Content and Conversation: Organic Growth Insights from Siege Media

Building a Media-First Content Marketing Strategy w/ Devin Bramhall

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Thu, 5 Feb 2026 16:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Content and Conversation, Ross Hudgens sits down with Devin Bramhall to unpack what’s broken in modern B2B marketing and what actually works when metrics get messy and attribution falls apart.

They talk through Devin’s experience writing B2B Content Marketing Strategy, why “media-first” is now table stakes, and how community is often misunderstood, mis-scoped, or forced into the wrong formats. Devin shares real examples from her work at Help Scout and beyond, showing how strong communities are built by paying attention to people, not playbooks.

Show Notes:

00:00 – Intro/Marketing can’t be measured with numbers alone

05:30 – Writing a book when you already know the answer

10:20 – Media-first content marketing explained

15:00 – What community actually means (and what it doesn’t)

20:30 – Real-world community examples that worked

28:30 – Outcomes vs activities in marketing reporting

35:00 – Telling a story your CEO will understand

44:30 – When community is the wrong strategy

Show Links:

B2B Content Marketing Strategy Book by Devin Bramhall
Follow Ross on X: https://x.com/RossHudgens

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

How GEO Actually Works w/ Bernard Huang

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 19:38:05 +0000

Bernard Huang returns to break down GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and the big question: is GEO actually different from SEO, or just SEO evolving?

We talk about how AI Mode/AI Overviews are changing search behavior, why top-funnel traffic is getting squeezed, and what “good SEO is good GEO” really means in practice.

Show Notes:

00:00 – Welcome back & why GEO is everywhere

03:05 – Is GEO actually different from SEO?

07:10 – How AI agents think vs keyword-based SEO

12:45 – The traffic apocalypse & AI Mode becoming default

18:00 – Mentions vs backlinks in an LLM world

24:30 – What people are getting wrong about GEO

30:45 – Measuring success: impressions, citations & brand search

42:55 – The “long, long tail” and the future of content strategy

Show Links:

Follow Bernard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardjhuang/

Visit Clearscope: https://www.clearscope.io/

Follow Ross on X: https://x.com/RossHudgens

Tough Questions CEOs are Asking About AI SEO (and How To Answer Them) w/ Gaetano DiNardi

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Mon, 1 Dec 2025 21:42:41 +0000

Ross welcomes Gaetano DiNardi, growth advisor and B2B SaaS strategist, to unpack the brutal questions CEOs are suddenly firing at their SEO teams in the AI era: traffic is flat or down, attribution is messy, LLM dashboards look scary, and everyone wants to know if SEO is still “working.”

They dig into why traffic is no longer the primary health metric, how AI Overviews and LLMs are breaking the old “rank → CTR → traffic → leads → revenue” equation, and why CMOs should obsess less over sessions and more over demo requests, pipeline, deal size, and overall organic channel performance.

Gaetano shares how he’s reframing SEO for mid-market B2B SaaS: shifting from decaying top-of-funnel content to bottom-of-funnel “money pages,” optimizing for LLM citations and “money prompts,” and using concepts like “crash-the-party” comparison pages to win high-intent demand across both Google and AI platforms.

They also break down why LLM prompt tracking is the new rank tracking (with all the same pitfalls), how AI platform traffic actually converts compared to Google, what “dark funnel SEO” looks like in practice, and why Gaetano thinks classic TOFU SEO might effectively go to zero while brand, data studies, and opinionated thought leadership pick up the slack.

Show Notes

0:08 – Gaetano returns & why last year’s SEO playbook no longer works

1:17 – CEOs’ top question: “Traffic is down… is SEO still working?”

2:17 – Why B2B SaaS is feeling the decline hardest

3:16 – The old rank → CTR → traffic → revenue model is broken

5:46 – Top-of-funnel content is collapsing (and why TOFU is “dead-ish”)

6:13 – The shift to bottom-funnel: BOFU keywords, low volume, high intent

7:11 – Flat traffic + rising revenue: the new SEO success story

8:01 – What LLMs cite: comparisons, “best X” lists, crash-the-party pages

8:38 – Crash-the-party SEO explained in 15 seconds

13:21 – LLM prompt dashboards are misleading your executives

15:53 – Branded vs. non-branded LLM prompts: why you MUST separate them

18:06 – Build a tight list of “money prompts,” not 500 random ones

20:06 – Why AI platforms show higher conversion rates than Google

22:10 – Dark-funnel behavior: LLM → Google → homepage → convert 24:08 – Google leads have FAR larger deal sizes than AI leads

27:35 – SEO attribution is officially “cooked” in the AI era

29:27 – Traffic flat, pipeline up 3×: examples from real clients

31:25 – Use top-10 stability to prove AI Overviews stole your clicks

34:47 – Search is becoming BOFU-first — what that means

35:34 – LLM citations as the new leading indicator for SEO

39:00 – Exploding topics = more LLM citations due to low consensus

41:22 – Engagement validates information gain (why POV content wins)

47:20 – What happens to TOFU SEO? (Short answer: it shrinks massively) 48:49 – Why TOFU may survive only for authority, clustering, and links

Gaetano on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/officialg/

Tough Questions CEOs Are Asking About AI SEO: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1T_IQXUCXBQtFcLekVFwqv23y8ViuRFJKBIRtn4wcImQ/edit?usp=sharing

Does traffic from AI platforms convert “better” than Google search traffic?: https://marketingadvice.substack.com/p/869517ce-4629-429f-addd-518d9342cdff

CMOs are frantically asking “what’s our Reddit strategy?: https://marketingadvice.substack.com/p/cmos-are-frantically-asking-whats

LLM prompt tracking is the new rank tracking: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/officialg_llm-prompt-monitoring-is-quickly-becoming-activity-737 7069814458097664-KLyi/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAj OemoBsmGgXOOcFpcwGVG1B7IlDCvf8io

Do You Need a Content Engineer? w/ AirOps’ Josh Spilker

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Ross sits down with Josh Spilker, Content Marketing & SEO Lead at AirOps, to unpack the rise of the content engineer — what it means, why it matters, and how it’s reshaping SEO and content operations. They dive into Ryan Law’s critique, hybrid-AI workflows, org-chart ownership, automation opportunities, and why Josh believes AI doesn’t kill content — it rewires strategy. Plus: the “context librarian” concept, content refresh automation, spotting slipping queries, using multiple models together, and avoiding low-quality AI traps. Show Notes: 0:08 – What is a “content engineer” and why the role is emerging 1:17 – How content engineering evolved from early UX concepts 2:13 – Who fits best in this role: writers, SEOs, or automation pros? 3:39 – Ryan Law’s critique: “I wouldn’t hire a content engineer” 4:51 – Internal linking as a powerful semi-automated workflow 5:56 – From manual outlines to AI-assisted research and briefs 6:48 – Balancing AI workflows and human-led quality control 7:24 – Why “Director of Automation” might better describe the role 8:35 – Who should lead content automation inside organizations 9:15 – AI text generation vs. hybrid workflows: what’s really working 10:38 – The limits of pure AI content and why oversight matters 11:19 – How AirOps customers use hybrid models for scale 12:01 – Using multiple models (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity) together 13:02 – The “7% of AI pages” debate and Patrick Stox’s counter-data 14:19 – How editorial standards and compliance shape AI adoption 15:23 – “AI doesn’t kill content — it rewires strategy” 16:15 – Refresh workflows: detecting pages and queries that slip 17:18 – Where content engineers fit in the org chart today 18:16 – The rise of the “context librarian” for brand knowledge bases 19:19 – Combining brand governance with AI-driven workflows 20:21 – How automation can unify voice and style across teams 21:32 – Why AI helps close the creative gap faster, not replace writers 22:29 – Teaching non-engineers to think like product builders 23:19 – Breaking down creative processes into repeatable systems 24:07 – Turning everyday editorial routines into structured workflows 25:08 – Automating meeting summaries and reporting emails 26:12 – Using AI to surface key quotes and podcast clip highlights 27:17 – “Transformation content”: repurposing, summarizing, clipping 28:13 – AirOps’ content strategy: optimization, refresh, iteration 29:04 – Refresh workflows tied to GSC data and ranking drops 30:33 – Risks of shallow “freshness updates” and engagement metrics 31:47 – How informed SEOs make the best use of AirOps workflows 32:07 – Why fundamentals matter before scaling with AI tools 33:02 – Barry Bonds analogy: AI only helps pros with solid foundations 34:15 – Automating backlink outreach with contextual relevance 35:34 – Why personalization still wins over high-volume outreach 36:17 – The balance between automation and editorial craft 37:11 – Where to find Josh’s webinars, reports, and AirOps resources Josh Spilker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshspilker AirOps: https://www.airops.com AirOps Webinars: https://www.airops.com/categories/events Ahrefs Post (Ryan Law): https://ahrefs.com/blog/i-wouldnt-hire-a-content-engineer Patrick Stox Response: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/patrickstox_im-sure-youre-all-seeing-the-study-saying-activity-7385017156213788672-5srr 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

How Angi Uses AI to Power Better Content w/ Caroline Gilbert

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Wed, 5 Nov 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Caroline Gilbert — Director of Content & Editorial at Angi — joins Ross Hudgens to explore how one of the largest home-services brands is using AI to scale, transform, and optimize content operations. They discuss how Caroline’s team doubled Angi’s content library to 12,000+ articles, how AI helps maintain top-funnel visibility amid shifting search behaviors, and the nuanced balance between human expertise and generative automation. Caroline breaks down the three pillars of Angi’s AI framework — generation, transformation, and operations — and how they’ve automated everything from brief creation to CMS ingestion while keeping a strong editorial voice. Plus: lessons learned from early AI missteps, real examples of disclosure testing, and how AI is reshaping both content creation and search behavior itself. Show Notes 0:08 – From cost guides to “everything home”: expanding Angi’s library 1:00 – Moving up-funnel: education, troubleshooting, light DIY, and when to hire 2:14 – Top-funnel ROI drops as AI overviews change search behavior 2:56 – Why Angi adopts gen-AI: maintain helpful content without heavy human lift 3:27 – Staying visible where intent is early but brand value matters 4:45 – Content becomes commodity: deciding where humans add unique value 5:55 – Evergreen “how-to” steps vs. human nuance (risks, gotchas, pro POV) 7:18 – How AI is used: full refreshes, component injections, data-driven sizing 9:01 – The real trade-off: human time vs. technology time 9:26 – Scale context: 5k → 12k pages (growth mostly human-led) 9:41 – Three pillars: generation, transformation, operations 10:38 – Ops wins: briefs, automated edits/QA, CMS ingestion, minutes → hours 12:21 – Designers focus on UX polish when ingestion is 98% done 12:58 – Where AI struggled: risky DIY (HVAC/roofing), brand POV, nuance 15:02 – Licensing content is messy (state/county rules): tighter human review 17:19 – Design: generate/transform/streamline + “vibe coding” prototypes 20:18 – Pilot first: small cohorts, guardrails, measure engagement/conversions 21:22 – Disclosure tests: placement/tone matter; users split ~50/50 on trust 25:53 – “Tools, time, or talent”: when to push pro hire messaging 27:39 – Differentiators: pro interviews + Angi’s original homeowner cost data 28:07 – AI helps editors analyze like analysts; humans shape the story 29:19 – Looking ahead: AI shifting search from answers to utilities/experiences Show Links Caroline Gilbert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-gilbert-41463518/ Angi: https://www.angi.com/ 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

Programmatic SEO in the Age of AI w/ Ex-Zapier Head of SEO

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Matt Bowers — SEO and LLM consultant, formerly of Zapier and Zillow — joins Ross Hudgens for a deep dive into how AI is transforming programmatic SEO. They explore what’s working and what’s not for large-scale, AI-assisted content strategies — from full-AI “use-case” pages to hybrid human workflows. Matt breaks down examples of successful AI programmatic sites, the pitfalls of duplicate content, and the emerging “information gain” paradigm shaping rankings post-2024. They also discuss the limits of AI in UX-driven verticals, personalization opportunities, long-tail visibility in LLMs like ChatGPT, and how data-driven scaling can still give human SEOs a competitive edge. Plus: the rise and fall of Greg.app, the future of personalization, Zillow’s “Project Boggle,” and practical tools like Builder.io, Strapi, and AirOps that power modern programmatic builds. Show Notes 0:08 – Matt returns for round two: programmatic SEO meets AI 1:00 – Are “pure AI” sites actually winning? What’s working and what’s not 2:06 – Inside a million-visit-per-month AI programmatic play 3:15 – Structuring AI content around real use cases, not blog posts 4:22 – Why old GPT-3.5 copy can still rank — and the “don’t mess with success” mantra 5:03 – Dwell time as a differentiator: the “product as content” advantage 6:13 – How AI copy helps with indexing and duplicate-content differentiation 7:17 – Why Google probably isn’t detecting AI directly and what it does instead 8:11 – The “high-DR arbitrage” era of AI content — and why it’s fading 10:11 – Why most public AI case studies stay anonymous 11:16 – Case study: Greg.app — AI-generated plant care pages done right 12:03 – How prompt engineering + UX elevate AI content 13:13 – Prompting each paragraph individually vs. one giant prompt 15:21 – Two winning models: product-driven and UX-driven AI programmatic 16:15 – Why blog-style AI content still struggles and the “pizza” metaphor 20:05 – Greg.app’s traffic drop: lessons from a 75% decline 22:21 – AI’s scalability advantage — and its ROI trade-offs 25:24 – Zillow’s data advantage: proprietary enrichment and GIS precision 26:16 – When AI enables pages that “shouldn’t exist” by human economics 27:21 – Scaling what can’t be scaled: the real AI unlock 28:16 – Competing in local long-tail SERPs with AI vs. humans 28:31 – Traits of losing players: low information gain, weak differentiation 29:20 – Why “information gain” may be the new ranking factor 30:06 – Proprietary data as the ultimate SEO differentiator 31:00 – How real estate UX converged — and why speed and personalization win 33:00 – When non-AI programmatic still wins: data-only, high-usability pages 35:07 – Where AI doesn’t belong: when usability is more important than copy 35:37 – Personalization and the future of AI-driven recommendations 37:07 – The Perplexity vision: a world run by AI agents and voice search 39:06 – What AI agents mean for SEO and monetization 40:38 – Long-tail demand from LLMs and how Zapier used programmatic pages 42:29 – How LLMs discover your use cases and why it matters 43:20 – Using internal data to fuel new programmatic ideas Project Boggle 46:09 – Generating new landing pages from user search inputs 47:52 – Internal search data as a goldmine for programmatic expansion 48:30 – Tools of the trade: AirOps, Builder.io, Strapi, and hybrid stacks 49:43 – Why programmatic SEO still needs human PMs and engineers 50:08 – Where to find Matt online Show Links Matt Bowers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpbow/ Matt’s Website: https://mattb.rs/ Greg.app AI plant care example: https://greg.app/plant-care/monstera Strapi CMS: https://strapi.io/ AirOps: https://www.airops.com/ Builder.io: https://www.builder.io/ 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

