and Keywords Strategy Call
Unlock the secret to turning your voiceover demo reel into a client magnet. Discover how a genre-specific landing page can transform your VO career from part-time hustle to full-time success. This video breaks down the exact steps to craft a high-converting demo reel landing page that speaks directly to your ideal clients, boosts SEO, and drives bookings. Learn how to understand your client avatar, write persuasive copy, optimize for mobile, and use powerful CTAs that get results. Don't miss this blueprint to grow your voiceover business and finally make the leap to full-time!Grab your FREE Ultimate Voiceover Demo Reel Landing Page Checklist: https://welcome.vopro.pro/demo-page-checklistKeyword Research: Google Keyword Planner: https://business.google.com/us/ad-tools/keyword-planner/Ahrefs: https://ahrefs.com/#VoiceoverTips #DemoReelLandingPage #VoiceoverCareer #FullTimeVO #VoiceoverMarketing #VOTips #VoiceActorSuccess #VOPro #VoiceoverBusiness #DemoReelLinks: (When possible, I use affiliate links and may earn a commission. See disclosure below.)▶️ Subscribe: https://vopro.pro/youtube
Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring this episode. Learn about Ahrefs Marketing Platform's Site Explorer in Webmaster Tools and get started for freehttps://ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025Catching up in Linkedin this week was sobering reality. None of us like it - and the way past this is likely through it. I've had to pivot many times in my life after successfully creating various businesses. Its easy for human to think any pivot is just a fancy "quit". But is it?Marketing seems to be in flux for everyone - firmly convinced that all we have to do is change the bus and then we'll be golden for the next 15 years the way we have been the last.While local is being preserved for the moment - information and affiliate marketing seem to be lost causes because of AI - Gemini, Claude, Grok etc.Maybe this is a time for the rules of race car driving - what's behind us doesn't matter.Last week's episode - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e4c25d3a-4ca4-449d-8a6a-7f07b42c5413/episodes/02f34390-36a5-4509-929a-7c31fcfc29a7/confessions-of-an-seo%C2%AE-naver-what-it-seems---google's-latest-crawlerLooking for a TOC wordpress plugin that does NOT "confuse" Googlebots. We're close. https://carolynholzman.com/fix-the-canonical-scoring-in-helpful-content/Indexation Research - Crawl Or No Crawl Tools that I use and recommend:Indexzilla -https://www.indexzilla.io (indexing technology)GSC Tool -https://bit.ly/gsctoolAhrefs Marketing Platform - https://ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025Youtube Channel -Confessions of An SEO®https://g.co/kgs/xXDzBNf -------- Crawl or No Crawl Knowledge panelInterested in supporting this work and any seo testing?Subscribe to Confessions of an SEO® wherever you get your podcasts. Your subscribing and download sends the message that you appreciate what is being shared and helping others find Confessions of an SEO®An easy place to leave a review https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/confessions-of-an-seo-1973881You can find me onCarolyn Holzman - LinkedinAmerican Way Media Google DirectlyAmericanWayMedia.com Consulting AgencyNeed Help With an Indexation Issue? - reach out Text me here - 512-222-3132Music from Uppbeathttps://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/fugue-stateLicense code: HESHAZ4ZOAUMWTUA
Are you struggling to attract more visitors to your nonprofit's website? In this episode, I sit down with Steven Schneider, co-founder and CEO of Trio SEO, to explore the power of search engine optimization (SEO) for mission-driven organizations. We discuss why SEO is a crucial long-term strategy for increasing your online visibility and connecting with potential donors and supporters. Building a Foundation for Sustainable Growth Steven shares insights on: - Why SEO is like investing in your retirement account for your nonprofit - The importance of patience and consistency in your SEO efforts - How to balance short-term paid strategies with long-term organic growth Practical SEO Strategies for Nonprofits Discover actionable advice for improving your website's search rankings: - Crafting content that aligns with what your audience is actually searching for - Leveraging free tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics - Optimizing your Google Business Profile for local nonprofits Measuring Success and Adapting Your Approach Learn how to: - Track your SEO progress using key metrics and tools - Identify which content is resonating with your audience - Adjust your strategy based on real data and user behavior Overcoming Common SEO Challenges We address potential hurdles in implementing an SEO strategy: - Balancing SEO efforts with other marketing priorities - Staying motivated during the initial “sandbox” period for new websites - Adapting to changes in search engine algorithms and user behavior Whether you're new to SEO or looking to refine your current approach, this conversation offers valuable insights to help you increase your nonprofit's online visibility and connect with more supporters. Want to skip ahead? Here are some key takeaways: 06:28 Understanding Organic vs. Paid Traffic Learn the difference between organic search results and paid advertising, and how they can work together in your digital strategy. 