Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Alex Ross for the thirty-ninth episode of the Optimize podcast. Alex is currently the CEO of Inventing the Future of Humans Living with Plants at Greg, an app that helps people grow healthy plants at home and in the garden. Think AI--but for plant care. He was the former director of engineering at Tinder and the co-founder/COO of Enplug (acquired). During the episode, Alex discusses the importance of setting the bar for content high with the ability to put a smile on the reader’s face, how unique graphics and images enhance the content experience for the audience while boosting UX metrics, and Greg’s strategy to meet the customer where they’re most likely to convert. In this week’s deep dive, listen to Alex talk about Greg’s programmatic SEO, emphasizing the importance of having a database of original information. He shares insights into how Gregg leverages its plant database and user-generated content to enhance its SEO strategy and how they’re actively creating a content ‘moat’ to outcompete their competitors. Rounding out the episode, Alex and Nate cover topics like how Greg manages internal linking for 30k+ pages efficiently, the impact emojis can have within title tags on CTR, and why the complex reasoning in ChatGPT4 gets Alex excited about ramping up Greg’s programmatic SEO strategy. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions! For more information, please visit www.positional.com or email us at [email protected]. For more information, please visit www.positional.com or email us at [email protected]:Join Positional’s Private Beta Here: www.positional.comCheck-in with Nate on LinkedIn & TwitterCheck-in with Alex on LinkedIn or Twitter or visit Greg at their Website 

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Charles Floate for the thirty-eighth episode of the Optimize podcast. Charles is an SEO expert, entrepreneur, and investor from the United Kingdom. He’s behind The God of SEO blog and runs a successful link-building agency. Charles is known for his somewhat controversial SEO strategies, tutorials, case studies, and talks. In our episode today, Nate and Charles explore topics we have yet to discuss on the Optimize podcast, including a mix of white hat, grey hat*, and black hat tactics*. During the episode, Charles discusses niche sites' challenges and opportunities, including decreased exit opportunities, algorithm updates, economic conditions, etc. Charles also speaks to applying AI content strategies within SEO (ex., Programmatic SEO), expressing concerns about the quality and potential risks of bulk-generated content for your blog. Listen to hear why he suggests new domains to mitigate client risks. In this week’s deep dive, listen to Charles share everything you need to know about Parasite SEO in 2024. Charles gets tactical, sharing multiple case studies on how it works, why it works, and what results have been achieved with these tactics. Rounding out the episode, Charles and Nate cover topics like the future value of backlinks, Google’s use and transition away from quality raters, and how AI-generated content affects competition in SEO and content marketing. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions!  For more information, please visit www.positional.com or email us at [email protected].*Disclaimer from Positional: Google has published guidelines for acceptable practices for SEO. We recommend you review Google’s Search Essentials Guide to understand those guidelines before implementing some of the tactics discussed in this episode.Resources:Join Positional’s Private Beta Here: www.positional.comCheck-in with Nate on LinkedIn & TwitterCheck-in with Charles on LinkedIn or Twitter or his Website or Training Website

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Jeannie Assimos for the thirty-seventh episode of the Optimize podcast. Jeannie is currently the Head of Content/Communications for Way.com. She is a content marketing expert with 20+ years of experience leading teams as the VP of Content for eHarmony (perfect for our Valentine's Day episode!) and the Managing Editor of Entertainment Tonight. In our episode today, Nate and Jeannie talk about the elements that go into crafting great content that performs well in the SERPs and collects backlinks organically or through content syndication. During the episode, Jeannie and Nate emphasize the importance of authenticity in content creation, highlighting the unique value of human-generated content and how it can boost your conversion rate. This tactic was especially beneficial for Jeannie at eHarmony, where she built a team of freelancers with genuine lived experiences to write dating content from various points of view. In this week’s deep dive, listen to Jeannie share how she’s taken Way.com from 40k monthly visitors to over 1.6 million monthly visitors! She shares how she’s scaled her team, how they conduct keyword research, the content motion required to publish 300 - 400 blogs per month consistently, and how her team leverages data to drive the overall content strategy. Rounding out the episode, Jeannie and Nate cover topics like repurposing content, the role of graphics/visuals/videos, and the comparison of News SEO with Traditional SEO. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions! For more information, please visit www.positional.com or email us at [email protected]:Join Positional’s Private Beta Here: www.positional.comCheck-in with Nate on LinkedIn & TwitterCheck-in with Jeannie on LinkedIn or Website

