SEO Isn't Dead But Your Old Strategy Is...

The era of "reverse engineering Google" is over. Here's what successful agencies are doing instead.

Hey there,

I just wrapped up a fascinating conversation with Katie Wagner, CEO of KWSM Digital, and I had to share what she revealed about the seismic shift happening in SEO right now.

If you're still thinking about SEO the old way—keyword stuffing, link farming, chasing algorithm updates—you're already behind.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Modern SEO

Here's what Katie told me that should make every marketer pause:

Translation: Google is eating your lunch, but the scraps they're leaving are gold.

Katie's agency is seeing higher conversion rates despite lower traffic volumes. Why? Because they've adapted to a two-layer strategy that most agencies are missing entirely.

The Two-Layer Strategy That's Actually Working

Layer 1: Feed the AI Overviews

Create educational, top-of-funnel content designed specifically for AI overviews. This isn't conversion content—it's credibility content. When people see you mentioned in ChatGPT or Google's AI responses, you're building trust before they even click.

Layer 2: Brand Journalism for Conversion

Here's where Katie's background as a former CNN journalist becomes crucial. She creates what she calls "brand journalism"—deep stories about real humans doing real work, with specific use cases, metrics, and examples.

Not features and benefits. Use cases and proof.

Why "Brand Journalists" Are Outperforming SEO Agencies

Katie dropped this bomb:

Think about it. In a world where AI can generate infinite content, what can't it replicate?

• Your actual customer stories

• Real case studies with specific metrics

• First-hand experiences and interviews

• Authentic behind-the-scenes content

This is why Katie's agency conducts customer interviews before starting any campaign:

"When you were looking for this type of service or product, how did you begin that search? What were you looking for? What appealed to you?"

They reverse-engineer the buyer journey from actual buyers. Genius.

The Revenue Reality Check

Here's the part that made me sit up straight. Katie doesn't just track clicks and rankings. She tracks revenue:

Weekly sales team calls. Customer feedback loops. Profit margin analysis.

If you're not having these conversations with your clients, you're not doing marketing—you're doing digital decoration.

The Podcast Advantage (That Everyone's Missing)

Katie mentioned something that connected perfectly with my own experience running SEO Arcade:

A 30-minute podcast generates 30,000-40,000 words of first-person, expert-level content. It's the ultimate expression of keyword research because you're capturing the actual language experts use when they go deep on topics.

But here's the kicker—this content wouldn't show up in SEMrush or Ahrefs keyword research. It's too specific, too nuanced, too real.

Near-Bound Marketing: The Secret Weapon

Katie introduced me to a concept that's going to change how I think about partnerships:

Near-bound marketing = leveraging existing relationships and strategic partners to reach audiences that already trust those partners.

Sometimes the partner is your existing client. Get them talking to their audience about how you've helped them. Now you're getting in front of their network with a trust transfer that no amount of paid ads can buy.

The Hard Questions You Need to Ask

Katie's team asks questions that most agencies are too scared to ask:

• What are your profit margins on different services?

• How many people do you need to scale if you land a big client?

• What's your sales process after someone converts?

• How do you nurture leads that don't buy immediately?

If you don't know these answers about your clients' businesses, how can you possibly drive meaningful results?

What This Means for You

Whether you're running an agency, working in-house, or freelancing, here's what you need to start doing now:

1. Stop optimizing for traffic. Start optimizing for qualified traffic that converts.

2. Become a brand journalist. Create content that only you can create based on your actual experience and customer stories.

3. Feed the AI. Create educational content specifically designed to get mentioned in AI overviews and LLM responses.

4. Build near-bound partnerships. Stop thinking about marketing as a solo activity. Who can you partner with? Who already trusts you that has an audience you want to reach?

5. Track revenue, not rankings. If you can't connect your SEO work to actual business outcomes, you're playing the wrong game.

The Bottom Line

The days of "set it and forget it" SEO are over. The days of winning with a single tactic are over.

But for marketers willing to think like journalists, understand business fundamentals, and create authentic connections with real humans?

This is the NEW golden age.

The question is: Are you going to adapt, or are you going to keep optimizing for a world that no longer exists?

What do you think? Are you seeing similar shifts in your SEO work? Hit reply and let me know—I read every response.

P.S. If you want to hear the full conversation with Katie, check out the complete interview on the Unscripted SEO Podcast. She goes even deeper on the specific tactics they're using to generate millions in revenue for their manufacturing clients.