12:15 Essential SEO Tools for Nonprofits Discover free and paid resources to help you research keywords, analyze your website's performance, and track your progress. 19:36 Creating Content That Ranks Explore strategies for developing blog posts and web pages that address your audience's needs and align with popular search terms. 26:15 Optimizing for Local Search Understand how to leverage your Google Business Profile to improve visibility for local nonprofits and events. Don't miss this opportunity to learn how SEO can help your nonprofit reach more people and make a bigger impact. Tune in for a conversation that could transform your approach to online visibility and donor engagement. Resources Google Ad Grant: https://www.google.com/grants/ Google Search Console & Analytics: https://search.google.com/search-console/about SEMRush: https://www.semrush.com/ Ahrefs: https://ahrefs.com/ Steven Schneider Steven is co-founder and CEO at TrioSEO, an agency that helps B2B brands design and implement ROI-focused SEO strategies. Before TrioSEO, he co-owned a portfolio of 40 blogs, managed 400 articles monthly, and scaled to 7 figures via SEO – no paid ads, social media, or other strategies. Today, TrioSEO creates content that converts browsers into buyers. Their team manages everything – the process is 100% hands-off for founders and CMOs Learn more at TrioSEO.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/schneis/ Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-first-click Learn more about The First Click: https://thefirstclick.net Schedule a Digital Marketing Therapy Session: https://thefirstclick.net/officehours
#269 AI Search & SEO | In this episode, Dave is joined by Andrei Țiț, Head of Product Marketing at Ahrefs, a leading SEO tool trusted by marketers around the world. Andrei has been on the front lines of how AI is reshaping search and what that means for marketers trying to stay visible in an AI-first world.Dave and Andrei cover:Why branded search volume is now a top indicator of visibility in AI-generated results (and how to grow it)The new playbook for SEO in 2025, including what metrics to track beyond traffic and backlinksActionable tactics to get your brand mentioned by AI search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI OverviewsWhether you're a marketing leader or an SEO newbie, this episode will help you rethink your approach to content, attribution, and brand in the AI era.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro (02:48) - – Why this was Exit Five's most-registered webinar ever (05:08) - – Meet Andrei from Ahrefs (06:48) - – Is SEO dead? Not quite, but it's harder than ever (08:28) - – AI traffic is growing fast (63% of sites already see it) (09:18) - – Why brand is your best SEO defense (11:48) - – How Google measures brand impact (keywords, mentions, clicks) (14:48) - – Calculating content ROI with traffic value (17:18) - – Why branded search volume predicts AI visibility (21:18) - – How to track brand mentions in ChatGPT, Perplexity & AI Overviews (24:18) - – AI traffic = fewer clicks, better leads (29:23) - – How to improve your visibility in AI-generated answers (36:23) - – Why backlinks matter less and PR matters more (43:23) - – New rules for writing content LLMs can surface (52:23) - – Final takeaways: metrics to watch and content to prioritize Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***Today's episode is brought to you by Walnut.Why are we pouring all this effort into marketing just to push buyers to a “request a demo” or “contact sales” button?Come on, today's buyers don't want to talk to sales right away. They want to explore your product themselves, see how it works, and understand its value before booking a meeting.That's where Walnut comes in.Walnut empowers marketers and GTM teams to create interactive, self-guided product experiences in minutes. Embed these experiences on your site, in emails, or anywhere in your funnel to let buyers engage on their terms, from awareness to close and beyond. That's the beauty of Walnut - you're getting a platform that your sales and CS colleagues can use to showcase the product too.And the best part? You get real intent data—see which features prospects love, where they drop off, and what's actually driving pipeline. Demo Qualified Leads are the new MQL.Over 500 companies, like Adobe and NetApp, use Walnut to drive 2-3x higher website conversion rates and 7 figures in pipeline on a yearly basis. So do you want to drive more leads, shorten sales cycles, and actually show your product instead of hiding it behind another typical B2B CTA? Go check out Walnut.io. And if you tell them Dave from Exit 5 sent you, they'll build out your first demo for free!
