Nate Matherson chats with Nile Frater on this episode of the Optimize podcast. Nile is the founder and CEO of Masse SEO, an agency which specializes in delivering high-scale content campaigns for fast-growing startups at Series A and beyond. He previously owned NoCode.Tech, which was acquired in 2022 and runs a micro private equity firm, Concrete Capital. Nile has an extensive background in both startups and banking. Today, they discuss the intricacies of building effective SEO programs from the ground up, enhancing content creation processes, and much more.Throughout the episode, Nile shares his insights on leveraging AI tools to overcome writer's block in the content creation process, while emphasizing the importance of human input to add value and insight beyond what AI can generate​​. He also discusses the rapid growth and scaling challenges at Masse SEO, including managing increasing client demands and maintaining content quality with a growing team​​.Nile advocates for a high-volume content strategy, explaining that more content increases the surface area for SEO success and allows for more experimentation and quicker results​​. He also touches on the competitive nature of SEO today, describing strategies for succeeding in high-competition niches by building comprehensive topical authority​​.Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions, where Nile provides quick insights into his personal experiences and preferences in SEO and content strategy​​.For more insights from Nile and to learn about MasseSEO, be sure to check out their website and follow Nile on his social platforms. Learn More About Nile FraterTwitter: https://twitter.com/Nile Masse SEO: https://www.masse.marketing/ 

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Dwayne Hogan for the forty-sixth episode of the Optimize podcast. Dwayne is a seasoned freelance SEO consultant with over 14 years of experience, including leadership roles with global brands. His Utah-based consultancy offers a deep dive into the evolving SEO landscape. In today's episode, Nate and Dwayne unpack the intricacies of content briefs and SEO strategies, including the complexities of Google's algorithm updates and the push toward generating genuinely helpful content. Dwayne shares his unique perspective on what makes content genuinely beneficial, stressing the importance of real-life examples and genuine expertise over superficial information. Dwayne outlines the steps he takes to craft a content brief that's not only efficient but packed with value, aimed at resonating well with both Google's algorithms and real-world users. The discussion goes beyond the basics, exploring the nuances of user engagement and the tactical use of AI in content creation, reflecting Dwayne's forward-thinking approach to SEO and content strategy. Rounding out the episode, Dwayne and Nate discuss the current trends and future directions of SEO, including the relevance of user engagement metrics and the practical use of AI in crafting content that stands out. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions!Learn More About Dwayne HoganLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dwaynehogan/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/dwaynehogan SEOCopilot: https://seocopilot.io/

Ben Goodey, creator of Goodey Marketing, discusses recent SEO turbulence, algorithm updates, bottom-of-funnel content strategies, and the impact of LinkedIn on content marketing. They delve into addressing user intent in content creation, navigating competitive SEO landscapes, AI-generated content challenges, and the dynamics between Google and platforms like Reddit. The episode closes with a lightning round of questions.

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Mordy Oberstein for the forty-fourth episode of the Optimize podcast. Mordy is currently the Head of SEO Brand at Wix and concurrently serves as a communications advisor for Semrush. He hosts the SERP's Up Podcast and the SEO Rant Podcast and co-hosts the Edge of Web's news podcast. Mordy speaks at SEO events worldwide and contributes to various SEO publications. During the episode, Mordy and Nate break down the March algorithm updates and provide insight into how to recover if your site was impacted. Mordy highlighted the importance of not sitting idle while the updates are settling out and getting ahead of any impacts by reviewing your site for potential weak points and addressing them. In this week’s deep dive, Mordy and Nate discuss the importance of transparency and originality in content in shaping the overall user experience for your visitors and demonstrating E-E-A-T. Mordy gives our listeners a robust dissection of his ideas for Google to release updates to improve the SERPs. The pair discuss the hypothetical implementation of an “originality score” and the potential benefits of cementing content with the highest authority into the top-ranking spots for six months to encourage content teams to write better content on topics with long tail keywords versus focusing solely on head terms. Rounding out the episode, Mordy shares his requirements for creating fantastic content, the power of the SEO community, and his frustrations with traditional publishers substituting a rigorous content strategy with affiliate marketing. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions! For more information, please visit www.positional.com or email us at podcast@positional.com.Resources:Start a Free Trial of Positional Here: www.positional.comCheck-in with Nate on LinkedIn & TwitterCheck-in with Mordy on LinkedIn & Twitter or visit Wix's WebsiteImportant Links:Barry Schwartz SEO Memes Website

