SEOLeverage - The SEO Podcast for Online Business Owners

In this episode of the SEO Leverage Podcast, Gert Mellak welcomes Kristina Reiser, brand strategist at Recognized, for a deep dive into what it really takes to build a brand that resonates — and sells. 💡 Kristina explains why personal branding often outweighs corporate branding, especially for small and medium-sized businesses. From her years of experience helping founders and companies communicate with clarity and purpose, she reveals how branding is more than just a logo or a color palette — it's your company's soul and long-term strategy. 🎯 Topics covered: 1. The difference between corporate vs. personal branding — and how they work together 2. Why founders should lead with their personal brand to build trust and loyalty 3. How branding supports SEO and AI-driven search visibility 4. Actionable tips to start building your brand — even if you're short on time 5. How to measure personal brand impact (yes, you can track this!) 6. Why consistency across platforms is essential in the era of AI and multi-channel marketing Whether you're growing an e-commerce site, launching a personal consultancy, or scaling a digital agency, this episode will help you approach branding with clarity, confidence, and strategic focus.   Podcast Highlights: 01:38 - Why Branding Is More Than Marketing Kristina explains how branding isn’t just a function of marketing — it’s a long-term business strategy that defines how a company connects emotionally with its audience. 02:50 - Corporate vs. Personal Branding: What’s the Real Difference? Kristina breaks down the core differences between corporate branding and personal branding, and why the latter is often more effective for SMEs and founders. 07:49 The Power of a Personal Brand in E-Commerce Kristina delivers the episode’s core message: For small and medium e-commerce businesses, your personal brand is the most valuable asset. 10:48 Start Here: Actionable Steps to Build Your Personal Brand Kristina shares practical advice for founders starting from scratch: Build a small team, focus on the right platforms, and avoid spreading yourself too thin. 25:36 Consistency Across Platforms: Why It Matters for Google & AI Gert and Kristina discuss how inconsistent messaging across social platforms confuses not just people, but also Google and AI. 16:36 How to Know Your Personal Branding Is Working Kristina shares tangible KPIs to measure branding success — from increased direct traffic to brand mentions and authority in your niche. Guest Website Info: * Name: Kristina Reiser * Role: Brand Strategist | Founder at Recognized * LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kristinarajzer [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinarajzer/] Connect with Gert Mellak: Website: https://seoleverage.com/ [https://seoleverage.com/] Email: info@seoleverage.com [info@seoleverage.com]

In this game-changing episode of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak is joined once again by SEO pioneer Dixon Jones (founder of Majestic, InLinks, and now Wake – What AI Knows About You). Together, they explore how search engine optimization has evolved beyond rankings and backlinks — into a world where LLMs (Large Language Models) like ChatGPT and Gemini are shaping brand perception, traffic flow, and user journeys in real time. You’ll discover: * Why mentions without links now influence AI more than traditional SEO signals * How your brand could be misrepresented — or even misunderstood — by AI tools * What it really means to “optimize” in an era of zero-click search and AI-driven overviews * How Wake helps uncover the semantic gaps between your site and your market * The importance of building topical authority outside your website Whether you're a seasoned SEO, a digital marketer, or a business owner trying to stay ahead of the curve, this episode will give you a new perspective on visibility, trust, and search in the age of AI.   Podcast Highlights: 13:45 – 15:20 SEO Has Changed—And It's Not About Clicks Anymore Dixon explains how the core of SEO is shifting from driving website clicks to influencing what AI systems understand about your brand. This moment introduces the powerful idea: "SEO is now about what AI knows about you." 6:35 – 8:30 - How Microsoft Lost Control of Its Brand Narrative Dixon shares a real-world case where Microsoft.com blocks Gemini from crawling its site—leading AI to form opinions based only on third-party content. A striking lesson in why brand visibility in AI matters more than ever. 2:59 – 4:20 - The Real Risk of Ambiguity in AI: The Hennessey Example Dixon explains how an SEO agency's brand name, spelled similarly to a well-known Cognac, led LLMs to misclassify it — showing how context and clarity are vital for AI interpretation. 10:15 – 11:25 - The Rise of AI-Only Purchase Journeys Dixon recounts spending £2,000 on a high-performance PC without ever clicking a website—researching, validating, and buying entirely through LLMs. A powerful real-life example of zero-click search in action. 24:00 – 25:40 - Your Website Alone Is No Longer Enough Gert and Dixon discuss how LLMs pull from multiple sources—not just your website—to build brand understanding. The takeaway: to influence AI, you need consistent signals across the web. 35:49 – 37:30 - Fixing AI Misunderstandings Is the New SEO Priority A single mistaken review labeled InLinks as a rank tracker—and LLMs picked it up as fact. Dixon shows how correcting small details in third-party content can instantly clean up your AI reputation.   Links: Official Website 👉 https://dixonjones.com [https://dixonjones.com] Learn more about Dixon, his background, speaking engagements, and how to get in touch. Wake (WAK) – What AI Knows About You 👉 https://wak.io [https://wak.io] The central tool discussed in the episode. Wake analyzes what large language models (LLMs) know about your brand — and helps you close the gaps. InLinks – Entity SEO Tool 👉 https://inlinks.com [https://inlinks.com] Dixon’s previous SEO technology focused on entity-based optimization and internal linking powered by natural language processing. Majestic – Backlink Analysis Tool 👉 https://majestic.com [https://majestic.com] Dixon was formerly CEO of Majestic, a leading backlink and trust flow analysis platform.   Guest Website Info: * Name: Dixon Jones * Role: CEO & Founder of Wake (WAK) | Former CEO of Majestic | CMO at InLinks * Website: https://dixonjones.com * Contact: https://dixonjones.com/contact/ * About: Dixon Jones is a pioneer in the SEO industry with over two decades of experience. He led Majestic, one of the most trusted backlink analysis tools, and later helped develop InLinks, a cutting-edge entity SEO platform. His latest project, Wake (What AI Knows About You), helps brands understand and influence how large language models (LLMs) perceive them online. Dixon is widely recognized as a thought leader in semantic SEO, brand authority, and AI-driven search visibility. Connect with Gert Mellak: Website: https://seoleverage.com/ [https://seoleverage.com/] Email: info@seoleverage.com [info@seoleverage.com]

