The Unscripted SEO Interview Podcast

Alyssa Evans started school as an art major and finished with a science degree — and that creative-plus-analytical split is exactly how she runs Grow Your Strategy. In this episode she makes the case that the funnel is the wrong mental model entirely, and that what replaces it is a content ladder.

Alyssa is a growth strategist working mostly with fintech, real estate tech, and SaaS companies — including investors raising money for syndications and adjacent plays like storage units and ATM investing. Her first month with any client is spent auditing rather than executing, because until you know a founder's archetype and comfort level, you're guessing. She's blunt about what's failing right now: the last eight months of her work have included cleaning up websites wrecked by auto-generated content.

In this episode

Why the first month of any engagement should be auditing, not acting — and how client archetypes change the plan

The content ladder — showing up at the most basic question in your niche and every rung of complexity above it

Auto-blogging is a liability: what Alyssa is seeing as she repairs AI-content damage

Why LLMs favor content updated in the last three months — and what that means for your archive

Cross-team collaboration as a speed advantage — what product and sales know that marketing doesn't

Building feedback loops that don't backfire — where Slack and Reddit communities burn brands, and what works instead

Community as its own marketing channel — word of mouth 2.0, and "growing in public"

Why link building is becoming networking — non-competitor partnerships, cross-promotion, and podcasts as an authority engine

Chapters

[MM:SS] — Meet Alyssa Evans: continuous improvement as a operating principle

[MM:SS] — From art major to growth strategist

[MM:SS] — The power of cross-team collaboration

[MM:SS] — First-month friction: auditing before acting

[MM:SS] — Finding the niche: fintech, real estate tech & SaaS

[MM:SS] — SaaS's moving target: the release/marketing/satisfaction cycle

[MM:SS] — Customer feedback loops that actually work

[MM:SS] — Community as a marketing channel

[MM:SS] — AI, GEO, and the content ladder

[MM:SS] — Top of funnel is dead; go deeper

[MM:SS] — Link building in the age of AI

[MM:SS] — Where to find Alyssa

Notable quotes

"You need to make sure that you're found at that base level and working their way up — think of it as a content ladder."
— Alyssa Evans"If you really start to talk to your customer like they're building the product with you, you will just be much more successful."
— Alyssa Evans"Everyone will have an opinion, and they are valid in their world — but you have to stand your ground, and then the data will come later."
— Alyssa Evans

Resources & links

Grow Your Strategy — Alyssa's strategy and content company

Alyssa Evans on LinkedIn · @growyourstrategy on Instagram

On repairing AI-generated content damage — human-certified, expert-sourced content

On earning authority off-site — the

Alex Zweydoff came up in the property management industry before founding ClearLead Digital, an agency that niched down to do SEO right for property managers — measuring success in doors added, not vanity metrics. We get into why you target owner-intent keywords instead of tenant traffic, how hyperlocal city and sub-community pages win the highest-intent owners, speed-to-lead, and why property managers who don’t adapt to AI search now could vanish in 12–24 months. Alex also breaks down custom client dashboards and the local-SEO plays most PM agencies get wrong. More interviews + free SEO SOPs at Unscripted SEO.

Zozimus EVP David Wilson — an SEO since the AltaVista days — joins Jeremy Rivera on The Unscripted SEO Podcast to argue that "search engine optimization" is now search everywhere optimization: findability across social, LLMs, and Google, not rankings for their own sake. He breaks down the expected-CTR model that turns raw Google Search Console data into the traffic clients are leaving on the table, the internal-linking tactic that still works after a decade, digital PR and brand as the new link building as AI erodes unbranded search, and a Gemini + ChatGPT + Claude → NotebookLM method for tearing down a competitor's SEO weak points. Plus: building a defensible moat, faceless brands vs. putting a face forward, and why the About page is now an AI asset — more from David at Zozimus.

Sonia Urquilla (SEO by Sonia) turns SEO into something the average coach or consultant can actually use. Jeremy met her on TikTok, and in this episode she shares the framework she calls “brand optimization” — getting found and mentioned everywhere your audience searches, not just ranking a website.

It’s personal for her: she watched her dad’s local shop close for lack of visibility — no Google Business Profile, no website — and now helps female founders and service providers avoid that same fate.

What you’ll learn:

What “brand optimization” means — and why SEO now spills into PR, Reddit, podcasts, citations & local events

How one client’s masterclass went from ~100 attendees to 1,000+ by combining a press release, ads, email & Reddit

The local “goldmine” online service providers ignore — and how sponsoring local charities/events (via Zip Local) earns links, trust & leads

Why AI has leveled the playing field — and why fear-mongering keeps small businesses from using it

The follow-up gap: ~80% of local businesses never reply to a message (and how to fix it)

How to vet an SEO: do they actually do their own SEO?

Jeremy’s open-source tool pick: OpenSEO (GSC + backlink data, an MCP, ~$10–20/mo)

Watch the video: youtube.com/watch?v=M1fdsssDiw8

Connect with Sonia: Website: seobysonia.com (grab a free video website audit) · LinkedIn: Sonia Urquilla · TikTok & Instagram: @seobysonia

More interviews at unscriptedseo.com — browse the topical hubs for past guests like Rand Fishkin & Grant Simmons. Plus the keyword-research tool at SEO Arcade

Unlock the secrets of effective branding with Benjamin Behrooz! In this episode, we dive deep into the importance of empathy in business and how it can transform your client relationships. Discover how to scale your business while maintaining authenticity and learn about innovative marketing strategies that work in today's competitive landscape. Key takeaways:

The role of empathy in understanding customer pain points.

How to balance scale and authenticity in marketing.

Strategies for home service businesses to thrive in a saturated market.

The impact of AI on marketing and customer engagement.

Tips for leveraging community involvement to enhance brand visibility.

Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:16 Meet Benjamin Behrooz 00:58 The importance of empathy in business 01:28 Solving client pain points 03:16 Balancing scale and authenticity 05:39 Common pitfalls in business planning 08:09 Marketing strategies for home services 10:22 The future of blue-collar work 12:10 The impact of AI on marketing 15:45 Unique implementations of AI 19:45 The silver lining of AI adoption 24:20 Community involvement and brand visibility 31:22 The biggest mistake brands make 32:13 How to connect with Benjamin What's your biggest challenge with branding? Drop it in the comments! Subscribe for more insights on effective marketing strategies and branding tips!