In episode 104 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak addresses how competitors can steal your website traffic, particularly through brand name searches. He explains strategies to combat this issue, such as online reputation management, optimizing search results, and pushing negative content down the rankings. The episode emphasizes the importance of understanding and protecting your brand's online presence.

It's truly disheartening to discover that despite investing in paid advertisements to raise awareness for your brand, there are other competing brands out there who are directly siphoning off your traffic, rendering your investment futile. In terms of brand searches, users have a range of alternatives, instead of specifically intending to engage with your brand.

Numerous factors contribute to this predicament. One possibility is that your brand is quite generic, leading to confusion with other similar brands. Fortunately, there are methods to address this issue and ensure that the traffic rightfully belongs to you.

Tune in to this episode where you can learn about the effectiveness of online reputation management in eliminating these traffic thieves from search results.

Podcast Highlights:

00:00 Prologue

00:35 Podcast Intro

00:45 Introduction of the episode

01:23 In what ways does people steal your traffic making your investment for paid ads go to waste? (...Why does brand awareness become a problem?)

03:23 What can be done to push the results upwards even and push the competition to page 2, 3 or further behind from your brand?

05:22 Call to Action and Closing

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]

In episode 103 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak discusses why businesses may be wasting money on paid ads and how to improve brand presence online. He introduces "active search branding" as a strategy to manage how your brand appears in search results, highlighting the importance of online reputation and strategic content placement.

When people do their search for a particular brand name on Google and depending on what they find in the search results, many potential customers may decide to avoid making a purchase. And these brands are spending significant amounts of money on paid advertisements.

In this episode Gert discusses a better alternative in putting your brand out there and rank better than when you are spending lots of money on paid ads. Leverage your investment to raise more brand awareness.

Listen to this episode and let SEOLeverage's team of experts support you in taking control of how your brand can land on Google's first page in search results.

Podcast Highlights:

00:00 Prologue

00:39 Podcast Intro

00:49 Introduction of the episode topic

01:33 Why are brands wasting 10s of 1000 dollars on paid ads but are not ranking?

03:08 What is active search branding?

04:51 Closing

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]

In episode 102 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak and Greg Merrilees explore how AI is transforming website design. They discuss the benefits and limitations of AI tools like ChatGPT, addressing concerns about content quality and copyright issues. Merrilees outlines a three-step client process involving education, qualification, and demonstration to ensure effective communication and alignment.

Greg Merrilees of Studio1 Design was the inaugural guest on Episode 2 of the SEOLeverage Podcast and he returns as a special guest on Episode 102, marking the milestone of 100 episodes.

In this episode, Gert Mellalk engages in an enlightening conversation with Greg Merrilees about the advancements of AI and its impact on website design and other industries. They discussed the aspect that AI should be perceived as a tool rather than a threat with its huge benefits, urging listeners to adopt a growth mindset and embrace the opportunities presented by this emerging technology.

Merrilees also offered his three-step process of educating, qualifying and demonstrating when working with clients to see if they are a good fit or totally disqualify them. Included in the discussion were the utilization of Questionnaires, videos and professional proposal software so that the clients are clear on the path they are taking.

Podcast Highlights:

00:01 Prologue

00:34 Podcast Intro

00:44 Welcoming back Greg Merrilees to the show

02:09 How has AI been affecting the design industry so far?

03:28 Can Google actually detect if a blog post or content used AI and if so, may devalue it and rank it eventually?

05:07 In Greg Merrilees opinion, what is the best use of Chat GPT for bloggers and content creators? (...What can't be taught to Chat GPT or what can't it not understand?)

07:46 Will copyright and authorship affect or slow down the training data and the design industry as a whole?

09:09 The huge benefits of AI vs the limitation

14:46 What is the three-part process by which Studio1 Design work with clients?

16:40 How does the Education Step work when designing a website?

19:59 What needs to be done with lead magnets or how can you lead clients to their next logical step to help them with their journey?

