Podcast appearances and mentions of tim soulo

Ross sits down with Tim Soulo,‬‭ CMO of Ahrefs, to dive deep into content‬ ‭marketing, SEO, and Ahrefs' evolving approach to growth. Tim shares insights on how Ahrefs‬ built its marketing team, the role of SEO in today's digital landscape, and why they're investing‬ in YouTube, LinkedIn, and thought leadership content.‬ ‭ They also discuss the challenges of enterprise marketing, the rise of social-first content, and the‬ impact of backlink trends on the SEO industry.‬ ‭ Show Notes:‬ ‭ 00:00 Intro – Meeting in Chiang Mai SEO‬ ‭ 00:53 Ahrefs' Marketing Evolution‬ ‭ 06:06 SEO vs. Diversification in Marketing‬ ‭ 10:09 The Role of Technical SEO at Ahrefs‬ ‭ 12:57 LinkedIn & Social Media Strategy‬ ‭ 18:10 Scaling Content & Thought Leadership‬ ‭ 22:31 Going Upmarket: Enterprise Marketing at Ahrefs‬ ‭ 30:38 The Power of Events & Conferences‬ ‭ 32:22 Programmatic SEO & Directory Strategies‬ ‭ 40:31 Backlink Trends & The Changing Web‬ ‭ 46:55 The Future of Ahrefs Marketing‬ ‭ 48:24 Announcing Ahrefs Evolve – West Coast Conference‬ ‭ Show Links:‬ Ahrefs: Top Website:‬‭ https://ahrefs.com/websites‬ Ahrefs: Data & Studies:‬‭ https://ahrefs.com/blog/category/data-studies/‬ ‭Ahrefs YouTube:‬‭ https://www.youtube.com/c/AhrefsCom‬ Tim Soulo's LinkedIn:‬‭ https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo‬Subscribe today for weekly tips: https://bit.ly/3dBM61f Subscribe today for weekly tips: https://bit.ly/3dBM61f Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/content-and-conversation-seo-tips-from-siege-media/id1289467174 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kiaFGXO5UcT2qXVRuXjsM Listen on Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9jT3NjUkdLeA Follow Siege on Twitter: http://twitter.com/siegemedia Follow Ross on Twitter: http://twitter.com/rosshudgens Directed by Cara Brown: https://twitter.com/cararbrown Email Ross: ross@siegemedia.com #seo | #contentmarketing

Is it actually possible to make AI content in one go with minimal human involvement that is as good as what a human can produce? Zac Harris, former Head of Demand Gen and SEO at Copy.ai and founder of Rankd., thinks so. But Zac does have a caveat: the input you give AI has to be far better than what your average marketer or writer tends to provide. Ever the AI skeptic, Tim Soulo sat down with Zac recently to discuss his workflows, how he scaled Copy.ai to 1M visits per month through free tools, and more. 00:00 Intro 1:40 Success with AI tools 16:02 The effect of mass-deleting content 20:04 Copy.ai's content strategy 29:43 Where to find quality freelancers 34:12 Using feedback to create custom AI workflows and content 40:14 Marketing attribution, Markov chains, re-activations, and expansions 56:18 Leveraging influencer marketing for brand visibility 1:03:59 Link building tactics 01:13:12 The impact of mentorship 1:18:20 Why Zac left Copy.ai to build his new agency 1:38:17 Why teaching people how to use AI is important 1:39:50 AI vs human output competition 1:44:55 Building workflows for AI 1:55:04 Outro We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend). Where to find Zac: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharris36/ Website: https://www.gorankd.com/ Where to find Tim: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/ X: @timsoulo Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/

What's up everyone, today we have the pleasure of sitting down with Sam Oh, VP of Marketing at Ahrefs. Summary: Sam takes us on a masterclass covering SEO fundamentals, evolving search behaviors, AI in content marketing, refreshing attribution thoughts and work-life balance strategies. He advises sticking to proven SEO fundamentals and understanding search intent to meet audience needs. As search behavior evolves with tools like ChatGPT, he highlights the need for a diversified strategy across multiple platforms. He advocates for thoughtful AI integration to enhance research and streamline content creation. Finally, Sam shares Ahrefs' approach of prioritizing product quality and user-centric content over detailed attribution models, focusing on broad success indicators for effective decision-making and a fulfilling professional life.About SamAs a fresh Toronto grad out of University, Sam started a service based ecommerce site and got into black hat SEOHe grew traffic to this site and eventually sold it, this led Sam to “retire” – briefly – before experimenting with niche sites – he had one of those also acquiredHe also built an Amazon and Ebay business, where he would buy pallets of return goods from big merchandise stores and started a refurbishing center and reselling those goods online while sharpening his SEO skillsHe founded Money Journal where he published long form guides to help entrepreneurs grow their traffic and drive revenueThis naturally led Sam to co-founding a successful SEO and digital agency… but after a while, he was on kid number two and realized he wanted to leave the hustle lifestyleHe tried to get Ahrefs as a client for his agency by applying for a job and trying to turn it into a contract basis but in the end they won out and turned Sam into an employeeHe started without a title and was just asked to create educational videos and he turned that into as Director of Product Education and today he's Sam is VP of Marketing at AhrefsWhy Entrepreneurs Need to Rethink Work Life BalanceSam's path to Ahrefs was anything but traditional. Instead of following the common route of balancing entrepreneurial ventures with full-time roles, he fully immersed himself in starting businesses. From e-commerce to marketplace experiments, he thrived on innovation and problem-solving. But the relentless grind eventually took its toll, especially after a significant setback with Google's Penguin update on his first e-commerce site.As he clocked in 16-17 hour days, the birth of his second child prompted a shift in priorities. The thought of missing out on his children's lives pushed Sam to rethink his approach. Was he destined to work endlessly or could he find a way to balance family and career? This question became pivotal as he sought more meaningful work-life integration.Sam's connection with Ahrefs began as a client pursuit. After months of discussions with Tim Soulo, they decided to collaborate. Initially, Sam held onto his agency, unsure of the future. However, the move to Ahrefs proved to be an excellent match. The company offered him full autonomy and creative control, backed by substantial budgets and resources.At Ahrefs, Sam feels a strong sense of ownership. The company's culture of trust and freedom aligns perfectly with his entrepreneurial spirit. This environment allows him to apply his skills effectively, achieving professional success without sacrificing personal fulfillment.Key takeaway: Entrepreneurs often face the challenge of overcommitting to their ventures at the expense of personal life. Reassess priorities and seek roles that align with your values and lifestyle. Find work that offers autonomy and creative freedom so you can prioritize professional success and personal fulfillment. SEO Experts Need to Stop Obsessing Over Algorithm UpdatesSam addresses the constant flux in the SEO world. His advice is refreshingly simple: focus on what works. Many SEO consultants, like the one asking the question, find themselves overwhelmed by the relentless updates and algorithm changes. Sam suggests that if your current strategies are effective, there's no need to chase every new development.For those engaging in practices clearly against Google's guidelines, staying updated is crucial. However, for most people working on technical SEO—handling internal linking, crawling, and similar tasks—the updates can be more noise than necessity. The key is to concentrate on proven methods and adjust only when a significant change directly impacts your work.Sam likens this to the hype around ChatGPT, where exaggerated claims cause unnecessary panic. He points out that this noise can lead to irrational fears, such as interns doubting their career choices. Instead of getting caught up in every new trend, it's better to stay grounded and focus on tangible results.Ultimately, Sam's approach is to avoid the hysteria surrounding new updates and technologies. He emphasizes the importance of sticking to solid SEO practices and avoiding the distractions that come with every new development.Key takeaway: Focus on what works and avoid getting caught up in every SEO update. Don't let every minor change disrupt your workflow. Concentrate on proven strategies and adapt only when necessary. SEO Is Here to Stay Despite AI and Algorithm ChangesSam doesn't believe SEO is dying anytime soon. The need to sort and index information isn't going away. Whether it's Google, YouTube, Pinterest, or Reddit, every platform with a search feature relies on SEO. Despite the industry's perennial claims of its demise, SEO remains crucial for organizing and optimizing content across the internet.He addresses the divide within the SEO community: those who adhere to white hat tactics and those who dabble in black hat methods. The latter often tarnish the industry's reputation. Despite this, the fundamentals of SEO—technical optimization, quality content, and understanding search intent—continue to hold strong. Sam compares the scenario to the stock market, with pessimists always predicting crashes. He attributes some of the criticism to frustrations with search results often filled with copycat content, which he sees as a consequence of optimizing for search intent.People tend to blame SEOs when they see repetitive content in search results. Sam explains that this is a result of everyone trying to match search intent, which can lead to similar content being ranked. He acknowledges that this might cause users to think SEO is at fault, but he views it as part of the game. SEOs are tasked with demonstrating to Google that their page is the best result for a query, often within the constraints of Google's guidelines.Sam is confident that SEO won't be replaced soon. While AI and other technologies might change aspects of the industry, the core need for SEO remains. The industry will continue to evolve, but the fundamental skills and strategies of SEOs will stay relevant.Key takeaway: SEO remains essential as long as search engines exist. Technical optimization, quality content creation, and understanding search intent are timeless strategies that remain effective despite algorithm changes and AI advancements.How Content Marketers Can Stay Relevant with AISam argues that SEO and content marketing are here to stay, even with the rise of AI. The key to thriving lies in effort, experience, and experimentation. Ryan Law's article on this topic resonates with Sam, who emphasizes these principles for standing out in a crowded field.Effort is paramount. Understanding your audience and delivering precisely what they need sets you apart. ...

