Good SEO Still Matters

SEO is entering another frontier, and some of the strategies that built rankings over the last decade aren't enough to build visibility in AI search.Matthew Bertram sits down with Leo Poitevin to explore where traditional SEO overlaps with AI visibility and where the playbook is starting to diverge. They dig into third-party listicles, online consensus, backlinks, outreach, brand authority, and why the sources talking about your company may become just as important as what's published on your own website.Leo also shares strategies for competing against larger brands when you don't have their authority or budget, including finding overlooked bottom-funnel opportunities, moving faster on emerging searches, and using data to identify opportunities before competitors.The conversation also tackles one of the biggest measurement changes facing SEO teams: moving beyond traffic and clicks toward leads, revenue, branded search, and actual business impact. They close by exploring how SEO differs across international markets and how businesses should approach multilingual websites without creating unnecessary complexity.• rebrand update and why Chiang Mai remains an SEO hub • why AI search is structurally different from classic search engines • listicles and third-party consensus as a key driver of AI visibility • outreach that lasts, including broken link opportunities and fast link reclamation • black hat lessons from affiliate SEO and why many tricks fade over time • negative SEO threats like DMCA flooding and DDoS in certain niches • underdog strategies using brand terms, alternatives, vs pages, and Google Trends • shifting reporting from clicks to analytics, leads, revenue, and brand search growth • international SEO differences across markets and competition levels • multilingual SEO setups that stay maintainable with simpler implementations Guest Contact Information:Leo PoitevinWebsite: astrak.agencyLinkedIn: linkedin.com/leo-poitevinMore from EWR and Matthew:Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Podcast.Free SEO Consultation: https://www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-callWith over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online.Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility Stack™, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability.Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve.Find more episodes here: youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcastbestseopodcast.combestseopodcast.buzzsprout.comFollow us on:Facebook: @bestseopodcastInstagram: @thebestseopodcastTiktok: @bestseopodcastLinkedIn: @bestseopodcastConnect With Matthew Bertram: Website: www.matthewbertram.comInstagram: @matt_bertram_liveLinkedIn: @mattbertramlivePowered by: ewrdigital.comSupport the show

The customer journey isn't a straight line anymore, and last-click attribution may be giving marketers the wrong picture of what's actually driving revenue.Matthew Bertram sits down with Carol Larson of Marketstorm to explore how AI, changing buyer behavior, fragmented platforms, and longer decision cycles are reshaping digital marketing. They break down Google's "messy middle," the difference between creating influence and capturing existing demand, and why the channel that gets the final click shouldn't automatically get all the credit.Carol shares insights from tracking longer customer journeys, including why marketers may need much longer attribution windows and why constantly changing campaigns can interrupt the learning that makes advertising more effective. They also discuss behavioral targeting, ad fatigue, creative consistency, entity SEO, and how AI Overviews are changing the way brands need to think about search visibility.The conversation ultimately comes back to a bigger shift: marketers need to understand how people actually discover, research, remember, and choose brands across the entire journey, not just what happened immediately before the conversion.• why “ditch the last click” matters more now than in 2015 • entity consistency across website, profiles, aggregators, and forums to prevent AI confusion • the customer journey collapsing into streaming, scrolling, searching, and shopping • influence layer versus demand capture layer and why Google is the cashier • cleaner data, UTMs, and CRM linkage to defend SEO and marketing spend • long-tail decision timelines and why 30-day lookbacks miss the real story • using moving averages to report marketing performance on the right horizon • mid-funnel creative that explains the why, not just the logo • why constant ad refresh can reset learning and raise costs • persona targeting versus behavioral targeting and where waste shows up • AI Overviews and conversational search pushing SEO toward “thoughts,” not keywords Guest Contact Information:Carole LawsonWebsite: marketstorm.aiLinkedIn: linkedin.com/caroleslawsonMore from EWR and Matthew:Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Podcast.Free SEO Consultation: https://www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-callWith over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online.Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility Stack™, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability.Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve.Find more episodes here: youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcastbestseopodcast.combestseopodcast.buzzsprout.comFollow us on:Facebook: @bestseopodcastInstagram: @thebestseopodcastTiktok: @bestseopodcastLinkedIn: @bestseopodcastConnect With Matthew Bertram: Website: www.matthewbertram.comInstagram: @matt_bertram_liveLinkedIn: @mattbertramlivePowered by: ewrdigital.comSupport the show

