Gert Mellak Podcast

In episode 94 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak discusses the concept of content design, focusing on how to make content easily discoverable and engaging for users. The episode emphasizes aligning content with user search intent, effective presentation, and navigation strategies to enhance user experience.

Before we can really appreciate Content Design, we need first to understand for what purpose we need it for. Content Design is necessary for discoverability of search users for their search intent. It is the primary intention why users are searching for something. It could just be simple data they are looking for or maybe more complex information, but making your content visible and interesting for users to consume it depends on your Content Design.

Content design is a framework that considers the behavior of users interacting with your content. While jazzy designs, graphics and fonts are important, content design is more on understanding the users and their needs.

Podcast Highlights:

00:00 Prologue

00:20 Podcast Intro

00:32 Introduction of the episode

00:46 Invitation to head over to SEOleverage.com/podcast

01:08 Why does content design matter and for what purpose do we need content design?

02:25 What are the three aspects of content design that can best find the answers to users' search queries?

05:09 Why is Content Design one of the important leverage points that we see on established sites?

05:45 End

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]

In episode 93 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak discusses a case study where a website's traffic dropped by 80%, yet conversions increased. The episode explores how focusing on relevant content and optimizing for quality over quantity can enhance user engagement and lead to better conversion rates.

In this episode, we'll be discussing how our agency, SEOLeverage, helped a client increase their website conversions by dropping their traffic by 80%. Our client, a seven-figure company with a solid track record, had been experiencing a decline in conversions over the past 12 months. After analyzing their website, we discovered that the quality of their traffic had changed due to a large amount of irrelevant content being published on their site. To solve this problem, we made some tough decisions and removed 80% of the site's traffic in order to increase the relevance of the remaining traffic. The result was a significant increase in conversions. The takeaway from this case study is the importance of relevance in driving conversions and the potential negative impact of irrelevant content on a website's performance.

Podcast Highlights:

00:01 Prologue

00:35 How did our agency increase a client's website conversions by dropping their traffic by 80%?

03:15 What was the problem causing the decline in conversions for our client?

03:58 How did we increase the relevance of the remaining traffic on the client's website?

04:33 What was the outcome of focusing on conversions rather than traffic for our client?

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]

In episode 92 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak explores the use of ChatGPT in SEO. He discusses the benefits and limitations of AI-generated content, including potential issues with accuracy and authenticity. The episode also covers how to effectively incorporate ChatGPT into SEO strategies without relying solely on automated content creation.

Are you tired of spending hours creating content for your website or blog?

Look no further than Chat GPT, a cutting-edge artificial intelligence tool that can generate written content based on a simple prompt.

In this episode, we'll explore the features of Chat GPT and how it can help streamline your content creation process. From generating outlines for a book to coming up with catchy headlines, Chat GPT can do it all. But it's important to note that while it is a powerful tool, it does have limitations and it may not always produce truthful content. So, stay with us as we dive into the world of AI-generated content with Chat GPT.

Podcast Highlights:

00:01 Prologue

1:36 How to get started with Chat GPT.

2:13 Chat GPT is a tool that can generate written content based on a prompt, or information that you input into a chat box

2:41 What is the role of AI in SEO?

3:48 Chat GPT is good at connecting concepts and generating natural-sounding text

5:17 Don't use it to copy and paste and automate your content creation.

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]

In episode 91 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak emphasizes the importance of setting a specific date to start taking SEO seriously. He discusses strategies for consistently implementing SEO campaigns and the necessity of having clear, actionable steps for success. The episode encourages businesses to commit to their SEO efforts for long-term growth.

The success of your SEO campaign depends on so many factors, for example your goals for your website. If you want lead generation, then probably focus your attention to conversion first. Along with this, you really need to be intentional and be consistent in creating and optimizing your SEO strategies.

When will you start taking SEO seriously? Success will not happen when you do it this month and then stop and then regain your footing again.

Gert and his team will help you focus and consistently implement that SEO campaign that's right for you.

Listen to this episode and start taking actionable steps NOW.

Podcast Highlights:

00:00 Prologue

00:15 Podcast Intro

00:27 Welcome to the episode

00:56 Introduction of the topic

01:22 What does igniting your SEO means?

02:30 How do you create actionable steps to run an SEO campaign that are done right?

