The Best SEO Podcast: Defining the Future of Search with LLM Visibility™

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...

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 expectatio...

Join us for a special episode hosted by Geoff Campbell who is standing in for Matt Bertram, we focus on the part of marketing most teams ignore: turning existing traffic into real phone calls, form fills, and sales. We break down a simple conversion framework, why dynamic website messaging works, and how to think about proof, positioning, and AI search as buyer behavior changes. 

• traffic times conversion rate equals customers as the core lens for SEO and CRO 
• treating an agency website as proof of competence and a trust signal 
• the “practice what you preach” mistake that...

Join us for a special episode hosted by Geoff Campbell who is standing in for Matt Bertram, we focus on the part of marketing most teams ignore: turning existing traffic into real phone calls, form fills, and sales. We break down a simple conversion framework, why dynamic website messaging works, and how to think about proof, positioning, and AI search as buyer behavior changes. 

• traffic times conversion rate equals customers as the core lens for SEO and CRO 
• treating an agency website as proof of competence and a trust signal 
• the “practice what you preach” mistake that...

We talk through what “AI visibility” really means and why marketers are racing ahead of the data, even as consumer behavior shifts toward AI search and AI assistants. We connect SEO fundamentals to GEO and agentic commerce so you can take practical steps instead of getting stuck in paralysis. 

• AI visibility tools and why the industry lacks a baseline standard
• How context and personalization change AI search results
• Why LLM analytics is immature and often modelled on simulations
• The importance of data hygiene when AI tools disagree
• How AI assistants compress the customer journey into on...

We talk about the real shift happening as AI moves from chatbot to teammate, and why persistent memory is the make or break layer for useful automation. We dig into governance, data hygiene, and practical workflow design so AI output gets better over time instead of turning into expensive noise. 

• moving the show toward YouTube and a more educational format 
• why memory matters when AI becomes a partner or agent 
• how regulated industry thinking exposes weak spots in business data 
• crystallization theory and remembering the path to the answer 
• coding agents, vibe coding, plannin...

We reconnect with Chris Burres to talk about the real mechanics of podcast marketing, brand legacy, and why consistency beats quick wins when you are trying to earn attention. We also zoom out into AI governance and longevity, from building AI-native workflows to the accelerating science behind ESS60 and “longevity escape velocity.” 

• the origin story behind EWR and what a rebrand really costs 
• podcast cadence as a growth strategy and a team alignment tool 
• why interviews build relationships and distribution faster than solo shows 
• what it can cost to buy a premium podcast appearance and w...

We get real about what AI search changes and what it does not, then map SEO back to fundamentals like attribution, buyer intent, and revenue. We also share how agency teams can use agent workflows and governance to move faster without turning the business into chaos.
• Matt’s return, agency ownership changes, and why the timing matters
• Cameron’s path from engineering to SEO through referrals and Google Business Profile wins
• AI search as a conversation starter with CEOs while fundamentals stay critical
• Why brand traffic and last-click attribution mislead decision makers
• Cutting low-value traffic throug...

In this episode of the Best SEO Podcast, hosted by Matthew Bertram, Zara Carbonell joins the show to talk about why AI makes content more important, not less, and how real trust now comes from human context and clear communication. We share practical ways to use AI to analyze performance, sharpen your personal brand, and reach buyers where they already spend attention. 

• AI as a tool that frees humans from repetitive marketing ops 
• The creative side and analytical side of marketing and where AI fits 
• Why in-person connection and “less curated” content feels more real 
• T...

We map the shift from chat-based AI to real agentic systems that can run workflows, manage memory, and publish results without constant human babysitting. We break down how to design AI agents like jobs so they stay grounded, cost-controlled, and useful for marketing, SEO, and software work. 

• tiering AI use from assistance to automation to full agents with memory and tools 
• writing a clear job description with input, process, and output formats 
• building an SEO research agent that generates briefs and scores novelty 
• grounding agents with state, scripts, and tight context management to cut errors and t...

We talk with Lynn Ward about why marketing is shifting from search and retrieve to solve my problem, and why speed is becoming the moat for agencies and clients alike. We break down what AI-first agencies are building right now to protect conversions, reduce bottlenecks, and stay visible as web traffic and SEO change.