Using AI is one thing. Building an entire system around it is another.Matthew Bertram sits down with returning guest Richard Valentine and Hector Herrera for a deep technical conversation about how AI power users are moving beyond individual prompts and building their own AI architecture, specialized agent teams, memory systems, workflows, and internal infrastructure.They explore model drift, token management, specialized AI teams, scheduled learning, memory decay, human approval systems, and why AI shouldn't necessarily remember everything. The conversation also goes inside the challenge of transforming an organization from having a handful of AI power users to becoming truly AI-first.The discussion then turns to privacy, on-premise AI, security, credential management, deepfakes, impersonation, and the growing importance of controlling the infrastructure businesses increasingly depend on. Finally, they bring it back to marketing and SEO, exploring how AI systems can connect Search Console, analytics, trends, and other data sources to create feedback loops that continuously adapt marketing decisions to what audiences are actually doing.• rebrand updates and why we’re building a broader SEO and AI community resource • why Claude can get “nitpicky” and how model behavior changes break workflows • token management, subagent sprawl, and rules for routing tasks to the right model • Hector’s “teams” approach with doctrines, routing, scheduled learning, and change logs • memory decay, relevance scoring, and crystallization for keeping knowledge accurate over time • AI-first adoption inside organizations, consistency across tools, and reducing “islands” of usage • personas in Slack and email assistants, including permissioned execution and critical-system guardrails • on-prem and private setups for regulated industries, resilience, and avoiding vendor lock-in • security protocols like redaction, vaulting secrets, daily scrubs, and minimizing human error • deepfakes, propaganda, impersonation risk, and why EEAT signals matter more than ever please leave an honest review, uh, how we're doing.Guest Contact Information:Richard ValentineWebsite: richardvalentine.devLinkedIn: linkedin.com/richard-l-valentineHector HerreraWebsite: hexaisystems.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/hector-herreraMore from EWR and Matthew:Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Podcast.Free SEO Consultation: https://www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-callWith over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online.Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility Stack™, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability.Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve.Find more episodes here: youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcastbestseopodcast.combestseopodcast.buzzsprout.comFollow us on:Facebook: @bestseopodcastInstagram: @thebestseopodcastTiktok: @bestseopodcastLinkedIn: @bestseopodcastConnect With Matthew Bertram: Website: www.matthewbertram.comInstagram: @matt_bertram_liveLinkedIn: @mattbertramlivePowered by: ewrdigital.comSupport the show

SEO strategies that worked five years ago may actually be holding brands back today. Matthew Bertram sits down with Calum Kennard, Head of Sales at ClickSlice, to explore how Google and AI search are changing what it takes to earn visibility, trust, and conversions online.They break down stale and duplicate content, authorship and entity signals, information gain, topical authority, and why e-commerce brands may be better served focusing SEO efforts on category and collection pages rather than individual product pages. They also explore the difference between making a website GEO-friendly and actually optimizing for AI search, along with the growing attribution challenge as buyers increasingly research brands through ChatGPT, AI Overviews, social platforms, and other channels.Guest Contact Information:Website: https://www.clickslice.co.uk/LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/callum-kennardMore from EWR and Matthew:Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon PodcastFree SEO Consultation: www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-callWith over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online.Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility Stack™, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability.Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve.Find more episodes here: youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcastbestseopodcast.combestseopodcast.buzzsprout.comFollow us on:Facebook: @bestseopodcastInstagram: @thebestseopodcastTiktok: @bestseopodcastLinkedIn: @bestseopodcastConnect With Matthew Bertram: Website: www.matthewbertram.comInstagram: @matt_bertram_liveLinkedIn: @mattbertramlivePowered by: ewrdigital.comSupport the show

