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How This SEO Expert Wins Without Chasing Rankings
In this episode of E-Coffee with Experts, our host Ranmay chats with Chris Brown, Founder & Managing Director at Total Surf, who’s been working in SEO long before most people even knew what Google was.
Chris talks through his journey from building websites in the early days of the internet to running a results-focused SEO agency that cares more about real business outcomes than vanity rankings. We get into what’s actually changed in SEO over the years (and what hasn’t), why so many websites still get the basics wrong, and how things like schema, E-E-A-T, and search intent now matter more than ever — even in an AI-driven world with tools like ChatGPT.
In this conversation, you’ll learn:
- Why rankings don’t mean much if they don’t convert
- The simple technical SEO mistake most sites still make
- How link building has evolved into digital PR
- When it actually makes sense to invest in digital PR
- How AI is affecting search — and why fundamentals still win
- What “good SEO” will really look like in 2026 and beyond
If you’re a founder, marketer, CMO, or agency owner looking to grow through SEO without chasing hacks or shortcuts, this episode is well worth your time.
Get access to 250k+ link connections and build your website authority with us: https://www.digitalwebsolutions.com/
In this episode, we discuss:
00:00 – 00:22: Introduction
00:22 – 01:30: Chris’s background and early career
01:30 – 02:45: Discovering the internet and building first websites
02:45 – 03:40: From university to becoming a webmaster
03:40 – 05:00: Starting Total Surf and early agency challenges
05:00 – 06:10: Biggest change in SEO over the years
06:10 – 07:25: Why rankings don’t matter without conversions
07:25 – 09:00: Early struggles of running an agency
09:00 – 10:30: Has AI really changed SEO?
10:30 – 11:50: Using AI properly in SEO
11:50 – 13:10: Technical SEO changes for AI search
13:10 – 15:05: The biggest technical SEO mistake most sites make
15:05 – 16:25: Are backlinks still important today?
16:25 – 18:10: Why digital PR beats traditional link building
18:10 – 20:05: When to start digital PR campaigns
20:05 – 21:15: What good SEO will look like in 2026
21:15 – 22:40: Advice for young marketers and founders
22:40 – 23:13: Final Thoughts
Connect with Chris Brown
https://www.linkedin.com/in/totalsurf
http://totalsurf.net/
FOLLOW US
Website: https://www.digitalwebsolutions.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/digiwebsol
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dws_global
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-web-solutions./
View all episodes
By Digital Web SolutionsIn this episode of E-Coffee with Experts, our host Ranmay chats with Chris Brown, Founder & Managing Director at Total Surf, who’s been working in SEO long before most people even knew what Google was.
Chris talks through his journey from building websites in the early days of the internet to running a results-focused SEO agency that cares more about real business outcomes than vanity rankings. We get into what’s actually changed in SEO over the years (and what hasn’t), why so many websites still get the basics wrong, and how things like schema, E-E-A-T, and search intent now matter more than ever — even in an AI-driven world with tools like ChatGPT.
In this conversation, you’ll learn:
- Why rankings don’t mean much if they don’t convert
- The simple technical SEO mistake most sites still make
- How link building has evolved into digital PR
- When it actually makes sense to invest in digital PR
- How AI is affecting search — and why fundamentals still win
- What “good SEO” will really look like in 2026 and beyond
If you’re a founder, marketer, CMO, or agency owner looking to grow through SEO without chasing hacks or shortcuts, this episode is well worth your time.
Get access to 250k+ link connections and build your website authority with us: https://www.digitalwebsolutions.com/
In this episode, we discuss:
00:00 – 00:22: Introduction
00:22 – 01:30: Chris’s background and early career
01:30 – 02:45: Discovering the internet and building first websites
02:45 – 03:40: From university to becoming a webmaster
03:40 – 05:00: Starting Total Surf and early agency challenges
05:00 – 06:10: Biggest change in SEO over the years
06:10 – 07:25: Why rankings don’t matter without conversions
07:25 – 09:00: Early struggles of running an agency
09:00 – 10:30: Has AI really changed SEO?
10:30 – 11:50: Using AI properly in SEO
11:50 – 13:10: Technical SEO changes for AI search
13:10 – 15:05: The biggest technical SEO mistake most sites make
15:05 – 16:25: Are backlinks still important today?
16:25 – 18:10: Why digital PR beats traditional link building
18:10 – 20:05: When to start digital PR campaigns
20:05 – 21:15: What good SEO will look like in 2026
21:15 – 22:40: Advice for young marketers and founders
22:40 – 23:13: Final Thoughts
Connect with Chris Brown
https://www.linkedin.com/in/totalsurf
http://totalsurf.net/
FOLLOW US
Website: https://www.digitalwebsolutions.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/digiwebsol
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dws_global
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-web-solutions./