In this episode of the SEOLeverage Podcast, Gert Mellak sits down with Joseph Armstrong, founder of 90 Day Korean, to dive into a story every digital entrepreneur dreads: losing 70% of website traffic overnight. Joseph shares the raw reality of what happened during a devastating Google core update in 2019, how it put his entire business at risk, and how the SEO Leverage team helped turn things around — fast. Within just three weeks, the site had fully recovered, and from there, it doubled its traffic and increased conversions. But this episode is more than just a recovery story. You'll learn: * ✅ How to build a resilient online course business over time * ✅ The power of internal linking, user experience, and smart content organization * ✅ How Joseph evolved 90 Day Korean into a global membership platform * ✅ What most course creators get wrong when scaling * ✅ How AI and team feedback shape their content and support systems * ✅ Why regular customer interviews became a turning point in product development Whether you're a course creator, marketer, or SEO enthusiast, this conversation is packed with real talk, strategic insights, and behind-the-scenes lessons from a founder who’s been through the storm — and came out stronger. Podcast Highlights: 05:59 – 06:30 - We Lost 70% of Our Traffic Overnight Joseph shares the gut-wrenching moment when a Google core update wiped out the majority of 90 Day Korean’s traffic — a situation many online businesses fear. It instantly raises the stakes and gives the conversation emotional depth and urgency. 07:10 – 08:27 - The SEO Recovery That Took Just 3 Weeks After connecting with Gert, Joseph implemented a focused SEO action plan and fully recovered rankings in just three weeks. This segment shows the real-world power of expert SEO, structured workflows, and quick execution. 09:53 – 11:50 - The Power of Internal Linking and Content Cleanup Joseph and Gert unpack how rethinking internal linking and removing redundant pages helped clarify the site’s structure — improving both SEO and user experience. It's a golden nugget for content-heavy websites. 36:43 – 38:16 - Why Customer Interviews Changed the Game Joseph reveals how regularly talking to customers uncovered gaps in the product and guided critical improvements. This is a practical, often-overlooked growth tactic for course creators and SaaS founders. 27:22 – 30:19 - Adopting an AI-First Mindset (Without Losing the Human Touch) Joseph discusses how his team uses AI for support, content structure, and message clarity — while still relying on human review. It’s a balanced, real-world look at leveraging AI effectively inside a growing business.   Links: 90 Day Korean - Official Website - https://www.90daykorean.com/ [https://www.90daykorean.com/]   Guest Website Info: * Name: Joseph Armstrong * Role: Founder & CEO, 90 Day Korean * Website: https://www.90daykorean.com [https://www.90daykorean.com] * Email: joseph@90daykorean.com * About: 90 Day Korean is an online Korean language learning platform designed to help English speakers go from zero to confidently holding a 3-minute conversation in just 90 days, and work toward conversational fluency within a year. The platform features structured courses, personalized coaching, and a supportive membership community — all built on practical, real-world Korean, not textbook theory.   Connect with Gert Mellak: Website: https://seoleverage.com/ [https://seoleverage.com/] Email: info@seoleverage.com [info@seoleverage.com]