¡Saludos, amantes del SEO!

Tim Soulo met with the king of CRO to discuss building multiple brands, the importance of in-person events, and how to know when it's time to pivot your business model.

How different is marketing within large, complex teams than working with smaller brands? Tim Soulo chatted with David Fallarme about large-team marketing, fractional marketing, and why he decided to join Owner.com as VP of Marketing.

When Dom Wells was teaching English, he never imagined that a few short years later, he'd be sitting on a $5M portfolio of digital assets. Tim Soulo dug in to find out how Dom's portfolio is constructed, what he looks for in acquisitions, and how he runs his projects.

Rand Fishkin didn't just walk away from Moz in 2018; he also walked away from SEO in general. So how is he marketing SparkToro? Tim Soulo sat down with him to find out. 

Is out-of-home (OOH) advertising for everyone? What are the benefits for digital companies? Tim Soulo talks marketing strategies with AdQuick's VP of Marketing, Adam Singer, as well as whether Elon Musk has lost the plot.

How can a brand-new SaaS ramp up to $1M ARR in just 11 months? In this episode, Tim Soulo sits down with serial entrepreneur Laura Roeder to discuss how she grew MeetEdgar, and whether those tactics still work.

In this episode, Ross explores SEO in digital marketing, focusing on Ahrefs, a $100 million business that has transformed how marketers approach search. Meet Dmytro Gerasymenko, the visionary behind Ahrefs, as he unveils the core elements that catapulted Ahrefs into a market leader. From brand essence to infrastructural brilliance, get ready for an exclusive peek behind the curtain. Tim Soulo, the marketing lead at Ahrefs, joins the conversation, spotlighting the latest innovations Ahrefs has up its sleeve. It's not just about features but their relentless pursuit of consistency mingled with bold experimentation. ---- Here's what we've packed into this must-listen episode: Ahrefs Uncovered: From a powerful suite of SEO tools to generating a staggering $858,000 in monthly organic traffic with their free offerings, discover the strategy that put Ahrefs on the map. Content & YouTube Mastery: With over 21 million YouTube views and content in multiple languages, Ahrefs sets the bar for content marketing. Unearth the secrets of their content strategy that speaks volumes across the globe. Culture of Experimentation: Dive into Ahrefs' unique culture, where experimentation and bootstrapping are the norms. Hear straight from Tim Soulo about their innovative spirit that fuels growth and learning. Strategic Market Moves: Witness how Ahrefs uses its products to tell compelling stories, and how strategic decisions like shutting down their 16,000-member Facebook group align with their scaling ambitions. Key Insights: Ahrefs is not just a tool, it's an empowerment engine for marketers and content creators. Their free tools aren't just free; they're traffic magnets and insight goldmines. Consistency and high-value assets are the pillars of Ahrefs' content success. Embracing experimentation and a product-led mindset isn't a choice; it's a necessity for growth. Their commitment to education is not just admirable; it's transformative. Resources mentioned: Ahrefs website Ahrefs' YouTube channel How Ahrefs Saved US$400M in 3 Years by NOT Going to the Cloud ---

In the last two years, Ahrefs, a tool that many people in the industry would agree is the best tool for the job, has lived long enough to see itself become the villain and many now associate the brand with corporate greed. So how did that happen and is it justified?No topic was off the table in this week's episode with Tim Soulo from Ahrefs. Gael gets the 4-1-1 on their credit system, whether their search engine yep.com was funded by the price increase or not, and compares Ahrefs and their value proposition to the competition.Full show notes: https://www.authorityhacker.com/podcasts/328-did-ahrefs-fk-us/

Ahrefs has been in the SEO community chatter quite a bit since the pricing model change so we thought it'd be good to bring Tim Soulo himself on the podcast to talk a little bit about the reasoning behind that.But we wanted to get more value out of the episode than that.In this episode, Tim gives us some useful keyword research tips both using paid tools as well as free tools and sheds some light on the accuracy... or lack thereof... when it comes to the metrics that SEO tools spit out including how inaccurate Google's owned tools' metrics such as Search Console and Keyword Planner.Tim uncovers how Ahrefs does keyword research for their own blog using "Business Potential" keywords and the downside of using Google's free keyword tools.Additionally, if you're a longtime listener of the podcast, you know that Cody and Jake have been pretty anti-paid tools when it comes to SEO and SEO research. In this episode, hear Tim counter Cody and Jake's argument on the idea that paid tools aren't necessary for new agency owners.----------------------------------⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐As always, if you enjoyed this episode or this podcast in general and want to leave us a review or rating, head over to Apple and let us know what you like! It helps us get found and motivates us to keep producing this free content.----------------------------------You can find Tim Soulo and Ahrefs at these profiles / locations:Twitter/X: @timsouloLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/YouTube: @AhrefsComWebsite: www.timsoulo.com/----------------------------------Want to connect with us? Reach out to us on the everbrospodcast.com website or connect with Jake on socials:Twitter/X: @HundleyJakeLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley/Facebook: facebook.com/jake.hundley.1Instagram: instagram.com/jakehundley/

On this episode of 'The Art of Selling Online Courses'  we sat down with Tim Soulo, the Chief Marketing Officer and Product Advisor at Ahrefs, a cutting-edge SEO tool driven by big data.Tim's ground breaking data research in the realm of SEO has been recognized by numerous online publications, including Inc, TechCrunch, and VentureBeat. Renowned for his expertise, Tim has graced the stages of major industry conferences worldwide, including PubCon in Las Vegas, BrightonSEO in the UK, and the Digital Marketers Australia Conference in Melbourne. Tim's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/SaaSMarketingVlogTim's Website: https://www.timsoulo.com/Ahrefs Website: https://ahrefs.com/If you're interested in growing your online course sales and funnel optimisation contact us at https://datadrivenmarketing.co/

In episode #2583, we talk about LinkedIn's potentially genius new SEO strategy and share our thoughts on whether or not we think it's going to last. Tuning in, you'll find out how combining user-generated content (UGC), AI, and SEO resulted in "hockey stick" traffic growth for LinkedIn, why increased traffic doesn't necessarily translate into increased conversions, and what elements of this impressive-looking strategy you can implement in your own business, plus so much more!TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: (00:00) Today's topic: LinkedIn's Genius New SEO Strategy. (00:08) What Ahrefs' Tim Soulo has to say about LinkedIn's collaborative articles. (00:44) Comparing LinkedIn's digital traffic data on Ahrefs and SimilarWeb. (02:26) Why do large companies need to do a lot more than drive traffic to move the needle? (03:16) Reasons that we think this prolific growth might not last. (03:24) Why more traffic doesn't necessarily mean more revenue. (04:47) Takeaways from LinkedIn's SEO strategy that you can implement in your business. (05:13) That's it for today! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Go to https://www.marketingschool.io to learn more!Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Tim Soulo's post about LinkedIn's SEO strategy Ahrefs SimilarWeb LinkedIn Collaborative Articles Don't forget to help us grow by subscribing and liking on YouTube! Leave Some Feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us:  Single Grain

In episode #2583, we talk about LinkedIn's potentially genius new SEO strategy and share our thoughts on whether or not we think it's going to last. Tuning in, you'll find out how combining user-generated content (UGC), AI, and SEO resulted in "hockey stick" traffic growth for LinkedIn, why increased traffic doesn't necessarily translate into increased conversions, and what elements of this impressive-looking strategy you can implement in your own business, plus so much more! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:00] Today's topic: LinkedIn's Genius New SEO Strategy. [00:08] What Ahrefs' Tim Soulo has to say about LinkedIn's collaborative articles. [00:44] Comparing LinkedIn's digital traffic data on Ahrefs and SimilarWeb. [02:26] Why do large companies need to do a lot more than drive traffic to move the needle? [03:16] Reasons that we think this prolific growth might not last. [03:24] Why more traffic doesn't necessarily mean more revenue. [04:47] Takeaways from LinkedIn's SEO strategy that you can implement in your business. [05:13] That's it for today! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Go to https://www.marketingschool.io to learn more! Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Tim Soulo's post about LinkedIn's SEO strategy Ahrefs SimilarWeb LinkedIn Collaborative Articles Don't forget to help us grow by subscribing and liking on YouTube! Leave Some Feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us:  Single Grain