22:09 How do you disqualify a wrong prospect? (Why is Studio1 Design not for startups or big corporations, either?

24:26 Why do people want more traffic when it is not converting?

24:55 What is the sniff test case study by Gert with one of his clients?

27:44 The strategies that Greg and his team does to qualify clients if they are a good fit based on the three step process of educate, qualify and demonstrate. (What is their conversion rate on those calls?)

30:16 What's Gert's experience with the 40 set of questionnaire from Greg before he created SEO Leverage's website?

34:05 Why are videos and professional proposal software super helpful in proposals?

35:39 Recap of the conversation

36:39 Where to Connect with Greg Merrilees?

36:56 End

Resources:

AI Tools -

Midjourney AI - https://midjourney-app.com/

Playground AI - https://playgroundai.com/

Future Tools - https://www.futuretools.io/

GitHub Copilot - https://github.com/

Connect with Greg Merrilees:

Website - https://studio1design.com/

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]

In episode 101 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Jeff Mendelson joins Gert Mellak to discuss podcast monetization strategies. They highlight the importance of understanding your podcast's purpose, building meaningful connections with guests, and leveraging short-form content for efficient information delivery. The conversation covers practical tips on contacting potential guests and maintaining audience engagement.

Podcasting can be done solo, but the most amazing podcast episodes are when there are one-on-one conversations with industry experts and interesting people. It is beneficial to both the host and the guest to be able to bounce ideas off to more people which just makes the conversation so much richer.

Podcasting is a very powerful medium that will give you some authority to be able to talk to amazing people and have a great time in making this connection happen. Listen to this episode around podcasting and all those interesting experiences, including monetization with Gert's guest, Jeff Mendelson, known in the industry as the Podcast Superhero.

Podcast Highlights:

00:00 Prologue

00:33 Podcast Intro

00:20 Introduction of the guest, Jeff Mendelson

02:07 How was Jeff's journey from corporate to creating a digital marketing agency and eventually becoming an industry expert in podcasting?

08:04 What was Jeff's realization about getting real value in short-form podcasts?

10:53 Some guidelines Jeff provided on the best way to initiate contact with masterminds, industry experts, and other interesting people for potential interviews on his show?

13:47 What needs to be taken in consideration when checking out possible guests in your show or when guesting in a show?

14:52 Gert's favorite podcast directory and why he likes them?

15:59 The beauty of virtual communication: forging connections, conversations and exchanging value, without physical proximity. (...Jeff giving an example of his interview with Tyler Robertson, the CEO of Diesel Laptops.)

19:35 The importance of one-on-one conversations happening in podcasting.

22:06 How does Jeff maintain the connection with the people he had conversations with?

27:05 The importance of delegating so that you can do what you do best. (... Gert gives a shout out to his team.)

27:58 A recap of the conversation with Jeff

29:42 Where to connect with Jeff Mendelson?

30:04 End

Resources:

Podcast Guesting Directories

MatchMaker.fm - https://www.matchmaker.fm/

PodMatch - https://podmatch.com/

Gestio - https://guestio.com/

Automation Tool

Zapier - https://zapier.com/

Connect with Jeff Mendelson:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffmendelson/

Website - https://jeffmendelson.com/

The One Big Tip Podcast - https://jeffmendelson.com/onebigtip/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/onebigtip

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]

In episode 100 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak celebrates the podcast's milestone, sharing key insights and memorable moments from previous episodes. He reflects on expert interviews, discussing a wide range of topics, including SEO strategies, digital marketing trends, and business growth. This special episode acknowledges the podcast's journey and its impact on listeners.

Having launched 100 podcast episodes for SEO Leverage Podcast is no mean feat. Gert in this episode had memorable recollections of past episodes that stick out and interesting conversation with guests with their respective expertise. So many insights have been shared and the feedback to the podcast has been truly positive and that is the reason why Gert is set to move forward at full speed and give his listeners more value with exciting episodes and interesting guests.