• search behavior shifting as ChatGPT and other LLMs absorb intent
• speed as the new moat for agencies and operators
• why agency pricing based on headcount starts to fail
• practical case studies like instant quoting and support automation
• building a data roo...

Matthew Bertram sits down with David Albert of CRO Metrics to unpack what is actually changing across SEO, AEO, GEO, LLM visibility, and the modern stack as tools like Claude Code make custom apps and automations feel effortless.

• the shift from bloated martech stacks to custom AI middleware and small internal apps 
• why compliance, governance, and shadow AI access are now daily marketing risks 
• using guardrails and shared boilerplates to democratize internal tool building 
• turning years of experiment data into RAG search and predictive CRO scoring 
• how SEO, AI visibility, and paid traffic performance de...

We trace the fast shift from link-based search to AI-generated answers and show how that change reshapes content, measurement, and strategy. Connor Kimball of Cairrot shares data on LLM traffic surges, concrete AEO tactics, and how unified analytics reveals brand lift beyond referral clicks.

• AI search replacing link lists with answers
• AEO as the method, LLM visibility as the metric
• Informational traffic down, transactional content up
• Comparison and battle-card pages driving citations
• GA4 and GSC integration for unified insights
• Measuring halo effects across direct and organic
• E‑E‑A‑T signals across site and prof...

We dive into how AI is reshaping marketing law and what agencies can do today to protect work, clients, and brand trust. Sharon Toerek shares a practical playbook for policies, contracts, and IP strategy while courts and states sort out the rules.

• AI ownership and liability questions for agencies
• Copyright cases on training data and outputs
• State patchwork versus federal pressure on AI rules
• Practical guardrails and written AI policies
• Contract terms for AI use, warranties, and indemnities
• Insurance stack realities and cyber coverage gaps
• SEO, watermarks, and useful AI content
• IP trian...

We cut through AI hype to show what actually scales: disciplined ops, brand-led content, and a practical framework for awareness, nurturing, and trust. Eric Huberman shares Hawk Media’s scaling lessons, where AI helps, where it hurts, and how to build a moat in a noisy market.

• LLM shifts to persona-first, Q&A-led visibility
• AI as acceleration, not strategy replacement
• Hiring and tooling only with clear business cases
• Lean tech stack choices that reduce complexity
• Brand as the moat in a copycat software world
• Branded entertainment and YouTube as growth engines
• Limits of synthe...

We push past rankings and traffic to map the real skills SEOs need to influence AI answers. Duane Forrester explains the machine layer, vector embeddings, semantic density, and why structured data is a must if you want reliable retrieval.

• AI reshapes marketing and elevates SEO’s role across the business
• Good SEO foundations as the prerequisite for AI performance
• Writing for chunks with high semantic density
• Structured data and entity clarity to validate facts
• Vector embeddings as the new alignment target
• KPIs beyond rankings: retrieval confidence and zero‑click presence
• Why LLMs.txt lacks ado...

We unpack how search is changing as LLMs reshape discovery and why revenue, not rankings, should anchor your strategy. Corey Morris joins Matt to map a practical path: entity clarity, brand differentiation, GA4 fixes, and forward-looking KPIs that speak C-suite.

• shifting from keyword rankings to revenue KPIs
• LLM visibility layered on modern SEO foundations
• entity clarity, consistent data, and brand trust
• quality content over AI slop with lived expertise
• GA4 configuration and custom attribution
• dashboards that follow dollars not vanity metrics
• podcasts and thought leadership as ROI channels
• forecasting, risk assumptions, and...

We unpack how AI finally lets marketers count what matters, why attribution is broken across platforms, and how to use behavioral insight and benchmarking to choose better bets. We share a simple playbook: listen in niche communities, test in organic, scale what pops, and measure outcomes not vanity.

• AI compressing the cost of data integration and analysis
• Platform bias, privacy limits and pixel gaps in attribution
• Traffic down, leads up as signal quality improves
• Behavioral personas outperforming demographic personas
• Niche communities seeding mainstream trends with delay
• Organic as a testbed to inform paid investm...