Should You Create “Best X” Articles? A Debate w/ Nick LeRoy

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Wed, 8 Oct 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Nick LeRoy, Enterprise SEO Consultant and author of *SEO For Lunch*, joins Ross Hudgens to debate a hot topic in SEO right now — the rise of “Best X” listicles and the emergence of what Nick calls **LLM PBNs**. They unpack the ethics, brand risk, and strategic value of publishing your own “best” lists to capture AI-era visibility and how tactics once considered gray hat are being re-examined in the age of ChatGPT and AI Overviews. If you’ve ever wondered whether to publish your own “Best X” article (or what happens when you do), this episode dives deep into the data, the risk, and the real takeaways for modern SEO strategy. **Plus:** brand perception vs. performance marketing, AI training data, the ethics of self-ranking, and why most “shortcuts” aren’t worth it in 2025. Show Notes 0:08 – Why Nick wrote his post on LLM PBNs and “Best X” articles 1:00 – Defining the three types of listicles: self-hosted, third-party, and PBNs 3:23 – Why AI and search are blurring ethical lines for content manipulation 5:00 – The real risk: brand perception and user trust over rankings 8:01 – Do “Best X” articles actually drive qualified leads? 10:09 – Why these listicles still work tactically in B2B SEO 12:12 – How to do it right: objectivity, transparency, and editorial value 14:01 – The importance of segmenting by use case (“best for enterprise,” etc.) 16:15 – Outbound links, nofollow abuse, and why honesty still wins 17:36 – When to avoid listicles entirely (and why product quality matters most) 20:24 – LLM PBNs vs. traditional PBNs — and why they’re not worth it 23:22 – Affiliate influence and how AI learns from “best of” lists 25:33 – Why bad products can’t rank long term (no matter the tactics) 27:26 – Testing ethically: what Nick learned from black-hat experiments 30:48 – The SMB risk: how FOMO and “easy buttons” hurt small businesses 33:19 – Better investments for local brands than AI visibility schemes 35:20 – Why starting from scratch is tougher than ever in SEO 37:07 – The future of niche review sites like Zyppy and why they matter 38:30 – Final takeaway: research deeply and focus on long-term trust Show Links Nick LeRoy on LinkedIn: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickleroy/] SEO For Lunch Newsletter: [https://www.seoforlunch.com/] Nick’s post on LLM PBNs: [https://www.seoforlunch.com/p/llm-pbns] Zyppy (by Cyrus Shepard): [https://zyppy.com/] Siege Media Enterprise SEO Consulting: [https://www.siegemedia.com/strategy/enterprise-seo-consultants] Siege Media Best Fintech Marketing Agencies: [https://www.siegemedia.com/strategy/best-fintech-marketing-agencies] Mentimeter Kahoot Alternatives Example: [https://www.mentimeter.com/blog/education/kahoot-alternatives] 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

Did Google Just End Rank Tracking? w/ Shannon Minkel

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Shannon Minkel, Senior Director of Product SEO at Siege Media, joins Ross Hudgens to unpack one of the biggest questions in search right now: did Google just kill rank tracking beyond page two? They explore what this shift means for SEOs—whether it’s a sign to finally focus on input metrics, how declining referral traffic from ChatGPT impacts strategy, and what Similarweb and Siege Media’s own research reveal about changing engagement rates. From GA4 benchmarks to the future of AI search, this episode breaks down the data, the rumors, and the real-world implications for anyone navigating SEO in 2025. Plus: input metrics, lagging indicators, Similarweb’s ChatGPT data, and why Google’s rumored “AI mode” rollout could redefine how we measure success. 0:08 – Why Google’s rank tracking changes matter now 1:14 – Is rank tracking beyond page two dead? 2:36 – The rise of input metrics and controllable KPIs 4:09 – ChatGPT referral traffic declines across Siege, Ahrefs & Profound 6:12 – Similarweb’s data on ChatGPT usage growth vs. declining engagement 8:04 – What lagging indicators like ChatGPT quality mean for SEOs 9:28 – Interpreting GA4 engagement rates and site health signals 11:05 – Google’s rumored AI mode rollout (and roll-back) 13:17 – The future of attribution in a generative search world 15:21 – How SEOs should adapt reporting for execs in 2025 17:43 – Why input metrics may replace old rank-tracking habits 20:05 – What Shannon is watching most closely in AI search Shannon Minkel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonminkel GA4 engagement rates → https://www.siegemedia.com/research/ga4-engagement-rates ChatGPT referral traffic study → https://www.siegemedia.com/strategy/chatgpt-referral-traffic-data SEJ: https://searchengineland.com/google-search-rank-and-position-tracking-is-a-mess-right-now-461984 Similarweb on ChatGPT growth: https://x.com/Similarweb/status/1965726707832528974 SEMrush: https://www.semrush.com/blog/google-usage-after-chatgpt-adoption/ ChatGPT vs. Google study: https://chatgpt-vs-google.com/ Input Metrics for SEO newsletter: https://newsletter.seomba.com/p/input-metrics-for-seo 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

Scaling 250,000 Neighborhoods: Enterprise SEO at Apartments.com w/ Zach Chahalis

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Zach Chahalis, VP of SEO at Apartments.com, joins Ross Hudgens for a deep dive into the high-stakes world of real estate SEO—where listings change daily, pages balloon into the hundreds of thousands, and competition is cutthroat across every SERP. They explore how Zach’s team manages SEO at scale, including 75+ site migrations, advanced internal linking via entity modeling, and custom AI agents built to streamline content operations. From avoiding redirect chains to handling rental “orphan pages,” this episode is packed with hard-earned lessons for SEOs working at enterprise scale. Plus: duplicate content, the future of AI search in real estate, and why your site should never go through a migration before Black Friday. Show Notes 0:08 – Zach’s role at Apartments.com and SEO in high-competition markets 1:00 – Biggest pitfalls in site migrations: communication and redirect logic 2:00 – Why bad redirect chains are like sending mail to your old address 3:39 – What to expect from traffic drops post-migration 5:06 – The difference between redesigns, CMS moves, and full migrations 7:42 – How entity linking models boost internal linking and relevance 9:55 – The user and SEO value of cross-linking neighborhood/location pages 11:51 – How Zach’s team measures and improves internal page authority 13:17 – Their in-house SEO testing program and what they’ve learned 15:01 – When they ignore positive SEO test results to preserve UX 16:41 – Managing orphaned rental pages and lifecycle SEO logic 19:05 – What they show users when listings go offline 21:24 – When to 404 vs. redirect in real estate or e-commerce 23:37 – Competing in a duplicate content world: data + experience wins 25:56 – Using proprietary data (e.g., 3D tours) to differentiate listings 27:28 – Real estate’s slower exposure to AI Overviews 28:19 – AI as productivity booster: writing, research, and landlord tools 30:46 – How internal teams use AI to speed up editorial content creation 33:50 – Why real estate is less impacted by AI than other verticals 35:59 – Indexing the long tail: 250K+ neighborhoods, 40K city pages 37:55 – Agentic workflows: surfacing internal data to speed up content 40:58 – How AI flags Fair Housing violations before content goes live 42:48 – Building secure, proprietary pipelines for real estate data 44:03 – Where to find Zach online Show Links Zach Chahalis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharychahalis Zach’s website: https://www.zacharychahalis.com Hyperlocal Content from a National Lens deck: https://speakerdeck.com/zjchahalis/hyperlocal-content-from-a-national-lens Apartments.com: https://www.apartments.com/ 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

Input Metrics in SEO: Leading Indicators in an AI World

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Tom Critchlow, EVP of Audience Growth at Raptive, joins Ross for a deep dive into how input metrics can transform SEO strategy—especially in an era of declining visibility and messy attribution from AI search engines. They explore how input metrics improve executive reporting, unlock budget, and build cross-functional alignment by shifting focus from vanity outcomes to controllable, operational activities. Tom shares insights from his time at Raptive, lessons from Amazon’s internal frameworks, and practical tips for teams to track quality, not just quantity. If you're navigating SEO in 2025, this episode is your playbook. Plus: scorecards, dashboards, quality benchmarks, and how input metrics can shape strategic storytelling at every level of an org. Show Notes 0:08 – Why “getting SEO done” starts with business communication 1:14 – Executive buy-in and the underrated power of input metrics 2:06 – What are controllable input metrics? Lessons from Amazon 3:24 – Why output-only reporting drives blind decision-making 5:06 – Building reports that pair input + output for alignment 7:01 – Input metrics: weekly/monthly rhythm vs quarterly output 9:15 – Goal-setting tension: input vs output metrics for teams 11:24 – Why SEOs need to “make their work legible” to leadership 12:30 – Input metrics as a path to getting more SEO budget 14:20 – The missing business case for many SEO initiatives 15:33 – Raptive case study: measuring behavior change over clicks 18:02 – Building input metrics from scratch: the 9-month reality 19:51 – Amazon’s evolving metrics: controllability over time 21:26 – Mapping input metrics to what actually drives success 22:33 – The danger of metric sprawl—and how to refocus 23:59 – Why some SEO work becomes “invisible” without input metrics 25:13 – Three metrics per person: a practical ceiling 26:51 – How input metrics support pipeline generation in B2B 28:35 – Communicating SEO value to non-executives via unit economics 30:06 – Stop yelling “fix it”—report what’s not getting done 31:22 – Translating editorial quality into spreadsheet metrics 33:06 – Red, yellow, green ≠ strategic clarity—track actual numbers 34:08 – Attribution is broken: input metrics matter more than ever 36:43 – Benchmarking input metrics against competitors 38:03 – Don’t just track AI visibility—track the work you can control 39:02 – Why input metrics aren’t neutral—and why that’s OK 41:01 – Planning cycles: why it takes 6 months to see input adoption 42:15 – Measuring “quality”: content scores, CSATs, and rubrics 44:25 – Why you must operationalize “quality” to get promoted 46:08 – Manual scoring systems and quality baselines 47:13 – Where to find Tom and what he’s working on next Show Links Tom Critchlow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomcritchlow Tom’s blog: http://tomcritchlow.com Input Metrics for SEO article: https://newsletter.seomba.com/p/input-metrics-for-seo Raptive: https://raptive.com 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

Future-Proofed E-commerce Content Marketing w/ SearchPilot's Will Critchlow

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 8 Jul 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Ross joins Will Critchlow of SearchPilot for a wide-ranging conversation on the evolving landscape of e-commerce SEO and content strategy in the AI era. They cover how e-commerce brands are adapting content for multimodal search, why digital PR is surging, what still works in a zero-click world, and how Siege’s homepage study reveals surprising traffic shifts from AI engines like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews. Ross also shares lessons from working with Instacart, thoughts on EEAT, brand building in 2025, and how SEOs can think more like product teams to win long-term. Plus: goal-setting, basketball, and how to build your perfect calendar. Show Notes 0:08 – Introductions 1:00 – Ross on what e-commerce clients are asking for in 2025 2:12 – High-fidelity content and why it still drives SEO value 3:24 – The digital PR spike—and why it might not be right for every brand 4:17 – Rethinking link building: content that earns links without outreach 5:11 – The shift from link bait to real brand-building campaigns 6:34 – Why measuring content value is still messy 7:28 – Investing in analytics and attribution models that actually work 8:52 – Instacart case study: how it’s still winning in 2025 9:59 – Calculators as a defensible content type against AI overviews 11:15 – Homepage traffic is up 10%—what Siege’s study found 12:56 – Differences in B2B vs B2C AI traffic attribution 14:15 – How AI referrals may go dark: no referrer, just branded visits 15:40 – SearchPilot’s view: aggregating dark and disaggregated traffic sources 17:20 – How LM-driven browsing creates long tail referral lift 18:57 – AI is doing the searching: optimizing for “robot” queries 21:00 – Why retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) matters for e-commerce 22:44 – Digital PR’s role in influencing AI citation engines 23:51 – Siege’s brand mention study: impressions up, but who’s watching? 25:20 – Review volume = the next big SEO edge in e-commerce 26:04 – Instacart’s product reviews may be helping SEO more than you think 27:15 – Human authorship: should you expose expert bylines? 28:52 – Where author signals matter most 30:04 – Real-world reviews are the new long tail content strategy 31:09 – Who’s doing it well? 32:14 – Brand authority, SEO signals, and Siege’s convo with Dr. Pete 33:48 – Building a brand health dashboard (and what to track in 2025) 36:18 – Who owns content? SEO increasingly embedded in product teams 37:40 – Product SEO as a mindset, not just a technical checklist 39:24 – Optimizer mentality, health goals, and personal systems 40:11 – Ross’s “perfect calendar” and how it supports business goals 42:06 – Will on process goals vs outcome goals in business and life 43:44 – Can you be too optimized? Balancing mental health and iteration 45:07 – Long-term vision in a 3-week world 46:00 – Where to find Ross online and what Siege is working on next Show Links ‬ Will Critchlow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willcritchlow Homepage Study:‬‭ https://www.siegemedia.com/strategy/ai-homepage-traffic-increase SearchPilot:‬‭ https://www.searchpilot.com/ 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

AEO Playbook: How to Optimize for AI w/ Profound’s Josh Blyskal

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Josh Blyskal, AEO Engineer at Profound, joins Ross Hudgens to dive deep into the emerging world of AI-native search optimization—and how brands can win visibility across platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews. They unpack Profound’s Conversation Explorer, fresh data on generative search intent, and the real-world tactics that drive clicks in the new AI-dominated SERP. From schema tips to 2025 URL hacks and LMS.txt files, this is the tactical roadmap for modern marketers navigating the future of search. Show Notes 0:08 – Why AI-native visibility is heating up 1:00 – Profound's Series A and platform momentum 2:15 – The moment for AI search is here 4:40 – How Profound built the largest dataset of answer engine queries 7:12 – New ad tech categories marketers aren’t tracking 9:40 – What “generative” search intent actually looks like 11:25 – Tools vs. blogs: what answer engines really cite 13:00 – Why traffic quality from AI sources is insanely high 15:05 – The rise of sponsored AI queries (and what to do about it) 16:50 – How to future-proof your site for ChatGPT + Perplexity 20:00 – Listicles dominate AI search—here’s why 22:30 – What Bing has to do with ChatGPT visibility 24:00 – URL strategies for boosting citations 28:40 – Semantic chunking and structured answers for pickup 31:00 – 2025 SEO hacks: title tags, slugs, and metadata tips 33:45 – Schema markup that actually works (hint: authorship) 36:00 – How freshness impacts AI citation cycles 39:20 – LMS.txt and LMS-fulltext: the new crawl frontier 41:10 – Why answer engines could free up web creativity 43:30 – Commercial landing pages are the future of evergreen visibility 46:00 – Profound’s upcoming launch: actions and content briefs 48:30 – Pricing, access, and how to get started with Profound Show Links Josh Blyskal on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-blyskal/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-blyskal/ What content do AI engines like: https://www.xfunnel.ai/blog/what-content-type-ai-engines-like Profound: https://www.tryprofound.com/ 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

How Asana Scaled to 20M+ International SEO Visits‬‭

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Chris Kelly, ex-Asana growth lead, joins Ross Hudgens to break down how Asana scaled to 20M+ international SEO visits—and how to do it again in 2025. They dive into localization strategy, market prioritization, TMS tools, team structures, and how to tie international SEO directly to business outcomes. Chris also unpacks real-world mistakes, market-specific tactics, and where AI fits into future-proofing global content. Show Notes 0:08 – How Chris led Asana’s international SEO from 0 to 20M+ visits 2:12 – Aligning SEO with real business outcomes 4:27 – How to prioritize markets and go deep, not wide 6:06 – Why "strategy before scale" matters more than ever 9:09 – Centralized vs. distributed SEO models 10:13 – The localization decision waterfall: MT, native copy, or hybrid? 13:11 – Tiered frameworks for scaling efficiently across regions 16:43 – Localization teams and SEO: why they must integrate 18:05 – Market nuances: Japan vs. Germany 20:18 – The role of user research in international SEO success 22:02 – When to implement a Translation Management System (TMS) 25:33 – Real talk: the true cost of international SEO 28:18 – Mistakes to avoid: budget, ops, and lack of data 33:10 – Building the right international SEO team 35:06 – Communication tips for global collaboration 38:34 – How AI will transform international strategy and QA 42:26 – Will AI erase top-funnel SEO internationally? Show Links Chris Kelly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherakelly/ 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