Podcast Highlights:

00:00 Prologue

00:41 Podcast Intro

00:50 Welcoming to Episode 100 of SEO Leverage Podcast

Going back to the episodes that stick out:

01:53 The very first guest interview with Greg Merrilees from Studio1 Design.

02:30 Episode 4 was with Greg's mentor James Schramko, Episode 7 was with Ilana Wechsler from teachtraffic.com and Anfernee Chansamooth on Episode 8.

03:15 Episode 15 was about user experience and evergreen content with Cristoph Cemper of LinkResearchTools

03:46 For Episode 18 it was about website flipping and strategic growth with Jaryd Krause, and Episode 22 was with Justin Meadows of tuneWP.com, who is the technical support provider of Gert.

04:30 The conversation with Dixon Jones, the founder of inLinks is not boring even though it's about the tech side of things.

05:02 The growth of Semantic SEO and the rise of AI ChatGPT and the likes, the different aspects of SEO, ROI in SEO in Episodes 30, 32 and 40.

05:48 Justin Meadows came back on Episode 41 to talk about the repercussions of the wrong choice of page builders.

06:25 Episode 50 was all about link building and Episode 52 was about lead generation.

07:03 Episode 60 is about designing and optimizing a website with Quinn Zeda from Conversion Crimes.

07:41 SEO migrations was the topic of discussion on Episode 73 and the disastrous effects of wrong migrations without SEO help.

08:39 Episode 81: Inside the Head of a Search User

09:21 Conversation on brand SERPs, brand searches and how Google tries to understand how brands should be ranking on Episode 90 with Jason Barnard from Kalicube.

10:43 Episode 95 with Anke Hermann was about audio summits.

11:18 Legal tips for online businesses from legal expert Heather Pearce was the conversation in Episode 97.

11:46 Episode 100, moving forward at full speed on expert discussions on AI, searches and to provide value to the industry with lots of new guests coming soon.

12:19 End

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]

In episode 99 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak discusses the issue of "search intent mismatch," where website content doesn't meet user expectations based on their search queries. He offers strategies for aligning content with user intent, improving SEO performance. This includes analyzing top-ranking pages and differentiating between informational and transactional content.

Although search intent is important, it should not be the sole focus when creating content or pages. It's crucial to consider other factors to understand why your content may not be ranking or why a competitor's content is performing better. There is what we call Search Intent Mismatch and your type of content is not the type of content that Google wants to rank

Podcast Highlights:

00:00 Prologue

00:09 Podcast Intro

00:20 Introduction of the topic

00:33 Why is Search Intent Mismatch the most important symptom that causes your ranking to drop?

01:55 When rankings drop, what needs to be factored in the revisions based on what Google is looking for to rank?

03:01 Summary

03:43 End

Resources:

Get 5 quick wins for your website's SEO

https://seoleverage.com/quick-wins

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]

In episode 98 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak and Thomas Helfrich discuss the role of automation in marketing. They explore how AI can enhance tasks like content creation and social media management, emphasizing that technology should complement rather than replace human effort. The episode also covers email marketing strategies and tools for automation.

In this episode, Gert had a very informative conversation with Thomas Helfrich, the founder of instantlyrelevant.com, who believes that in order to convert trust and loyalty from customers, you need to deliver non-stop relevance.

We hear so much about AI and how it encompasses even marketing automation. Both Gert and Thomas agree on the advantages of automation, but it should be to accelerate the tasks of humans, not replace them. There is still a need to leverage technology with human led content development, social media management, and outreach for sales development, for example in the use of email marketing.

Podcast Highlights:

00:00 Prologue

00:33 Podcast Intro

00:43 Welcome to episode and introduction of the guest

02:07 Self introduction by Thomas Helfrich and how he landed in AI what he does.

05:13 What are the issues presented to Thomas' team when being consulted in creating content? (...What do you need to watch out for when using these technologies?)

08:45 AI is not a replacement for humans, but what areas can we leverage AI technology?

