Jeremy Rivera:
When it comes to SEO, we've become complacent. We have become dependent on tools, on software. And when it comes to search engine optimization, we have forgotten that we're not just working to increase rankings in Google. We're fighting...

to optimize the website for the business so that traffic is gained from all search sources in a way that benefits in terms of revenue and overall visibility, brand recognition, so that the business flourishes. So this means we need to get outside and touch grass, or we need to get outside and touch trash.

We need to get out into the community and use real world events, organizing a community cleanup, organizing a charitable event, holding classes, pushing our organizations, our businesses to hold seminars, teach the community how to do things that are associated with your particular business. It's hard to say in general.

exactly what it is that you need to do, but you need to step away from SEMrush. SEMrush is not SEO. It's a tool. It can provide some usable data. It can provide some insight, but we need to go outside the box. We need to go outside the software and do something that's going to make a difference.

In this episode of the Unscripted SEO podcast, Jeremy Rivera interviews Gus Pelogia, a senior SEO product manager at Indeed. They discuss Gus's journey in SEO, transitioning from agency work to an in-house role, and the unique challenges and opportunities that come with being an SEO product manager.

The conversation also delves into the importance of effective communication with stakeholders, adapting to changes in search technology, and the future of SEO in a rapidly evolving landscape. In this conversation, Jeremy Rivera and Gus Pelogia explore the complexities of SEO in the modern digital landscape. They discuss the challenges of attribution, the influence of social media on search behavior, and the importance of cross-channel collaboration. The conversation highlights the need for SEO professionals to adapt to changing consumer behaviors and the significance of user feedback in enhancing user experience. They also touch on the role of branding in SEO and the potential of AI tools to streamline SEO tasks.

Summary

In this conversation, SEO author Jeremy Rivera and Callie Scott delve into the significance of knowledge graphs and knowledge panels in SEO. They discuss how businesses can leverage these tools to enhance their online presence, particularly through branded searches.

Callie shares actionable steps for building knowledge panels, emphasizing the importance of creating an entity home, optimizing it, and using structured data. The discussion also touches on the challenges businesses face in this process and the patience required to see results.

A link is a link. Except when it sucks. How do you gauge the value of a link? How do you approach the concepts of relevance with the insight from Mark Williams Cook's Google Exploit data? Semantic Links and Semantic Mastery founder Bradley Benner digs deep into this while sharing his own journey as an agency owner in the SEO space.

---> Check out the full recap with quotes, take-aways, insights and more.

Bradly digs into some data about utilizing relevance signals from Majestic and other tools, which he screenshares, so check out the video.

If you want to learn more from Bradley try his Hump Day Hangouts Weekly Q&A Webinar (Free). Prepost questions and watch the most current replay here.

Takeaways

• Bradley started learning SEO to generate leads for his contracting business.
• He became fascinated with the power of manipulating Google search results.
• Bradley transitioned from contracting to running a local SEO agency.
• He developed a niche in tree service contractors to streamline his services.
• Productization allowed him to scale his agency effectively.
• Standard operating procedures (SOPs) helped in delegating tasks.
• Cold email outreach remains a powerful tool for client acquisition.
• Link building should focus on topical and geographic relevance.
• Bradley has built a successful white label link-building agency.
• Transparency in processes leads to higher conversion rates. SEO has evolved from a two-dimensional to a three-dimensional system.
• Site-wide quality scores now influence individual page rankings.
• Topical relevance is crucial for effective link building.
• Geographic relevance significantly impacts local SEO performance.
• Competitive link analysis is essential for successful link building campaigns.
• Brand authority plays a critical role in SEO success.
• Links with topical relevance yield better results than those based solely on third-party metrics.
• Building a diverse link profile is important for natural-looking backlinks....

In this episode of the Unscripted SEO podcast, Jeremy Rivera speaks with Marilyn Jenkins, CEO and founder of Law Marketing Zone, about the evolution of digital marketing, particularly in the legal sector. They discuss the importance of optimizing Google Business Profiles, the role of citations in local SEO, and the impact of AI on search strategies.