We unpack how search is shifting from blue links to AI-driven answers and why clean data, focused positioning, and public citations now decide who gets recommended. Solomon Timothy joins us to share practical frameworks for AEO, prompt mapping, and measurable AI visibility.

• why prompts replace keywords across the funnel
• how to make content machine-readable with schema and FAQs
• why entity clarity and niche focus boost trust
• media, podcasts, YouTube, and press as authority signals
• differences between AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity
• tracking prompts, mentions, and reverse engineering citations
• fixing iframes and technical bloc...

We argue that SEO isn’t dying; bad SEO is. Fundamentals still drive wins while LLMs change how answers surface, making complete, original content and smart strategy more valuable than ever.

• fundamentals over fads as LLMs shift discovery
• why pages beyond top ten fuel LLM citations
• customer journey, CRO, PR, and dev fluency as real leverage
• global markets with lower competition and faster output
• enterprise constraints, silos, and when to say no
• partnerships over one‑stop shops to deliver depth
• personalization pitfalls in tracking and sane KPI alignment
• future of agents, multimodal s...

We dig into how AI reshapes SEO work, why trust beats volume, and how remote teams stay tight without an office. A candid case study shows how hyperlocal signals and first‑party data restored rankings after a brutal update.

• AI as a tool, not a crutch
• Remote hiring across time zones and roles
• SOPs, status norms, and redundancy for coverage
• Quarterly meetups to rebuild culture and speed
• Recharge days to protect quality and focus
• Hyperlocal content signals that prove real experience
• First‑party data for authority and user value
• Why volume alone trigger...

We dig into why traffic is fragmenting, why single-channel expertise won’t cut it, and how expert generalists, stronger offers, and brand strategy are now the true growth levers. We share a practical path from productized “done-for-you” to higher-margin “done-with-you,” plus frameworks for attribution, remote team performance, and human-in-the-loop AI.

• AI-driven traffic shifts and platform changes
• Generalists with deep skills as the new edge
• Offers, positioning, and CRO over channel tricks
• Human-in-the-loop standards to avoid AI slop
• Done-with-you consulting to expand TAM and margin
• Retainers, value pricing, and capacity planning
• Attribution redesign and qualificati...

We unpack how AI turns Google reviews into real revenue by cutting leakage, lifting ad performance, and converting bottom-of-funnel readers with responses that actually inform and persuade. George Swetlitz of Right Response AI shares agentic workflows, CRM-powered personalization, and a playbook for multi-location growth.

• Reviews as the true bottom of the funnel
• Leakage defined and how to stop it
• Personalizing review requests from CRM data
• Reducing friction with prompts and draft assistance
• Building a marketing fact library for replies
• Agentic flows and narrow prompts for quality
• Compliance checks for sensitive information
• Case stu...

We unpack how AI reshapes performance marketing and why strategy, clean data, and human oversight matter more than ever. We share a full-funnel, dayparted approach for B2B, show what creative works now, and outline fixes that quickly lift ROAS.

• AI tools accelerating media operations while requiring human strategy
• Risks of automation with bad data and weak tracking
• Buyer shifts beyond Google and the rise of YouTube, TikTok, CTV and podcasts
• Dayparted omnichannel plan from commute to desktop to couch
• Short-form video and UGC outperforming static creative
• Full-funnel investment timelines and influenced revenue meas...

We explore how to align sales, marketing, and operations so growth becomes predictable, not chaotic. Luis Baez shares practical frameworks to productize services, unify data, and raise conversion rates in a world where buyers consult AI before they call you.

• breaking silos between sales, marketing and ops
• why unified data beats dueling spreadsheets
• shifting websites to knowledge bases for LLM era
• productizing services into a signature method
• pricing to outcomes and standardizing delivery
• sprinting to validate offers before scaling
• improving microconversions across the funnel
• practical tech stack and revenue intelligence tools
• mana...

We explore how buying decisions now pivot inside large language models and why e‑commerce brands must earn trust through proof, consistency, and email systems that never sleep. Nikita shares practical frameworks for list growth, deliverability, and flows that convert.