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Jack Chambers-Ward for the forty-third episode of the Optimize podcast. Jack is the Marketing and Partnerships Manager at UK-based digital agency Candour and hosts the Search With Candour podcast. In his career, Jack has worked primarily on the agency side in SEO and has been hosting and producing podcasts for more than 13 years, including the acclaimed movie podcast Sequelisers. During the episode, Jack and Nate dive into SEO hot takes and industry trends. The pair share their thoughts on various topics, from ranking factors to author bios and E-E-A-T to tasks that simply waste time. Jack gives our listeners controversial opinions and laughs as he shares tactical examples to succeed in 2024. In this week’s deep dive, Jack and Nate discuss the importance of conversion through content and how the results vary throughout the marketing funnel. Jack emphasizes offering diverse content formats like video, podcasts, and newsletters to cater to different audience preferences and enhance engagement. As a bonus, Jack and Nate share examples of opportunities for conversion and developing brand recognition throughout the funnel. Rounding out the episode, Jack shares his experience with podcasting as a channel (including monetization), SERP optimization strategies, and generating content that aligns with your audience’s needs and interests across content formats. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions! For more information, please visit www.positional.com or email us at podcast@positional.com.Resources:Join Positional’s Private Beta Here: www.positional.comCheck-in with Nate on LinkedIn & TwitterCheck-in with Jack on LinkedIn & Twitter or visit the Candour WebsiteImportant Links:Subscribe to the Core Updates NewsletterListen to the Search with Candour Podcast Listen to Nate’s Episode of the Search with Candour PodcastListen to the Sequalizers Podcast

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Vince Nero for the forty-second episode of the Optimize podcast. Vince is the Director of Content Marketing at Buzzstream. He thinks content marketers should solve for users, not just Google. His previous work includes Siege Media, Homebuyer.com, and The Grit Group. During the episode, Vince and Nate discuss the importance of backlinks, how to craft a backlink campaign, and what strategies yield the best results in 2024. Vince gives our listeners tactical examples of developing strategic content for guest posting and reveals his tips for guest posting. In this week’s deep dive, Vince shares his views on backlink quality vs. quantity and where the SEO industry gets things wrong. Vince advocates for link-building activities that provide value to the user, and he emulates Google’s E-E-A-T process for evaluating which websites could be the best fit for your website to generate a link from. Listen to why the quantity of backlinks isn’t a KPI you should focus on. Rounding out the episode, Vince and Nate cover topics like the risks of buying backlinks, how organically created links diversify and de-risk your backlink profile, and how utilizing your own unique data to develop ‘Link Bait’ will outcompete AI-generated content in the SERPs. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions! For more information, please visit www.positional.com or email us at podcast@positional.com.Resources:Join Positional’s Private Beta Here: www.positional.comCheck-in with Nate on LinkedIn & TwitterCheck-in with Vince on LinkedIn or visit the BuzzStream Website

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Brett Pharis for the forty-first episode of the Optimize podcast. Brett Pharis is a content and SEO expert with over 15 years of digital marketing experience across numerous niche consumer comparison websites. Brett is the Co-founder & CEO of Vital Brands, a digital media business focused on the health and wellness industry. Currently, Vital Brands is building GymBird.com, a fitness-focused brand determined to assist folks in taking the next step in their fitness journey. During the episode, Brett and Nate discuss the importance of developing a content strategy focused on your user and how to build content with first-hand user experience. Brett dissects one of his top-performing articles (linked below), demonstrating user value. In this week’s deep dive, Brett shares the importance of building a content strategy correctly from the start, addressing common pitfalls in the content production process while stressing the need for commitment and focus to build the depth required to generate user value. Brett outlines why efficiency is critical for content creation and emphasizes the importance of operational efficiency in content creation processes through streamlining workflows and leveraging automation tools where possible. Rounding out the episode, Brett and Nate cover topics like recovering from algorithm updates, indexing challenges, building multiple teams for various properties at once, and media industry dynamics. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions! For more information, please visit www.positional.com or email us at podcast@positional.com.Resources:Join Positional’s Private Beta Here: www.positional.comCheck-in with Nate on LinkedIn & TwitterCheck-in with Brett on LinkedIn or visit the GymBird Website or Vital Brands Website Important Links:Orange Theory Review ArticleFollow Dwayne Hogan on LinkedIn

Join Nate Matherson as he sits down with Jesse McFarland for the fortieth episode of the Optimize podcast. Jesse is currently the CEO and Founder of SpearPoint Marketing and the Brands & Brews podcast host. Jesse is an SEO & Marketing leader with 15+ years of B2B, B2C, Legal, SaaS, Healthcare, & more. During the episode, Jesse and Nate break down various SEO strategies that are working and ones that should be avoided. Jesse shares the importance of aligning brand purpose, product, and audience with your SEO and content strategy and how this order of operations informs the content you should produce – not just blindly selecting keywords. In this week’s deep dive, listen to Jesse shares his experience of ‘humanizing’ AI-generated content and why you should value human-generated content before adding AI as a tool. As part of this conversation, Jesse outlines his workflows and editorial processes to take AI content and generate an E-E-A-T abiding ‘humanized’ version ready to publish. Rounding out the episode, Jesse and Nate cover topics like Technical SEO, site audits, link-building strategies that work (and don’t), and using LinkedIn to test or repurpose content. Closing the episode is our popular lightning round of questions! For more information, please visit www.positional.com or email us at podcast@positional.com.Resources:Join Positional’s Private Beta Here: www.positional.comCheck-in with Nate on LinkedIn & TwitterCheck-in with Jesse on LinkedIn or Twitter or His Website Important Links:SpearPoint AgencyBrands & Brews PodcastGreat Divide Brewing

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 podcast@positional.com. For more information, please visit www.positional.com or email us at podcast@positional.com.Resources: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 podcast@positional.com.*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