SEO vs GEO vs AEO: Which One Is It? w/ Rand Fishkin

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Mon, 9 Jun 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Rand Fishkin joins Ross Hudgens to unpack the latest acronym craze—GEO, AEO, LEO—and why none may be necessary. They explore the origins of SEO, the rise (and fall) of inbound marketing, and how marketers can avoid falling into the trap of trend-chasing. From naming conventions to the real value of brand clarity, this is a conversation for anyone navigating search in the age of AI. Rand also shares a bold bet on AI’s impact on jobs, reflects on his early days in the “promised land of SEO”—and discusses why “SEO for AI” might be the clearest path forward. Plus: Cooking games, Snack Bar Studios, and whether creating a new marketing category is ever worth the effort. Show Notes 0:08 – Why SEO has too many new acronyms 0:44 – The wild origin of SEO in Bend, Oregon 1:29 – Danny Sullivan, Circuit City, and the OG SEO crowd 2:54 – Who coined “zero-click search”? 3:29 – Why naming trends like GEO can hurt clarity 5:00 – Is GEO catching on because A16z backed it? 5:59 – Should we name this shift at all? 6:37 – Why "SEO for AI" is clearer than new acronyms 8:09 – Organic digital vs SEO vs paid—don’t confuse your client 9:33 – Naming things doesn’t always benefit the person who coined it 10:13 – Why SEO isn’t in decline (despite the narrative) 11:07 – Google is still orders of magnitude bigger than any AI tool 12:34 – Rand bets \$100K AI won’t take half of all jobs 13:39 – “SEO for AI” has 100% clarity, unlike GEO or AEO 14:58 – GEO and AEO should be considered tags under SEO 16:07 – Simplifying your services for buyers: SEO still works 17:11 – SEO can carry baggage—but it’s still foundational 18:20 – Organic growth as the category; SEO as the tactic 19:03 – The Snickers bar analogy for misaligned category tags 20:01 – Why HubSpot had the power to rebrand with inbound marketing 20:54 – Applying lessons from game tagging at Snack Bar Studios 22:16 – Final thoughts: ride the wave if you’re Mars; otherwise, keep it clear 23:07 – Rand’s AI/job displacement bet explained 24:53 – Revisiting his blockchain bet with Dharmesh from 2016 25:21 – What worries Rand more than AI? Government decisions 26:14 – Elon, politics, and the future of tech influence 26:22 – Snack Bar Studios: magical boars and carbonara 26:56 – Sparktoro and “Search Everywhere Optimization” 27:03 – Tagging the cooking game: chill action, story rich, 2D action 27:51 – Geraldine’s writing brings it to life Show Link It’s Still SEO (SparkToro Blog): (https://sparktoro.com/blog/its-still-seo-search-everywhere-optimization/](https://sparktoro.com/blog/its-still-seo-search-everywhere-optimization/) a16z: GEO Rewrites the Rules of Search: (https://a16z.com/geo-over-seo/) Rand’s Game Studio: (https://snackbarstudio.com/](https://snackbarstudio.com/) Subscribe today for weekly tips: (https://bit.ly/3dBM61f](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](https://open.spotify.com/show/1kiaFGXO5UcT2qXVRuXjsM) Listen on Google: (https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9jT3NjUkdLeA) Follow Siege on Twitter: (http://twitter.com/siegemedia](http://twitter.com/siegemedia) Follow Ross on Twitter: (http://twitter.com/rosshudgens](http://twitter.com/rosshudgens) Directed by Cara Brown: (https://twitter.com/cararbrown](https://twitter.com/cararbrown) Email Ross: (ross@siegemedia.com](mailto:ross@siegemedia.com) #seo | #contentmarketing 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

Homepage Traffic is Up 10.7%: Unpacking the AI Effect w/ Drew Page & Ross Hudgens

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Thu, 29 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Ross Hudgens and Drew Page sit down to unpack Siege Media’s latest study on the surprising shift in search behavior caused by AI-powered experiences and large language models (LLMs). The headline? Homepage traffic is up 10.7%—despite a decline in overall site wide clicks. They dive into the impact of branded search, the difference between B2B and B2C performance, and why your homepage might now be your most important conversion asset. From SEO’s evolving KPIs to strategies for retargeting and improving click-through rates, this conversation is a reality check—and a game plan—for marketers navigating the AI-dominated SERP. **Plus:** Siege Media’s own numbers, conversion math that makes sense of the doom-and-gloom, and actionable advice to build a brand that stands out in zero-click search results. Show Notes 0:08 – The optimism vs. pessimism spectrum in AI-driven search 0:42 – Why Ross launched this study in the first place 1:04 – From impressions up, clicks down—what triggered the deeper investigation 1:24 – Should SEO start valuing impressions like PR does? 1:51 – Why homepage clicks matter more than ever 2:29 – Branded search as the silent traffic driver 2:49 – What Siege saw across consumer & fintech sites 3:19 – Homepage impressions up 54%, site wide clicks down 4.8% 4:03 – Why that might be good news: homepage conversion rates 5:05 – B2C trends: more impressions, mixed click behavior 6:07 – B2B trends: homepage clicks up 15%, better revenue alignment 8:19 – Average position declines but branded queries still driving visits 9:36 – Seeing real value in brand mentions from ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc. 10:16 – Siege’s internal data: 30% homepage traffic lift, no pipeline drop 12:20 – Conversion math: homepage 3%, sitewide 1% 13:25 – The net positive: more conversions despite fewer visits 14:06 – Why you should optimize your homepage now 14:58 – Brand building, storytelling, and digital PR 15:46 – Homepage CTR and pricing page visibility wins 16:37 – Retargeting strategies for branded homepage traffic 17:00 – If you didn’t build a brand, this won’t help 17:44 – Aligning SEO with PPC to defend the SERP 18:25 – Communicating the impact to leadership 19:12 – Content quality still wins, even in LLMs 19:35 – Creating a brand health dashboard 20:22 – Final thoughts: conversion is the key metric, not traffic Show Links Full Study: https://www.siegemedia.com/strategy/ai-homepage-traffic-increase 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

Adapting to the Brand-First SEO Era w/ Kevin Indig

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Thu, 22 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Ross sits down with Kevin Indig, growth advisor and SEO strategist, to break down his groundbreaking UX study on Google’s AI Overviews—and what it reveals about the fast-changing landscape of search. From disappearing clicks to trust-first decision-making, Kevin shares how the rise of AI is reshaping everything from user behavior to what actually drives conversions. They dig into why CTR is no longer the north star metric, how age and device impact search habits, and why today’s SEO teams need to think far beyond blue links. Whether it’s surfacing trust signals, building brand awareness across platforms, or adapting to zero-click journeys, this conversation is packed with practical takeaways for future-proofing your organic strategy. Plus: the rise of interactive content, the power of review mining, and why mediocre AI content won’t cut it in 2025. Show Notes: 0:07 – Welcoming Kevin back and discussing the shift to AI Overview dominance 1:18 – Top 3 takeaways from Kevin’s study 4:42 – Why younger users love AIOs—and older users don’t trust them 5:37 – How brand strength is driving revenue despite declining CTRs 7:42 – Why results vary dramatically by industry (SaaS, e-comm, publishers) 9:20 – Mobile users scroll more—what that means for engagement 13:00 – Trust signals that matter: bylines, bios, disclosures & authority 16:14 – Riskier queries = higher skepticism. Assigning a “risk score” to search terms 19:18 – Why your SEO strategy must include Reddit, YouTube & non-Google channels 23:27 – New team structures: why SEOs must align with social, paid & brand 28:08 – Creating a brand health dashboard: tracking reach beyond Google 31:27 – Leveraging your existing customer base to create high-converting content 34:45 – How review mining and transcripts unlock real user needs 38:09 – AI-generated content: when it works, when it fails, and why “mediocre is invisible” 40:09 – Turning blog content into interactive tools for higher ROI and defensibility 43:34 – Mission statement generator: the surprising success story 46:43 – Final advice for SEOs in 2025: speed, adaptability, and user-first everything Show Links: Kevin’s UX Study on Google’s AI Overviews: [https://www.growth-memo.com/p/the-first-ever-ux-study-of-googles] Ramp’s Mission Statement Generator: [https://www.ramp.com/mission-statement-generator](https://www.ramp.com/mission-statement-generator) Optiversal – Turning reviews into content: [https://www.optiversal.com](https://www.optiversal.com) 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

The Word ‘Blog’ Is Holding Us Back w/ Jess Joyce

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 13 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Ross sits down with Jess Joyce, SEO consultant at Inbound Scope, to talk about why the term "blog" is outdated—and how systems thinking, revenue-led SEO, and diagram-driven storytelling are creating smarter strategies for SaaS brands.

Jess unpacks her visual-first approach to social content, explains the shortcomings of traditional keyword research, and breaks down how AI tools like Gong and Granola are unlocking insight directly from sales calls. They also explore the growing irrelevance of traffic as a core metric and why internal linking, customer pain points, and first-link architecture matter more than ever.

Plus: why technical SEO isn’t dead, how to build smarter weekly systems with your team, and a hopeful rant about killing the word “blog” once and for all.

Show Notes
00:00 – Intro: Why Jess’s Diagrams Stand Out
01:00 – Visualizing Content for Clients (And Prospects)
03:30 – Why Revenue-Led SEO > Traffic-Led Metrics
06:00 – What Google & AI Are Doing to Top-of-Funnel
09:00 – Segmenting Content by Intent, Not Format
12:00 – Sales Conversations as the New Keyword Research
15:00 – Using Granola and Gong to Extract Real Pain Points
17:00 – Are Keywords Dying in a Zero-Click World?
20:00 – Technical SEO Still Matters (Despite the Hype)
24:00 – First Links, Internal Linking & Breadcrumbs
27:00 – Systems Thinking: Weekly Sprints & Triangulated Ops
30:00 – Why "Blog" Is the Wrong Word for Modern Content
33:00 – Enterprise Content Silos & the WordPress Problem
34:30 – Where to Follow Jess & Final Thoughts

Show Links
Jess’s Work: https://jessjoyce.com/
Inbound Scope: https://inboundscope.com/
Granola AI: https://www.granola.ai/
Gong.io: https://www.gong.io/
Ross’s Studio Recording: https://riverside.fm/dashboard/studios/ross-hudgenss-studio/recordings/29fbaa7c-9c87-41a0-82b0-e46416b9401d?share-token=ad8195daf09f9375064a&content-shared=recording
Jess on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jessjoyce_heres-how-i-would-create-an-roi-generating-activity-7295472607041138690-v4L0?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAOzg8UB65a5t0zuiVlWCkdHaLrjxPPAwS8

Beyond Blogging: Building a Media Empire w/ HubSpot’s Kieran Flanagan‬ ‭

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 6 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Ross sits down with Kieran Flanagan, SVP of Marketing at HubSpot, for a deep dive into AI’s impact on SEO, content strategy in a post-search world, and the real story behind the "HubSpot traffic drop. Kieran breaks down why conversions—not clicks—have always been at the core of HubSpot’s strategy, how AI is reshaping team structures, and why co-citation and brand authority are the future of SEO. They also cover LLM optimization, the importance of tools in training sets, and what separates influential content from purely informational posts. Plus: Why lazy AI marketers will fail, what The Hustle acquisition means for HubSpot’s media strategy, and how to build long-term influence through POV-driven content. Chapters: 00:00 – Intro: Did HubSpot Really Lose 80% of Blog Traffic? 02:00 – HubSpot’s Real Metrics: LTV: CAC, Not Just Clicks 04:00 – Google’s AI & the New Era of Search Disruption 06:00 – What Content Will Be Cannibalized by LLMs 08:00 – Influence or Information: Winning with Point of View 10:00 – From Links to Mentions: Co-Citation SEO Strategy 12:00 – Optimizing for LLMs: Citations, Not Just SERPs 14:00 – AI, Brand Authority & The Repetitional Layer 17:00 – Tools, Training Sets, and the Battle of Ideas 20:00 – Inside HubSpot’s Media Play: The Hustle, Podcasts & Creators 24:00 – Why Interactive Tools Still Work (If Done Right) 26:00 – Gated Content & Moving the “Free Line” 28:00 – New Team Models: Journalists, Generalists, and Engineers 32:00 – Kieran’s Leadership Framework: Manage Problems, Not People 35:00 – Contrarian Bet: Buying The Hustle & Building Influence 38:00 – Lessons from Zapier vs HubSpot’s Go-To-Market 40:00 – Why Lazy AI Marketers Will Fail 42:00 – Is M&A Still a Growth Lever for HubSpot? 44:00 – Final Thoughts & Where to Follow Kieran --- Show Links Did Hubspot Lose 80% of Blog Traffic? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBHoJMOkL6Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBHoJMOkL6Y) Contrast Ratio by Siege Media [https://www.siegemedia.com/contrast-ratio](https://www.siegemedia.com/contrast-ratio) Interactive Content Data Use [https://www.siegemedia.com/strategy/content-marketing-trends#interactive-content](https://www.siegemedia.com/strategy/content-marketing-trends#interactive-content) The Hustle by HubSpot [https://blog.hubspot.com/the-hustle/page/1](https://blog.hubspot.com/the-hustle/page/1) Kieran Flanagan on LinkedIn [https://linkedin.com/in/kieranjflanagan](https://linkedin.com/in/kieranjflanagan) 🎧 Subscribe & Follow Subscribe for weekly tips: [https://bit.ly/3dBM61f](https://bit.ly/3dBM61f) iTunes: [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/content-and-conversation-seo-tips-from-siege-media/id1289467174](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/content-and-conversation-seo-tips-from-siege-media/id1289467174) Spotify: [https://open.spotify.com/show/1kiaFGXO5UcT2qXVRuXjsM](https://open.spotify.com/show/1kiaFGXO5UcT2qXVRuXjsM) Google Podcasts: [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9jT3NjUkdLeA](https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9jT3NjUkdLeA) Follow Siege: [http://twitter.com/siegemedia](http://twitter.com/siegemedia) Follow Ross: [http://twitter.com/rosshudgens](http://twitter.com/rosshudgens) Directed by Cara Brown: [https://twitter.com/cararbrown](https://twitter.com/cararbrown) Email Ross: [ross@siegemedia.com](mailto:ross@siegemedia.com) #seo #contentmarketing 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

Scaling a Billion Dollar Brand: Lessons from Semrush’s CMO

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Ross sits down with Andrew Warden, CMO of Semrush, for a behind-the-scenes look at how the company has scaled past a billion-dollar valuation through brand innovation, performance marketing, and fearless experimentation. Andrew unpacks how he’s built and structured Semrush’s powerhouse marketing team, why they favor in-house execution over agencies, and how data science and AI are reshaping modern marketing ops. From viral hits like “Be Like Gaby” and “CEO Kiddos," this episode highlights what works—and what doesn’t—when building a global brand. 00:00 – Intro & Nick Eubanks M&A Stories 02:00 – Building the Semrush Marketing Team Structure 04:00 – Why In-House Creative Wins Over Agencies 06:00 – Brand, Digital, and Owned Media: Org Design Explained 08:00 – The Role of Data Science & Marketing Ops at Scale 10:00 – AI Ops: Automating for Speed, Not Just Hype 13:00 – Enterprise vs. SMB: Maintaining Brand Balance 16:00 – Big Wins: “Be Like Gaby” and User-Driven Campaigns 18:00 – When Humor Doesn’t Convert: Learning from the “CEO Kiddos” Flop 21:00 – Why Failure Is Part of the Process at Semrush 24:00 – Scaling Content: Growing the SEO Team from 4 to 40+ 26:00 – Localization: What Works, What Doesn’t 29:00 – Brand vs. Performance: How to Actually Measure Impact 33:00 – Traffic Down, Revenue Up: Moving Beyond Vanity Metrics 36:00 – What SEOs Should Actually Be Goal-ed On 39:00 – AI and Search: The Real Impact on Marketers 41:00 – Semrush’s AI Toolkit & ContentShake Overview 44:00 – The Most Underrated Features in Semrush 47:00 – Prompt Engineering & Early AI Adoption Lessons 48:00 – Conference Announcements & What’s Next for Semrush ContentShake: https://www.semrush.com/apps/contentshake/ Impress your boss commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNCR5XBEM5c Semrush’s most popular campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRHG5CjsPvo Andrew Warden on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewwarden 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

From Content Engine to Freedom Engine w/ Chris Walker

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Chris Walker (CEO of Passetto) joins Ross to talk about personal transformation, scaling through delegation, and why most entrepreneurs are chasing the wrong kind of freedom. Chris shares insights from his month-long sabbatical, including frameworks for creating true independence—beyond just financial freedom—and lessons learned about leadership, agency structure, and internal alignment. Ross and Chris also unpack strategies for delegation, avoiding burnout, client selection, the evolving role of SEO, and how B2B companies should rethink go-to-market in a post-ChatGPT world. 00:00 – Welcome Chris Walker & “The Collision of Worlds” 00:51 – Why Bigger Doesn’t Mean Better (And Why Chris Took a Month Off) 02:05 – The Real Test: Can Your Business Run Without You? 03:09 – 10 Types of Freedom (Beyond Just Financial) 06:01 – Time, Social, Creative, Mission, Health & More 09:10 – Letting Go of the Clients That Drain You 13:07 – Freedom Through Delegation: Fake vs Real 15:05 – Why Firing Someone Might Set Them Free 17:20 – Rethinking Wealth: Why 2x More Money Won’t Make You Happy 20:00 – Breaking Mental Loops Around Growth, Suffering, and “Success” 22:50 – Why Resistance Means You’re Out of Alignment 26:00 – Layoffs, Misalignment, and Making the Hard Call 29:00 – A New Agency Playbook: 10 People, $10M 31:32 – Delegation as a Superpower (And Trap) 34:20 – Hiring Without Job Descriptions 37:00 – How Top Talent Finds You (Not the Other Way Around) 39:01 – From Fake Delegation to Freedom Frameworks 41:00 – Pattern-Matching LinkedIn Content for Real ICP Impact 43:13 – SEO Today: Outdated, Unpersonalized & Being Replaced 46:50 – Why ChatGPT over Google for User Intent 48:10 – The Case for Diversified GTM (and SEO’s Narrow Role) 50:00 – Reframing Search: It’s Not Just Google Anymore 52:20 – Personal Holdings Companies & Managing Partners 54:00 – Why Resume-Perfect Execs Often Underperform 56:00 – Agency Scale: Founder as Visionary, Not CEO 59:00 – Building the Business That Serves Your Life Chris Walker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriswalker171 Chris’s Company, Passetto: https://www.passetto.com Siege Media: https://www.siegemedia.com Subscribe for weekly episodes: 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 Follow Ross on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosshudgens Follow Siege Media on Twitter: https://twitter.com/siegemedia Directed by Cara Brown: https://twitter.com/cararbrown Email Ross: ross@siegemedia.com #seo | #contentmarketing 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

The SEO Behind Zillow’s 1 Billion‬‭ Visits/Year w/ Kristan Bauer‬‭

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Kristan Bauer returns for a deep dive into the technical and organizational SEO strategies that helped Zillow grow to nearly 2 billion annual visits.