Welcome back to another episode of the Niche Pursuits News podcast. This week's show is hosted by Jared Bauman, from 201 Creative, and Jacky Chou, the digital asset investor entrepreneur behind Indexsy, Far & Away, and several other businesses. The episode kicks off with the latest about SGE, which can now be used when browsing and also offers users the option of summarizing the article they're reading. Jared shares a small experiment he did to see how well the summarization function works, comparing SGE with Claude and ChatGPT4, and they talk about the implications for content creators. Will this reduce the time on page? Will it lower ad or affiliate revenue? How will it affect smaller sites vs. authority sites and article length? Is this good news for end users or site owners? The conversation then shifts to how Tim Soulo, from Ahrefs, recently asked for feedback on Reddit. The company received a lot of backlash on the platform from unhappy users and Jared and Jacky talk about why they think that is and whether or not they believe it's justified. The next topic is a highly controversial tweet by Google's John Mueller, who says “A page doesn't have to be on a site that's “related to the niche” in order to be useful and helpful. You don't need to have a niche site in order to rank in Google, in fact, sometimes that's a good way not to rank.” His tweet really waded into a ton of topics and, perhaps most importantly, contradicts the concept of topical authority. Jared and Jacky talk about why Google may have said this, if they think it's true or not, and whether or not users should pay attention to it or ignore it. In the Shiny Object Shenanigans portion of the podcast, Jared begins by giving another update on this faceless YouTube channel which, sadly, still doesn't have enough subscribers to qualify for monetization. He does share some interesting statistics about the videos embedded on his website, he and Jacky talk about different aspects to improve on his channel, and he discusses his future plans on YouTube. Jacky then talks about parasite SEO and one of his side hustles where he's spinning up sites on Outlook India and redirecting penalized domains to them, the goal being to earn through Amazon Affiliates. If you want to know how it goes, follow him on Twitter. He also talks about a cold outreach strategy he's using at the moment and how it's going. As for their Weird Niche Sites, Jared shares The Hotdog which is, unsurprisingly, all about hot dogs. This DR31 site ranks for 12.8k keywords and has over 140 pages live. Although it doesn't appear to be monetized, it does look like a brand play. Jacky shares the site he found, Beaming Health, which helps users find specific therapists for their kids. He talks about how the autism services market is worth $7 billion and growing, and how search volume for these terms has been increasing by 50-60% each year. He shares a few business ideas related to this niche that he sees as potentially profitable. Thanks for tuning into another great episode of the Niche Pursuits News podcast. We hope you're feeling informed and inspired. See you next week! Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

You don't have Google Analytics on your site?” “Nope, or the Facebook Pixel.”, said Tim. You don't have the Facebook Pixel on your site?” I asked, completely horrified. “Nope”, said Tim Soulo from Ahrefs. There was a tone to his voice that I couldn't quite make out… it felt like a sense of pride. Ahrefs like to do things their way. Since joining the business as Product Marketing Director (he was the only person in marketing) in 2015, Ahrefs has grown from 15 to just under 50 employees and over $40m in ARR (as per this Tweet from CEO Dmitry). That's approx. $800k in revenue per employee – the same as Facebook. And the kicker? They are 100% bootstrapped. How? This episode of Confessions of a B2B Marketer explains

Tim Soulo is the CMO at Ahrefs, one of the biggest and best SEO tools on the internet. Ahrefs are one of the clear success stories as a bootstrapped company, growing to be a an 8 figure brand over the past decade. Things really took off when Tim took over marketing for the company back in 2015, first focusing on growing the blog, before experimenting with different marketing channel to bring Ahrefs to its current size. In this episode Tim brings a mini SEO masterclass for SaaS founders, gives his thoughts on AI content and reveals if he has ambitions to start a indie project for himself.Join the Indie Bites membership

Benchmark how your company is performing, FREE: https://benchmarks.databox.com/See how you stack up to companies like yours, on 100+ metrics. It's instant, anonymous, and free.Insights Tim Shared1. If you aim at improving a metric, your strategy will be optimized to hit that metric. And that might not be in the best interest of your company.This often happens in marketing. Teams will hit their KPI, even if the work isn't driving more important results down-funnel. For example, Tim said if he were charged with driving more leads ( = email addresses), CTAs and email signup forms would be everywhere across their content. He'd succeed in driving more leads and hit his KPI, but would compromise good user experience and brand in the process.2. Have values you won't compromise on, even to hit the most important metrics.Revenue is one of the few metrics they do track and work to grow. But even that, they won't compromise their values for. For example, they don't believe in retargeting. They don't want to invade users' privacy and follow people around the web just because they've visited the site. Tim knows they're leaving money on the table by refusing to do it, but it's more important to maintain their values.3. When you lack clear data, use a “common sense” approach to marketing by observing human behavior.In the early days, Tim went to a conference wearing an Ahrefs t-shirt. A customer introduced himself, and then took Tim around talking up Ahrefs to their friends. Almost every time he introduced Tim to someone, he'd say: “their English isn't the best, and their copy is a little rough… but they have the best data in the industry.” Tim realized the main message he needed to lead with: Ahrefs was the best because they had the best data. He came home, and immediately updated the messaging on the homepage to center around them having the best data in the industry.4. Understand your content has ripple effects you won't be able to measure.A piece of content that gets traffic, talks about your product, and is helpful to readers, can't not bring value. You often won't see it drive immediate, direct signups. But behind the scenes, people are referencing it, sharing it, and coming back to it, and all of that is driving increased brand awareness, affinity, and trust. Most great content has “ripple effects” which are hard (or impossible) to measure, but that doesn't mean it's not valuable.5. Much of the value of brand marketing is the “Exposure Effect”.The more people see/hear you > the more they “know” you > the more they trust you.6. Use content to reduce strain on customer support.Ahrefs serves tens of thousands of paying users, and hundreds of thousands of free ones, with a handful of support staff. How? Content.Obviously, they have a great, easy-to-use product. But they've also invested heavily in creating educational content (via YouTube, articles, etc.). These have worked so well, they're able to handle 100's of thousands of users with a dozen or so support staff.7. Measure things that will help you make actionable decisions.Many teams measure things just because they can be measured. But when looking at the data, you should ask yourself: “so what?” If a number dips, or spikes, so what? What action will it drive?8. If you decided to invest time and money in creating new features or content, you should put time and money into promoting them.“If you cannot justify spending money to promote your content, how did you justify your effort to create it in the first place?” Tim says many companies invest lots of time and money in creating new content, but then never pay to extend its reach. Often, for just a fraction more than what they invested in creating it, they could amplify it to the right audience.9. Use the “Business Potential” metric to help you determine what content you should create, and prioritize.Business Potential = a score from 0 to 3, which gauges how easy it would be to promote a product, naturally & helpfully, in a piece of content. Here's how to use it… 3 = your product is an irreplaceable solution to solve this problem (topic of “backlink research” for Ahrefs) 2 = your product helps a lot, but isn't essential 1 = you can mention the product, but it's not related to solving the issue 0 = no way to squeeze in a mention For every idea in your “potential content” list, grade each one from 0 to 3.10. Make sure your content creators are excited to tackle a topic.Tim doesn't want to force topics on writers. Most anyone can tackle a given topic, but they have to be genuinely excited to write about it. This results in better content, and happier creators.11. Embrace holistic keyword research.For Ahrefs, every piece of content still starts with keyword research to ensure they're writing about a topic people engage with. But keyword research can mean a lot more than using a tool:Holistic keyword research includes: talking to peers listening to sales calls reading questions on social scanning Reddit ResultsWhile Ahrefs may not measure a bunch of metrics or KPIs, there's one they do measure: revenue. They just crossed $100m in annual recurring revenue (ARR).