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Cyrus Shepard for the thirty-sixth episode of the Optimize podcast. Cyrus works as an SEO and online marketer. As an early and long-time employee of Moz, he built his reputation by studying Google’s algorithm, researching and publishing scientific SEO studies, helping brands and businesses improve online visibility, and continually teaching new SEO best practices to others. Today, he runs Zyppy, an SEO software company that makes expert techniques available to everyone. In our episode today, Nate and Cyrus dive into Google’s Antitrust lawsuit and the hidden insights our audience should consider to improve their SEO and content marketing efforts. Listen to Cyrus speak on how user engagement data drives a house of cards (Google’s algorithm). During the episode, Cyrus and Nate discuss the process of becoming a Google Quality Rater and why mobile optimization is critical. As a bonus for our listeners, Cyrus shares his results from applying what he’s learned to his site and his optimization priority for 2024. In this week’s deep dive, Cyrus and Nate visit one of our more popular topics: internal linking strategies. Cyrus references his research and gives our audience critical insights into the results of what’s working and how to craft the perfect internal links strategy to succeed in 2024. Rounding out the episode, Cyrus covers ranking factors, domain authority, user interaction signals, and his predictions for 2024, including the upcoming surge in AI-generated content. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions! For more information, please visit www.positional.com or email us at [email protected]:Join Positional’s Private Beta Here: www.positional.comCheck-in with Nate on LinkedIn & TwitterCheck-in with Cyrus on LinkedIn & Twitter & WebsiteImportant Links:Internal Link Case StudySelective Link Priority Study

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Noah Kagan for the thirty-fifth episode of the Optimize podcast. Noah likely needs no introduction, but know that Noah is the CEO of AppSumo, one of the earliest members of the Facebook go-to-market team, the fourth employee at Mint, and the author of a new book, Million Dollar Weekend. In our episode today, Noah and Nate discuss the importance of knowing when to take your product to market, how to iterate and validate ideas quickly, and the process of building habits that lead to great results. During the episode, Nate and Noah review AppSumo’s journey from a $12 sale on a weekend to over $80M in revenue in 2023. The pair also reflect on how Noah’s career journey led him to shift from an employee mindset to an entrepreneurial one. In this week’s deep dive, Noah and Nate use Positional as a case study for transforming your product from a hands-on beta phase into a self-serve product. Listen to hear insightful tips on how Nate knows it’s the right time and how you can evaluate transitioning your business from beta to public, too. Rounding out the episode, Noah covers the challenges and strategies in creating products and companies that people want to engage with. He shares some of the early warning signs he’s experienced and the pitfalls of following processes that contradict your company’s best interests. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions! For more information, please visit www.positional.com or email us at [email protected]:Join Positional’s Private Beta Here: www.positional.comCheck-in with Nate on LinkedIn & TwitterCheck-in with Noah on LinkedIn & Twitter & YouTube & WebsiteImportant Links:Buy Million Dollar Weekend Here

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Jeremy Galante for the thirty-fourth episode of the Optimize podcast. Jeremy is currently the SEO Lead at ClickUp, where he applies his passion for optimization to both organic search and project workflows. Since joining as the first full-time SEO hire in 2020, ClickUp has grown search traffic by over 2 million monthly visitors. With ten years in the industry, Jeremy‘s previous experiences span from agency director to adjunct marketing instructor. In our episode today, Jeremy and Nate discuss content strategy and optimization, including crafting the perfect listicle, managing in-context internal linking, creating quality content, optimizing content, and more! During the episode, Nate and Jeremy review ClickUp’s journey to over 2 million monthly visitors, revealing strategies you can utilize on your sites. In this week’s deep dive, Jeremy and Nate break down content formats, including listicles and roundups like best-of lists, product/service alternatives, and comparison pages. Listen to Jeremy’s “Surround Sound” strategy for building backlinks, influencing LLMs, developing brand authority, and expanding your audience. Rounding out the episode, Jeremy covers the challenges and strategies in scaling content channels, emphasizing the need for a solid workflow with checks to ensure quality control. Closing out the episode is our popular lightning round of questions! For more information, please visit www.positional.com or email us at [email protected]:Join Positional’s Private Beta Here: www.positional.comCheck-in with Nate on LinkedIn & TwitterCheck-in with Jeremy on LinkedIn & Twitter & ClickUp's Website & Jeremy's Website