She shares tactical insights on enterprise SEO at scale, including testing frameworks, internal collaboration, indexing strategies, and what it takes to lead with executive presence in a high-stakes environment.

Ross and Kristan also unpack the challenges of long-tail targeting, structuring an SEO team for success, and how to know when it’s time to build your own SEO testing platform.

00:00 – Welcome Back Kristan & The Zillow SEO Journey

00:34 – From Agency to Zillow: What Made Zillow’s Traffic Explode

01:09 – How Zillow Reached Nearly 2 Billion Visits/Year

03:23 – The Hidden SEO Power of Off-Market Listings

04:23 – Internal Linking Tactics to Boost Indexing

06:52 – Long-Tail Dynamic Pages from Listing Descriptions

08:44 – Managing Page Quality in Long-Tail SEO

10:21 – When & Why Zillow Invested in an SEO Testing Platform

12:09 – How SEO Was Structured at Zillow (and Why It Worked)

13:58 – Quarterly Planning + Executive-Level SEO Visibility

15:05 – One-on-One Collaboration With Other Channel Leads

17:10 – Building a Culture of Shared Ownership Around SEO

18:56 – Risk Management via SEO Testing Platforms

20:39 – Why Testing Is a Must at Enterprise Scale

22:51 – How Zillow Prioritized Smart Resource Allocation

24:41 – How to Know When It’s Time to Build a Platform

26:41 – Structuring SEO Inside Product vs. Marketing

30:06 – How Cross-Team SEO Works at the Enterprise Level

32:21 – Building Executive Presence & Communicating Up

34:05 – Wins, Challenges & Transparent SEO Reporting

36:00 – SEO Summits with Airbnb, Yelp, TripAdvisor & More

41:00 – Final Lessons: Communication, Creativity & Big Rocks

Kristan’s Website: https://www.kristanbauer.com

Kristan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristandauble

Our Previous Episode on Enterprise Real Estate SEO: https://www.siegemedia.com/conversation/kristan-bauer

Is Technical SEO Dying? + What to Do Instead w/ Eli Schwartz

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 8 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Ross welcomes Eli Schwartz, author of‬‭ Product-Led‬‭ SEO‬‭ , to unpack the evolving‬ role of SEO in a world shaped by AI, shifting perceptions, and organizational‬ challenges.‬

‭

Eli dives into why SEO is being deprioritized, what companies are getting wrong,‬ and how product-led SEO is the path forward.‬

‭

They cover layoffs, agency churn, the role of growth teams, and why most‬ companies‬‭ shouldn’t‬‭ do SEO at all.‬

‭ Show Notes:‬

‭ 00:00 Welcome Back Eli & The Current Pulse on Search‬

‭ 00:53 Marketing Layoffs & Volatility in SEO‬

‭ 02:31 Why SEO Struggles to Defend Its Value‬

‭ 05:49 AI Search vs Traditional SEO — What Actually Changes?‬

‭ 07:58 Are We Just Rebranding SEO?‬

‭ 09:27 Visibility, Links & Human-Like Search Engines‬

‭ 12:50 The Problem With “AI SEO” Hype‬

‭ 14:45 Why Edge Case SEO Will Die Fast‬

‭ 18:19 Why “Technical SEO” Isn’t a Moat Anymore‬

‭ 22:06 The AI Content Misstep: Spam at Scale‬

‭ 24:27 The New SEO: Blending Human + AI + Product‬

‭ 28:11 Your Product Has to Be Good Now — Period‬

‭ 29:20 Revisiting the Book: What Eli Would Update‬

‭ 30:20 The Spicy Take: Most Companies Shouldn’t Do SEO‬

‭ 35:03 How to Evaluate if SEO is Right for You‬

‭ 38:45 The “Tax Preparer” Problem With Agencies‬

‭ 41:06 If You’ve Fired 3 SEO Agencies… It’s You‬

‭ 43:20 The SEO Funnel Needs the Right Org Buy-In‬

‭ 46:01 Growth & Product Titles Are the Key‬

‭ 47:28 The Sales Enablement Side of SEO‬

‭ 50:30 Content Strategy vs Keyword Volume Obsession‬

‭ 51:40 The Non-Apocalypse of AI‬

‭ 55:04 The Real AI Shift Will Be Gradual‬

‭ 56:01 How to Actually Execute Product SEO‬

‭ 59:49 Final Thoughts & Where to Follow Eli‬

‭

Show Links:‬

Eli’s Newsletter:‬‭ https://www.productledseo.com/‬

Eli’s Book on Amazon:‬‭ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091D572ZL‬

Eli on LinkedIn:‬‭ https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwartze‬

‭

Yes, You Do Need a Bing Strategy w/ Botify’s AJ Ghergich

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 1 Apr 2025 05:36:15 +0000

‬Ross sits down with A.J. Ghergich, VP of Consulting Services at Botify, to unpack enterprise‬ SEO, AI governance, and why SEOs absolutely need a Bing strategy in 2025.‬

‭ A.J. shares the story of how he landed the rare @SEO Twitter handle and what it’s meant for‬‭ his visibility in the industry. They dive into findings from Botify’s latest AI survey, highlighting‬ the disconnect between perceived AI readiness and real-world implementation challenges.‬

‭From AI hallucinations and live retrieval limitations to crawl budgets and indexation at scale,‬ this conversation is packed with tactical insights.

A.J. also drops a hot take on Bing,‬ explaining why it's now critical for AI visibility—especially in the age of ChatGPT and live‬ search integration.‬

‭They also explore practical steps marketers can take to better control their brand‬ messaging in AI outputs, and why technical SEO still reigns supreme at the enterprise level.‬

‭ Show Notes:‬

‭ 00:00 – Intro & AJ’s @SEO Twitter Handle Story‬

‭ 02:00 – The Early Twitter Beta and Getting the Handle‬

‭ 04:00 – Value from the @SEO Handle & the Power of Network‬

‭ 06:00 – Botify's AI Survey: 94% Claim AI Readiness?‬

‭ 08:00 – What AI Readiness Really Looks Like‬

‭ 10:00 – Why Governance is the Missing Piece‬

‭ 13:00 – Content Hallucinations, Training Data, and eCommerce Pitfalls‬

‭ 16:30 – Centralizing Brand Messaging for AI‬

‭ 19:00 – Enterprise SEO: Hidden Challenges at Scale‬

‭ 22:00 – Indexation Gaps in Enterprise Sites‬

‭ 24:30 – Crawl Budget, Canonicals & Technical SEO Realities‬

‭ 27:00 – Freshness & Product Page Recency = Revenue‬

‭ 30:00 – AI Overviews, CTR Drops, and the Future of Search‬

‭ 33:00 – Ghost Clicks & Attribution in an AI-Driven World‬

‭ 36:00 – Preparing for Bot-to-Bot Web Traﬃc‬

‭ 39:00 – Are You Ready for ChatGPT Traﬃc?‬

‭ 41:00 – Why You‬‭ Need‬‭ a Bing Strategy in 2025‬

‭ 43:00 – How to Push Content into Bing (and ChatGPT) with IndexNow‬

‭ 44:30 – AJ’s Hot Take: Optimize for Humans‬‭ and‬‭ AIs‬

‭ 45:00 – Where to Connect with AJ‬

‭ Show Links:‬

‭ AJ on Twitter:‬‭ https://twitter.com/SEO‬‭ Botify AI Survey:‬

‭ https://www.botify.com/blog/marketing-leaders-want-to-meet-ai-search-head-on-new-surve‬y-results‬

‭ How Many People Search on Google?:‬

‭ https://sparktoro.com/blog/new-research-how-often-do-americans-search-google-which-se‬arch-verticals-do-they-use‬

‭ IndexNow:‬‭ https://www.bing.com/indexnow‬

Could This Could Replace Domain Authority? w/ Dr. Pete

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 15:45:13 +0000

Ross sits down with Dr. Pete Meyers of Moz to discuss the ever-changing landscape of SEO, the impact of AI overviews, and how Moz is adapting to a rapidly evolving industry.

They dive into the challenges of innovation in a competitive space, the role of brand authority versus domain authority, and the data-driven future of search marketing. Plus, Dr. Pete shares insights on Moz’s latest tools and the future of tracking Google’s updates.

If you’re in the SEO world, this episode is packed with valuable insights you won’t want to miss.

Show Notes:

00:00 Introduction & Welcome

01:04 Moz’s Position in a Competitive SEO Landscape

02:52 AI Overviews & the Future of SERPs

07:06 MozCast & Google Update Tracking

12:53 The Role of Brand Authority in SEO

19:09 How SEO Has Shifted Over the Years

24:15 Keyword Research & New Moz Tools

30:56 The Decline of Blog Comments & Online Community Shifts

36:41 SEO Data & Attribution Challenges

41:26 What’s Next for Moz?

Resources & Links:

Brand Authority vs Domain Authority during a recent update: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/thcapper_i-had-a-theory-from-the-google-leaks-the-activity-7237411717947817985-Nz4V/

Introducing Brand Authority: https://moz.com/blog/introducing-brand-authority

Google’s Update History:https://moz.com/google-algorithm-change

MozCast:https://moz.com/mozcast

MozCon’s on the road in 2025: https://moz.com/blog/mozcon-on-the-road-2025

Dr. Pete on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drpete/

Subscribe today for weekly tips: https://bit.ly/3dBM61f

Inside Ahrefs’ $100M Growth: Tim Soulo on SEO, Content, and Social

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 07:00:00 +0000

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

Traffic Down, Revenue Up: A Conversation w/ Rand Fishkin

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Ross welcomes back Rand Fishkin, co-founder of SparkToro and longtime marketing thought leader, for a candid conversation about the evolution of search, audience research, and the shifting tides of digital marketing.

Rand shares insights on why SEO’s golden age is behind us, why influence—not traffic—should be marketers’ primary focus, and how PR is making a major comeback.

He also discusses SparkToro’s growth, lessons from launching an indie video game company, and why understanding audience behavior is more critical than ever.

Show Notes: 00:00 Welcome Back, Rand!

01:10 Reflections on Lost and Founder

02:37 The importance of timing and market demand

06:48 Venture Capital and Market Trends

14:34 The Changing Reputation of SEO

19:27 AI, Search, and Zero-Click Results 28:58 Influence Over Traffic

38:46 How to Prioritize Marketing Channels

43:42 The Rise of Digital PR

49:51 The Future of Search and Content

Show Links:
SparkToro https://sparktoro.com/blog/traffic-is-down-revenue-is-up/

SparkTogether 2025 https://sparktoro.com/sparktogether

Rand’s Blog “Traffic Is Down; Revenue Is… Up?" https://sparktoro.com/

Is Marketing the Wrong Home for SEO? w/ Ex-RetailMeNot, Angi Lead

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 4 Mar 2025 13:00:00 +0000

How do you build SEO strategies that mesh seamlessly with product teams?

Ross Hudgens chats with Sharanya Srinivasan, Head of SEO, Product at Boatsetter, about combining strong user experience, savvy engineering partnerships, and growth-focused tactics.

Learn how Sharanya’s approach to A/B testing, internal links, and UX research can help you unlock new levels of organic traffic, no matter how your team is structured.

Show Notes:

0:00 Background & Why Product Matters
02:47 Landing in Product-Focused Roles
07:43 Top of Funnel vs. Bottom of Funnel
11:01 A Typical Day in a Product-Led SEO Role
16:40 Technical vs. Product Manager SEO
21:47 Should SEO Sit in Marketing or Product?
26:32 UX & User Research Resources
30:47 A/B Testing for Better User Journeys
39:37 Tools & Tactics for SEO A/B Testing

Show Links:

Breaking SEO News: Barry Schwartz on the Biggest Stories & Trends

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 16:40:39 +0000

In this episode of Content and Conversation, host Ross Hudgens sits down with Barry Schwartz, President of RustyBrick and a leading voice in SEO.

Barry shares his insights into the latest Google algorithm updates, the future of search rankings, and how businesses can adapt their SEO strategies in 2025 and beyond. Tune in for expert analysis, actionable advice, and a clear take on the state of search marketing.

Show Notes:

00:00 Introduction

01:03 What’s the best story you have from a webmaster contacting you about their SEO situation?

05:44 What’s the biggest ever news story you’ve had on SE Roundtable in terms of visits? Why?

07:59 How do SEOs most use your website?

14:11 What’s your take on the current state of SEO news given the acquisition of Search Engine Land by Semrush?

18:37 What’s your take on what SEO looks like in five years?

29:53 What is your philosophy of how people should treat Google updates?

33:08 How do you edit your content today?

Show Links:

Search Engine Roundtable’s most popular article ever: https://www.seroundtable.com/boyfriend-spammed-12909.html
21st anniversary post: https://www.seroundtable.com/21-years-old-38395.html
AIO clickthrough data from Glenn Gabe: https://www.gsqi.com/marketing-blog/how-to-track-aio-performance-gsc-manual-action/
Feedly RSS feeder: https://feedly.com/

Every SEO Should Be Doing This Today w/ Wil Reynolds

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 07:11:47 +0000

In this episode, Ross and guest Wil Reynolds, VP Innovation, SEER, discuss the future of search, AI-driven automation, and why organic social is becoming more important than ever.

Wil shares bold insights on how agencies must adapt, the power of thought leadership over traditional content marketing, and the evolving landscape of SEO. Plus, they cover why collaboration beats competition in today’s digital world.

Show Notes:

00:00 Welcome Wil Reynolds, VP Innovation, SEER

01:36 Collaboration Over Competition

04:04 The Rise of Organic Social vs. Traditional SEO

10:53 Content Marketing vs. Journalism

15:17 AI, Automation & the Future of Marketing

28:22 The Changing Role of Link Building

38:14 The Urgency to Adapt: AI’s Impact on Agencies

46:36 Final Thoughts & Where to Find Wil

Show Links:

Wil at Seer: https://www.seerinteractive.com/wil-reynolds
Will on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wilreynolds/
Wil on X: https://x.com/wilreynolds
Wil on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/wilreynolds

Cyrus Shepard Disavowed His Entire Site: Here’s What Happened

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 4 Feb 2025 17:18:06 +0000

Join Ross as he sits down with SEO expert Cyrus Shepard to explore why brand building has become essential in today’s search landscape.

