SEO Beyond the Funnel: From Personalization to Brand Salience in the Age of AI | Jes Scholz

Jul 28, 2025

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

In this episode of The Search Session, Gianluca Fiorelli sits down with Jes Scholz – renowned growth marketing consultant and respected voice in the SEO world – to unpack what truly matters in search today.

From the resurgence of excitement in SEO to the impact of AI on how we think and work, Jes shares thoughtful, experience-driven insights on how to adapt without losing sight of the fundamentals.

Together, they explore why building brand salience should be at the core of any strategy, how understanding category entry points and intent beats keyword obsession, and why Google Discover deserves a seat at the SEO table. Plus, Jes offers a smart take on avoiding “AI slop” by creating genuinely valuable content.

Whether you’re grappling with legacy tactics or navigating AI-driven disruption, this conversation will help you rethink your approach and move forward with purpose.

This is the 23rd episode of the series: The Search Session on YouTube

Here's what you'll learn in this episode:

(01:11) Meet Our Guest: Jes Scholz
(01:43) Jes's Advice on Navigating Uncertainty in the AI-Driven Era
(05:35) Reframing SEO Strategy: From Keywords to Category Entry Points
(13:34) How Hyper-Personalized Search Reshapes Optimization
(15:40) Learning from Google Discover: Using Topical Authority to Win Visibility
(20:33) Why Content isn’t Just Text Anymore and What SEOs Must Do
(27:39) Chunks vs. Cohesive Content: Balancing Readability for LLMs and Real Human Users
(34:41) Rethinking SEO Metrics: Using Share of Voice and Prompt Tracking to Measure Visibility
(42:52) SEO Myths in the Age of AI
(46:32) The Person Behind the Professional: Jes Scholz

👉 Read the full article and explore additional insights

Where to find Jes Scholz
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jes-scholz
X: x.com/jes_scholz
Threads: threads.net/@jes.scholz
Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/jes-scholz.bsky.social
Website: jesscholz.com

Where to find Gianluca Fiorelli
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gianlucafiorelli
X: x.com/gfiorelli1
Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/gfiorelli1.bsky.social
Website: iloveseo.net

Made with ❤️ by Advanced Web Ranking, the people behind the world's most accurate and longest-standing rank tracker.

Get your free 30-day trial and find your true visibility in organic search for any market.

Be sure to subscribe for more actionable marketing and SEO tutorials: @advancedwebranking