The Best SEO Podcast

Using AI is one thing. Building an entire system around it is another.

Matthew Bertram sits down with returning guest Richard Valentine and Hector Herrera for a deep technical conversation about how AI power users are moving beyond individual prompts and building their own AI architecture, specialized agent teams, memory systems, workflows, and internal infrastructure.

They explore model drift, token management, specialized AI teams, scheduled learning, memory decay, human approval systems, and why AI shouldn't necessarily remember everything. The conversation also goes inside the challenge of transforming an organization from having a handful of AI power users to becoming truly AI-first.

The discussion then turns to privacy, on-premise AI, security, credential management, deepfakes, impersonation, and the growing importance of controlling the infrastructure businesses increasingly depend on. Finally, they bring it back to marketing and SEO, exploring how AI systems can connect Search Console, analytics, trends, and other data sources to create feedback loops that continuously adapt marketing decisions to what audiences are actually doing.

• rebrand updates and why we’re building a broader SEO and AI community resource 
• why Claude can get “nitpicky” and how model behavior changes break workflows 
• token management, subagent sprawl, and rules for routing tasks to the right model 
• Hector’s “teams” approach with doctrines, routing, scheduled learning, and change logs 
• memory decay, relevance scoring, and crystallization for keeping knowledge accurate over time 
• AI-first adoption inside organizations, consistency across tools, and reducing “islands” of usage 
• personas in Slack and email assistants, including permissioned execution and critical-system guardrails 
• on-prem and private setups for regulated industries, resilience, and avoiding vendor lock-in 
• security protocols like redaction, vaulting secrets, daily scrubs, and minimizing human error 
• deepfakes, propaganda, impersonation risk, and why EEAT signals matter more than ever 
please leave an honest review, uh, how we're doing.

Guest Contact Information:

Richard Valentine

Website: richardvalentine.dev

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/richard-l-valentine

Hector Herrera

Website: hexaisystems.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/hector-herrera

More from EWR and Matthew:

Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Podcast.

Free SEO Consultation: https://www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-call

With over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online.

Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility Stack™, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability.

Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve.

Find more episodes here: 

youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcast

bestseopodcast.com

bestseopodcast.buzzsprout.com

Follow us on:

Facebook: @bestseopodcast
Instagram: @thebestseopodcast
Tiktok: @bestseopodcast
LinkedIn: @bestseopodcast

Connect With Matthew Bertram: 

Website: www.matthewbertram.com

Instagram: @matt_bertram_live

LinkedIn: @mattbertramlive

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SEO strategies that worked five years ago may actually be holding brands back today. Matthew Bertram sits down with Calum Kennard, Head of Sales at ClickSlice, to explore how Google and AI search are changing what it takes to earn visibility, trust, and conversions online.

They break down stale and duplicate content, authorship and entity signals, information gain, topical authority, and why e-commerce brands may be better served focusing SEO efforts on category and collection pages rather than individual product pages. They also explore the difference between making a website GEO-friendly and actually optimizing for AI search, along with the growing attribution challenge as buyers increasingly research brands through ChatGPT, AI Overviews, social platforms, and other channels.

Guest Contact Information:

Website: https://www.clickslice.co.uk/

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/callum-kennard

More from EWR and Matthew:

Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Podcast

Free SEO Consultation: www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-call

With over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online.

Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility Stack™, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability.

Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve.

Find more episodes here: 

youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcast

bestseopodcast.com

bestseopodcast.buzzsprout.com

Follow us on:

Facebook: @bestseopodcast
Instagram: @thebestseopodcast
Tiktok: @bestseopodcast
LinkedIn: @bestseopodcast

Connect With Matthew Bertram: 

Website: www.matthewbertram.com

Instagram: @matt_bertram_live

LinkedIn: @mattbertramlive

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AI search is changing what it means to build visibility online. Matthew Bertram sits down with Matt Emgi to explore the evolving relationship between SEO, AEO, and LLM visibility, including why authority, entity associations, consensus signals, and brand presence are becoming increasingly important. 

They break down digital PR, original research, Reddit marketing, link building, attribution, automation, and the strategies SaaS and B2B companies can use to turn search visibility into measurable business growth.