Anton Shulke talks with Jason Barnard about looking back on the groovy years and looking forward to the years ahead. Anton Shulke (The Livestream Guy) is a livestream production manager. Since 2015 he has been working on live events, webinars and podcasts for major players in the SEO industry like Semrush, Duda and smaller companies like Kalicube. As of 2020, he has worked as production manager on over 100 episodes of the Kalicube Tuesdays series of livestream events. Anton's role as production manager includes booking guests, organising the show, technical testing, and running each episode. Guests have included Carrie Rose, Nik Ranger, Andrea Volpini, Dave Davies, David Bain, Bill Slawsky, Danny Goodwin, Erin Sparks, Mads Singers, Rebecca Berbel, Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR, Kevin Indig, Cindy Krum, Barry Schwartz, Tim Soulo, James Mulvany, Dr Ai Addyson Zhang, Bengu Atamer,David Avrin and Neal Schaffer, Patrick M Powers, Ryan Foland, Matthew Tenney, Ted Rubin, Rand Fishkin, Olsia Korobka, Teodora Petkova, Russ Jeffery, Gennaro Cuofano, Simon Cox, Matt Artz and Emilija Gjorgjevska.  Many viewers and listeners of Kalicube Tuesdays may have wondered how the show got its name. Tuesdays because it's something to get excited about every Tuesday, but what about Kalicube? Jason Barnard (The Brand SERP Guy) finally reveals all! Woohoo! With intelligent, interesting and fun conversations, Kalicube Tuesdays has been a staple in the digital marketing podcast universe for three years. This incredible chat is a retrospective of the one hundred and fifteen episodes, and with Anton Shulke (The Livestream Guy) now on screen, it was like reliving every moment. This episode also includes some of Jason's rebranding tips and dominating Brand SERP nuggets. And while Kalicube Tuesdays looks back on its groovy years, it also looks forward to more and more to come. What you'll learn from Anton Shulke 00:00 Anton Shulke and Jason Barnard00:48 100th Episode with Carrie Rose01:42 Anton Shulke's Brand SERP02:10 Kalicube Tuesdays' Brand SERP02:42 Video of the Monthly Roundtable with Nik Ranger and Andrea Volpini on Anton's Brand SERP03:09 News About Anton Shulke04:48 The Mystery Behind Kalicube's Name and Logo Revealed07:36 How Does a Unique Brand Name Affect Brand SERP Dominance09:30 Is Rebranding an Option for a Common Brand Name to Dominate the SERP?09:43 Dave Davies Rebranded Using Kalicube Pro09:58 Rebranding: Small and Large Company10:14 Rebranding Vs Becoming the Dominant Entity11:23 A Look Back at Some of Kalicube Tuesdays' Grooviest Guests12:08 Remembering Bill Slawski13:10 David Bain's Funnel Marketing Explanation13:15 SERP Chats with Dave Davies13:24 Danny Goodwin's Opportunity for Jason Barnard to Write for Search Engine Journal13:28 Hanging Out with Erin Sparks13:37 Explaining Nik Ranger's Presentation to Audio Listeners14:06 Mads Singers: How to Run a Business14:24 The Brilliant Rebecca Berbel and Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR 14:37 The Amazing Kevin Indig and the Delightful Cindy Krum14:44 Making Barry Schwartz Laugh14:58 Tim Soulo's Insightful Episode15:24 Kalicube Tuesdays Season 115:33 First Ever Kalicube Tuesdays' Episode with James Mulvany16:22 Season 1 Guests Outside SEO: Dr Ai Addyson Zhang, Bengu Atamer, David Avrin and Neal Schaffer16:28 More Non SEO Guests: Patrick M Powers, Ryan Foland, Matthew Tenney, Ted Rubin, and Rand Fishkin17:42 Barnaby Wynter's Bucket Theory of Funnels18:42 Kalicube Tuesdays Season 221:52 Olesia Korobka's Image SEO Episode22:10 Teodora Petkova's Ideas on Semantics and Semantic Web22:10 Teodora Petkova's Ideas on Semantics and Semantic Web22:28 Russ Jeffery from Duda22:31 Kalicube Tuesdays' First Passing the Baton: Gennaro Cuofano to Simon Cox23:57 Kalicube Tuesdays Season 324:07 Monthly Roundtable Specials with WordLift24:38 Monthly Roundtable with Matt Artz and Emilija Gjorgjevska26:11 Audio and Video Experience on Kalicube Tuesdays This episode was recorded live on video August 16th 2022

Anton Shulke talks with Jason Barnard about looking back on the groovy years and looking forward to the years ahead. Anton Shulke (The Livestream Guy) is a livestream production manager. Since 2015 he has been working on live events, webinars and podcasts for major players in the SEO industry like Semrush, Duda and smaller companies like Kalicube. As of 2020, he has worked as production manager on over 100 episodes of the Kalicube Tuesdays series of livestream events. Anton's role as production manager includes booking guests, organising the show, technical testing, and running each episode. Guests have included Carrie Rose, Nik Ranger, Andrea Volpini, Dave Davies, David Bain, Bill Slawsky, Danny Goodwin, Erin Sparks, Mads Singers, Rebecca Berbel, Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR, Kevin Indig, Cindy Krum, Barry Schwartz, Tim Soulo, James Mulvany, Dr Ai Addyson Zhang, Bengu Atamer,David Avrin and Neal Schaffer, Patrick M Powers, Ryan Foland, Matthew Tenney, Ted Rubin, Rand Fishkin, Olsia Korobka, Teodora Petkova, Russ Jeffery, Gennaro Cuofano, Simon Cox, Matt Artz and Emilija Gjorgjevska.  Many viewers and listeners of Kalicube Tuesdays may have wondered how the show got its name. Tuesdays because it's something to get excited about every Tuesday, but what about Kalicube? Jason Barnard (The Brand SERP Guy) finally reveals all! Woohoo! With intelligent, interesting and fun conversations, Kalicube Tuesdays has been a staple in the digital marketing podcast universe for three years. This incredible chat is a retrospective of the one hundred and fifteen episodes, and with Anton Shulke (The Livestream Guy) now on screen, it was like reliving every moment. This episode also includes some of Jason's rebranding tips and dominating Brand SERP nuggets. And while Kalicube Tuesdays looks back on its groovy years, it also looks forward to more and more to come. What you'll learn from Anton Shulke 00:00 Anton Shulke and Jason Barnard00:48 100th Episode with Carrie Rose01:42 Anton Shulke's Brand SERP02:10 Kalicube Tuesdays' Brand SERP02:42 Video of the Monthly Roundtable with Nik Ranger and Andrea Volpini on Anton's Brand SERP03:09 News About Anton Shulke04:48 The Mystery Behind Kalicube's Name and Logo Revealed07:36 How Does a Unique Brand Name Affect Brand SERP Dominance09:30 Is Rebranding an Option for a Common Brand Name to Dominate the SERP?09:43 Dave Davies Rebranded Using Kalicube Pro09:58 Rebranding: Small and Large Company10:14 Rebranding Vs Becoming the Dominant Entity11:23 A Look Back at Some of Kalicube Tuesdays' Grooviest Guests12:08 Remembering Bill Slawski13:10 David Bain's Funnel Marketing Explanation13:15 SERP Chats with Dave Davies13:24 Danny Goodwin's Opportunity for Jason Barnard to Write for Search Engine Journal13:28 Hanging Out with Erin Sparks13:37 Explaining Nik Ranger's Presentation to Audio Listeners14:06 Mads Singers: How to Run a Business14:24 The Brilliant Rebecca Berbel and Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR 14:37 The Amazing Kevin Indig and the Delightful Cindy Krum14:44 Making Barry Schwartz Laugh14:58 Tim Soulo's Insightful Episode15:24 Kalicube Tuesdays Season 115:33 First Ever Kalicube Tuesdays' Episode with James Mulvany16:22 Season 1 Guests Outside SEO: Dr Ai Addyson Zhang, Bengu Atamer, David Avrin and Neal Schaffer16:28 More Non SEO Guests: Patrick M Powers, Ryan Foland, Matthew Tenney, Ted Rubin, and Rand Fishkin17:42 Barnaby Wynter's Bucket Theory of Funnels18:42 Kalicube Tuesdays Season 221:52 Olesia Korobka's Image SEO Episode22:10 Teodora Petkova's Ideas on Semantics and Semantic Web22:10 Teodora Petkova's Ideas on Semantics and Semantic Web22:28 Russ Jeffery from Duda22:31 Kalicube Tuesdays' First Passing the Baton: Gennaro Cuofano to Simon Cox23:57 Kalicube Tuesdays Season 324:07 Monthly Roundtable Specials with WordLift24:38 Monthly Roundtable with Matt Artz and Emilija Gjorgjevska26:11 Audio and Video Experience on Kalicube Tuesdays This episode was recorded live on video August 16th 2022