Optimizing for AI Search Results / Cost-Benefit Analysis of LLM Tools / Why So Expensive? (Roundtable Quiz Show) with SEO Expert, Favour Obasi-ike, MBA, MS.This
Send us a textThis week, Greg and Mike dissect new data from Pew and Ahrefs showing how AI Overviews impact user click behavior, local pack visibility, and publisher traffic. They explore the branding mess of “AIO” vs. “GEO,” ChatGPT's growing usefulness, and YouTube's quiet dominance. Plus: a burrito search showdown and dishwasher repair gone AI.Subscribe to our newsletters and other content at https://www.nearmedia.co/subscribe/
Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring this episode. Learn about Ahrefs Marketing Platform's Site Audit in Webmaster Tools and get started for freehttps://ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025Hreflang. International SEO. Shopify ability to create subdirectories to target international audiences.Couple that with a question from an SEO trying hard to reconcile while the "Big Boys" can get away with duplicate content.Or is there something more?He has questions.Answers were found based on practice and a simple file formatting.Last week's episode - https://www.confessionsofanseo.com/podcast/how-google-fixed-their-biggest-asset-and-made-you-do-all-the-work/Mentioned in the show:Shopify example URLS:https://www.shopify.com/ca/blog/ecommerce-seo-beginners-guide https://www.shopify.com/au/blog/ecommerce-seo-beginners-guideGoogle Sitemap of Hreflang clustered URLshttps://developers.google.com/sitemap_1_of_30.xmlShopify Examplehttps://www.shopify.com/au/blog/ecommerce-seo-beginners-guideLooking for a TOC wordpress plugin that does NOT "confuse" Googlebots. We're close. https://carolynholzman.com/fix-the-canonical-scoring-in-helpful-content/Indexation Research - Crawl Or No Crawl Tools that I use and recommend:Indexzilla -https://www.indexzilla.io (indexing technology)GSC Tool -https://bit.ly/gsctoolAhrefs Marketing Platform - https://ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025Youtube Channel -Confessions of An SEO®https://g.co/kgs/xXDzBNf -------- Crawl or No Crawl Knowledge panelInterested in supporting this work and any seo testing?Subscribe to Confessions of an SEO® wherever you get your podcasts. Your subscribing and download sends the message that you appreciate what is being shared and helping others find Confessions of an SEO®An easy place to leave a review https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/confessions-of-an-seo-1973881You can find me onCarolyn Holzman - LinkedinAmerican Way Media Google DirectlyAmericanWayMedia.com Consulting AgencyNeed Help With an Indexation Issue? - reach out Text me here - 512-222-3132Music from Uppbeathttps://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/fugue-stateLicense code: HESHAZ4ZOAUMWTUA
In this episode, Crystal breaks down the must-have SEO tech stack for Shopify sellers who want to show up in search results, build authority, and grow sustainably without feeling overwhelmed.You'll learn about the core apps that make SEO easier, free tools to track and audit your progress, and optional power tools if you're ready to take things to the next level.Whether you're just getting started with Shopify or looking to improve your existing SEO strategy, this episode will help you focus on the right tools so you can stop guessing and start growing.Key TakeawaysYou don't need 50 tools — just a few key apps and resources to support your SEO efforts.Start with free tools like Google Search Console and Microsoft Clarity to understand your current performance.Add must-have apps that create fresh content and improve site speed, like a review app and TinyPNG.Explore advanced tools like Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, and Surfer SEO as you grow.Resources & MentionsShopify SEO Tech Stack Checklist (only $7!) COMING SOON!7-Step SEO Starter CourseGoogle Search ConsoleMicrosoft ClarityInstaIndexTinyPNGSurfer SEO (My Affiliate Link!)Action Steps for ListenersInstall at least one new SEO tool today (Google Search Console is a great place to start).Download the Shopify SEO Tech Stack Checklist to make setup easy and track what you've implemented.Tag Crystal on Instagram @simpleandsmartseo2 to share your progress.Connect with CrystalWebsite: simpleandsmartseo.comInstagram: @simpleandsmartseo2Podcast on Apple: Listen herePodcast on Spotify: Listen hereNext Episode: Don't miss the next episode, where we'll talk about optimizing your images so they bring in traffic — not just likes!Send me a text!Does SEO feel confusing, overwhelming, or just plain impossible to figure out? You're not alone. That's why I created the AI SEO Foundations course, powered by Crystal GPT: your personal AI SEO coach designed for busy, creative business owners like you.Ditch the overwhelm and discover what SEO can do for your business! Head to SEOin7days.com (with the number 7!) and get started today—let's make your brand easy to find and impossible to ignore.Support the showWant to follow up on what you've heard? Search the podcast!Join the SEO SquadApply to be my podcast guest!