• separating SEO and AEO budgets without losing the core strategy
• treating LLMs as a new layer, not a replacement for SEO
• building entity associations and clean categorization signals
• leaning into E-E-A-T, authorship, and third-party verification
• using “consensus” across relevant publications to reduce risk
• choosing visibility targets with AI citation data, not vibes
• avoiding Reddit astroturfing and focusing on real community building
• tracking the full funnel with attribution, CRO, and CRM visibility
• earning durable links through original research and credible PR
• building partnerships that create co-citations and a digital trail
• adding guardrails to automation and agentic workflows
• SaaS actions that prioritize best leads and lifetime value

Guest Contact Information: 

Website: emgigroup.com
YouTube: youtube.com/GoEmgi
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/matt-emgi

More from EWR and Matthew:

Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Podcast

Free SEO Consultation: www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-call

With over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online. 

Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility® Stack, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability. 

Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve. 

Find more episodes here: 

youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcast
bestseopodcast.com
bestseopodcast.buzzsprout.com

Follow us on:

Facebook: @bestseopodcast
Instagram: @thebestseopodcast
Tiktok: @bestseopodcast
LinkedIn: @bestseopodcast

Connect With Matthew Bertram: 

Website: www.matthewbertram.com
Instagram: @matt_bertram_live
LinkedIn: @mattbertramlive

Powered by: ewrdigital.com

Support the show

We talk with Karen Tiber Leland about how AI search changes personal branding, rebranding, and what it takes to stay findable when machines summarize the internet for your customers. We break down how to pick a canonical name, reduce mixed signals across channels, and decide whether you need a full rebrand or a focused re-up. 

• Choosing one canonical form of your name and using it everywhere to reduce identity collision 
• Buying the right domain and cleaning up scattered online data for better AI and Google understanding 
• Defining rebrand versus re-up and spotting the different ways brands drift 
• Cutting noise in messaging so AI can classify your expertise with confidence 
• Why specialization is coming back and why “everybody” is not a target market 
• How executive branding impacts trust for investors, clients, and employees 
• Handling public criticism as a leader and planning for the crisis continuum 
• Brand refresh pressure points for new brands versus legacy companies that feel behind 
• Industries most disrupted by AI and how service firms can adapt without losing trust 
• Disclosing how you use AI and keeping humans in the loop for quality and accountability 
• The micro changes worth watching, including pricing transparency and AI-driven discoverability 
• Where to find Karen, including KarenLeland.com and SterlingMarketingGroup.com and her book Brand Mapping Strategy 

Guest Contact Information: 

Website: sterlingmarketinggroup.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/karenleland

More from EWR and Matthew:

Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Podcast

Free SEO Consultation: www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-call

With over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online. 

Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility® Stack, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability. 

Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve. 

Find more episodes here: 

youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcast

bestseopodcast.com

Rate the show in your podcast app. Apple ratings are how new listeners decide whether to press play — an honest one takes about thirty seconds. Steps for iPhone, Mac and Spotify:

Follow us on:

Facebook: @bestseopodcast
Instagram: @thebestseopodcast
Tiktok: @bestseopodcast
LinkedIn: @bestseopodcast

Connect With Matthew Bertram: 

Website: www.matthewbertram.com

Instagram: @matt_bertram_live

LinkedIn: @mattbertramlive

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Support the show

We get back to paid ads fundamentals and why AI automation only works when we set clear, revenue-connected conversion goals. We share practical ways to define personas, protect lead quality, and build landing pages that help Google Ads learn what “good” actually looks like. 

• goal-first thinking for Google Ads and paid social automation
• common conversion tracking mistakes that burn budget
• building multiple personas and matching each to the right channel
• avoiding spam traffic on Display and filtering low-quality leads
• why gradual budget changes beat turning campaigns on and off
• budget planning using CPC estimates and minimum lead volume
• lead scoring methods that feed better data back to ad platforms
• landing pages as single-purpose conversion tools with cleaner tracking
• funnel strategy beyond one-shot high-intent clicks

Guest Contact Information: 

Website: factorfour.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/jeffcoleman

More from EWR and Matthew:

Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Podcast

Free SEO Consultation: www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-call

With over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online. 

Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility® Stack, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability. 

Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve. 

Find more episodes here: 

youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcast

bestseopodcast.com

Rate the show in your podcast app. Apple ratings are how new listeners decide whether to press play — an honest one takes about thirty seconds. Steps for iPhone, Mac and Spotify:

Follow us on:

Facebook: @bestseopodcast
Instagram: @thebestseopodcast
Tiktok: @bestseopodcast
LinkedIn: @bestseopodcast

Connect With Matthew Bertram: 

Website: www.matthewbertram.com

Instagram: @matt_bertram_live

LinkedIn: @mattbertramlive

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Support the show

AI watermarking and AI search make third-party trust the new battleground for SEO and brand visibility. Host, Matthew Bertram, talks with Austin Holmes about how digital PR, reviews, and consistent profiles can turn your business into the default recommendation.