Anton Shulke talks with Jason Barnard about looking back on the groovy years and looking forward to the years ahead. Anton Shulke (The Livestream Guy) is a livestream production manager. Since 2015 he has been working on live events, webinars and podcasts for major players in the SEO industry like Semrush, Duda and smaller companies like Kalicube. As of 2020, he has worked as production manager on over 100 episodes of the Kalicube Tuesdays series of livestream events. Anton's role as production manager includes booking guests, organising the show, technical testing, and running each episode. Guests have included Carrie Rose, Nik Ranger, Andrea Volpini, Dave Davies, David Bain, Bill Slawsky, Danny Goodwin, Erin Sparks, Mads Singers, Rebecca Berbel, Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR, Kevin Indig, Cindy Krum, Barry Schwartz, Tim Soulo, James Mulvany, Dr Ai Addyson Zhang, Bengu Atamer,David Avrin and Neal Schaffer, Patrick M Powers, Ryan Foland, Matthew Tenney, Ted Rubin, Rand Fishkin, Olsia Korobka, Teodora Petkova, Russ Jeffery, Gennaro Cuofano, Simon Cox, Matt Artz and Emilija Gjorgjevska.  Many viewers and listeners of Kalicube Tuesdays may have wondered how the show got its name. Tuesdays because it's something to get excited about every Tuesday, but what about Kalicube? Jason Barnard (The Brand SERP Guy) finally reveals all! Woohoo! With intelligent, interesting and fun conversations, Kalicube Tuesdays has been a staple in the digital marketing podcast universe for three years. This incredible chat is a retrospective of the one hundred and fifteen episodes, and with Anton Shulke (The Livestream Guy) now on screen, it was like reliving every moment. This episode also includes some of Jason's rebranding tips and dominating Brand SERP nuggets. And while Kalicube Tuesdays looks back on its groovy years, it also looks forward to more and more to come. What you'll learn from Anton Shulke 00:00 Anton Shulke and Jason Barnard00:48 100th Episode with Carrie Rose01:42 Anton Shulke's Brand SERP02:10 Kalicube Tuesdays' Brand SERP02:42 Video of the Monthly Roundtable with Nik Ranger and Andrea Volpini on Anton's Brand SERP03:09 News About Anton Shulke04:48 The Mystery Behind Kalicube's Name and Logo Revealed07:36 How Does a Unique Brand Name Affect Brand SERP Dominance09:30 Is Rebranding an Option for a Common Brand Name to Dominate the SERP?09:43 Dave Davies Rebranded Using Kalicube Pro09:58 Rebranding: Small and Large Company10:14 Rebranding Vs Becoming the Dominant Entity11:23 A Look Back at Some of Kalicube Tuesdays' Grooviest Guests12:08 Remembering Bill Slawski13:10 David Bain's Funnel Marketing Explanation13:15 SERP Chats with Dave Davies13:24 Danny Goodwin's Opportunity for Jason Barnard to Write for Search Engine Journal13:28 Hanging Out with Erin Sparks13:37 Explaining Nik Ranger's Presentation to Audio Listeners14:06 Mads Singers: How to Run a Business14:24 The Brilliant Rebecca Berbel and Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR 14:37 The Amazing Kevin Indig and the Delightful Cindy Krum14:44 Making Barry Schwartz Laugh14:58 Tim Soulo's Insightful Episode15:24 Kalicube Tuesdays Season 115:33 First Ever Kalicube Tuesdays' Episode with James Mulvany16:22 Season 1 Guests Outside SEO: Dr Ai Addyson Zhang, Bengu Atamer, David Avrin and Neal Schaffer16:28 More Non SEO Guests: Patrick M Powers, Ryan Foland, Matthew Tenney, Ted Rubin, and Rand Fishkin17:42 Barnaby Wynter's Bucket Theory of Funnels18:42 Kalicube Tuesdays Season 221:52 Olesia Korobka's Image SEO Episode22:10 Teodora Petkova's Ideas on Semantics and Semantic Web22:10 Teodora Petkova's Ideas on Semantics and Semantic Web22:28 Russ Jeffery from Duda22:31 Kalicube Tuesdays' First Passing the Baton: Gennaro Cuofano to Simon Cox23:57 Kalicube Tuesdays Season 324:07 Monthly Roundtable Specials with WordLift24:38 Monthly Roundtable with Matt Artz and Emilija Gjorgjevska26:11 Audio and Video Experience on Kalicube Tuesdays This episode was recorded live on video August 16th 2022

Timestamps0:00 Warmup questions5:27 Important metrics SEO tools can't provide10:20 How will Yep make Ahrefs better?16:35 The biggest bet Tim took that paid off20:13 How Ahrefs manages to not run out of keywords to write about22:28 How to decide when to refresh content27:06 Is SEO becoming more product than marketing?33:33 Ahrefs most underutilized feature40:29 How to differentiate from all the other SEO tools44:15 The future of SEO tools49:07 Tim's secret believe51:22 The place of social media in today's marketing56:23 What Tim wishes for the SEO community

In this episode of the SaaS Revolution Show, our host Alex Theuma is joined by Tim Soulo, CMO at Ahref, to tell us how he contributed to Ahref's 10x growth in ARR to 100M. Tim shares:

In this episode, we chat with Tim Soulo, CMO at Ahrefs, about the power of podcast sponsorships. Ahrefs is a leading SEO tool with about 75 employees and $100M in annual recurring revenue. Simply put, they're one of the biggest brands in marketing.Tune in to learn why Ahrefs spent $214K in podcast sponsorships over the course of a year, how they measure ROI outside of direct sales and leads, how they use qualitative attribution, and so much more.Guest-at-a-Glance Name: Tim Soulo What he does: Chief Marketing Officer and Product Advisor at Ahrefs Connect with Tim: LinkedIn | Twitter Key TakeawaysIf you're looking to sponsor podcasts, make sure you pick shows with active audiences and credible hosts.Make sure you're not sponsoring a show with inflated numbers or a host who is simply doing this as a hobby for themselves and their friends. This is crucial to ensuring your sponsored message actually gets in front of the right audience and is worth your investment.Podcast ads help you build brand affinity through the “mere exposure effect”.The “mere exposure effect” is a psychological phenomenon where the more people are exposed to your brand, the more likely they are to develop an affinity for it. When the listener is faced with making a choice between your brand versus one not on their radar, they will choose yours merely due to the fact they heard about you numerous times on a podcast.The best host-read ads come from hosts who've used your product.When a host can give a more natural read of your product because they've used it themselves, the audience will listen more attentively because they already know and trust the host. Your goal is to partner with hosts who will genuinely recommend your product, regardless of whether you sponsor them or not.Always negotiate sponsorship pricing.Podcast sponsorship pricing is all over the map. The best strategy is to reach out to at least 20 podcasts, gather pricing information, and figure out averages before you commit to anyone. This will help you determine who's pricing is above standard and who is undercharging so you can negotiate better deals for your brand.Treat download numbers with suspicion.It's commonly known in the podcast industry that download numbers aren't the most accurate representation of the number of listens per episode. When you consider sponsoring a show, make sure the host is well known in the industry. Look at their social following to ensure they have a loyal audience versus worrying about their monthly podcast download numbers.Partner on a giveaway with the host in exchange for engagement.You can offer the host a free version of your product to giveaway to their listeners, and in exchange, they can ask listeners to leave reviews or subscribe to their show. Not only will this get you extra air time at no additional cost, but it will increase the attention span of the listeners because they're getting something of value for free.Sponsor an interview question instead of a host-read ad for a more organic insertion of your brand.Rather than paying for the typical host-read ad at the start, middle, or end of an episode, consider sponsoring an interview question instead. This will give you the opportunity to create a natural plug for your brand within the conversation and won't break the attention of the listeners.Convert hosts into brand advocates by offering them your product for free.If you're targeting hosts who are your ideal customers, offer them your tool or product for free for a limited time, help them set it up, and help them understand what it can do for them so they give you a more genuine endorsement on their show and continue to organically talk about you outside of your sponsorship agreement.It pays to pay creators.When you sponsor creators, you form relationships through the process of educating them on your brand. You pay them for their time and for their work, and if your product is good, you essentially turn them into organic fans. Meaning, even after you stop sponsoring them, they will naturally continue talking about you.Think about sponsorships as paying for the creator's work.In 2022, Ahrefs is investing exclusively in creators versus big advertising companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter. Their philosophy centers around the idea of paying talented creators for their work, not their loyalty. Rather than investing in brand advocates, think about it as investing in a piece of work that would've otherwise not been created.Mentions Ahrefs Podcast Advertising Lessons Learned Article Ahrefs Podcast Advertising Lessons Learned Video

#571 Today's show is probably the most mind blowing, and likely one of the most valuable podcast episodes that you will ever hear. I'm very happy to have Tim Soulo back on the show. Tim is the CMO at Ahrefs, an industry leading search engine optimization (SEO) toolset. If you haven't heard of Ahrefs, it's software you can use to audit your website and get all kinds of data to help you improve your Google search rankings. Ahrefs is Google Search Console times a hundred. This episode is about simplifying SEO and taking the right approach. You're going to actually get excited about search engine optimization, and learn how to rank higher and get more search engine traffic to your website. Show notes and more at SmartPassiveIncome.com/session571.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

CoSchedule started the Actionable Marketing Podcast (AMP) in 2015 and has recorded and published more than 300 episodes. CoSchedule has worked with some of the smartest minds out there that share their stories with you through this podcast. This season, CoSchedule brings back some of the best of the best evergreen content.  Planning and creating content that ranks well on the search engines can be difficult. It comes down to keyword selection and use, but that's not all. You've heard the expression, “content is king,” and that's still true. Your success has everything to do with the value and uniqueness that your content has to offer the people who will be seeing it! Today, we're talking to Tim Soulo, the head of marketing and product strategy at Ahrefs. Tim knows how to create valuable content, and he shares his best tips on finding keywords, promoting your content, and standing out from your competition.   Some of the highlights of the show include: Information about Ahrefs and what Tim does there. The most successful content produced by Ahrefs: the types of articles and pieces, as well as how they promote and analyze them. Tips on ranking for not only your core keyword, but also relevant keywords. The process Tim uses for coming up with content ideas. What it takes to outperform your competition. Why it's important for an SEO marketer to do research that no other blog has written about or compiled. Tim's thoughts on length and why it might not be important in the way that you are thinking. Tim also talks about long “ultimate guides” and gives his advice on making them more user-friendly. How to use backlinks to promote a piece to help it rank.   Links: Tim Soulo Ahrefs How to Do Keyword Research for SEO How to Submit Your Website to Search Engines CoSchedule   Quotes by Tim Soulo: “The only way to outdo, to outperform the competition is to offer something unique and something better than they have.” “You have to have something to offer which wasn't published, which wasn't said before you. You usually need to be at the forefront of your industry, you need to be a so-called thought leader.” “It's not about trying to crank everything you can into the article, it's about delivering value and persuading people that you can solve their problem in as [few] words as possible.”