In Episode 139 of the SEOLeverage Podcast, host Gert Mellak sits down with Lloyd Thompson, founder of VirtualDOO, to unpack the chaos of business operations and how founders can stop being the bottleneck in their own companies. Lloyd shares his insights on how to transform operational disorder into smooth, scalable systems through fractional operations management, helping business owners free up time and energy while driving growth. From defining clear accountability and crafting a vivid vision, to streamlining SOP ownership, team rhythms, and introducing feedback loops, Lloyd reveals the keys to building a well-oiled business machine. They also explore the rise of Revenue Operations (RevOps), leveraging CRM data to maximize ROI, and dive into the exciting world of AI agents and how they’re reshaping operations today. Whether you’re drowning in tasks or looking to level up your team’s performance, this episode is packed with actionable insights and real-world examples that can help you reclaim your time and scale your business effectively. In this episode, you'll learn about: * How to get out of daily operations with a fractional COO * The 4-step method to assess and fix operational bottlenecks * How to reclaim your time with a simple Task Audit * Tips for creating smooth team workflows and feedback loops * An intro to Revenue Operations (RevOps) for better CRM use * How to leverage AI tools and agents to boost efficiency   Podcast Highlights: 01:24 – What is VirtualDOO? Lloyd explains how his company helps founders delegate operations through flexible, fractional COOs. 05:29 – Diagnosing Operational Chaos The importance of an operational health assessment and how it uncovers key business inefficiencies. 12:17 – Reclaiming Founder Time Lloyd shares a simple Task Audit method to free founders from day-to-day tasks. 19:54 – Creating Operational Smoothness How rhythms, dashboards, and feedback loops lead to smoother team operations and growth. 27:02 – Introduction to Revenue Operations (RevOps) Connecting sales and marketing in the CRM to maximize lead and customer value. 38:09 – Leveraging AI in Operations How businesses are starting to use AI agents and automation to increase efficiency and reduce workload.   Links: * VirtualDOO Website: https://virtualdoo.com [https://virtualdoo.com] * Free Resources & RevOps Self-Assessment: https://virtualdoo.com/resources Guest Website Info: * Lloyd Thompson * Founder of VirtualDOO * Helping founders escape operational chaos with fractional COOs and streamlined systems. 🌐 Website: https://virtualdoo.com [https://virtualdoo.com] 📄 Free Resources & RevOps Self-Assessment: https://virtualdoo.com/resources 📧 Email: lloyd@virtualdoo.com [lloyd@virtualdoo.com]   Connect with Gert Mellak: Website: https://seoleverage.com/ [https://seoleverage.com/] Email: info@seoleverage.com [info@seoleverage.com]

In episode 138 of SEOLeverage Podcast [https://seoleverage.com/podcast-list/], host Gert Mellak sits down with Nick Penev, founder of Extreme Power Brands and expert in partnerships and e-commerce growth strategy. They explore the art of leveraging partnerships to scale your business, create meaningful connections, and dominate the Amazon and e-commerce landscape. Nick shares his fascinating journey from a young entrepreneur in Bulgaria to running multimillion-dollar businesses and his shift to building a thriving partnership model. Learn about his innovative "Partnerships as a Service" approach and how connecting with the right partners can outperform paid marketing. This episode covers: * The power of partnerships in growing e-commerce brands * How to build and monetize a community of engaged followers * Practical steps for creating impactful collaborations like webinars, content swaps, and proactive referrals * Why newsletters and communities are vital assets in today’s competitive digital space * Insights into modern tools and processes for partnership management Whether you're just starting your e-commerce business or looking for advanced strategies to scale, this episode is packed with actionable advice and inspiration. Guest Website Info: Nick Penev Founder of Extreme Power Brands and the partnership agency Hello Tax, Nick Penev is an expert in partnerships, e-commerce strategy, and community building. With over 15 years of experience in the e-commerce space, Nick has developed innovative approaches to partnership management and scaling businesses through strategic collaborations. Learn more about Nick and his initiatives: * Website: Extreme Power Brands [https://extremepowerbrands.com] * LinkedIn Profile: Nick Penev [https://linkedin.com/in/nickpenev] * Partnership Platform: Hello Tax [https://hellotax.com] Connect with Gert Mellak: Website: https://seoleverage.com/ [https://seoleverage.com/] Email: info@seoleverage.com [info@seoleverage.com]