04:54 Why is it important to be intentional and pick a date on when you can really start taking SEO seriously?

06:30 End

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]

In episode 90 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak talks with Jason Barnard about Google's Knowledge Panel and Brand SERPs. They discuss the importance of accurately representing your brand online, the benefits of using schema markup, and strategies for optimizing brand visibility in search results. The conversation also covers the Kalicube process for building and managing Knowledge Panels.

In this episode Gert had a delightful and very informative conversation with the widely known title of The Brand SERP Guy, Jason Barnard. Jason is an author and he used to be known as the Blue Dog cartoon character in Boowa and Kwala in 2007.

Using the child analogy with the History teacher, the teacher is the authority on the subject of history, but not a good authority on how to bake a cake. This is where the Knowledge Panel comes into picture and how Google will present you to the searchers, e.g. who you are, what you have to offer, what is your brand, etc. Listen and learn how easy it is or how much less effort you can build up your Knowledge Panel using the Kalicube process than doing it manually.

There's more to this episode that you can pick up especially on brand SERPs, so listen to the very end and make sure to download the transcript of the episode.

Podcast Highlights:

01:05 Introduction of the episode, the guest and how did they get introduced

03:34 The background of Jason Barnard and how he got to correct Google in presenting him as the character Blue Dog.

04:56 Why is it important to connect the dots for Google to see the different properties that they will take into account, according to Gert?

06:26 What is the difference between branded and non-branded searches? (...When should people start to worry about their brand?)

10:01 How important are rich snippets for courses or in a coaching program? (...What is Schema Markup in terms of how Google makes sense of what a web page is actually about?)

12:56 What benefit can it give you to take as much advantage of Google, play their game as a bonus perspective, rather than thinking of it as taking something away from you?

17:30 Although Google My Business and the Knowledge Panel are set up differently, how can the two exist together? (...Can everybody get a knowledge panel?)

21:18 What are the different options in Kalicube that people can use and what is the three-step process that goes on an eternal cycle for Google?

24:18 How long does it take to build the Knowledge Panel? (...What are the caveats to it?)

27:55 What are second party websites that you can have partial control of and what about the third party websites that you have no control of, but are confirming what you are saying on your website?

30:24 How much effort does one need to put up a knowledge panel by doing it manually compared to the Kalicube Pro's process?

31:57 How was Jason able to change his description with Google from a musician to being an author first?

35:45 What are the 3 most important things than Google's offering on Schema Markup? (...How important is entity description?)

30:39 How does Google take into account when it comes to ranking non-branded terms?

42:23 Where to connect with Jason Barnard?

43:25 End

Resources:

Past episode with Katrina McKinnon - https://seoleverage.com/podcast/088-how-to-write-helpful-content-with-katrina-mckinnon/

Book, The Fundamentals of Brand SERPs for Business by Jason Barnard - https://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Brand-SERPs-Business/dp/1956464107

Connect with Jason Barnard:

Website - https://jasonbarnard.com/

Website - https://kalicube.com/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/jasonmbarnard

Kalicube Academy - https://kalicube.academy/

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

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]

In episode 89 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak and Kevin Sahin discuss strategies for growing a SaaS business using SEO. They explore the importance of content marketing, building backlinks, and understanding the unique needs of tech-savvy audiences. The conversation highlights the value of consistency and patience in achieving SEO success.

Growing your SaaS business with SEO isn't a simple thing. It's not like you just push a button and you expect that the content you created will rank first immediately. It really does not happen overnight. It's really about bringing value, forging relationships, the goodwill you build with your audience over time and finding the product market fit.

Valuable insights here from the conversation of Gert with Kevin Sahin from ScrapingBee.com, a company that specializes in web scraping. When your clients are tech savvy or more of the developers, you have to take caution in making sales pitches because they hate marketing. When you're doing content marketing targeted at developers, forget about all the conversion rates. You only get to them by providing value. That's value, value, value! Think of your Saas business as a long term game. Of course, there will be challenges and failures but you just have to be consistent and enjoy the process.

Podcast Highlights:

00:00 Prologue

00:35 Podcast Intro

00:45 Introduction of the episode and the guest

01:56 Kevin Sahin journey, from being in corporate to startups, then in SEO.

06:31 Kevin's journey into web scraping, the challenges and failures and how they eventually launched ScrapingBee.com?