See how often your brand gets mentioned with Ahrefs at: https://ahrefs.com/brand-radar?utm_source=wanshow&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=partnerships Step confidently into daily life with the ultra-light Vessi Pacific Sneaker. Vessi claims they are fully waterproof, and they come with a 1-year warranty with 30-days of worry-free returns. Get 15% off your first pair at https://vessi.com/wanshow at checkout! Visit https://www.squarespace.com/WAN and use offer code WAN for 10% off Buy something from dbrand so they have an excuse to keep messing with Linus. Visit http://dbrand.com/WAN Check out Dell's powerful business laptops at: https://lmg.gg/dellprowan Pick up a Secretlab Titan Evo Ergonomic Gaming Chair today at: https://lmg.gg/secretlabwan Get a special deal on Private Internet Access VPN today at https://www.piavpn.com/LinusWan Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to Linus Media Group. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thank you to Ahrefs for sponsoring this episode. Click here to learn about Patches - https://ahrefs.com/blog/site-audit-patches/?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025Launching new content into a Core Update? Are you crazy??? Crazy like a fox!In this episode I share an unorthodox approach to content strategy while an update is running. Its more of a "Hold My Beer" approach to be sure but the data, server logs and results suggest a contrarian approach is the best when Google opens up the system like they have in this update.Looking for a TOC wordpress plugin that does NOT "confuse" Googlebots. We're close. https://carolynholzman.com/fix-the-canonical-scoring-in-helpful-content/Last week's episode - https://www.confessionsofanseo.com/podcast/every-tool-is-a-weapon-if-you-hold-it-properly-season-5-episode-26/Mentioned in the show:Rel = UGC - https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/qualify-outbound-links130 day rule - https://alekseo.com/google-and-the-130-day-rule/Indexation Research - Crawl Or No Crawl Tools that I use and recommend:Indexzilla -https://www.indexzilla.io (indexing technology)GSC Tool -https://bit.ly/gsctoolAhrefs - https://ahrefs.com/blog/site-audit-patches/?utm_source=CarolynHolzman&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=partnerships&utm_content=Q2_2025Youtube Channel -Confessions of An SEO®https://g.co/kgs/xXDzBNf -------- Crawl or No Crawl Knowledge panelInterested in supporting this work and any seo testing?Subscribe to Confessions of an SEO® wherever you get your podcasts. Your subscribing and download sends the message that you appreciate what is being shared and helping others find Confessions of an SEO®An easy place to leave a reviewhttps://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/confessions-of-an-seo-1973881You can find me onCarolyn Holzman - LinkedinAmerican Way Media Google DirectlyAmericanWayMedia.com Consulting AgencyNeed Help With an Indexation Issue? - reach out Text me here - 512-222-3132Music from Uppbeathttps://uppbeat.io/t/doug-organ/fugue-stateLicense code: HESHAZ4ZOAUMWTUA
For the full experience, watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0j_n3OOM7c Episode 712: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) talks to Greg Isenberg ( https://x.com/gregisenberg ) talk about how to find a startup idea and build it in a couple hours using AI. — Show Notes: (0:00) Step 1: Find an idea (7:57) Step 2: Sketch out the idea (9:48) Step 3: Scope out the MVP (18:25) Step 4: Vibe code a prototype (36:06) Step 5: Vibe marketing the business (49:14) Step 6: AI agent product manager — Links: • Want Greg's guide to Build an AI Startup in 3 Hours with