Cyrus shares what happened when he disavowed every inbound link on his site, why Google seems to reward authenticity over traditional SEO tactics, and how focusing on experience and trust can give you the edge in the ever‐changing SERPs.

Show Notes:

00:00 Welcome Cyrus and brand swag

01:10 The Bold Move: Disavowing Every Inbound Link

02:00 Aftermath: Results of the Disavow Experiment

06:17 When the Disavow Tool Still Matters

08:44 Contrarian Takes & Being ‘Right’ in SEO

09:43 Why Google Wants Real People

14:21 SERP History & Competitive Analysis

20:00 Over‐Optimizing vs. Brand Building

Show Links:

How Sam Parr Mastered Copywriting for a $27M Exit

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 17:39:07 +0000

In the latest episode of Content and Conversation, Sam Parr, founder of The Hustle and host of My First Million, joins Ross to discuss the art and science of great copywriting, building viral content, and scaling content-driven businesses.

Sam shares actionable insights into hiring creative talent, writing headlines that convert, and why simplicity is the ultimate sophistication in copywriting.

Show Notes:

00:00 Sam Parr’s journey in copywriting and content creation

01:03 Combining Silicon Valley innovation with internet marketing

02:45 The Hustle’s Newsletter Success

06:12 Hiring Creative Talent

10:50 The Power of Copy Work

16:00 Writing Headlines That Sell

29:05 Simplicity in Writing

35:00 AI for Copywriters

44:10 Sam’s Favorite Copywriting Resources

How Dave Gerhardt Built a B2B Audience of 200,000+

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 08:00:00 +0000

We speak with Dave Gerhardt, founder of Exit Five, who reveals how to build a standout B2B marketing community. He breaks down the impact of AI on SEO and content, his no-nonsense approach to LinkedIn content, podcasting as a content strategy, and why Exit Five moved from Facebook to Circle. It’s a sharp look at staying agile and authentic in modern marketing.

Show Notes:

0:00 Introduction to Dave Gerhardt and Marketing Insights

2:35 The Role of SEO in Modern Marketing

5:10 Content Creation and Personal Workflow

11:14 Building a Community Around Marketing

24:28 Authenticity in LinkedIn Posting

29:00 Podcasting as a Content Strategy

38:43 Building a Paid Community Experience

43:05 The Impact of AI on SEO and Content

47:11 Evolving SEO Roles and Future Strategies

Show Links:

#seo | #contentmarketing

How to Rank on AI Search Engines with Michael Buckbee

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 18:46:39 +0000

We speak with Michael Buckbee, the innovator behind Knowatoa, a tool transforming SEO for AI search services.

We discuss strategies for ranking on AI-Powered search engines and how Knowatoa enhances rank tracking on platforms like ChatGPT, helping marketers analyze keywords and search intent in this new landscape.

We focus on aligning content with user intent while stressing the need for a robust domain authority strategy. We also highlight how social media presence and reputation management contribute to AI optimization. To thrive in the dynamic digital landscape, we advise marketers to continuously adapt their SEO approaches.

Show Notes:

0:00 Introduction to Michael Buckbee

3:28 Understanding AI Search Rankings

5:52 Strategies for Influencing AI Search Results

7:28 The Future of SEO with AI

13:12 Exploring AI Search Evolution

16:25 The COPE Content Strategy

19:32 Navigating AI Search Services

23:09 The Role of Digital PR

40:03 The Future of AI and SEO Integration

42:48 Conclusion and Next Steps

Show Links:

Knowatoa: https://knowatoa.com/

Michael Buckbee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbuckbee/

Follow Ross on X: https://twitter.com/RossHudgens

Subscribe today for weekly tips: https://bit.ly/3dBM61f

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Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kiaFGXO5UcT2qXVRuXjsM

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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

#seopodcast | #contentmarketing

#seo | #contentmarketing

How Brian Dean Sold Two SEO Businesses

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 07:00:00 +0000

We’re joined by Brian Dean, co-founder of Exploding Topics, as he shares his journey of transitioning from SEO education to trend-spotting innovation.

We dive into the creation of Exploding Topics, exploring its origins as a side project, the collaboration with fellow entrepreneurs, and the strategic enhancements that shaped it into a successful SaaS platform.

Brian discusses the importance of addressing customer needs, navigating the acquisition process with SEMrush, and reflects on the evolving landscape of SEO and search in the age of AI. He also candidly shares the psychological adjustments entrepreneurs face post-acquisition and offers insights into maintaining momentum in their careers.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro and Welcome to Brian

1:17 The Origin of Exploding Topics

9:12 Transitioning to SaaS Model

11:13 The Journey to Selling

16:29 Buyer Relationships Matter

18:37 Reflections on SaaS Success

22:36 Finding the Right Co-Founder

27:18 Thoughts on the Future of Search

30:55 Life After Acquisition

Show Links:

#seo | #contentmarketing

Mastering Content Strategy During Election Season with Emily Campbell-Snidal

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Mon, 7 Oct 2024 14:39:37 +0000

This week on Content & Conversation, Ross and Emily Campbell-Snidal, VP of Content Marketing at Siege Media, explore how brands can craft effective content strategies during election season.

Show Notes:

0:00 Election Strategies and Content Creation
2:48 Rethinking Content Calendars
4:37 Leveraging Current Events for Engagement
7:21 Updating Existing Content for Relevance
10:04 Navigating Political Topics with Neutrality
12:57 Long-Term Strategy Amidst Short-Term Events

Show Links:

The Future of SEO w/ Clearscope's Bernard Huang

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:00 - Intro
00:40 - Clearscope and the future of SEO
13:08 - What are language models actually good for?
29:10 - Using the data to guide strategy
39:00 - Discussing Reddit and SERPs
49:00 - Is there optimism for the future?

Lessons from 70 SaaS Content Interviews w/ Jimmy Daly

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:09: Welcome, Jimmy Daly, Co-Founder and CEO of Superpath
03:30: What does high-performance SaaS content look like?
06:48: The importance of knowing your product (Fresh Paint)
10:24: Outstanding content in SaaS
11:16: The advantages of compiling your own data
13:03: Jimmy’s Your Blog Is a Library Not a Publication
21:31: The three best content marketing approaches
24:33: The balance between publishing frequency and SEO
30:19: Missed traits of high-performing freelance writers
37:54: Final tips, tricks, and tactics

Programmatic SEO w/ Zapier’s Former Lead SEO

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 18:09:56 +0000

Show Notes:

00:05: Welcome, Matt Bowers, SEO Consultant (Zapier and Zillow Alum)
11:01: Indexation is becoming more challenging. Should a new startup consider programmatic?
01:12: Do you believe there’s a minimum threshold of unique content that a programmatic page should have to be successful?
11:01: Indexation is becoming more challenging. Should a new startup consider programmatic?
20:04: Certain SERPs may not display programmatic page types. Do you think this reflects on the potential success of programmatic approaches?
22:44: What does an ideal programmatic deployment strategy look like?
26:34: What are the common mistakes in implementing programmatic?
34:04: How do you conduct keyword research for long-tail keywords, when keyword tools often show “no data” or “zero” for them?
38:14: What are your thoughts on using AI for those pages versus having a human in the loop?
44:30: Can you share any great examples of successful programmatic SEO?
45:39: Final tips, tricks, and insights from Matt Bowers
48:20: How to connect with Matt Bowers

Product-Led Digital PR: A Critical Strategy for 2025

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 9 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:00 - Introduction
00:45 - What is Product-Led Digital PR?
4:30 - Why you should choose Product-Led Digital PR
6:37 - A case study with encouraging results
8:30 - Putting your data to work
10:00 - Running surveys
13:00 - How do you make surveys effective?
16:00 - What the future looks like
18:00 - Final Thoughts

Google’s Algo Leak, AI Overviews & Hreflang’s Future

ross@siegemedia.com (Ross Hudgens, Jesse McDonald) — Tue, 4 Jun 2024 15:53:55 +0000

Show Notes:

00:08: Welcome, Jesse McDonald, Senior Director of SEO at Siege Media
00:41: Mike King’s analysis of Google Search’s leaked internal engineering documentation (Read more)
02:15: Overall site authority score
03:05: The impact of clicks on rankings
04:09: Defining Domain Authority
04:49: “Font Size of Terms and Links Matters”
05:26: The “small personal site” specification
08:03: Authors as an explicit ranking feature
09:13: Validity and effectiveness of the disavow tool
10:27: AI Overviews: Initial observations (Read more)
14:25: The traffic impact of AI Overviews by Kevin Indig (Read more)
16:58: The future of hreflang (Read more)
23:17: Why Google is cracking down on “parasite SEO” (Read more)
30:10: Final wrap-up, thoughts, and SEO tips

Show Links:

The Optimal In-House Team Structure

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Thu, 2 May 2024 15:19:09 +0000

Show Notes:

0:24: Exploring the optional internal team structure for content marketing
1:18: Why in-house Content Marketing Managers are the most effective
2:59: The role of SEO Managers in driving success (ideally)
4:03: The pitfalls of outsourcing and its impact on quality and bandwidth
5:19: The importance of consistency in brand voice and tone with freelancers
6:50: Ross’ perfect in-house team structure
9:02: The pros and cons of Founder/CEO involvement
11:58: How to navigate the challenges of in-house SEO management
13:35: Closing insights

Show Links

Content Marketing Trends for 2024

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Thu, 7 Mar 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:00 - Introduction
1:02 - Despite slightly smaller budgets, businesses remain committed to content marketing
2:47: Reports indicate higher success rate for those who invest more per asset
3:24: What we're currently seeing in AI's impact, AI usage up YOY
5:25: Is AI helping or hurting your content?
7:29: Where AI is making the most significant impact
8:46: Unpacking the decline the link building and its implications
10:32: The rise of organic link building
11:42: Interactive content use surges
13:07: Is AI and code development practical?
14:51: Businesses biggest challenge — lead generation

Show Links

The Future of SEO Jobs w/ Nick LeRoy

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:00 - Introduction
01:15 - The SEO Job Market
4:30 - Should we be scared of SGE and AI?
08:00 - Changes in the SEO industry
14:50 - What does the future look like?
16:48 - Thoughts on SGE
20:47 - Would you change anything about your career?
25:00 - How to future proof your job
28:20 - Technical SEOs vs Content SEOs
36:13 - Final Thoughts

Show Links:

How To (Actually) Get SEO Projects Accomplished With Tory Gray

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 9 Jan 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:00: Introduction
01:53: Understanding why problems in SEO occur
07:55: Being a T-shaped marketer
09:10: Ross shares a recent client case study
10:50: Tory shares a recent client case study
13:28: Having critical conversations with clients
15:45: Thematic issues that prevent SEO work
19:54: Useful tips for getting SEO projects done
24:20: Client communication philosophies
27:20: Final thoughts on Ross' Linkedin post
33:43: Conclusion

Show Links:

All-in on Organic Links: Lessons 18 Months Later

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 14:09:49 +0000

Show Notes:

00:00: Introduction
00:57: Lessons from BrightonSEO
02:20: Strategies for Link Relevancy
04:00: Lessons from Less Manual Link Building
10:20: How Do Brand and EEAT Signals Impact Links
15:45: Summing It All Up
18:36: Outro

Show Links:

How To Do Winning Keyword Research For 2024

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media) — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 17:29:39 +0000

Show Notes:

00:00: Introduction
02:09: Intro to the sheet
3:00: Keyword Research process
4:50: Keyword Difficulty
5:20: Relevancy Score
6:30: Ranking Page URL
9:27: Links
11:45: Page Traffic and Traffic Value
13:05: KOB Score
15:00: SERP Features and Keyword Demand Trends
16:40: Word Count
17:48: Refresh Frequency
19:17: Revised KOB score
20:25: Categorize and Funnel Stage
22:08: Conclusion

Show Links:

Insights From 4 Content Marketing Tests

ross@siegemedia.com (Drew Page, Siege Media, Ross Hudgens) — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:17: Above the fold best practices
3:46: Siege Media’s sticky navigation case study
6:47: The impact of font size on conversion rate
10:46: The power of updating content

Show Links:

The Best X Strategies for Executing BOFU Content

ross@siegemedia.com (Ross Hudgens, Siege Media, Drew Page) — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 16:35:43 +0000

Show Notes:

00:30: BOFU benefits in SaaS
00:55: Why “Best X” roundups are necessary
2:45: BOFU content best practices
5:41: How to counter legal ramifications
7:21: The importance of updates
9:01: Alternative and “vs” page strategies
11:09: When landing pages make sense
12:14: How internal linking fits in
12:14: HubSpot example
14:05: PandaDoc example
15:38: Addressing the fear of retaliation
17:06: Executing BOFU as a brand new website

Show Links:

Why Most People Are Doing Digital PR Wrong

ross@siegemedia.com (Ross Hudgens, Siege Media, Drew Page) — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 16:24:37 +0000

Show Notes:

00:23: Does digital PR have enough value per link?
4:35: How to execute link building effectively
6:40: Breaking down the value of links by industry
7:29: Off-brand digital PR — the “Principal—Agent” problem
9:59: Deploying digital PR campaigns 1-4x a year
11:50: Why keyword-driven digital PR makes the most impact
13:08: How to fuel internal linking across your site
14:29: Digital PR best practices, the fundamentals
15:49: Final tips, tricks, and tactics/li>

Show Links:

What Is E-E-A-T? And How to Optimize For It

ross@siegemedia.com (Clearscope, Ross Hudgens, Siege Media, Bernard Huang) — Fri, 2 Jun 2023 14:20:45 +0000

Show Notes:

00:08: Welcome, Bernard Huang, Co-founder of Clearscope
00:35: E-E-A-T’s background and evolution
4:00: Common E-E-A-T misapplications by SEOs
13:21: The value of a simple photoshoot
18:27: Modern SEO necessities vs. technical SEO
27:32: How to optimize every pixel on your site

Show Links:

Google I/O SEO Changes: What You Need To Know

ross@siegemedia.com (Ross Hudgens, Drew Page, Siege Media) — Tue, 16 May 2023 18:39:04 +0000

Show Notes:

00:10: The core SEO changes at Google I/O
2:14: Health and finance topics will not be affected (so far)
3:08: Watermarking for generative content creators
4:51: New layouts in Google SERP
6:12: New impact on affiliate website
7:43: Query complexity and how it influences content choice
8:30: Google’s incentives for content and websites continues
10:30: RLHF, “Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback
13:42: Visual design importance
18:06: How to increase efficiency in SEO with AI
21:02: Visual design importance, continued
21:47: Why complex queries are the best defense
22:22: How to stay on top of optimization as AI evolves
24:57: Final tips, tactics, and tricks

Show Links:

Recession-Proof Content Marketing w/ Bernard Huang

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media, Ross Hudgens, Clearscope, Bernard Huang) — Tue, 2 May 2023 15:08:31 +0000

Show Notes:

00:07: Welcome, Bernard Huang, Co-founder of Clearscope
00:30: How to recession-proof content marketing
5:05: Why exploring bottom-funnel topics are key
7:32: Attributing content to revenue, lead generation
11:57: Update content more
14:41: Repurpose content more
18:09: Using keyword rankings to prove success
19:05: Search demand’s decline and ChatGPT
22:36: The revolution of language models and unique data
30:10: Final tips, tactics, and tricks for recession-proof content marketing

Show Links:

Made In CEO Chip Malt: Building SEO Strategies From the Ground Up

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 15:39:51 +0000

Show Notes:

00:08: Welcome, Chip Malt, CEO of Made In
00:35: The details of Made In’s content strategy
4:33: How do you quantify the worth of your assets?
7:10: Why Chip pursued education and research first
7:50: How long did it take to feel traction from your SEO investment?
13:48: Made In’s content and A/B tests
10:02: The evolution of Made In’s blog design
19:05: How to incorporate shopping experiences into content
22:00: Using email for content distribution
25:05: How Made In used original photography to their advantage
27:22: Does AI have a place in Made In’s content development?
30:19: What’s next for Made In?
31:40: The structure of Made In’s content team
34:44: How Made In sets goals
38:15: Chip’s cooking tips

Show Links:

Higher Volume, Higher Stakes w/ Ryan Darani

ross@siegemedia.com (Ryan Darani, Ross Hudgens, Siege Media) — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 15:58:31 +0000

Show Notes:

00:13: Welcome, Ryan Darani, SEO Consultant for DTC Health and Wellness brands
1:36: How much content should you publish to be effective with SEO?
2:59: Content freshness and its impact on rankings
5:20: What’s the counterargument to Monday.com’s case study?
8:24: The negative effect of high volume, low quality content
11:33: The importance of updating content
12:31: When to execute low volume, high quality vs. low (or mid) quality, high volume?
19:49: When is high quality, low volume the wrong approach?
22:19: How does AI impact the potential for high volume content?
32:27: Final tips, tactics, and tools from Ryan.