AI search is changing what it means to build visibility online. Matthew Bertram sits down with Matt Emgi to explore the evolving relationship between SEO, AEO, and LLM visibility, including why authority, entity associations, consensus signals, and brand presence are becoming increasingly important. They break down digital PR, original research, Reddit marketing, link building, attribution, automation, and the strategies SaaS and B2B companies can use to turn search visibility into measurable business growth.• separating SEO and AEO budgets without losing the core strategy • treating LLMs as a new layer, not a replacement for SEO • building entity associations and clean categorization signals • leaning into E-E-A-T, authorship, and third-party verification • using “consensus” across relevant publications to reduce risk • choosing visibility targets with AI citation data, not vibes • avoiding Reddit astroturfing and focusing on real community building • tracking the full funnel with attribution, CRO, and CRM visibility • earning durable links through original research and credible PR • building partnerships that create co-citations and a digital trail • adding guardrails to automation and agentic workflows • SaaS actions that prioritize best leads and lifetime valueGuest Contact Information: Website: emgigroup.comYouTube: youtube.com/GoEmgiLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/matt-emgiMore from EWR and Matthew:Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon PodcastFree SEO Consultation: www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-callWith over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online. Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility® Stack, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability. Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve. Find more episodes here: youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcastbestseopodcast.combestseopodcast.buzzsprout.comFollow us on:Facebook: @bestseopodcastInstagram: @thebestseopodcastTiktok: @bestseopodcastLinkedIn: @bestseopodcastConnect With Matthew Bertram: Website: www.matthewbertram.comInstagram: @matt_bertram_liveLinkedIn: @mattbertramlivePowered by: ewrdigital.comSupport the show

We talk with Karen Tiber Leland about how AI search changes personal branding, rebranding, and what it takes to stay findable when machines summarize the internet for your customers. We break down how to pick a canonical name, reduce mixed signals across channels, and decide whether you need a full rebrand or a focused re-up. • Choosing one canonical form of your name and using it everywhere to reduce identity collision • Buying the right domain and cleaning up scattered online data for better AI and Google understanding • Defining rebrand versus re-up and spotting the different ways brands drift • Cutting noise in messaging so AI can classify your expertise with confidence • Why specialization is coming back and why “everybody” is not a target market • How executive branding impacts trust for investors, clients, and employees • Handling public criticism as a leader and planning for the crisis continuum • Brand refresh pressure points for new brands versus legacy companies that feel behind • Industries most disrupted by AI and how service firms can adapt without losing trust • Disclosing how you use AI and keeping humans in the loop for quality and accountability • The micro changes worth watching, including pricing transparency and AI-driven discoverability • Where to find Karen, including KarenLeland.com and SterlingMarketingGroup.com and her book Brand Mapping Strategy Guest Contact Information: Website: sterlingmarketinggroup.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/karenlelandMore from EWR and Matthew:Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon PodcastFree SEO Consultation: www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-callWith over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online. Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility® Stack, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability. Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve. Find more episodes here: youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcastbestseopodcast.comRate the show in your podcast app. Apple ratings are how new listeners decide whether to press play — an honest one takes about thirty seconds. Steps for iPhone, Mac and Spotify: www.bestseopodcast.com/review Follow us on:Facebook: @bestseopodcastInstagram: @thebestseopodcastTiktok: @bestseopodcastLinkedIn: @bestseopodcastConnect With Matthew Bertram: Website: www.matthewbertram.comInstagram: @matt_bertram_liveLinkedIn: @mattbertramlivePowered by: ewrdigital.comSupport the show

We get back to paid ads fundamentals and why AI automation only works when we set clear, revenue-connected conversion goals. We share practical ways to define personas, protect lead quality, and build landing pages that help Google Ads learn what “good” actually looks like. • goal-first thinking for Google Ads and paid social automation • common conversion tracking mistakes that burn budget • building multiple personas and matching each to the right channel • avoiding spam traffic on Display and filtering low-quality leads • why gradual budget changes beat turning campaigns on and off • budget planning using CPC estimates and minimum lead volume • lead scoring methods that feed better data back to ad platforms • landing pages as single-purpose conversion tools with cleaner tracking • funnel strategy beyond one-shot high-intent clicks Guest Contact Information: Website: factorfour.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/jeffcolemanMore from EWR and Matthew:Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon PodcastFree SEO Consultation: www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-callWith over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online. Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility® Stack, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability. Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve. Find more episodes here: youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcastbestseopodcast.comRate the show in your podcast app. Apple ratings are how new listeners decide whether to press play — an honest one takes about thirty seconds. Steps for iPhone, Mac and Spotify: www.bestseopodcast.com/review Follow us on:Facebook: @bestseopodcastInstagram: @thebestseopodcastTiktok: @bestseopodcastLinkedIn: @bestseopodcastConnect With Matthew Bertram: Website: www.matthewbertram.comInstagram: @matt_bertram_liveLinkedIn: @mattbertramlivePowered by: ewrdigital.comSupport the show