• LLM visibility as a new trust signal
• Post‑discovery research inside ChatGPT
• Rising skepticism and the need for social proof
• E‑commerce maturity from hacks to systems
• Small brands out‑innovating slower incumbents
• Case study of at‑home aligners capturing demand
• Building an email list with pop‑ups and content
• Essential automations across...

We explore how digital PR, entity SEO, and shifting social algorithms shape reputation, discovery, and trust. Paige Donald explains why coherent signals across platforms now drive both reporter interest and AI overviews, and how to play the long game without chasing vanity metrics.

• personal speech risk and employer brand alignment
• entity identity across profiles and the knowledge graph
• echo chambers, LinkedIn’s niche pivot, and Reddit research
• newsjacking with intent vs vanity metrics
• LLM visibility, AI overviews, and third‑party authority
• long‑game PR, reporter relationships, and useful measurement
• analytics gaps and mapping content...

Matthew Bertram and Chris Krimitsos dive into how creators and brands can grow faster together amid an AI content surge, with real case studies from Podfest and beyond. We map a practical playbook: entity SEO, the 7-11-4 rule, a clip-first workflow, and partnership models that beat CPMs.

• creator economy trends and the shift to video
• long form for trust, shorts for discovery
• entity SEO, consistent handles and domains
• the 7-11-4 rule for brand familiarity
• platform economics with YouTube as home base
• partnership deals beyond CPMs and MGs
• measuring hidden ROI and affili...

Matthew Bertram and Jon Gillham unpack how AI content, plagiarism risk, and Google’s crackdowns reshape SEO, then lay out guardrails that protect rankings while building real LLM visibility. The focus stays on practical governance, provenance checks, entity health, and adding value beyond words.

• Rebrand context and why AI integrity matters
• Study showing AI overviews citing AI content
• Risks of synthetic data and value of human signals
• School and workplace guardrails for AI use
• Google’s stance on helpful content vs scaled abuse
• Penalty patterns, core updates, and indexing lags
• Plagiarism trends, fair use t...

We reframe SEO for an AI-first world and show how agentic workflows turn messy sales processes into predictable follow-through. Matthew Bertram and Stephen Werley discuss how to map the stack, from transcripts and enrichment to Slack-driven next actions that recover hidden revenue.

• rebrand to Best SEO Podcast and new AI-derived book
• why LLMs matter for analysis, decks, and feedback
• custom GPTs tuned with domain knowledge
• building automations in n8n, Make, ClickUp, and HighLevel
• human in the loop as the quality guardrail
• data enrichment with RB2B and Clay for true personalization
• market...

Matthew Bertram brings Rob Neumann on to map how private LLMs, PIM/DAM, and AI-driven search turn messy B2B catalogs into findable, persuasive product experiences that convert. We push leaders to move now on the LLM land grab, unify entities, and align teams to become AI first.

• unifying brand, author, and entity signals for clarity
• why every business needs an e-commerce path
• findability before conversion and product page SEO
• persona-based descriptions with private LLMs
• PIM/DAM as the enrichment layer above ERP
• AI search for exact matches and smart substitutes
• channel-aware...

We explore how an AI-first approach transforms a legacy driving school’s marketing, operations, and hiring while keeping focus on real-world outcomes. The big shift: recruiting becomes the growth engine, and local presence beats AI search for demand.

• AI scheduling reduces travel time and increases daily lessons
• Local marketing at scale through AI-powered research and print assets
• Measuring lift via brand queries, CTR, utilization, and 10th-grade share
• Nine test markets to validate and replicate winning tactics
• Recruiting treated as marketing, led by clear personas
• Retired educators deliver better training and higher lesson counts
• P...

We explore how SEO is evolving into a broader visibility strategy that spans AI overviews, chat tools, and omnichannel marketing. Lindsay Halsey shares client-ready frameworks for education, measurement, and execution that turn complexity into clear next steps.

• shift from sessions to visibility and share of voice
• client education using visuals and live data reviews
• GA4 custom channel for AI tool referrals
• AI overview tracking and imperfect but useful signals
• LLMs.txt and crawl access considerations
• content that shows human expertise and authorship
• aligning CTAs to intent to boost conversions
• redistributing effort from top...

