To a Strategic Marketing Leader, SEO Is Spelled R-O-I
Dots Oyebolu speaks with James Wirth, Senior Director of Strategy and Growth Marketing at Citation Labs, to explore how SEO is more about ROI than just rankings and why SEO professionals should “steal” budgets from PPC campaigns.
James shares insights on the impact of AI on search, the role of structured content, backlinking strategies, and how competitive analysis shapes SEO success.
Key Takeaways:
(01:00) To a marketing strategy leader, SEO isn’t just SEO — it’s all about ROI.
(02:28) The rise of AI is reshaping organic search, shifting from "dark social" to "dark search" and "dark communities."
(03:47) Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) changes how marketers approach SEO.
(06:19) Early studies indicate that SGE pulls search results from specific ranking positions.
(10:26) Google may reduce the number of search pages, making Page One rankings even more critical.
(12:52) Bing’s role in SEO may expand as Microsoft invests heavily in AI-powered search.
(17:03) Structured content and schema markup are more crucial than ever for SEO success.
(21:09) Leveraging podcast content for guest-authored articles is an effective backlinking strategy.
(26:16) The concept of "money pages" determines where backlinks should point for the highest SEO impact.
(28:54) Competitive analysis involves evaluating link gaps, search ranking positions, and content structure.
(35:42) Look at unasked questions when making recommendations around content.
(44:04) Measuring SEO ROI is an ongoing challenge, but controlled testing helps quantify impact.
Resources Mentioned:
Link Launch – A new mission control for link building
Citationlabs.com Blog including ROI Forecasting template
Insightful Links:
https://intergrowth.com/seo/vs-ppc/
https://searchengineland.com/7-things-wish-cmos-knew-link-building-192705
https://www.mediajel.com/blogs/link-building/
https://www.thehoth.com/blog/new-way-to-build-links/
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