• why off-page SEO and third-party citations carry outsized weight in AI-driven search
• how Claude watermarking and AI content detection push brands toward real human signals
• building entity authority with uniform bios, consistent messaging, and credible media mentions
• the truth about PR ROI, backlink quality, and why cheap link volume can hurt
• earned media basics that get missed, including speed to lead and showing up prepared
• real outcomes from PR consistency, from investor leads to acquisitions to recurring TV spots

Guest Contact Information: 

Website: publicityforgood.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/aaustinholmes

More from EWR and Matthew:

Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Podcast

Free SEO Consultation: www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-call

With over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online. 

Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility® Stack, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability. 

Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve. 

Find more episodes here: 

youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcast

bestseopodcast.com

Rate the show in your podcast app. Apple ratings are how new listeners decide whether to press play — an honest one takes about thirty seconds. Steps for iPhone, Mac and Spotify:

Follow us on:

Facebook: @bestseopodcast
Instagram: @thebestseopodcast
Tiktok: @bestseopodcast
LinkedIn: @bestseopodcast

Connect With Matthew Bertram: 

Website: www.matthewbertram.com

Instagram: @matt_bertram_live

LinkedIn: @mattbertramlive

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Support the show

We dig into how podcasting, digital PR, and SEO now reinforce each other, especially as AI search tools pull answers from trusted third-party sources. We also share practical ways to turn press and interviews into long-term visibility while staying grounded when attention brings criticism. 

• why early podcasting works as a relationship builder and business flywheel 
• how press placements create credibility and authoritative backlinks 
• what “AI visibility” means for brands in ChatGPT style search 
• ways to repurpose podcast interviews into clips, blogs, email, YouTube, and niche groups 
• how to respond to bad reviews and shift the narrative without spiraling 
• why PR agencies and SEO agencies should collaborate for durable results 
• how to build a visibility roadmap through messaging, visuals, and personal brand consistency 
• common media pitching mistakes, especially generic AI written outreach without research 
• how a print on demand magazine can still be a smart networking channel 

Guest Contact Information: 

Website: nextonscene.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/jaclyn-zukerman-delory

Instagram: instagram.com/jackiezuk

More from EWR and Matthew:

Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Podcast

Free SEO Consultation: www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-call

With over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online. 

Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility® Stack, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability. 

Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve. 

Find more episodes here: 

youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcast

bestseopodcast.com

Rate the show in your podcast app. Apple ratings are how new listeners decide whether to press play — an honest one takes about thirty seconds. Steps for iPhone, Mac and Spotify:

Follow us on:

Facebook: @bestseopodcast
Instagram: @thebestseopodcast
Tiktok: @bestseopodcast
LinkedIn: @bestseopodcast

Connect With Matthew Bertram: 

Website: www.matthewbertram.com

Instagram: @matt_bertram_live

LinkedIn: @mattbertramlive

Powered by: ewrdigital.com

Support the show

We get brutally honest about why traffic is a vanity metric and how SEO only earns budget when it ties to real business outcomes. We lay out the data and reporting foundation you need to walk into the C-suite with confidence, even when attribution is messy and timelines are long. 

• separating vanity metrics from revenue-driving KPIs 
• building the business case for SEO with CFO-ready numbers 
• fixing data quality in Google Analytics and conversion tracking 
• enforcing CRM hygiene so leads can become pipeline and revenue 
• choosing KPIs for lead generation vs ecommerce models 
• setting expectations with leading vs lagging indicators for SEO 
• funding the messy middle and mapping the full buying funnel 
• aligning sales and marketing to improve lead quality and content 

Guest Contact Information: 

Website: unframeddigital.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/magsswift

More from EWR and Matthew:

Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Podcast

Free SEO Consultation: www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-call

With over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online. 

Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility® Stack, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability. 

Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve. 

Find more episodes here: 

youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcast

bestseopodcast.com

Rate the show in your podcast app. Apple ratings are how new listeners decide whether to press play — an honest one takes about thirty seconds. Steps for iPhone, Mac and Spotify:

Follow us on:

Facebook: @bestseopodcast
Instagram: @thebestseopodcast
Tiktok: @bestseopodcast
LinkedIn: @bestseopodcast

Connect With Matthew Bertram: 

Website: www.matthewbertram.com

Instagram: @matt_bertram_live

LinkedIn: @mattbertramlive

Powered by: ewrdigital.com

Support the show

Join us for a special episode hosted by Geoff Campbell who is standing in for Matt Bertram, we focus on the part of marketing most teams ignore: turning existing traffic into real phone calls, form fills, and sales. We break down a simple conversion framework, why dynamic website messaging works, and how to think about proof, positioning, and AI search as buyer behavior changes. 