Show Links:

Growing a Marketplace to 100k Visits/mo: Captain Experiences’ CEO Jonathan Newar

Thu, 6 Apr 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:08: Welcome, Jonathan Newar, CEO of Captain Experiences
2:08: What’s the biggest fish you’ve ever caught?
3:48: SEO’s role in the initial stages of Captain Experiences
10:13: How Captain Experiences thinks through “Guide” pages
12:50: How to present a growth story to investors with SEO
16:32: Captain Experience’s marketing and SEO team structure
20:30: The biggest SEO KPIs for Captain Experiences
21:28: The difference between long-term SEO and PPC
23:43: How Captain Experiences plans to expand their markets
26:30: Jonathan’s insights on growth and SEO

Show Links:

The 2023 Content Marketing Trends Report w/ Bernard Huang

ross@siegemedia.com (Clearscope, Siege Media, Bernard Huang, Ross Hudgens) — Mon, 6 Mar 2023 14:37:02 +0000

Show Notes:

1:33: Currently, those that *don't* use AI report higher performance on average. That said, company usage has gone up 12% this year.
6:45: How AI is changing content optimization and SERPs over time.
16:00: The future of Google’s Helpful Content update.
23:23: Businesses that incorporate link building into their strategy report a 45% higher success rate than those that don't.
29:09: The average content design investment is 1-10%. That said, those who allocate 10-50% of their budget to content design report better results on average.
34:00: Only 36.1% of businesses report creating interactive content as part of their content strategy, and only 5.3% report using video. The pros and cons of different content medium investments.
38:28: How to best use video strategically in your content strategy (B2B vs. B2C).
45:24: 64% of B2B businesses currently execute link building in their content marketing efforts versus 36% in B2C. AI tool usage is more prevalent in B2B, where 62% report planning to use the tools with only 38% in B2C.
49:55: Shockingly, most report that their content budgets will *not* go down in 2023, with over half reporting an increase.

Show Links:

Download the Report

The Role of AI Content w/ Lily Ray

ross@siegemedia.com (Ross Hudgens, Lily Ray, Siege Media) — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:09: Welcome, Lily Ray, Senior Director, SEO & Head of Organic Research at Amsive Digital
00:41: Breaking down Bing’s AI integration and Google’s AI announcement
2:23: Lily’s take on the future of AI integration and SEO
10:36: The competition between Google and ChatGPT
13:06: How to incorporate AI content generation into your strategy
16:41: Best use cases for AI content tools
20:38: AI content tools for enterprise vs. small businesses
22:42: Why the case studies of AI content generation success are problematic
28:42: Lily’s clients and their stance on AI content tools
32:55: How will AI content generation evolve from here?
36:35: Where to find Lily Ray

Show Links:

Growing Greatist to 50M Visitors w/ Derek Flanzraich

Fri, 6 Jan 2023 13:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:07: Welcome, Derek Flazraich, CEO of Ness
1:55: How Derek’s former company, Greatist was born
3:33: How Greatist scaled to 50 million visitors per month
6:02: Why establishing the correct tone for your audience is key
13:18: Greatist’s success in mentioned outreach
19:38: How Pinterest contributed to Greatist’s success
22:07: Biggest strategy lessons from Greatist to Ness
26:51: How to increase your content engagement via email
30:49: Using social media for content distribution, “the individual more than the brand”
37:37: What type of voice is ideal for Health & Wellness today?
42:10: Biggest content lessons from Greatist to Ness
45:46: Why a variety of platforms are necessary for SEO
48:24: Ness’ three most impactful channels
50:37: Is there an equivalent to Pinterest today?
53:59: How to repurpose your content across multiple channels
56:25: Derek’s unique leadership style and culture at Ness
1:02:14: Ness’ team structure
1:05:16: Final tips, tricks, and tactics from Derek

Show Links:

Animalz Former CEO Devin Bramhall: Lack of Creativity in Content Marketing

ross@siegemedia.com (Devin Bramhall, Animalz, Siege Media, Ross Hudgens) — Tue, 6 Dec 2022 16:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

1:52: What led you to step down as CEO of Animalz?
9:12: Devin’s thoughts on the direction of content marketing at Animalz and the future of the industry
14:57: How to not be confined by a “content marketing box” when implementing long-term strategies
18:13: What were some of the biggest strategic struggles you saw in the content world as a CEO?
24:12: How to balance the execution of creativity and SEO — “keep boring stuff boring”
30:29: How does AI fit into content marketing today?
40:47: How community can be a bigger part of content marketing
54:58: Devin’s experience executing community strategies at Animalz
56:52: What’s next for Devin Bramhall?

Show Links:

SEO M&A w/ Mike Yon

ross@siegemedia.com (Mike Yon, Clean Air Digital, Ross Hudgens, Siege Media) — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 17:18:16 +0000

Show Notes:

00:18: Welcome, Mike Yon, Founder of Clean Air Digital
00:56: Mike’s experience in SEO M&A
3:41: The current state of SEO M&A
7:21: What does digital real estate look like today?
11:19: Finding SEO acquisition targets — link value vs. ownership value
16:06: What is the best deal structure?
19:52: How to evaluate SEO assets in every industry
22:14: The value of sites with penalties and/or significant hits in traffic
24:52: Mike’s due diligence process when acquiring a site
37:38: Tools to compare valuations in your market
40:10: Where are the most popular marketplaces?
42:02: Due diligence process continued
45:10: How to make the acquisition process seamless
48:32: Best tools to make your deal run smoothly
50:30: What percentage do marketplace websites take
51:08: Mike’s final tips, tactics, and recommendations
53:02: How to get the maximum from your sale

Show Links:

Startup SEO During a Downturn w/ Eli Schwartz

ross@siegemedia.com (Eli Schwartz, Ross Hudgens, Siege Media) — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 16:32:32 +0000

Show Notes:

00:40: Welcome, Eli Schwartz, Growth Advisor and author of Product-Led SEO
1:42: How startups should think about SEO in a volatile environment
3:31: Why startups should not do SEO
7:17: Creating SEO ROI models for startups
12:56: Why links aren’t the end-all be-all
20:27: Learn from Eli’s SEO advisory toolset
27:52: When and when not to implement SEO strategy
30:22: Why differentiation in strategy is important
42:24: How to use traffic as a metric
44:32: Comparing SEO strategies: Amazon vs. Walmart
54:00: How to survey users from a search standpoint
58:01: Eli’s final tips, tactics, and recommendations

Show Links:

How To Scale From 0 to 200k Visits w/ Gaetano DiNardi

ross@siegemedia.com (Gaetano DiNardi, Siege Media, Ross Hudgens) — Tue, 1 Nov 2022 16:59:17 +0000

Show Notes:

00:07: Welcome, Gaetano DiNardi, Growth Advisor and Fractional VP
1:24: The relationship between SEO and Growth Marketing
2:05: How search can create demand
4:30: Is inbound marketing still relevant?
5:26: Determining the pace of content quantity (Aura case study)
8:29: How Gaetano convinced executives to invest in content
10:43: The ideal freelance team structure
15:38: Why promising too much content is problematic
17:38: Ranking expectations, how to prioritize content
20:52: Aura’s unique content strategy, how to identify winning topics
23:34: Topic research — how to uncover business potential
29:24: How video makes an impact and how to budget for it
39:39: Examples of “Pain Point SEO”
45:35: How to think about link building within a startup
54:40: Gaetano’s final tips, tactics, and recommendations

Show Links:

The Biggest Threat to SEO w/ AJ Kohn

ross@siegemedia.com (AJ Kohn, Blind Five Year Old, Siege Media, Ross Hudgens) — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 16:39:16 +0000

Show Notes:

00:10: Welcome, AJ Kohn, Founder, Blind Five Year Old
00:42: The current threat to SEO
5:33: What’s causing hesitation towards SEO?
7:30: SEO measurement and A/B testing
9:25: Data-informed vs. data-driven culture
15:38: Potential solutions for SEO resistance
19:35: How to quantify SEO impact for clients
28:03: The rapid growth of long-tail search
36:10: Google’s featured snippets, good or bad for SEO?
40:02: AJ’s seoClarity review
42:10: What AJ learned in 2022

Show Links:

How LawnStarter Cut Grass to $2M in Traffic Value

ross@siegemedia.com (Ryan Farley, LawnStarter, Siege Media, Ross Hudgens) — Thu, 6 Oct 2022 15:20:20 +0000

Show Notes:

00:12: Welcome, Ryan Farley, Co-Founder and CMO, LawnStarter
00:40: Was SEO a primary focus for LawnStarter from the get-go?
3:06: How LawnStarter developed an SEO foundation during Series A
4:10: What SEO metrics key stakeholders care about
6:10: Competing with local pack vs. national-local companies
10:30: The content hub strategy (ex. LawnStarter’s pricing guides)
16:55: Have you considered expanding your brand?
18:23: LawnStarter’s model for SEO opportunity
21:54: How to approach hiring for content and SEO
24:52: The 40/40/20 ratio
26:57: How LawnStarter thinks about ranking success long-term
36:38: What keeps Ryan up at night in regards to SEO?

Show Links:

Enterprise Real Estate SEO w/ Kristan Bauer

ross@siegemedia.com (Kristan Bauer, Siege Media, Ross Hudgens) — Mon, 3 Oct 2022 13:07:03 +0000

Show Notes:

00:10: Welcome, Kristan Bauer, Founder and SEO Consultant, Conifr
00:41: Navigating low-percentage branded traffic
7:32: The benefits of a localized site architecture
9:37: Is duplicate content bad for real estate?
13:39: AI-generated content’s role in real estate SEO
15:45: How to guide client’s on link acquisition
18:00: The ideal in-house team structure
20:10: Traffic vs. lead conversion SEO (Movato)
25:29: Go-to SEO strategies for enterprise real estate companies
30:40: Localized keyword optimization
33:09: Final tips, tactics, and recommended tools (Botify, seoClarity)
39:14: Kristan’s predictions for the future of real estate and SEO

Show Links:

Scalable E-commerce Content SEO w/ Aleyda Solís

ross@siegemedia.com (Aleyda Solís, Ross Hudgens, Siege Media) — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 11:25:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:13: Welcome, Aleyda Solís, International SEO Consultant, Orainti
1:06: E-commerce category pages best practices
7:18: Companies that do category pages well (JB HI-FI)
11:21: How to optimize product pages
14:42: Why human-first content is ideal
17:34: Companies that do product pages well (Manscaped)
19:24: Do accordions have SEO value?
22:55: AI tools for e-commerce category/product page content
26:01: How to keyword map effectively, Aleyda’s cheatsheet
30:56: Avoiding keyword cannibalization with different intent
34:28: Final tips, tactics, and recommended tools

Show Links:

Aleyda’s Presentation: E-commerce SEO Horror Stories
Follow Aleyda on Twitter
Follow Ross on Twitter
Send us an email

How To Get Executive Buy-in for SEO

ross@siegemedia.com (Loom, Nick Lafferty, Siege Media, Ross Hudgens) — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 16:08:10 +0000

Show Notes:

00:25: Welcome Nick Lafferty, Head of Growth Marketing at Loom
00:51: Important pre-executive pitch steps to ensure it’s received well
6:23: What to do in your first 30 days at an organization
9:27: How to execute a pitch to your executive team
12:14: Scale-back on projections, keep it realistic
15:01: How to deal with push back, unrealistic time expectations
17:29: Common mistakes when failing to get buy-in
20:12: How to execute after making the pitch
24:17: How to overcome obstacles within an organization
26:24: Is SEO education necessary pre-pitch?
29:00: Final tips, tactics, and recommendations
32:18: Using domain authority to give time expectations

Show Links:

Google’s Helpful Content Update: Predictions and Next Actions

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media, Ross Hudgens, Drew Page) — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 16:30:50 +0000

Show Notes:

00:39: What is the Google Helpful Content update?
1:40: What we think Google is trying to fix (Ross’ prediction)
7:00: Potential collateral damage, what to be aware of moving forward
10:01: How excessive word count plays a part
12:39: Create content that solves the problem, instead of just answering the query
14:10: Our overall recommendation with Google updates

Show Links:

Zero Volume Keywords w/ Abby Gleason

ross@siegemedia.com (Abby Reimer, Siege Media, Ross Hudgens) — Wed, 17 Aug 2022 13:09:27 +0000

Show Notes:

00:10: Welcome Abby Gleason, SEO Product Manager at Scribd
00:40: What does “zero volume” keywords mean? Why are they a good strategy?
2:22: Why zero volume keywords is creating a buzz
5:29: How do you find zero volume keywords that actually drive traffic?
8:26: Zero volume case study outcomes
9:15: Discovering zero volume keywords by industry
11:06: How to convince stakeholders of zero volume search topics
15:00: What type of investment makes sense for this strategy?
17:36: Zero volume case study outcomes
21:01: Low search volume can equal bottom funnel keywords<>/li>
24:33: Using competitors to your advantage and keyword frameworks
26:51: Is this strategy ineffective within B2C organizations with lower customer LTV?
29:23: The importance of quality over everything
32:25: Audience research vs. keyword research
33:56: Zero volume case study outcomes
37:27: What Abby is excited about in SEO and content marketing

Show Links:

SEO Strategies for International Expansion w/ Brodie Clark

ross@siegemedia.com (Brodie Clark, Ross Hudgens, Siege Media) — Wed, 3 Aug 2022 18:30:51 +0000

Show Notes:

00:10: Welcome, Brodie Clark, Melbourne-based SEO consultant
1:42: Brodie’s best strategies for expanding SEO Internationally
3:54: How much does existing equity “transfer” to international markets using hreflang (ex. /us/)?
5:37: Why automatic redirection isn’t a good idea
7:30: Expanding domains is a long-term game, link signals
9:54: Advice for sites that aren’t well-established
11:50: Is a link building strategy necessary?
17:05: The highest value links globally
20:27: What was the effect on Google Penguin in Australia?
26:00: Brodie’s SEO consulting playbook
33:45: Are audits necessary? Why choosing the right client matters
41:56: Tips for new SEO consultants

Show Links:

How TrustRadius Built $2M/mo in B2B Traffic Value

ross@siegemedia.com (Mark Barrera, TrustRadius, Siege Media, Ross Hudgens) — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 11:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:10: Welcome, Mark Barrera, Vice President of Audience and Review Generation at TrustRadius
00:44: How do you use SEO data to impact decisions at TrustRadius?
3:36: The impact of review generation on SEO
5:23: Duplicate content and how to create different experiences
9:39: Mark’s ideal SEO department
11:37: Measuring reviews, metrics vs. competitors
13:01: The typical SEO at TrustRadius
16:59: Tracking history — research boards and what they do
20:11: How is TrustRadius monetizing?
31:17: What performance tests work and which ones don’t
37:08: How Google algorithm updates affect decisions for TrustRadius
38:33: Mark’s view on link building, outreach
41:01: What’s new for TrustRadius?