13:14 How did Kevin and their company ScrapingBee get their first clients?

16:26 Since Kevin started with building blogs, how did he create the blogs so that it ranked? (...How did he start to learn SEO and implement it?)

22:28 Gert's personal theory on how Google takes signals and ranks a content as something good and with authority.

25:19 What else is important to consider when doing content for tech-savvy audiences? (...Why is it that any marketing tricks or optimization techniques are not received well by developers?)

32:00 Kevin's advice to people who would like to grow their SAAS business through SEO or content marketing.

35:23 Gert recapping the conversation with Kevin Sahin and the importance of having a long-term view in SEO.

37:39 Where would listeners find the episode and the link to the Ahrefs course.

38:23 End

Resources:

Ahrefs Blogging for Business Course - https://ahrefs.com/academy/blogging-for-business

Connect with Kevin Sahin:

Website: https://www.scrapingbee.com/

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]

In episode 88 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak and Katrina McKinnon discuss how to create helpful content. They emphasize the importance of storytelling, visual elements, and clear, user-focused information. The episode covers strategies for increasing click-through rates, using testimonials, and effectively summarizing content to engage readers.

When creating a content, you need to consider putting out visuals, those with elaborated images, perhaps including tables and the writer's profile, as well. You also would need a caption that says something about the picture and if you're selling something, what's the benefit of buying it, right?

As Katrina McKinnon said in this conversation with Gert, there is power in creative story-telling and enhancing the reader's experience through interesting visual elements. She truly believes that you've got more chances of keeping your readers on the website, if your article looks beautiful, if it looks visually interesting. Content is King, but creativity is Queen.

Podcast Highlights:

00:01 Prologue

01:02 Podcast Intro

01:12 Introduction of the topic and guest, Katrina McKinnon

02:08 How Katrina came into the niche of content creation and was she able to create her company CopySmiths?

07:54 How does Katrina feel about Google's Helpful Content Update?

11:51 Why are visual images very helpful in content creation? (...What are some of the things you can do to make your content more helpful for user experience?)

17:29 What course of action did Katrina do in order to get a higher click through rate percentage for a client? (...Why is it that people are also clicking on links?)

21:56 Why is it important to include testimonials in your articles?

24:07 Gert's opinion on AI in terms of user friendly experience and what Google is missing on, but ranks them anyway.

28:25 What will give more chances to readers reading your article? (...Why is it important to add the writer profile on the article?)

30:31 Especially on mobile phones, what would make users read your article instead of swiping back to search for another article?

32:39 Why is it important to summarize in the first 25 words of an article and add a qualifying statement for the article and repeat that in the sub headings?

35:02 What is the reason Gert believes Google was better off not announcing Helpful Content Update at all?

36:07 Katrina's own reservations on how Google is able to tolerate bad and junky websites.

39:00 Gert recaps the conversation with Katrina.

41:11 Katrina's final statement on the conversation.

42:00 Where to connect with Katrina McKinnon?

42:17 End

Connect with Katrina McKinnon:

Website - https://copysmiths.com/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrinamckinnon/?originalSubdomain=au

Facebook - https://web.facebook.com/groups/2597165263893071/user/100000589649193/

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]

In episode 87 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak discusses using the right keywords to grow your online course. He explains how to conduct effective keyword research, including choosing the right terms and avoiding keyword stuffing. The episode highlights the importance of understanding search intent and including clear calls to action to improve engagement and conversions.

There are so many things that you need to consider when writing an article or an online course in order for it to rank in Google Search. You just don't write whatever you like, but you need to prepare with the right keywords. You can test what related keywords come up by doing a search for a similar article you want to write about. Keywords are really about connecting concepts, similar to connecting dots in an old children's game to come up with a picture or a drawing. You also need to have a call to action in your article so that people reading it will be able to take the next step, which is what you really want in order to grow your online course.

Podcast Highlights:

00:01 Prologue

01:39 Invitation to experience the demo of the SEOLeverage tool

02:54 How to find the right keywords when writing a course? (...Where would the right keywords come from first?)

04:09 Where else do we need to check for keywords for the content you want to write about?

05:18 What research tools can you use to look for keywords?

06:00 How do you ensure that Google is able to connect enough dots or concepts to understand that the article you wrote is relevant and has a lot of value?

07:21 Why is there a need to have a call-to-action in the article you are writing about?

