Content and Conversation: Organic Growth Insights from Siege Media

Traffic Down, Revenue Up: A Conversation w/ Rand Fishkin

Mar 11, 2025

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Ross welcomes back Rand Fishkin, co-founder of SparkToro and longtime marketing thought leader, for a candid conversation about the evolution of search, audience research, and the shifting tides of digital marketing.

Rand shares insights on why SEO’s golden age is behind us, why influence—not traffic—should be marketers’ primary focus, and how PR is making a major comeback.

He also discusses SparkToro’s growth, lessons from launching an indie video game company, and why understanding audience behavior is more critical than ever.

Show Notes: 00:00 Welcome Back, Rand!

01:10 Reflections on Lost and Founder

02:37 The importance of timing and market demand

06:48 Venture Capital and Market Trends

14:34 The Changing Reputation of SEO

19:27 AI, Search, and Zero-Click Results 28:58 Influence Over Traffic

38:46 How to Prioritize Marketing Channels

43:42 The Rise of Digital PR

49:51 The Future of Search and Content

Show Links:
SparkToro https://sparktoro.com/blog/traffic-is-down-revenue-is-up/

SparkTogether 2025 https://sparktoro.com/sparktogether

Rand’s Blog “Traffic Is Down; Revenue Is… Up?" https://sparktoro.com/

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