Show Links:

The 50% Content Distribution Myth

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media, Ross Hudgens, Drew Page) — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 13:18:52 +0000

Show Notes:

00:15: What is the 50%+ of your time on distribution theory?
1:38: Why do we think this theory is wrong?
2:36: Spend more time on quality and optimization for search
3:24: The appropriate amount of time for distribution on average
4:11: Using Pareto’s Principle (80/20) to better balance efforts
5:34: What Archimedes’ Lever has taught us on content performance
7:54: How to best use your time on content and distribution
9:58: The difference between promoting content and promoting a business
11:42: Why KOB analysis is still a key factor
12:43: Is PPC a valid strategy for link building?
14:30: Summary

Show Links:

How To Double Traffic with Content Audits w/ Kelsey Jones

ross@siegemedia.com (Kelsey Jones, Ross Hudgens, Siege Media) — Wed, 6 Jul 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:12: Welcome, Kelsey Jones, Founder of Six Stories
00:34: Kelsey’s content audit philosophy
3:08: The best process for content audits
7:22: The necessary benchmarks for content audits
12:53: How much time do content audits take?
14:38: Kelsey’s digital tool set
16:17: How to adjust for keyword cannibalization
19:45: Kelsey’s 404 vs. redirect ideology
24:07: Are jump-to links for redirects necessary?
25:26: How to scope a content audit
27:33: Why content audits are an ongoing process
31:11: How often should you do content audits?
33:47: The benefits of “mini” content audits
35:58: How should you structure an auditing team?
41:08: What are common content audit mistakes you’ve seen?
45:18: The ideal point person for content changes
48:48: The value of checklists
50:50: Content audits and their impact

Show Links:

Search Intent Perspectives w/ Clearscope’s Bernard Huang

ross@siegemedia.com (Bernard Huang, Ross Hudgens, Siege Media) — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 16:19:50 +0000

Show Notes:

00:12: Welcome, Bernard Huang, Co-founder of Clearscope
1:19: Bernard’s unique NFT marketing strategy
7:44: The importance of “search perspectives,” predicting the evolution path of a SERP
15:04: Where search perspective applies
16:09: What Google’s “what people have also asked” tells us
17:21: Google’s business model — is UX or ad revenue the priority?
20:20: Solving for for individual sub-topics vs. topic clusters
25:01: Total keyword opportunity in one post, “ranch-style SEO”
28:45: Could any SEO write it? The significance of thought leadership
33:49: Don’t have counterarguments for the sake of it
37:16: Bernard’s “SERP similarity,” addressing the copycats of SEO
40:09: How often do SERPs change on average?
43:49: What are you excited about in the content space?

Show Links:

How Quality Grew Launch That to $86M in Traffic Value w/ David Palombo

ross@siegemedia.com (David Palombo, Siege Media, Ross Hudgens, Launch That) — Thu, 9 Jun 2022 14:31:02 +0000

Show Notes:

00:12: Welcome, David Palombo, President and COO of Launch That. Brands include: Asbestos.com, Retireguide.com, Drugwatch.com, Annuity.org, Consumernotice.org
1:39: Launch That’s content creation process with E-A-T in mind
5:53: Balancing high-quality content and scale for content creators
8:09: How to separate ownership, performance across team members
9:10: Procuring experts for content review
14:26: How to motivate link builders
17:52: The difficulty of generating links, shift towards passive links
18:27: The biggest motivators for content creators
20:53: Annuity.org’ link-building element, “Cite Us” and its benefits
23:14: Why authority is key for passive links
24:55: How Launch That uses feedback CTAs
30:07: What lift or data does “Cited Research Articles” show?
32:35: Breakdown of David’s team, what “lateral roles” means
36:09: The ideal process for writers
38:31: What is Launch That excited about?

Show Links:

Interactive Content: Everything You Need to Know

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media, Ross Hudgens, Drew Page) — Mon, 6 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:15: Why we recommend interactive content
1:31: What are the cons of interactive content?
2:16: If Google is building the same tools in the SERP, is it worth it?
3:44: How to think about the calculator itself, what to consider
4:25: Positive outcomes we've seen through passive link strategy
6:56: Other examples of interactive content
8:48: Why time to value is important
10:34: The repurposing codebase is beneficial
12:45: When content uses "calculator" without the calculator
13:45: How we think of bottom-funnel pages and calculators
15:30: Ideal structure for calculators
16:28: Final thoughts

Show Links:

Why We Stopped (Most) Manual Link Building After 1M+ Emails

ross@siegemedia.com (Ross Hudgens, Drew Page, Siege Media) — Wed, 1 Jun 2022 21:18:53 +0000

Show Notes:

00:44: Our transition from manual to passive link building strategy
2:45: Examples of passive link topics
3:23: How newer authority websites can execute
4:36: Hammer vs. power tool strategy
6:22: Passive link strategy = higher authority on average
7:28: The importance of internal linking
8:06: Interactive content, why high-quality content is necessary
8:54: Why the domain rating of passive link strategy skews higher
10:36: Pros vs. cons
12:14: How to achieve success, our process breakdown

Show Links:

What Good SEO Consulting Looks Like w/ Tom Critchlow

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media, Ross Hudgens, Tom Critchlow) — Mon, 16 May 2022 17:47:16 +0000

Show Notes:

00:12: Welcome back, Tom!
1:01: How to structure a good kickoff meeting
9:03: Separating great kickoff meetings vs. average ones
10:04: How many meetings are too many?
15:20: Report revenue to increase credibility
17:00: How to run meetings effectively
22:22: Is dedicated account management essential?
24:57: Defining the roles on your team to deal with clients
26:45: Favorite tips for writing emails
30:08: How to push back on clients — be empathetic
37:46: Reporting, how to make your client look good
40:29: Ghostwriting for clients
41:37: When to use decks vs. reports
42:04: How to educate your client and move the needle
45:23: Ross’ new wave of strategy for clients
49:32: Presentation best practices
54:10: When does upselling make sense
1:04:39: Learn more about Tom’s SEO MBA course

Show Links:

How IBM Generated $250M of Lifetime Traffic Value (LTTV)

ross@siegemedia.com (Ross Hudgens, Bryan Casey, Siege Media, IBM) — Mon, 4 Apr 2022 17:19:31 +0000

Show Notes:

00:39: Bryan’s original post on how IBM generated over $250M of lifetime traffic value (LTTV) in 2021
1:10: IBM’s “Inbound Workbook”
8:13: What processes have made the workbook successful?
10:41: What is the “diamond team model” and how has it helped SEO in larger organizations
16:45: IBM’s SEO team breakdown
21:46: The benefits of keyword frameworks
14:25: Why user stories are important
16:42: What is content engineering?
24:54: IBM’s attribution models
29:44: How to build an SEO movement at a large organization
33:20: The benefit of using keywords in addition to charts in internal reporting
40:23: Who do you invite to the internal Slack channel?
42:36: Bryan’s evolution of role and management best practices
45:19: How IBM uses internal blogging
51:54: The pros and cons of email communication
53:58: How long does it take to roll out a successful SEO program?
1:01:00: The effects of redirects for IBM, link building strategy

Show Links:

How To Train Content Marketers at Scale

ross@siegemedia.com (Drew Page, Elsie Weisskoff, Siege Media) — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 17:05:04 +0000

Show Notes:

00:17: Elsie’s roles and what it means for onboarding
00:37: What are some of the strategies we use to scale our training?
2:08: The benefits of open-source knowledge
3:28: Hiring in cohorts
4:00: The controversial “test” project
5:58: How to hire and train remote teams
7:01: The advantages of bringing in other managers, mentors early on
8:14: Ideal length of training period
8:57: Integrating new hires with clients
9:32: Are probation periods necessary?
10:39: How to apply training to different paces of learning
12:02: How often do we evolve/update our processes?
13:08: The importance of noting expectations
13:56: How to track performance of new hires, determine fit
15:59: As an applicant, learning about your company matters
17:36: What we’ve learned in training/onboarding after growth
20:55: SiegeLearn discount, use code "ELSIE25" (Limited quantities available)

Show Links:

Modern Enterprise SEO with Michael King

ross@siegemedia.com (Ross Hudgens, Siege Media, Michael King) — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 18:37:04 +0000

Show Notes:

0:39: What content strategy means at the enterprise level
3:02: How to navigate push back
4:58: Governance model examples
6:56: Quick wins vs. big build-outs
9:16: The importance of work-in-progress updates before major deliverables
12:38: Mike’s playbook for getting things done as an agency in an enterprise organization
14:25: Why user stories are important
16:42: What is content engineering?
21:19: How to model scope on a per post basis
22:41: Lessons after both working for and running an agency
28:18: Mike’s upcoming book on the science of SEO
30:40: What is something you don’t like about the SEO industry?
34:10: Why empathy is key at agencies
37:45: Mike's new beta rank tracking tool
40:08: What is something you do like about the SEO industry?

Show Links:

What’s Changing in Content and SEO in 2022 with John-Henry Scherck

ross@siegemedia.com (John-Henry Scherck, Ross Hudgens, Siege Media) — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 15:46:51 +0000

Show Notes:

00:10: Welcome, John-Henry Scherck, founder of Growth Plays
00:28: What’s evolving in SEO and content in 2022?
3:39: Technical SEO is a bargain, not a mandate
6:58: Do CMSes prevent technical SEO debt?
10:05: Utilitarian content vs. “engaging” content
11:29: Why low time to value and instant gratification is key for content
14:25: Taking a John Barrows approach (give and take vs. give)
15:20: Segmenting for audience type per content
17:53: Content hub and Learn Center design best practices
23:41: Is trend reporting necessary for investors?
28:49: The benefit of passive link acquisition via trending topics
31:40: How major reports affect rankability
36:15: How to move the needle in enterprise environments remotely
43:48: Implement imagery effectively
46:55: Units and content cost, mapping out the best ROI model
49:26: How to make valuable assets
53:41: What we can learn from SmartSheet
58:57: Tips, tools and tactics from John-Henry

Show Links:

How to Secure $1,000,000+ in SEO Budget with Tom Critchlow

ross@siegemedia.com (Ross Hudgens, Tom Critchlow, Siege Media) — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:12: Meet Tom Critchlow, Strategy Consultant, Founder of SEO MBA and former VP of Operations at Distilled
1:21: How to secure a substantial SEO budget
5:13: Tom’s contrarian take on how companies should invest in SEO
6:15: The secret behind organizational charts
7:42: Best metrics to use for proving ROI
10:46: Common mistakes in strategy presentations to the C-suite
13:43: The correlation between updating content and renewals
15:50: Why communicating ROI in annually is ideal
17:14: Tips for communicating link building ROI
20:50: How to calculate monthly link value
21:20: Revenue forecasts don’t always have to be right, here’s why
23:23: Ideal timelines for revenue conversations with the executive team
24:30: The value of email sign-up’s
26:47: How to navigate securing budgets in a difficult environment
31:08: How to build a better proposal for your client
34:01: How long should a pitch take for a big C-suite?
41:27: Why new Directors can be your key to funding
44:03: Lessons learned, why growth and excitement are more useful than you think
49:44: Impress with communication
53:43: How to express results when your client is already trending up
54:30: What’s next for Tom’s SEO MBA

Show Links:

Contrarian Content Marketing with SparkToro’s Amanda Natividad

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media, Drew Page, Amanda Natividad) — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:30: How Amanda built Fitbit’s B2B marketing strategy
2:27: Why putting effort in tools pays off, Fitbit’s “Challenge Idea Generator”
5:40: Amanda’s lessons and strategies as Head of Marketing at Growth Machine: SEO & Content Agency
8:48: How to build a successful podcast
10:48: “Influence the influencer strategy,” approaching guests that have a strong following (and get noticed)
12:49: Integrating personal branding with your company
13:28: What are the best KPIs for building inbound marketing and user acquisition?
15:09: Give users evergreen resources, SparkToro’s virtual event series, “Office Hours”
17:59: Understanding your audience
19:31: The benefits to implementing a contrarian content marketing strategy
20:29: How to expand your content to multiple platforms and formats
22:28: Learn from the “recap strategy,” solving your own problems first
22:49: How to leverage agencies to use your tool
24:55: The #1 converting piece of content for SparkToro, “Fake Follower Audit”
26:01: Learn more from Amanda after this podcast

Show Links:

What SEOs Can Learn from NerdWallet's S-1

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media, Drew Page, Ross Hudgens) — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 14:39:37 +0000

Show Notes:

00:22: Disclaimer: Not investment advice! But, still important
00:38: What can we learn from NerdWallet’s traffic history
1:29: How NerdWallet’s syndication and penalization in 2017 has affected them today
3:36: Why multiple strategies can help combat unexpected traffic hits
4:04: NerdWallet’s “sin” in syndication
5:07: How top-of-funnel reach has contributed to NerdWallet’s success
5:45: Is NerdWallet’s brand defensible? What you need to invest in to “win”
7:03: How NerdWallet bets on quality, vulnerability to Google
7:53: Is it alright to be dependent on Google?
8:27: How younger companies can leverage their funding rounds for links and press
9:38: Solving for Quick Answers is still crucial
10:31: The risk of Google taking over tools
11:56: NerdWallet’s privacy and security concerns
13:33: What it means when a billion dollar company is built on SEO and content
14:23: When can we expect a Siege Media IPO on the markets?

Show Links:

Representation in Design and Content Marketing

Mon, 1 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:14: Drew welcomes new guests to the podcast: Giselle Matz, Graphic Designer; Darin Lammers, Art Director; and Cara Brown, Associate Director of Brand Strategy
00:56: Why Darin created an agency-wide presentation on “Representation in Design”
2:06: How Giselle’s Instagram has become a platform for inclusion and diversity
3:01: Checking the biases of your business and colleagues
4:33: How to combat fear of representing things “wrong”
6:50: The importance of keeping others accountable
8:13: What to do when clients give pushback
11:44: How “checking boxes” for diversity can result in tokenism
12:31: Designing “real” people and why representation is more than just race
14:47: Giselle’s inspiration for illustration and graphic design
15:44: Why audiences are supporting businesses they believe in
16:10: How to improve your content marketing through writing
17:10: Improve your education on representation internally first
17:33: Supporting the greater good is good for business
17:50: Closing thoughts and resources

Show Links:

You Probably Weren't Hit By an Algorithm Update

ross@siegemedia.com (Ross Hudgens, Drew Page, Siege Media) — Wed, 6 Oct 2021 23:23:13 +0000

Show Notes:

00:20: Drew coins the term “algo-holic”
00:30: Why you probably weren’t hit by an algorithm update
2:01: How brands with good reputations can disrupt your space
2:50: Measuring competitive research effectively
4:20: How to understand the biggest players via keyword research
5:58: Why monetization models play a part
6:52: Acquisitions in your industry vs. ranking longevity
10:20: The importance of homepage link velocity
11:37: Why following Google’s updates is still important

Show Links:

Why You Can't "Test" Content Marketing

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media, Ross Hudgens, Drew Page) — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 13:34:27 +0000

Show Notes:

0:53: The philosophy behind testing content marketing
1:39: Why we don’t do short engagements
2:25: How building a recognizable brand plays a part
3:03: Best-in-class content = time
3:44: The timeline from first day of engagement to ranking page 1
6:19: Difference in timeline for a low-authority website
7:36: How to deal with clients new to content marketing
8:58: Case study examples
10:24: Why six months is the magic number
11:01: How you know your content isn’t working

Show Links:

How to Brainstorm Content Effectively [B2B + B2C]

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media, Drew Page, Elsie Weisskoff) — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 15:20:25 +0000

Show Notes:

0:32: Meet Elsie Weisskoff, her role at Siege as Creative Content Lead
1:50: The definition of “brainstorming”
2:08: The brainstorming process at Siege Media
3:16: Group dynamics when thinking creatively
3:58: How Siege Media’s brainstorming has improved over time
4:46: Producing ideas–best tools to use for brainstorming
6:40: The power of Reddit, how to use it effectively
7:41: Why platforms like “The Pudding” are beneficial
8:02: Breaking up B2B and B2C ideas
9:05: How to brainstorm for niche industries
9:34: Promotable vs. SEO topics
11:01: What type of content does well in B2B markets?
12:49: How do you brainstorm for a mature content strategy?
14:13: Best criteria for a content revamp
15:29: How to look for passive link opportunities
18:09: What is the Keyword Opposition to Benefit (KOB) analysis?
20:23: What does the future of brainstorming look like?