Tim Soulo is the Chief Marketing Officer and Product advisor at Ahrefs, an industry leading SEO tool, powered by Big Data. He's a frequent speaker at marketing conferences around the world and an author of many data-driven SEO research studies. Top 3 Value Bombs: 1. It's hard to succeed in marketing if your product is awful. You should care about the product first; then, the marketing will almost take care of itself. 2. All you have to do is to explain to your existing customers what is awesome about your product. 3. If you're not pitching your product to people who are potentially interested in it, you're actually doing them a disservice. Ahrefs TV - Watch Ahrefs videos on Youtube! Sponsor: HubSpot: Learn how to grow better by connecting your people, your customers, and your business at HubSpot.com!

Tim Soulo is the Chief Marketing Officer and Product advisor at Ahrefs, an industry leading SEO tool, powered by Big Data. He's a frequent speaker at marketing conferences around the world and an author of many data-driven SEO research studies. Top 3 Value Bombs: 1. It's hard to succeed in marketing if your product is awful. You should care about the product first; then, the marketing will almost take care of itself. 2. All you have to do is to explain to your existing customers what is awesome about your product. 3. If you're not pitching your product to people who are potentially interested in it, you're actually doing them a disservice. Ahrefs TV - Watch Ahrefs videos on Youtube! Sponsor: HubSpot: Learn how to grow better by connecting your people, your customers, and your business at HubSpot.com!