11:18 When it comes to content creation on the marketing side of things, what kind of technologies can be used?

13:31 When is the right time to add value to a relationship whether personal or business?

15:43 How is email marketing an effective tool? (...Why is human led, not full automation still the best for B2B?)

18:15 Why is non stop relevance important in building trust to get loyal long-term customers?

19:41 What's Gert's preferred email automation technology that can do value sequencing?

21:43 How is tech fatigue a bigger problem in your email marketing list?

24:44 What would be the three tools or strategies that Thomas would suggest to look into?

27:42 Gert's recap of what was talked about in the conversation with Thomas.

29:29 What is Executive Eminence and why do you need to raise it for your messaging, your content, in your strategy, in your brand image, etc?

31:17 Where to connect with Thomas Helfrich?

31:36 End

Resources:

Email Automation Tools:

Active Campaign - https://www.activecampaign.com/

Pipedrive - https://www.pipedrive.com/

Three Tools that Thomas recommends:

Fathom - https://fathom.video/

Calendly - https://calendly.com/

Better Proposals - https://betterproposals.io/

Connect with Thomas Helfrich:

Website - https://www.instantlyrelevant.com/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/instantlyrelevant

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]

In episode 97 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak and Heather Pearce Campbell discuss essential legal tips for online businesses. They cover topics like intellectual property protection, the importance of privacy policies, and legal considerations for online course creators. The episode emphasizes the need for proper legal frameworks to safeguard business interests.

For content creators, coaches, writers or similar service-based businesses, Intellectual Property protection is, more often than not, neglected or they probably do not have first-hand information of its importance. Intellectual Property is your business and you need to protect it!

The second piece that is highly important is Privacy Policy and from what Heather Pearce Campbell said, the guest of Gert in this episode, you cannot have a business and be online without it in place. Heather is the founder of Pearce Law PLLC and she helps entrepreneurs protect their brands and provide legal support and legal information.

This is an eye-opener episode for business owners not to neglect this very important step in their business - having that protection in place at the very start.

Podcast Highlights:

00:00 Prologue

00:27 Podcast Intro

00:41 Welcome to the episode and introduction of the guest

02:19 What was Heather's most challenging case she has worked on?

05:41 Why can't you not expect that people won't have the same standard as you do? (...What is the root cause of some business owner's legal challenges?)

07:26 What is an IP, what does it actually entail?

10:06 How can people understand the protections that go along with IP?

15:02 Is there a difference when someone puts in a tick mark on a check box with a service business where there is a signed agreement?

17:55 Some examples Gert shared when signing Terms of Purchase and his own experience signing documents for an international corporation, when he was still a freelancer.

20:00 For online course creators, what kind of legal terms should be used? (...Why is timing an important issue based on a legal perspective?)

22:28 What are the things that you need to outline in the terms of purchase that will protect you? (...What is the difference between Website Terms and Conditions and Terms of Purchase?)

24:22 Why do you need to have a privacy policy in place?

26:07 As part of website protection, why is it important that there is disclosure of Terms of Purchase?

29:03 What are the risks with not protecting your brand and how can you go about protecting your brand?

33:33 Why is it important to analyze your audience, what countries will you reach out for your brand?

35:46 Gert's recap of everything that was discussed in Episode 97

36:54 Where to connect with Heather Pearce Campbell?

38:22 End

Connect with Heather Pearce Campbell:

Website - https://legalwebsitewarrior.com/

Email - [email protected]

Podcast - Guts, Grit & Great Business Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/guts-grit-great-business/id1516815054

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HeatherPearceCampbell/

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]

In episode 96 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak and Jonathan Gillham discuss AI content detection. They explore how to identify AI-generated content, the potential uses and limitations of AI in content creation, and the implications for SEO and digital marketing. They also talk about tools for detecting AI content and Google's role in managing this technology.

Chat GPT has been the buzz these days because of its AI generated content creation technology. In today's episode Gert had a very focused and frank conversation with Jonathan Gillman, the founder of originality.ai, and heads a team of experts that understands your needs when it comes to originality and human content creation.