Brie Anderson and Matthew Bertram explore why LLM-sourced traffic often converts better than traditional organic, how to track it cleanly in GA4, and why attribution will always be directional. We share a practical framework for aligning KPIs, separating dashboards from reports, and building a tracking plan that drives real decisions.

• LLM referrals as high-intent visits
• GA4 source/medium over fragile channel groupings
• First user vs session vs model-based views in GA4
• UA to GA4 shift, privacy and event-based data
• SEO vs CRO alignment and KPI clarity
• Tracking plans, UTM standards, and maintenance
• Search...

We dig into how search is shifting from links to answers, why reputation now outranks tactics, and how to position your brand inside LLMs before it’s 10x harder. Ross Barefoot joins Matt to compare notes on pruning, big content, reviews, local, and the reality of client communication.

• LLMs as a new gatekeeper layer and why fundamentals still matter
• EEAT with real experience, proof, and long‑form content
• Reputation first: reviews beyond Google and social mentions
• Pruning thin and off‑topic content to clarify entity
• RAG, freshness, and Google’s role in retrieval
• Hidden gems...

We unpack why influencer marketing is now essential as social posts feed search and AI, and how micro creators, UGC rights, and repurposing drive real ROI. William Gassner of Stack Influence shares playbooks for seeding, scaling on TikTok Shop, and boosting Amazon rankings with external traffic.

• Why Engagement Beats Follower Count
• How UGC Lowers Ad Costs and Fuels SEO
• Briefs, Rights, and Whitelisting Best Practice
• Micro and Nano Influencers For Diversified Reach
• Testing Hooks, Comments and Share Incentives
• Seeding, Affiliates and Long‑Term Creator Programs
• AI Influencers’ Limits and Where AI Helps
• Live S...

The digital marketing landscape is transforming dramatically with Google's MUM (Multitask Unified Model) reshaping how search works and forcing marketers to adapt their strategies beyond traditional SEO approaches.

• MUM combines text, images, videos, maps and other data types to create a comprehensive understanding of topics
• Google's framework has evolved from "micro-moments" to the "four S's of discovery" – stream, scroll, search, and shop
• Customer journeys are no longer linear but resemble atoms or squiggly lines as users bounce between different touchpoints
• Small businesses can compete by focusing on building communities and engaging audiences across multiple platforms<...

The key to standing out in a world overrun with AI tools and generic marketing is getting back to the fundamentals of emotional targeting and understanding your customers at a deeper level.

• Technology changes, but people don't. Emotional triggers still drive all purchasing decisions
• Most marketers focus too much on features rather than addressing customer emotions
• Using AI to outsource thinking leads to generic content that fails to convert
• Website traffic has decreased by 50-60% across platforms, making conversion optimization critical
• Two key emotional clusters impact buying decisions: self-image and social image
• Customer res...

AI is revolutionizing e-commerce by enabling brands to scale product catalogs and optimize Amazon listings with unprecedented efficiency. Daniela Bolzmann shares how Mindful Goods uses artificial intelligence to transform data analysis, content creation, and split testing for seven and eight-figure brands.

• AI allows agencies to support enterprise brands with thousands of SKUs by creating template masters deployable across entire catalogs
• Split testing tools like Manager Experiments (free within Amazon), PickFu, IntelliV, and Product Pinion provide critical consumer insights
• Title testing can increase Amazon sales by up to 990% according to Mindful Goods' data
• The three pillars...

SEO veteran Ian Lurie joins Matthew Bertram to discuss navigating today's chaotic digital marketing landscape and why traditional metrics are becoming less reliable. They explore how the decline in click data requires a shift to lift-based measurement that correlates visibility improvements with revenue changes rather than traffic alone.

• Marketers must focus on business performance over vanity metrics
• Measurement requires correlating visibility (in rankings, SERP features, or AI mentions) with revenue increases 
• AI generates "average" content because it lacks human narrative capabilities
• Creating effective content requires using AI as a tool within a human-directed creative process