Show Links:

Lessons From Building a 100-Person Content Marketing Team

ross@siegemedia.com (Drew Page, Siege Media, Ross Hudgens) — Tue, 1 Jun 2021 15:32:06 +0000

Show Notes:

0:14: Welcome, Drew Page! Content Marketing Lead at Siege Media
0:44: Growing from 1-100 people, what's the secret to retention?
3:32: How do you effectively pair a Content Marketing Specialist with a client that's in their area of expertise (E-A-T)?
4:51: Ross' push to improve company culture, and why hiring great people with better benefits is good for business
6:11: Why inclusive access to education and training is best for everyone
7:15: What do you contribute to Siege's design team success?
8:36: The commitment to video and its influence on content strategy
9:54: Differences in retention rates in CMS vs. Designers
10:54: How did you develop a process to determine if a client is right for our services?
13:01: What brought ESG initiatives to high-priority?
14:57: You've developed a culture of open-source knowledge. Why?
16:21: Moving towards 100-200 team members, what do you think the biggest challenges will be?
17:09: How has SiegeLearn affected business both internally and externally?
18:12: Do you plan to be CEO forever?
18:25: Drew's plan to take over as CEO and stories of his first interview at Siege

Show Links:

How to Train Content Marketers Remotely

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media, Emily Campbell, Caroline Gilbert) — Tue, 11 May 2021 22:56:46 +0000

Training a great team of content marketers doesn’t have to feel like such a challenge. While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to content marketing, we’ve seen success with our training strategy — even as we continue to look for ways to improve the process with each new team member we hire. Based on lessons learned from hiring 50+ content marketers (and their insightful training feedback!), we’ve compiled tips for quickly training up new team members, no matter their expertise or skill level. Listen to our Content & Conversation episode below on how we’ve modified our process to fit a fully remote team. 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

Updating Our “How to Get More Website Traffic by 250,000+ Visits”

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media, Ross Hudgens, Caroline Gilbert) — Tue, 11 May 2021 22:55:16 +0000

Show Notes:

0:58: How we’ve shifted our “Skyscraper Technique” outlook
1:43: The value in “2x” level content
2:30: Misapplication of the “Skyscraper Technique”
5:13: Our thought process around passive vs. manual link acquisition
8:10: Thinking about search clicks vs. search volume
12:12: Is there a “good” balance of search volume to search clicks?

Show Links:

How to Execute SEO-Driven Content Marketing with Neville Medhora

ross@siegemedia.com (Neville Medhora, Ross Hudgens, Siege Media) — Tue, 11 May 2021 22:17:45 +0000

Show Notes:

3:24: Are links and content really all that’s needed for SEO?
8:11: The danger in relying on SEO hacks and loopholes
10:15: Copywriting vs. content marketing
13:15: Our outreach process including open rate and placement rates
20:54: How to do content marketing at scale and still ensure quality
24:39: Our preferred SEO and content marketing tools
31:03: Refreshing content vs. killing a page
38:00: Idea of “collaborative copy”
41:30: The risk of content mills
43:44: How to take simple topics and turn it into a link engine
46:35: The Gary Vaynerchuk model and repurposing content
50:45: Our YouTube strategy

Show Links:

What You Need to Know About E-A-T with Lily Ray

ross@siegemedia.com (Lily Ray, Siege Media, Caroline Gilbert) — Tue, 11 May 2021 22:10:38 +0000

Show Notes:

00:53: Debunking common E-A-T myths
2:10: How does E-A-T relate to the Medic Update?
4:25: What should you focus on for E-A-T if you’re in YMYL?
7:12: Realistic timelines to see outcomes from E-A-T related changes
9:50: Getting buy-in for E-A-T changes
10:45: Does domain authority and brand recognition matter more with E-A-T?
15:57: Is it realistic to expect to outrank .gov sites now?
20:37: How to balance E-A-T with a company’s mission
23:08: Unique or unexpected methods of showcasing E-A-T
27:33: What keeps you up at night with E-A-T?

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How Designers and Content Marketers Can Work Together

ross@siegemedia.com (Caroline Gilbert, Siege Media, Leslie Leck, Alex Heinz) — Tue, 11 May 2021 21:58:31 +0000

Show Notes:

00:28: Training content marketers to communicate with creatives
1:45: Creating a Pinterest board to assemble inspiration
2:29: Training designers to communicate with marketers
4:05: How much time to give a designer to understand the content?
5:16: Ideal method of giving designer direction
6:51: Is there such thing as too much design direction?
7:38: How to feel comfortable giving creative feedback as a non-creative
10:15: How to build an “eye for design”

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Link Building: Long Term vs. Short Term Strategies

ross@siegemedia.com (Caroline Gilbert, Ross Hudgens, Siege Media) — Tue, 11 May 2021 21:45:06 +0000

Show Notes:

00:30: When does prioritizing immediate links make sense?
2:46: Content formats that get results in a short time frame
3:56: Risks involved with short term link building content
5:46: Link outcomes and expectations in a 6 month strategy
9:00: What businesses can focus on a longer, 1+ year timeline?
10:30: Content formats better suited for a long term strategy
12:15: Link outcomes and expectations for a 1+ year timeline

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Building Reporter Relationships With We Earn Media

Tue, 11 May 2021 18:54:26 +0000

Show Notes:

00:40: How has SEO influenced media relations for you?
8:16: What are pet peeves you have when SEOs try pitching?
11:03: Why you shouldn’t stress over blog links vs. money page links
14:27: Relationship building tips for marketers starting at zero
19:20: Personalizing pitches with scale
25:21: How to foster relationships outside your specific pitch needs
26:51: Determining a good send volume for campaigns
31:51: Why you shouldn’t ignore mid-tier, regional or niche publications
34:25: How to handle no responses and follow ups
40:49: Are press releases dead?
47:39: Must-listen We Earn Media episodes and favorite journalism tips

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How to Build Links to Bottom Funnel Pages

ross@siegemedia.com (Caroline Gilbert, Siege Media, Ross Hudgens) — Tue, 11 May 2021 18:47:30 +0000

Show Notes:

00:41: How to build bottom funnel links through outreach
4:12: Moving links from your homepage to a relevant product page
4:55: Adding citable elements to your bottom funnel pages
6:24: Ideas for blending long form content with landing pages
9:15: How to use internal linking in content to your benefit
10:42: Can visuals, such as infographics, fit on product pages to encourage links?

Show Links:

Advanced Link Reclamation and Link Moves by Sarah Hollenbeck
How to Generate Money Page Links with Garrett French
Stockx Air Jordan page example
Embroker startup insurance page example
Follow Ross on Twitter
Follow Caroline on LinkedIn
Produced by Cara Brown
Send Ross an email

ESG and SEO: Why It Matters

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media, Caroline Gilbert, Ross Hudgens) — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 13:52:41 +0000

Show Notes:

00:22: What ESG stands for and addresses
1:42: How “Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire” by Rebecca Henderson influenced Siege Media
2:36: Using ESG to analyze potential clients
3:33: Types of businesses that may not qualify
3:57: Why darker industries rely more on agencies
6:19: Working for causes = better internal fulfillment
6:47: Breaking down the client-agency relationship
7:25: Do your research on companies implementing ESG
8:47: How to evaluate internal efforts
10:24: Identify ESG through positive brand experience–use third-party tools

Show Links:

Hiring Writers at Scale with Julia McCoy of Express Writers

ross@siegemedia.com (Caroline Gilbert, Siege Media, Julia McCoy) — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 00:48:24 +0000

Show Notes:

00:21: Julia McCoy’s background, the origin of Express Writers
2:37: How to interview new writers
5:39: The best process when vetting portfolios
8:02: The ideal writing staff split and why industry-specific writers are necessary
9:37: What is a typical tempo of your editorial team?
10:36: In-house vs. outsourced team structure
14:04: How clients split copywriting duties in-house
16:02: How much content should I be creating?
18:42: Common obstacles when scaling production/li>
20:32: Educating clients post-2020
21:14: How much SEO knowledge is appropriate for writers and editorial staff?
23:09: How crucial are SEO tools?
24:50: The importance of on-page brand experience
26:37: The state of AI in copywriting
28:56: Roadblocks when relying on AI
31:53: Copywriting trends to look forward to in 2021

Show Links:

The State of Digital PR in 2021

ross@siegemedia.com (Vince Nero, Ross Hudgens, Siege Media) — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 05:45:05 +0000

Show Notes:

00:34: Welcome back, Vince! Siege Media’s Director of Digital PR
00:40: GameStop stocks and how to manipulate the stock market
1:20: What is digital PR?
2:57: Why is “digital PR” trending?
4:37: The differences between digital PR, SEO and link building
6:01: Viral content vs. brand identity
6:28: What are the biggest digital PR mistakes?
7:40: What “going viral” means in different industries
8:49: How Siege Media combines content marketing and PR
9:37: Industries where digital PR is optimal
10:27: Calculating link value by website
11:57: Dangers of scraper sites in link reporting
14:27: The legitimacy of viral content
16:50: Going viral within your niche audience
17:44: Is this a strategy or one-off?

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Enterprise SEO with Jenn Mathews of GitHub

ross@siegemedia.com (Jenn Mathews, Siege Media, Caroline Gilbert) — Tue, 2 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:27: Jenn’s background and how she landed at GitHub
1:06: GitHub’s technical foundation pre-SEO
2:00: How Jenn prioritized SEO with developers, engineers and CTOs in mind
3:14: Beginner vs. advanced keyword topics
5:15: Understanding enterprise intent for a technical audience
6:10: How SEO is defined at GitHub i.e. marketing
7:28: The collaboration between SEO and content creators
8:30: What developer skills overlap with SEO?
10:30: Why SEOs tend to misuse canonicals
12:10: The important of basic HTML understanding
13:00: Common mistakes when growing SEO at the enterprise level
15:18: Educating the C-suite on SEO
16:59: Surprising collaborations with other departments
18:13: What to highlight when reporting metrics to the C-suite
21:45: Focusing on data you can control
22:34: How Google’s update is affecting impressions
24:11: Is there an ideal in-house to agency split?
25:59: How to utilize your budget when growing a department

Show Links:

5 SEO Experts Share Predictions for 2021

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 16:27:48 +0000

Show Notes:

1:04: Cyrus Shepard, Founder of Zyppy | How Core Web Vitals, passage indexing and engagement will impact both ranking signals and click-through rates
2:20: Mike King, Managing Director & Founder of iPullRank | Is Core Web Vitals all hype? What to focus on instead
7:46: Aleyda Solis, International Mobile SEO Consultant, Founder of Remoters.net | The importance of visual search
11:16: How Google vs. Apple affects outcomes internationally
12:20: Rand Fishkin, Co-Founder & CEO of Sparktoro | Brand identity vs. link building
13:15: What is a good link signal vs. a bad link signal?
15:11: Kevin Indig, Director of SEO at Shopify | Why Google’s increase in SERP features will affect rankings and traffic

Show Links:

SEO Stuff to Stop Worrying About

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media, Jon Eric Dela Cruz, Caroline Gilbert) — Wed, 6 Jan 2021 09:00:30 +0000

Show Notes:

00:28: How “rating” tools like Yoast, Clearscope, Lighthouse and more shouldn’t be the main focus
3:09: How SERP features negatively impact you and your competitors
4:52: Asking for “word count” as a baseline indicator of quality content
7:00: Our thoughts on technical text analysis like TFIDF, LSI and more
8:11: Thoughts on linking root domain authority vs. relevancy
10:00: Balancing internal linking with UX and user journey

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Personal Finance Content Marketing with Alli Berry of The Motley Fool

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media, Caroline Gilbert, Alli Berry) — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 16:17:40 +0000

Show Notes:

00:30: Alli’s start and how she landed at Motley Fool
1:45: How Motley Fool structures content and editorial
3:05: Balancing focus between evergreen content vs. news
4:45: How breaking news can inform traffic to evergreen topics
5:50: Collaborating with the news team
6:33: Deciding what content gets top navigation, homepage and similar high priority real estate
10:12: How to explain complex financial topics to beginner audiences
12:21: Recommendations for new or early stage personal finance sites
15:32: Influencer marketing for The Motley Fool
16:24: E-A-T, syndication and existing reporter influence
17:34: How to scale content refreshes and revamps
21:00: Using Google Trends to inform keyword research
23:39: How COVID has impacted the content at Motley Fool
26:00: An AMP rant

Show Links:

Who Should You Pitch at Big Publications?

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 09:00:23 +0000

Show Notes:

1:40: How to think about pitching titles at different media types
2:30: Is there a typical “newsroom” make up?
3:00: What editors, managing editors, staff editors and more do
6:15: Pitching print vs. digital and different titles you’ll run in to
7:45: Considering national vs. regional vs. local media
9:20: Byline attribution in media
11:00: Emailing “tips@” when you have no other option
12:12: Is television a good avenue for link building?
16:46: Is radio a good avenue for link building?
20:34: How to handle pitching freelancers or contributors

Show Links:

How to Pivot a Content Strategy: Lessons from Siege Media

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media, Caroline Gilbert, Ross Hudgens) — Tue, 1 Dec 2020 09:00:42 +0000

Show Notes:

1:23: How we approached content creation without link building and the results of that
2:00: Is it possible for an agency to outrank a SaaS brand?
3:04: Keyword strategy after evaluating new and old content
5:35: Thinking through B2B content marketing for niche industries (like us!)
6:48: How we evaluate our domain authority to the competition
8:45: Balancing content creation for different levels of decision makers
10:00: How companies are propping up their domain authority via acquisitions
12:07: Thinking outside the /blog/ for content creation
17:10: Looking at content types that make us unique
19:00: Balancing your unique value proposition and not getting pigeonholed
22:33: Bringing multiple team members into your B2B content marketing

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Recapping the Best Time and Day to Send Emails

ross@siegemedia.com (Caroline Gilbert, Drew Page, Siege Media) — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 16:15:18 +0000

Show Notes:

00:21: Summary of findings and methodology
2:01: What we found across open rate, click rate and reply rate
3:26: Our theories on why open rate sharply declines during the week
6:22: What we’re changing with our outreach after this analysis
9:33: Why send day and time isn’t the only thing you should be focusing on

Show Links:

SEO + Content Roadmap for Low Authority Sites

ross@siegemedia.com (Alex Heinz, Siege Media, Caroline Gilbert) — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 16:10:33 +0000

Show Notes:

00:38: How to evaluate keywords (and find them) when just starting out
4:07: Finding lower competition terms
5:13: Why passive link building is even more important for lower authority sites
7:06: When buyer personas ≠ linkable audience
8:03: Understanding authority and credibility when link building
10:00: Building out a “hero asset” to carry your content strategy
11:51: How to balance a blog design that scales

Show Links:

On SERP Suggestions for Content Marketers

ross@siegemedia.com (Jon Eric Dela Cruz, Siege Media, Caroline Gilbert) — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Show Notes:

00:25: Why you should look at search clicks, not search volume for ideas
3:30: Tips for capturing the featured snippet
6:22: Anticipating organic traffic drops even if you capture the featured snippet
7:50: Refreshing and testing title tags to attract clicks on SERP
11:26: Do rich snippets improve rankings?
14:26: How to capture People Also Ask boxes

Show Links:

What You Need to Know About E-A-T with Lily Ray

ross@siegemedia.com (Lily Ray, Caroline Gilbert, Siege Media) — Wed, 4 Nov 2020 09:00:39 +0000

Show Notes:

00:53: Debunking common E-A-T myths
2:10: How does E-A-T relate to the Medic Update?
4:25: What should you focus on for E-A-T if you’re in YMYL?
7:12: Realistic timelines to see outcomes from E-A-T related changes
9:50: Getting buy-in for E-A-T changes
10:45: Does domain authority and brand recognition matter more with E-A-T?
15:57: Is it realistic to expect to outrank .gov sites now?
20:37: How to balance E-A-T with a company’s mission
23:08: Unique or unexpected methods of showcasing E-A-T
27:33: What keeps you up at night with E-A-T?

Show Links:

How to Execute SEO-Driven Content Marketing with Neville Medhora

ross@siegemedia.com (Siege Media, Neville Medhora, Ross Hudgens) — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 08:00:38 +0000

Show Notes:

3:24: Are links and content really all that’s needed for SEO?
8:11: The danger in relying on SEO hacks and loopholes
10:15: Copywriting vs. content marketing
13:15: Our outreach process including open rate and placement rates
20:54: How to do content marketing at scale and still ensure quality
24:39: Our preferred SEO and content marketing tools
31:03: Refreshing content vs. killing a page
38:00: Idea of “collaborative copy”
41:30: The risk of content mills
43:44: How to take simple topics and turn it into a link engine
46:35: The Gary Vaynerchuk model and repurposing content
50:45: Our YouTube strategy

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