While GPT-3 or even going into GPT-4 in the near future, does makes some

sense, such as cutting research time, outlining an article or marketing strategy or even creating a website without actual proficiency on a specific subject matter, to a great extent it promotes plagiarism and gives no credence to human ability for superior content.

We'll see how this whole AI thing is going through and how Google will act on it.

Podcast Highlights:

00:00 Prologue

00:35 Podcast Intro

00:45 Welcome to episode 96 and introduction of the episode topic and the guest

02:05 Jonathan Gillham's background and his experience in AI detection and plagiarism.

03:39 How can people know if the content was written by a human?

05:21 Where does Jonathan see AI content to make most sense?

09:59 How does the detection actually work? (...How can non-tech experts understand the process of detection if content is a work of an AI writer?)

12:04 What does the training look like in the future in order to determine GPT level of accuracy?

12:55 Jonathan's opinion on how Google will react to content being a commodity? (...Will Google apply some mechanism to restrict their search results as human generated?)

14:52 Why Gert was surprised Google did not do anything earlier with GPT and why he believes that Google needs to have an alternative solution rather than pulling the brakes too much.

18:32 What's Jonathan's take on GPT4 in comparison to the other versions of GPT?

24:12 Jonathan explains how his own software, a plagiarism checker and AI detector works. (...What are the percentages of probability of human generated and AI generated?)

28:05 Where to connect with Jonathan Gillham?

28:22 End

Resources:

Plagiarism checker mentioned in the conversation:

Copyscape Plagiarism Checker - https://www.copyscape.com/

Connect with Jonathan Gillham:

Website - https://originality.ai/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/originality-ai/

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]

In episode 95 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak and Anke Hermann discuss the concept and execution of audio summits. They explore how this format differs from traditional video summits, offering flexibility and accessibility for participants. The episode covers technical requirements, promotion strategies, and the benefits of audio summits as lead magnets and networking tools.

Have you heard about Audio Summits? If this is the first time you heard about it, you will be excited by this game changer format of having a summit or a conference from a totally different perspective. It does not require a commitment for an audience to be at the summit at a particular set time, it respects your time and you can participate on it on the go. There's more to it than being a lead magnets and for sure, you'll be hooked, especially when you are often invited to be a speaker on summits.

In this episode, Gert had an expert on the show in creating Audio Summits in the person of Anke Hermann, an international speaker, author and award winning trainer and facilitator. Listen to this episode and learn why Audio Summit is going to be the next big thing.

Podcast Highlights:

00:00 Prologue

00:47 Introduction of the episode and the guest

01:27 How Gert and Anke hit it off with so many things in common with them?

02:06 Why does Anke not like the way existing summits are being pitched in, even though it is free in terms of money? (...Why does she think their concept does not work?)

07:03 What is an Audio Summit, why is it different from a video summit?

12:46 Why is Audio Summit going to be a game changer? (...What does it offer that traditional summits don't have?)

17:22 What does the tech part look like in running an Audio Summit and what else is needed? (...What is the process for creating an Audio Summit?)

21:26 What is wrong with people thinking summits are lead magnets? (...What is the third process that needs to be managed?)

27:05 A recap from Gert on the points raised by Anke on the processes of creating an Audio Summit.

29:22 Where does Anke promote her Summit?

31:57 How long will the summit content or audio be accessible to those who signed up?

33:43 Where to connect with Anke Hermann?

34:30 End

Resources:

Hello Audio - https://helloaudio.fm/

ClickUp - https://clickup.com/

Book of Anke Hermann - Taming the Monsters: How to Rise Above Tech Frustration and Build Your Business Online With Joy and Confidence

https://www.amazon.com/Taming-Tech-Monster-Frustration-Confidence/dp/B088N4W9MP

Connect with Anke Hermann:

Website: https://ankeherrmann.com/

Website: https://createconnectandflourish.online/

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]