Tim Soulo talks with Jason Barnard about revealing the secrets of keyword data. Tim Soulo is the Chief Marketing Officer and Product advisor at Ahrefs. Tim has been a frequent and noteworthy contributor to the SEO and digital marketing industries for the past 12 years.  Thousands of online publications have quoted his data research studies, including Inc, Techcrunch, and Venturebeat, and he has spoken at some of the world's top industry conferences, including PubCon (Las Vegas, US), BrightonSEO (Brighton, UK), and Digital Marketers Australia Conference (Melbourne, AU). Keyword search volume is a metric many use obsessively, but what is it exactly, and is it really the best metric for SEOs? You probably know about Google Keyword Planner. Interestingly, there's a big difference between these two. Jason Barnard points out what Google Keyword Planner is designed for Google to sell ad space to advertisers, while Tim Soulo emphasises that keyword search volume is for SEOs.  They dig deep into that debate, and also veer off track and talk about focussing on users… why businesses should aim to better understand what their users want, need, and value. SEOs also need to focus more on what the business' audience is looking for since as Google displays in the SERPs what it deems valuable, helpful, and relevant to the user. As always, the show ends with passing the baton… the grooviest Tim Soulo hands over the virtual baton to next week's charming guest, Elizabeth Marsten. What you'll learn from Tim Soulo 00:00 Tim Soulo and Jason Barnard00:52 Myroslav Khmarskiy's Message of Gratitude and Request for Support in Ukraine02:04 Tim Soulo's Message of Gratitude to All Who Support Ukraine05:21 Ahrefs' Brand SERP06:41 Concerns on Ahrefs' Knowledge Panel08:26 How Many Billions of Keywords Does Ahrefs Track?09:24 Where are Google are Going with Users' Keyword Inputs10:58 How People Try to Manipulate Ahrefs Metrics12:04 Is Keyword Search Volume the Best Metric?12:28 Keyword Search Volume Vs Google Keyword Planner14:06 Google Keyword Planner: A Tool for Advertisers17:53 Speaking the Vocabulary of Your Audience (Focus on Users)19:30 Brand Queries aka Pull Queries20:22 Keyword Search Volume is Misleading21:18 Overview of Ahrefs' Traffic Potential (Keyword Metric)22:52 What Can a Small Business Do When Competing for a Keyword with a Top Ranking Site?25:11 Tim Soulo's Thoughts on AI Tools and Google Educating Itself29:17 Tim Soulo's Approach to SERPs33:27 Important Thought-Provoking Insights from Tim Soulo on Keyword Search Volume36:45 Passing the Baton: Tim Soulo to Elizabeth Marsten This episode was recorded live on video March 22nd 2022 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Tim Soulo talks with Jason Barnard about revealing the secrets of keyword data. Tim Soulo is the Chief Marketing Officer and Product advisor at Ahrefs. Tim has been a frequent and noteworthy contributor to the SEO and digital marketing industries for the past 12 years.  Thousands of online publications have quoted his data research studies, including Inc, Techcrunch, and Venturebeat, and he has spoken at some of the world's top industry conferences, including PubCon (Las Vegas, US), BrightonSEO (Brighton, UK), and Digital Marketers Australia Conference (Melbourne, AU). Keyword search volume is a metric many use obsessively, but what is it exactly, and is it really the best metric for SEOs? You probably know about Google Keyword Planner. Interestingly, there's a big difference between these two. Jason Barnard points out what Google Keyword Planner is designed for Google to sell ad space to advertisers, while Tim Soulo emphasises that keyword search volume is for SEOs.  They dig deep into that debate, and also veer off track and talk about focussing on users… why businesses should aim to better understand what their users want, need, and value. SEOs also need to focus more on what the business' audience is looking for since as Google displays in the SERPs what it deems valuable, helpful, and relevant to the user. As always, the show ends with passing the baton… the grooviest Tim Soulo hands over the virtual baton to next week's charming guest, Elizabeth Marsten. What you'll learn from Tim Soulo 00:00 Tim Soulo and Jason Barnard00:52 Myroslav Khmarskiy's Message of Gratitude and Request for Support in Ukraine02:04 Tim Soulo's Message of Gratitude to All Who Support Ukraine05:21 Ahrefs' Brand SERP06:41 Concerns on Ahrefs' Knowledge Panel08:26 How Many Billions of Keywords Does Ahrefs Track?09:24 Where are Google are Going with Users' Keyword Inputs10:58 How People Try to Manipulate Ahrefs Metrics12:04 Is Keyword Search Volume the Best Metric?12:28 Keyword Search Volume Vs Google Keyword Planner14:06 Google Keyword Planner: A Tool for Advertisers17:53 Speaking the Vocabulary of Your Audience (Focus on Users)19:30 Brand Queries aka Pull Queries20:22 Keyword Search Volume is Misleading21:18 Overview of Ahrefs' Traffic Potential (Keyword Metric)22:52 What Can a Small Business Do When Competing for a Keyword with a Top Ranking Site?25:11 Tim Soulo's Thoughts on AI Tools and Google Educating Itself29:17 Tim Soulo's Approach to SERPs33:27 Important Thought-Provoking Insights from Tim Soulo on Keyword Search Volume36:45 Passing the Baton: Tim Soulo to Elizabeth Marsten This episode was recorded live on video March 22nd 2022 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Tim Soulo talks with Jason Barnard about revealing the secrets of keyword data. Tim Soulo is the Chief Marketing Officer and Product advisor at Ahrefs. Tim has been a frequent and noteworthy contributor to the SEO and digital marketing industries for the past 12 years.  Thousands of online publications have quoted his data research studies, including Inc, Techcrunch, and Venturebeat, and he has spoken at some of the world's top industry conferences, including PubCon (Las Vegas, US), BrightonSEO (Brighton, UK), and Digital Marketers Australia Conference (Melbourne, AU). Keyword search volume is a metric many use obsessively, but what is it exactly, and is it really the best metric for SEOs? You probably know about Google Keyword Planner. Interestingly, there's a big difference between these two. Jason Barnard points out what Google Keyword Planner is designed for Google to sell ad space to advertisers, while Tim Soulo emphasises that keyword search volume is for SEOs.  They dig deep into that debate, and also veer off track and talk about focussing on users… why businesses should aim to better understand what their users want, need, and value. SEOs also need to focus more on what the business' audience is looking for since as Google displays in the SERPs what it deems valuable, helpful, and relevant to the user. As always, the show ends with passing the baton… the grooviest Tim Soulo hands over the virtual baton to next week's charming guest, Elizabeth Marsten. What you'll learn from Tim Soulo 00:00 Tim Soulo and Jason Barnard00:52 Myroslav Khmarskiy's Message of Gratitude and Request for Support in Ukraine02:04 Tim Soulo's Message of Gratitude to All Who Support Ukraine05:21 Ahrefs' Brand SERP06:41 Concerns on Ahrefs' Knowledge Panel08:26 How Many Billions of Keywords Does Ahrefs Track?09:24 Where are Google are Going with Users' Keyword Inputs10:58 How People Try to Manipulate Ahrefs Metrics12:04 Is Keyword Search Volume the Best Metric?12:28 Keyword Search Volume Vs Google Keyword Planner14:06 Google Keyword Planner: A Tool for Advertisers17:53 Speaking the Vocabulary of Your Audience (Focus on Users)19:30 Brand Queries aka Pull Queries20:22 Keyword Search Volume is Misleading21:18 Overview of Ahrefs' Traffic Potential (Keyword Metric)22:52 What Can a Small Business Do When Competing for a Keyword with a Top Ranking Site?25:11 Tim Soulo's Thoughts on AI Tools and Google Educating Itself29:17 Tim Soulo's Approach to SERPs33:27 Important Thought-Provoking Insights from Tim Soulo on Keyword Search Volume36:45 Passing the Baton: Tim Soulo to Elizabeth Marsten This episode was recorded live on video March 22nd 2022 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Carrie Rose talks with Jason Barnard about why SEO could be more reactive and short term. Carrie Rose is a British entrepreneur who has over 7 years of experience in SEO. She is the co-founder and CEO of Rise at Seven, a creative search agency launched in June 2019. She is 28 years old and started her business at the age of 26. Carrie has won several awards for her creative campaigns and digital PR executions including awards such as 2020's Campaign Magazines 30 under 30, Rising star - Content Marketing Association, Best Campaign within Travel at the UK Search Awards 2018. Consumer search behavior is massively influenced by various drivers, including what's in-the-headlines and on-trend on social media platforms like Tiktok and Instagram, and various channels like TV and Netflix. If you can spot these trends, it is a great idea to push SEO using fast and reactive PR and content marketing. In this episode, Carrie Rose shares her approach to tracking trends in searches. She then explains the two sides of search: the facilitators (SEO, content & PPC) and the drivers of search (TV, Netflix, and Tiktok). Carrie explains how to get more people to search for a product by focusing on users' live search behavior using trend-tracking tools like Google Trends. Jason Barnard, with his Brand-SERP obsession, takes the discussion to dig into how brands can drive brand search volume, or "Pull Searches" as John Mueller from Google calls them. But the big question here is: how can all of this help a small scale business? As always the show ends with passing the Baton…Carrie Rose sweetly passes over to next week's awesome guest, Tim Soulo.  What you'll learn from Carrie Rose 00:00 Carrie Rose and Jason Barnard00:26 Julia Nesterets' Message of Gratitude in Support of Ukraine01:50 Kalicube Tuesdays' 100th Episode Celebration02:31 Ahrefs Prize winners04:48 Carrie Rose's Brand SERP and Knowledge Panel05:17 A Brief Overview of Rise at Seven (Carrie's Company)06:51 Reactive SEO: Fast-tracking With an Eye Toward Short-term and Long-term Results07:31 How User's Behavior is Changing PR and Content Marketing07:46 Weather Often Affects User Searches07:58 Consumers' Search Behavior During the COVID Pandemic08:40 Why Some Google My Business Knowledge Panels Disappeared During Pandemic09:40 Carrie Rose's Two Sides of Search09:46 Who are the Facilitators of Search?10:12 Who are the Drivers of Search?11:36 How Carrie Rose Tracks Different Drivers of Search and Its Consumers' Search Behavior17:41 How to Get People to Search for Brand Plus Keyword21:28 How Can Smaller Brands Drive Search for Their Brand, Topics and Products28:00 Carrie Rose's Trend Searching Tools Preference33:20 Passing the Baton: Carrie Rose to Tim Soulo This episode was recorded live on video March 15th 2022 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Carrie Rose talks with Jason Barnard about why SEO could be more reactive and short term. Carrie Rose is a British entrepreneur who has over 7 years of experience in SEO. She is the co-founder and CEO of Rise at Seven, a creative search agency launched in June 2019. She is 28 years old and started her business at the age of 26. Carrie has won several awards for her creative campaigns and digital PR executions including awards such as 2020's Campaign Magazines 30 under 30, Rising star - Content Marketing Association, Best Campaign within Travel at the UK Search Awards 2018. Consumer search behavior is massively influenced by various drivers, including what's in-the-headlines and on-trend on social media platforms like Tiktok and Instagram, and various channels like TV and Netflix. If you can spot these trends, it is a great idea to push SEO using fast and reactive PR and content marketing. In this episode, Carrie Rose shares her approach to tracking trends in searches. She then explains the two sides of search: the facilitators (SEO, content & PPC) and the drivers of search (TV, Netflix, and Tiktok). Carrie explains how to get more people to search for a product by focusing on users' live search behavior using trend-tracking tools like Google Trends. Jason Barnard, with his Brand-SERP obsession, takes the discussion to dig into how brands can drive brand search volume, or "Pull Searches" as John Mueller from Google calls them. But the big question here is: how can all of this help a small scale business? As always the show ends with passing the Baton…Carrie Rose sweetly passes over to next week's awesome guest, Tim Soulo.  What you'll learn from Carrie Rose 00:00 Carrie Rose and Jason Barnard00:26 Julia Nesterets' Message of Gratitude in Support of Ukraine01:50 Kalicube Tuesdays' 100th Episode Celebration02:31 Ahrefs Prize winners04:48 Carrie Rose's Brand SERP and Knowledge Panel05:17 A Brief Overview of Rise at Seven (Carrie's Company)06:51 Reactive SEO: Fast-tracking With an Eye Toward Short-term and Long-term Results07:31 How User's Behavior is Changing PR and Content Marketing07:46 Weather Often Affects User Searches07:58 Consumers' Search Behavior During the COVID Pandemic08:40 Why Some Google My Business Knowledge Panels Disappeared During Pandemic09:40 Carrie Rose's Two Sides of Search09:46 Who are the Facilitators of Search?10:12 Who are the Drivers of Search?11:36 How Carrie Rose Tracks Different Drivers of Search and Its Consumers' Search Behavior17:41 How to Get People to Search for Brand Plus Keyword21:28 How Can Smaller Brands Drive Search for Their Brand, Topics and Products28:00 Carrie Rose's Trend Searching Tools Preference33:20 Passing the Baton: Carrie Rose to Tim Soulo This episode was recorded live on video March 15th 2022 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Carrie Rose talks with Jason Barnard about why SEO could be more reactive and short term. Carrie Rose is a British entrepreneur who has over 7 years of experience in SEO. She is the co-founder and CEO of Rise at Seven, a creative search agency launched in June 2019. She is 28 years old and started her business at the age of 26. Carrie has won several awards for her creative campaigns and digital PR executions including awards such as 2020's Campaign Magazines 30 under 30, Rising star - Content Marketing Association, Best Campaign within Travel at the UK Search Awards 2018. Consumer search behavior is massively influenced by various drivers, including what's in-the-headlines and on-trend on social media platforms like Tiktok and Instagram, and various channels like TV and Netflix. If you can spot these trends, it is a great idea to push SEO using fast and reactive PR and content marketing. In this episode, Carrie Rose shares her approach to tracking trends in searches. She then explains the two sides of search: the facilitators (SEO, content & PPC) and the drivers of search (TV, Netflix, and Tiktok). Carrie explains how to get more people to search for a product by focusing on users' live search behavior using trend-tracking tools like Google Trends. Jason Barnard, with his Brand-SERP obsession, takes the discussion to dig into how brands can drive brand search volume, or "Pull Searches" as John Mueller from Google calls them. But the big question here is: how can all of this help a small scale business? As always the show ends with passing the Baton…Carrie Rose sweetly passes over to next week's awesome guest, Tim Soulo.  What you'll learn from Carrie Rose 00:00 Carrie Rose and Jason Barnard00:26 Julia Nesterets' Message of Gratitude in Support of Ukraine01:50 Kalicube Tuesdays' 100th Episode Celebration02:31 Ahrefs Prize winners04:48 Carrie Rose's Brand SERP and Knowledge Panel05:17 A Brief Overview of Rise at Seven (Carrie's Company)06:51 Reactive SEO: Fast-tracking With an Eye Toward Short-term and Long-term Results07:31 How User's Behavior is Changing PR and Content Marketing07:46 Weather Often Affects User Searches07:58 Consumers' Search Behavior During the COVID Pandemic08:40 Why Some Google My Business Knowledge Panels Disappeared During Pandemic09:40 Carrie Rose's Two Sides of Search09:46 Who are the Facilitators of Search?10:12 Who are the Drivers of Search?11:36 How Carrie Rose Tracks Different Drivers of Search and Its Consumers' Search Behavior17:41 How to Get People to Search for Brand Plus Keyword21:28 How Can Smaller Brands Drive Search for Their Brand, Topics and Products28:00 Carrie Rose's Trend Searching Tools Preference33:20 Passing the Baton: Carrie Rose to Tim Soulo This episode was recorded live on video March 15th 2022 Recorded live at Kalicube Tuesdays (Digital Marketing Livestream Event Series). Watch the video now >>

Ahrefs went from $0 to $100M ARR in 10 years, bootstrapped. 65%+ growth year-over-year and tons of unconventional strategies to build their SaaS. I talked to Tim (CMO) about how they got here, why they have no tracking pixel on their website, why they don't do any testing and more. All the answers in this second episode of the Bootstrapped Stories. Enjoy!

In this episode, I interview Tim Soulo, Chief Marketing Officer at Ahrefs, one of the largest keyword research tools. We talk about what SEO really is, how Tim got into the industry, and how to approach learning the different aspects of digital marketing.

