"Your post doesn't just need to be the best post out there. It needs to be better than all of the posts that are on the first search results page," says Ben Kazinik, Sr. SEO Manager at monday.com

In this episode of The Content Cocktail Hour, Ben Kazinik, Senior SEO Manager at monday.com, explains why success in SEO writing comes from a mix of strategic content creation and thoughtful optimization. Ben breaks down the power of manual research, shares how tools like Ahrefs and Phrase.io uncover SEO gaps, and stresses the value of internal linking to boost rankings. He also discusses how AI is shifting search results and what marketers must do to adapt. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. How to strike the right balance between creating and optimizing SEO content  
2. Why manual research is crucial for outperforming competitors  
3. Practical ways to improve SEO with tools, internal links, and targeted strategies  

Resources:

Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-gandolf/ 

Check out The Juice HQ: https://www.thejuicehq.com/ 

Connect with Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-kazinik/

Check out monday.com: http://monday.com

Check out SEO Bros: https://www.youtube.com/@seo-bros

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(03:42) How to create competitive SEO content

(05:35) New content vs optimizing content for SEO

(10:37) Inside monday.com’s content team structure

(13:08) PLG vs sales-led content strategy differences

(14:19) How AI is changing SEO performance

(16:19) Top SEO tools for small businesses

(19:26) The SEO Bros and their roast series