Marilyn emphasizes the need for brand consistency across platforms and the significance of engaging with local communities to enhance SEO efforts. The conversation also touches on content marketing strategies and the changing landscape of link building.

My mind was definitely blown away during this conversation with Bradley Benner of Semantic Links & Semantic Mastery. We went through his extensive history in SEO, creating rank and rent sites, developing agencies. teaching courses and ultimately doing white-label agencies for services provided to other agencies.

Resources Referenced By Bradley Benner:

Semantic Mastery Youtube Channel

Here's some great take aways from the interview:

• Transparency in processes leads to higher conversion rates. SEO has evolved from a two-dimensional to a three-dimensional system.
• Site-wide quality scores now influence individual page rankings.
• Topical relevance is crucial for effective link building.
• Geographic relevance significantly impacts local SEO performance.
• Competitive link analysis is essential for successful link building campaigns.
• Brand authority plays a critical role in SEO success.
• Links with topical relevance yield better results than those based solely on third-party metrics.
• Building a diverse link profile is important for natural-looking backlinks.
• Owning part of the information ecosystem can enhance SEO efforts.
• Focus on relevance and quality over quantity in link building.
  
  Practical Example:
  
  Take a look at this article exploring the benefits of Collagen, you can see they utilize expert quotes as a strategy. They would benefit greatly by finding other sites in the health and wellness space that would display and include their expert quotes in them.
  
  Killer Quotes:
  
• "Sometimes they'll say, well, what is the average DA or DR of your links? And I tell them like, I don't know, because I don't even track that. But let me ask you a question. Why is that important to you? And I swear to God, I never get a clear answer out of that." - Don't use DR/DA 3rd party metrics for links.
• "When Google kind of shifted away from a keyword based algorithm to an entity based algorithm, the way that I envisioned this is it went from a two dimensional document retrieval system to a three dimensional document retrieval algorithm."
• SEO as a business is HARD: "Just because you know SEO doesn't mean you know anything about marketing. And so you can be a really good technical SEO and suck at marketing, and you're gonna have a really hard time monetizing that skill."

Jeremy Rivera and Mark Williams-Cook delve into the evolving landscape of SEO, discussing the importance of brand authority, the shift from page-level optimization to entity optimization, and the complexities of Google's algorithms. They explore how Google's trust metrics work, the implications of site quality, and the future of featured snippets and AI overviews.

Explore the whole episode recap

The discussion also highlights the significance of the People Also Ask (PAA) feature in understanding user intent and query handling. In this conversation, Jeremy Rivera and Mark Williams-Cook delve into the evolving landscape of SEO in the age of AI.

"SERPs are always shifting, like a good surfer, you need to keep an eye on conditions before you jump into the water. It's good to know if an AI hurricane is headed your way" - Keith Bresee' of Traffic Dojo

They discuss the importance of timely insights in SEO, the impact of AI on user behavior and search dynamics, and the interplay between AI overviews and traditional search features like featured snippets.

Mark shares actionable strategies for SEOs to adapt to these changes, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive content strategy that caters to varying user knowledge levels. The discussion highlights the necessity for marketers to evolve their approaches in response to AI advancements and changing user expectations.

Jeremy Rivera and Scott Gelber delve into the complexities of B2B SaaS marketing, offering valuable lessons for companies in the SaaS space. Scott, founder of SRG Marketing, shares his expertise on generating qualified leads through Google Ads, particularly for specialized software solutions.

The discussion covers essential strategies for marketing niche B2B products, from optimizing landing pages to leveraging competitor insights. They explore the possible change in workflow between SEO and PPC campaigns, the critical role of data analysis in measuring success, and effective approaches to nurturing leads through targeted email marketing. Their conversation provides practical insights for SaaS companies looking to enhance their digital marketing effectiveness while maintaining focus on quality over quantity in lead generation.