Ahrefs' CMO Tim Soulo believes in practicing what you preach - and for good reason. Ahrefs is an SEO tool with a powerful content strategy. The popular platform attracts traffic with a balance of keyword targeting and genuinely valuable content. How does Tim keep Ahrefs' output ranking at the top? By investing in new ideas and top-notch industry leaders to keep his content going. In this episode of Office Hours, Tim and Alex talk about how to win the content ranking game. The conversation touches on topics such as appealing to customer imagination, the importance of learning the SEO ropes, and how to hire click-worthy writers. The Long Game is hosted by Alex Birkett and David Ly Khim who co-founded Omniscient Digital to help companies ranging from early-state to scale-ups with growth strategy, SEO, and content marketing. Allie Decker, Head of Content, joins the conversation as well.Connect with Tim Soulo on Twitter or LinkedInCheck out AhrefsFollow Ahrefs on Twitter or LinkedInConnect with Omniscient Digital on social:Twitter: @beomniscientLinkedin: Be OmniscientListen to more episodes of The Long Game podcast here: https://beomniscient.com/podcast/

Be honest: how many times have you worked on a content piece that you thought was great, sunk hours into it, only to get zero engagement on it? Tim Soulo, CMO at Ahrefs and our next guest is convinced that it's because you're not saying anything new. He learned that after asking Rand Fishkin, co-founder and CEO of SparkToro for a tweet to share his work.Rand's feedback was incredibly insightful and ended up being more than just a fail story!We cover all this plus:- How a SaaS company with limited resources should approach SEO- The framework to select and create content around business potential - The three variables required to gain links to your content Links >> Upraw media: https://uprawmedia.com/Episode transcript: https://uprawmedia.com/blog/seo-ahrefs

Tim Soulo is CMO at Ahrefs and in this episode we're talking about the amazing story of how Ahrefs got to +$50M in ARR with +65% year-on-year growth by ditching expert advice and embracing unconventional wisdom. The Ahrefs story is nothing short of incredible and they seemingly came out of nowhere to take on heavyweights like Moz and SEMrush in the SEO space. In this episode Tim explains how they did it and he also opens up on their marketing strategy, content playbook, and how they were able to achieve such impressive hypergrowth. Links Ahrefs >> https://ahrefs.com/ Why We Charge $7 for Our 7-day Trial Vlog >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09avD7Y4xpc Bitcoin Billionaires by Ben Mezrich >> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41433284-bitcoin-billionaires The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich >> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6326920-the-accidental-billionaires Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini >> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28815.Influence How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie >> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4865.How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influence_People Intercom on Starting Up >> https://www.intercom.com/resources/books/intercom-starting-up --- Advance B2B >> www.advanceb2b.com Follow The Growth Hub on Twitter >> twitter.com/SaaSGrowthHub Follow Edward on Twitter >> twitter.com/NordicEdward

In this episode we chat with Tim Soulo, CMO of Ahrefs to learn why they charge $7 for their 7-day trial and to get an inside look at their slightly unconventional marketing strategy.

Resource Links: Valher Media Website (https://www.valhermedia.com/) Valher Media Resources (https://www.valhermedia.com/resources) A helpful guide to growing & monetising your podcast (https://www.valhermedia.com/podcasters-edge/) Ahrefs Website (https://ahrefs.com) SaaS Marketing Vlog (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDidoS6DWZVYk-PdNtcY9PQ) For a lot of podcasters, getting sponsored by a solid brand would be a dream, especially if it’s something they (or their audience) are already familiar with. Today, I speak with Tim Soulo, CMO and Product Advisor at Ahrefs. We talk about his experience spending $200,000 on podcast sponsorships, the learnings taken from initial trials, how they choose a show to sponsor, the importance of trackable metrics in sponsoring podcasts, and much, much more. If you’re thinking of getting sponsorships or sponsoring a show you’re interested in, listen to this episode before you make a decision. This is truly an eye-opener. Episode Highlights: What is Ahrefs and what is it used for? [03:37] The story behind their first trial of podcast sponsorships [04:52] Learnings from their initial failed trial and what they did differently [08:21] How do you select which podcasts to sponsor? [13:39] Should you stick to sponsoring shows that are only related to your brand? [17:19] No single channel or platform gives 100% reach to your customers [19:46] Does ad placement make or break reachability and audience interest? [21:50] What can podcast hosts do to make the experience good for sponsors? [25:47] Other benefits to sponsoring a good podcast [32:00] Is sponsoring podcasts a feasible investment in the long run? [36:08] How important are trackable metrics for getting sponsors? [38:02] Sponsoring vs Guesting: Which affects your audience reach more? [41:20] About Our Guest: Tim Soulo is the Chief Marketing Officer and Product Advisor at Ahrefs (an industry leading SEO tool, powered by Big Data). With almost 10 years of practical experience in SEO and digital marketing, Tim eagerly shares his knowledge by giving live talks at various digital marketing conferences around the world and publishing blog articles at Ahrefs Blog. He’s the author of many data-driven SEO research studies and a number of detailed marketing guides. Follow Tim on Twitter: https://twitter.com/timsoulo Follow Tim on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timsoulo Connect with Tim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/ If you enjoyed this episode, please don’t forget to subscribe, tune in, and share this podcast! Connect with Valher Media: Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZd7saQ4UFkeP5boN25Kiig? Follow Us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valhermediaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you become (or hire) a CMO as able as Ahrefs' Tim Soulo? Tim himself addresses the question and other valuable topics in this SuperFastBusiness episode.

Tim Soulo with Jason Barnard at Search Marketing Summit 2019 Tim Soulo talks with Jason Barnard about creating content for the real long tail. Tim Soulo - I am very curious about his name, given that he is from Ukraine (I think). He cites Arnold Schwarz-a-thingy. The onto more serious matters – starting with a definition of ‘Long tail keyword' (we mostly get the definition wrong, by the way). Long tail does not refer to the number of words in a query, and Tim proves it. Interestingly, some one word queries have very small search volume. Which ones? In short ‘if the query is long it doesn't necessarily have low search volume and vice versa'. Then, 90% of content on the web gets no traffic from Google. We are producing a lot of content for no payback. Another misconception is that the page ranking #1 in Google for a given keyword gets most organic traffic. Not true. Tim gives a brilliant explanation. I then ask a brilliant question (Tim's words , not mine :) This encourages him to give an amazing example of content for ranking, clicks and conversions (the dream !) Tim then states that user signals are super influential on ranking, whatever Google says. Finally, we exchange quotes about simplicity in writing… and Tim wins with the best ever quote from a French philosopher. Helpful Resources About His Work: Personal Website

Tim Soulo with Jason Barnard at Search Marketing Summit 2019 Tim Soulo talks with Jason Barnard about creating content for the real long tail. Tim Soulo - I am very curious about his name, given that he is from Ukraine (I think). He cites Arnold Schwarz-a-thingy. The onto more serious matters – starting with a definition of ‘Long tail keyword' (we mostly get the definition wrong, by the way). Long tail does not refer to the number of words in a query, and Tim proves it. Interestingly, some one word queries have very small search volume. Which ones? In short ‘if the query is long it doesn't necessarily have low search volume and vice versa'. Then, 90% of content on the web gets no traffic from Google. We are producing a lot of content for no payback. Another misconception is that the page ranking #1 in Google for a given keyword gets most organic traffic. Not true. Tim gives a brilliant explanation. I then ask a brilliant question (Tim's words , not mine :) This encourages him to give an amazing example of content for ranking, clicks and conversions (the dream !) Tim then states that user signals are super influential on ranking, whatever Google says. Finally, we exchange quotes about simplicity in writing… and Tim wins with the best ever quote from a French philosopher. Helpful Resources About His Work: Personal Website

In today's episode, we're talking to Tim Soulo, the side hustling blogger that parlayed his own content success into a job offer to become the Chief Marketing Officer at Ahrefs, the leading SEO tool set for bloggers, marketers and website owners.

Tim Soulo is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Ahrefs.com, a SaaS startup that provides SEO tools to help grow your search traffic, research your competitors, and monitor your market niche. In 2015, Tim joined a SaaS startup as head of marketing. The company had spent several years building their blog, but it still wasn't generating much traffic or leads. The Show Notes Ahrefs The Ahrefs Blog Dmitry Gerasimenko Tim on Twitter Omer on Twitter Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to the podcast Leave a rating and review Follow Omer on Twitter Need help with your SaaS? Join SaaS Club Plus: our membership and community for new and early-stage SaaS founders. Join and get training & support. Join SaaS Club Launch: a 12-week group coaching program to help you get your SaaS from zero to your first $10K revenue. Apply for SaaS Club Accelerate: If you'd like to work directly with Omer 1:1, then request a free strategy session.

Longtime listeners of this show know that Dan and Ian spent the early part of their entrepreneurial career building product businesses online. What you might not know is that Search Engine Optimization, commonly referred to as SEO, was one of the first skillsets that they learned when building those businesses. A lot has changed in the last decade when it comes to SEO, and this week's guest seems to be at the forefront of that progress. Tim Soulo is the Chief Marketing Officer and Product Adviser for Ahrefs. Ahrefs is a Software-as-a-Service company that provides a suite of incredibly useful SEO research tools. Their website is also host to one of the best SEO blogs on the internet. On today's podcast, Tim shares some keen insight on the evolution of SEO and how you can make SEO work for your business. We'll also be exploring some of the darker sides of SEO and content marketing.

In our previous ActiveGrowth podcast episode, we had a chat with Tim Soulo from Ahrefs about the importance of SEO and knowing your potential customers to increase your website traffic without spending much on it.  You learned that SEO doesn't exclusively happen on your own website: to get quality backlinks and reach more people, you should […]