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Jason Hennessey for the thirty-third episode of the Optimize podcast. Jason is a multifaceted entrepreneur, renowned SEO expert, author, podcast host, U.S.A.F. Veteran, and dynamic speaker known for reverse-engineering the Google algorithm since 2001. As the CEO of Hennessey Digital since 2015, he has grown the agency into a multi-million-dollar enterprise, recognized on the Inc. 5000 list for five years, including 2023. He is also an acclaimed author of two Amazon bestsellers, including “Legal SEO” and "Honest SEO." In our episode today, Jason and Nate discuss a new topic for the Optimize Podcast, Legal SEO, but don’t skip this episode, as the tips and strategies he shares apply to all industries. During the episode, Nate and Jason break down the evolution of organic search from the 2000s to the present, algorithm updates, backlink strategies, agency building, communication, and more! In this week’s deep dive, Jason shares his experience with Legal SEO, offering insights into the competitive and heavily regulated industry. Listen to his strategies for building backlinks and executing content strategies, developing brand identity, and the importance of maintaining your company’s or law firm’s reputation. Rounding out the episode, Jason and Nate discuss building an agency from the ground up, hiring A-players, and managing communication and expectations in client-agency relationships. Closing out the episode is our popular lightning round of questions! For more information, please visit www.positional.com or email us at [email protected]:Join Positional’s Private Beta Here: www.positional.comCheck-in with Nate on LinkedIn & TwitterCheck-in with Jason on LinkedIn & Twitter & Agency WebsiteBuy Jason's Books: Honest SEO & Legal SEO

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Ann Smarty for the thirty-second episode of the Optimize podcast. Ann is an SEO expert with industry experience since 2005 and is the founder of Smarty Marketing, a client-first boutique SEO agency based in New York. She was the former editor-in-chief of Search Engine Journal, a frequent contributor to prominent search and social blogs like Small Business Trends and Mashable, and a speaker at Pubcon and other digital marketing events. In our episode today, Ann and I discuss organic search and AI predictions for 2024, her recent report, The State of The Link Building Industry 2023, helpful content, algorithm updates, and more! During the episode, Ann shares her experience with Google’s algorithm evolution over the years and how user experience metrics signal Google that your website’s content is valuable to the readers and should rank highly. In this week’s deep dive, Ann shares her thoughts on the challenges agencies face in acquiring clients and the problems clients face when choosing an agency. Listen to her thoughts on the importance of experience and longevity when selecting an SEO agency, why you should educate yourself before your first meeting, and how shortcuts and hype can backfire. Rounding out the episode, Ann and Nate discuss link-building strategies, topical authority, creating link bait, and reputation management. Closing out the episode is our popular lightning round of questions! For more information, please visit www.positional.com or email us at [email protected]:Join Positional’s Private Beta Here: www.positional.comCheck-in with Nate on LinkedIn & TwitterCheck-in with Ann on LinkedIn & Twitter & Agency WebsiteThe State of The Link Building Industry 2023 Report

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Ty Magnin for the thirty-first episode of the Optimize podcast. Ty is the CEO of Animalz, a content marketing agency for enterprise companies, startups, and VC firms. He previously led marketing teams at Emotive, UiPath, and Appcues. In our episode today, Ty and Nate review a turbulent 2023 for content marketing agencies and envision what’s ahead for the industry in 2024. During the episode, Ty shares his experience experimenting with AI-generated content, the results, and his lingering skepticism of the efficacy of AI-generated content in SEO channels in 2024. In this week’s deep dive, Ty shares his thoughts on the importance of ROI tracking and how diversifying content channels, content adaptability, and distribution play a crucial role in performance metrics. Rounding out the episode, Ty and Nate discuss SGE, user search behavior, and other predictions for content marketing in 2024. Closing out the episode is our popular lightning round of questions! For more information, please visit www.positional.com or email us at [email protected]:Join Positional’s Private Beta Here: www.positional.comCheck-in with Nate on LinkedIn & TwitterCheck-in with Ty on LinkedIn & Twitter

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Mika Lepisto for the thirtieth episode of the Optimize podcast. Mika has broad experience in digital marketing since the mid-’90s, and over the past 20 years, has been consulting with a focus on organic/SEO and revenue generation. His clients span B2C, B2B, B2G, and the public sector. In our episode today, Mika and Nate review the history and evolution of SEO from its humble beginnings in the late 1990s to the future impacts AI will have on organic search as we move into 2024. Mika shares his thoughts on Google’s SGE experiment and why he anticipates a shift towards highly personalized results in the SERPs instead of SGE’s current form. In this week’s deep dive, Mika and Nate discuss the Travel SEO niche, revealing tips and strategies you can use to out-compete legacy competitors. Rounding out the episode, Mika outlines how to capitalize on local search advantages, the changing significance of backlinks, and aligning SEO KPIs with business objectives. Closing out the episode is our popular lightning round of questions! For more information, please visit www.positional.com or email us at [email protected]:Join Positional’s Private Beta Here: www.positional.comCheck-in with Nate on LinkedIn & TwitterCheck-in with Mika on LinkedIn