• traffic times conversion rate equals customers as the core lens for SEO and CRO 
• treating an agency website as proof of competence and a trust signal 
• the “practice what you preach” mistake that costs agencies better clients 
• the reality of wearing every hat and why teams and cash flow matter 
• productizing a service into SaaS by solving our own lead generation problem 
• fixing the “blocked toilet” problem before buying more traffic 
• answering four questions fast: who you are, what you do, why choose you, how to contact you 
• using dynamic messaging by time, intent, and customer situation to lift conversions 
• adding specials, testimonials, video, and clear calls to action without clutter 
• building attribution with codes and tracking to learn what really drives leads 
• scaling SaaS with proof first, then outbound, ads, and partner channels 
• narrowing the ICP to high-traffic, lead-driven, high-value businesses 
• using design and presuasion to match the buyer you want 
• simplifying pages like a movie teaser so skimmers become readers 
• watching AI search emerge as a new visibility layer on top of SEO 

Guest Contact Information: 

Website: irwinhau.com

LinkedIn: au.linkedin.com/in/irwinhau

Instagram: instagram.com/haudoyoudo

More from EWR and Matthew:

Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Podcast

Free SEO Consultation: www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-call

With over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online. 

Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility® Stack, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability. 

Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve. 

Find more episodes here: 

youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcast

bestseopodcast.com

Rate the show in your podcast app. Apple ratings are how new listeners decide whether to press play — an honest one takes about thirty seconds. Steps for iPhone, Mac and Spotify:

Follow us on:

Facebook: @bestseopodcast
Instagram: @thebestseopodcast
Tiktok: @bestseopodcast
LinkedIn: @bestseopodcast

Connect With Matthew Bertram: 

Website: www.matthewbertram.com

Instagram: @matt_bertram_live

LinkedIn: @mattbertramlive

Powered by: ewrdigital.com

Support the show

We talk through what “AI visibility” really means and why marketers are racing ahead of the data, even as consumer behavior shifts toward AI search and AI assistants. We connect SEO fundamentals to GEO and agentic commerce so you can take practical steps instead of getting stuck in paralysis. 

• AI visibility tools and why the industry lacks a baseline standard
• How context and personalization change AI search results
• Why LLM analytics is immature and often modelled on simulations
• The importance of data hygiene when AI tools disagree
• How AI assistants compress the customer journey into one surface
• Google AI Mode, AI Overviews, and why SEO still matters
• Agentic commerce and what it means when AI buys for people
• Simple starting steps like tracking, schema, and product feed readiness
• Avoiding low-value AI-generated content and focusing on usefulness

Guest Contact Information: 

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/andrewmhiggins

Website: parsnipp.com

More from EWR Digital and Matthew:

Leave us a review wherever you listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon Podcast

Free SEO Consultation: www.ewrdigital.com/discovery-call

With over 5 million downloads, The Best SEO Podcast has been the go-to show for digital marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs wanting real-world strategies to grow online. 

Now, host Matthew Bertram — creator of the LLM Visibility® Stack, and Lead Strategist at EWR Digital — takes the conversation beyond traditional SEO into the AI era of discoverability. 

Each week, Matthew dives into the tactics, frameworks, and insights that matter most in a world where search engines, large language models, and answer engines are reshaping how people find, trust, and choose businesses. From SEO and AI-driven marketing to executive-level growth strategy, you’ll hear expert interviews, deep-dive discussions, and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead of the curve. 

Find more episodes here: 

youtube.com/@BestSEOPodcast

bestseopodcast.com

Rate the show in your podcast app. Apple ratings are how new listeners decide whether to press play — an honest one takes about thirty seconds. Steps for iPhone, Mac and Spotify:

Follow us on:

Facebook: @bestseopodcast
Instagram: @thebestseopodcast
Tiktok: @bestseopodcast
LinkedIn: @bestseopodcast

Connect With Matthew Bertram: 

Website: www.matthewbertram.com

Instagram: @matt_bertram_live

LinkedIn: @mattbertramlive

Powered by: ewrdigital.com

Support the show