AI watermarking and AI search make third-party trust the new battleground for SEO and brand visibility. Host, Matthew Bertram, talks with Austin Holmes about how digital PR, reviews, and consistent profiles can turn your business into the default recommendation.• why off-page SEO and third-party citations carry outsized weight in AI-driven search• how Claude watermarking and AI content detection push brands toward real human signals• building entity authority with uniform bios, consistent messaging, and credible media mentions• the truth about PR ROI, backlink quality, and why cheap link volume can hurt• earned media basics that get missed, including speed to lead and showing up prepared• real outcomes from PR consistency, from investor leads to acquisitions to recurring TV spotsGuest Contact Information: Website: publicityforgood.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/aaustinholmesMore from EWR and Matthew:Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon PodcastFree SEO Consultation: www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-callWith over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online. Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility® Stack, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability. Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve. Find more episodes here: youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcastbestseopodcast.comRate the show in your podcast app. Apple ratings are how new listeners decide whether to press play — an honest one takes about thirty seconds. Steps for iPhone, Mac and Spotify: www.bestseopodcast.com/review Follow us on:Facebook: @bestseopodcastInstagram: @thebestseopodcastTiktok: @bestseopodcastLinkedIn: @bestseopodcastConnect With Matthew Bertram: Website: www.matthewbertram.comInstagram: @matt_bertram_liveLinkedIn: @mattbertramlivePowered by: ewrdigital.comSupport the show

We dig into how podcasting, digital PR, and SEO now reinforce each other, especially as AI search tools pull answers from trusted third-party sources. We also share practical ways to turn press and interviews into long-term visibility while staying grounded when attention brings criticism. • why early podcasting works as a relationship builder and business flywheel • how press placements create credibility and authoritative backlinks • what “AI visibility” means for brands in ChatGPT style search • ways to repurpose podcast interviews into clips, blogs, email, YouTube, and niche groups • how to respond to bad reviews and shift the narrative without spiraling • why PR agencies and SEO agencies should collaborate for durable results • how to build a visibility roadmap through messaging, visuals, and personal brand consistency • common media pitching mistakes, especially generic AI written outreach without research • how a print on demand magazine can still be a smart networking channel Guest Contact Information: Website: nextonscene.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/jaclyn-zukerman-deloryInstagram: instagram.com/jackiezukMore from EWR and Matthew:Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon PodcastFree SEO Consultation: www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-callWith over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online. Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility® Stack, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability. Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve. Find more episodes here: youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcastbestseopodcast.comRate the show in your podcast app. Apple ratings are how new listeners decide whether to press play — an honest one takes about thirty seconds. Steps for iPhone, Mac and Spotify: www.bestseopodcast.com/review Follow us on:Facebook: @bestseopodcastInstagram: @thebestseopodcastTiktok: @bestseopodcastLinkedIn: @bestseopodcastConnect With Matthew Bertram: Website: www.matthewbertram.comInstagram: @matt_bertram_liveLinkedIn: @mattbertramlivePowered by: ewrdigital.comSupport the show

We get brutally honest about why traffic is a vanity metric and how SEO only earns budget when it ties to real business outcomes. We lay out the data and reporting foundation you need to walk into the C-suite with confidence, even when attribution is messy and timelines are long. • separating vanity metrics from revenue-driving KPIs • building the business case for SEO with CFO-ready numbers • fixing data quality in Google Analytics and conversion tracking • enforcing CRM hygiene so leads can become pipeline and revenue • choosing KPIs for lead generation vs ecommerce models • setting expectations with leading vs lagging indicators for SEO • funding the messy middle and mapping the full buying funnel • aligning sales and marketing to improve lead quality and content Guest Contact Information: Website: unframeddigital.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/magsswiftMore from EWR and Matthew:Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon PodcastFree SEO Consultation: www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-callWith over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online. Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility® Stack, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability. Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve. Find more episodes here: youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcastbestseopodcast.comRate the show in your podcast app. Apple ratings are how new listeners decide whether to press play — an honest one takes about thirty seconds. Steps for iPhone, Mac and Spotify: www.bestseopodcast.com/review Follow us on:Facebook: @bestseopodcastInstagram: @thebestseopodcastTiktok: @bestseopodcastLinkedIn: @bestseopodcastConnect With Matthew Bertram: Website: www.matthewbertram.comInstagram: @matt_bertram_liveLinkedIn: @mattbertramlivePowered by: ewrdigital.comSupport the show