526. Curate Your Google Presence with Stephan Spencer

Most CEOs and entrepreneurs are neglecting their most important asset: their personal brand. Kara Goldin (founder of Hint Water) asked me a great question on her show: "How does SEO vary for a brand versus an individual?" My answer surprised her—and it might surprise you too. In this special crossover episode on Marketing Speak, I explain why most business leaders focus exclusively on their company's brand while ignoring their own. The problem? Your personal brand is the only one you take with you throughout your career. Companies come and go, but your name is forever. What we covered:  → Why content publishers often outrank established industry brands (and what to learn from them)  → How to identify indirect competitors with superior SEO knowledge  → The SparkToro tool that reveals exactly which hashtags your audience is using  → Why your personal website matters more than just having an "About the Founder" page Based on my work with major brands over three decades, I share proven strategies to ensure everything on page one—for both your personal name AND your company—either supports your narrative or gets pushed off entirely. This isn't about gaming the system. It's about strategic positioning that builds lasting digital authority.  Tune in! The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/526.

Most businesses expect AI to cut content costs in half and triple output. That fantasy rarely survives contact with reality. In this episode of Marketing Speak, I sat down with Eric Enge—founder of Pilot Holding, my co-author on all four editions of The Art of SEO, and author of Using Generative AI for SEO—to discuss what actually works with AI in marketing. Eric has built and sold four companies, including the award-winning Stone Temple Consulting. His latest insights cut through the AI hype to reveal sustainable strategies: ✅ Why 25-30% efficiency gains (not 4x productivity) is the realistic target  ✅ What large language models do exceptionally well vs. where they consistently fall short  ✅ Why link building isn't dead and multi-channel presence matters more than ever  ✅ How covering low search volume topics demonstrates true expertise  ✅ The real truth about Google's "just create great content" advice If you're tired of empty AI promises and want strategies that deliver real results, this conversation will recalibrate your approach. The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/525.

Most entrepreneurs have their calendars backwards—and it's costing them everything. Todd Herman has spent 21 years in high-performance athletics, working with Olympic athletes and billionaire entrepreneurs. His controversial insight is that most entrepreneurs are committing the cardinal sin of business: mistaking activity for achievement. Todd's philosophy is brutally simple: One goal. 90 days. Complete focus.  No more half-built bridges. No more "90% finished" projects that generate zero revenue. No more productive procrastination disguised as "strategic planning." Here's what hit home for me:  → Your calendar reveals whether you're getting results  → Most "goals" are actually just projects—and the distinction matters enormously  → Theme days (Marketing Mondays, Financial Fridays) create momentum through batching  → Meetings without all decision-makers present are just expensive gossip sessions If you're ready to graduate from anecdotal success stories to science-backed systems, this episode is essential listening. The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/524.

📉 Losing profit to unclear processes or ghosting clients? In this Marketing Speak episode, Melissa Morris reveals why most agencies leak profit—and how to fix it with better onboarding, clearer deliverables, and data-backed pricing. Whether you're drowning in Slack messages or tired of clients ghosting your team, this episode gives you the tools to fix it—fast. The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/523.

🚨Podcasters: If you're ignoring YouTube, you're flushing growth down the algorithmic toilet. In this episode of Marketing Speak, I break down why YouTube is non-negotiable—even if your download numbers are laughably low. 🎯 Inside the episode: • The lazy podcaster's guide to turning transcripts into SEO machines • How to clone your content with the "Evil Twin" strategy • Why your client interviews should be stealth case studies • The 3 SEO pillars every podcaster must master (yes, even you) 700 downloads? 70,000? Doesn't matter. If you're podcasting without a strategy, you're podcasting blind. ▶️ Listen now. Your podcast deserves better than page 9 of Google. The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/522.

While everyone's panicking about AI killing website traffic, one client scaled from 2M to 13M monthly visits. In the latest episode of Marketing Speak, design expert Greg Merrilees reveals how WhatIsMyIPAddress.com achieved explosive growth by building authority—not just pretty websites. Learn the exact architecture that beats AI Overviews and Google's traffic death spiral. This episode is a blueprint for future-proofing your brand. The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/521.

The marketing game has fundamentally changed. While most businesses still chase website clicks, AI is forming opinions about your brand before anyone visits your site. In my latest Marketing Speak episode, Dixon Jones (CEO of InLinks and former Global Brand Ambassador for Majestic) reveals why traditional SEO metrics are becoming obsolete. Dixon, who's earned the Queen's Award for Enterprise and UK Search Personality of the Year, shares how large language models make purchasing recommendations based on entity knowledge, not keyword rankings. Here's the reality: When someone asks ChatGPT or Claude for business recommendations, the decision happens in the AI response - not after clicking your website. Dixon's new tool audits what AI actually knows about your business versus competitors, revealing critical gaps that could cost you customers. Tune in! The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/520.

What if putting yourself first actually grew your business instead of hurting it? Sagi Shrieber, first designer at Fiverr and SimilarWeb, scaled his design agency to seven figures while working LESS hours. His secret? The "Nine to Twelve Rule" - blocking 9 AM to 12 PM daily for personal time before any client meetings. The counterintuitive result: Higher productivity, better client relationships, and sustainable growth without burnout. In our latest Marketing Speak episode, Sagi reveals why most entrepreneurs have it backwards and shares his exact framework for setting boundaries that actually increase revenue. 🎧 Listen now! The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/519.

Most entrepreneurs are using AI completely wrong and missing massive growth opportunities. Danny Iny, founder of Mirasee and Harvard Business Review contributor, reveals why the difference between AI as a "junior assistant" vs. "senior strategist" isn't about the technology—it's about the context you provide.  In our latest Marketing Speak conversation, Danny shares his contrarian framework for turning AI into a strategic thinking partner that amplifies your unique perspective rather than creating generic outputs everyone else can produce.  Stop trying to save time and start expanding what's possible within the time you have. Listen to discover how to position yourself advantageously in an AI-driven economy! The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/518.

AI is reshaping how content gets discovered, and many publishers are watching their traffic disappear. But here's what most don't realize: Google Discover now accounts for 65% of publisher traffic with CTRs 4x higher than traditional search. John Shehata, founder of NewzDash and former global audience growth leader at Condé Nast (60+ brands), reveals the survival strategies publishers need right now. From query fan-out optimization to AI summarization buttons that actually increase engagement, John breaks down what's working in this new landscape. Sites blaming AI for traffic decline often had deeper content and branding issues long before AI arrived. Smart publishers are pivoting to owned audience channels and passage-based optimization. Listen to episode 517 of Marketing Speak to discover the frameworks that help content creators thrive as AI reshapes discovery and consumption. The show notes, including the transcript and checklist to this episode, are at marketingspeak.com/517.