08:05 Invitation to book a demo with Gert

08:48 End

Resources:

The SEO Leverage App - https://seoleverage.com/app/

UberSuggest Keyword Tool - https://neilpatel.com/ubersuggest/

Ahrefs - https://ahrefs.com/

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]

In episode 86 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak delves into the importance of analyzing website metrics beyond just traffic numbers. He explains the value of understanding user behavior, such as why visitors leave without converting and the difference between branded and non-branded traffic. The episode offers insights into refining conversion strategies based on detailed data analysis.

If you say that you have this much traffic, what are these numbers telling you? Does it give you the correct information? Actually, what is important is to look at the numbers of people dropping off in the middle of reading your article, why they don't take the next step, why they never engage and some other factors. Actually these are the numbers that you need to analyze so that you will be able to convert more and get better results.

Podcast Highlights:

00:01 Prologue

01:10 Introduction of the topic

02:14 What is the difference between branded and non-branded traffic?

03:32 Where do you get this segmented information from? (...Why is it better to increase your non-branded?)

05:19 Why do you need to dig deeper and understand the numbers that you get? (...What are those statistics and user sessions that you need to track and analyze?)

08:06 Invitation to get help in analyzing your numbers.

08:52 End

Resources:

The SEO Leverage App - https://seoleverage.com/app/

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]

In episode 85 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak and Christina Aldan discuss the importance of branding and emotional intelligence. They explore how consistent messaging aligned with core values can enhance brand authenticity and connection with clients. The conversation also delves into using emotional intelligence in marketing strategies and maintaining mental health in business.

Whether you are employed or a business owner, you have a brand, whether it is in the analog or digital form, you have a personal brand. It is really important that your messaging is consistent with your core values, that you are sensitive to what your clients' and customers' needs and meet them where they're at. When you nurture your relationships with them, they will always come back to you, whether it is for their current needs and future needs.

Branding is actually walking the talk. For example, when your business is in body and mental health, you have to make sure that you bring the same messaging in how you carry yourself through the challenges. You cannot be advocating mental health but here you are driving your team crazy with heavy workloads and even asking them to work overtime for free. There is such a thing as Emotional Intelligence and when used correctly can give so much potential for your business. Emotional triggers as a tool for marketing campaigns are okay as long as they are ethical.

An extremely interesting conversation between Gert and his guest, Cristina Alda who is a brand strategy consultant, keynote speaker, trainer, and mentor. She offers businesses brand consulting and creative content for everyday media.

Listen to the very end of this podcast episode and learn how to build connections and carry on with your personal brand. Enjoy!

Podcast Highlights:

00:01 Prologue

02:48 Cristina Aldan's background and journey to what she is doing now. (...How she evolved from chemical engineering, to ecology to tech and now building websites and creating brand strategies for people?)

09:02 Why is it important for people in business to focus on their values and be consistent with their messaging?

10:10 What does branding really mean? (...How does that translate to you as an individual or as part of the company?)

12:19 Is branding going to be visual or will this go beyond just visuals? (...Where do you actually start when creating a brand strategy?)

17:03 Why Cristina does not do blueprint programs and the like, and instead focuses more on the uniqueness of clients?

18:47 How Gert's team do their work in alignment to their core value of connection and communication?

20:36 What should Emotional Intelligence be focused on? (... When are emotional triggers okay as a brand strategy?)

23:55 Why is it important to recharge? (...How do introverts and extroverts recharge before interacting with people?)

27:40 In what ways can we use emotional intelligence to connect better with our team and with our clients?

29:19 How can we communicate across multiple channels, across different cultures but still maintain the same messaging?

32:58 Clients and customers appreciate it more when businesses across all industries live it up to their core values of being authentic and integrity.

35:41 What is the biggest difference between the mental health challenges people are facing today?

37:24 What are the four buckets for emotional intelligence? (...How important are self-awareness and self-management?)

39:36 A recap of Gert's conversation with Cristina.

42:20 Where to Connect with Cristina Aldan?

42:51 End

Connect with Cristina Aldan:

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

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

Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1luckygirliegirl/id1544906363

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/luckygirliegirl/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyt5DAgDTQ6I58bY1BHTLWeNwPMFKGJle

Connect with Gert Mellak:

Website: https://seoleverage.com/

Email: [email protected]