Growth strategist Eli Schwartz explains why SEO must shift from a technical checklist to a core business driver. He introduces the concept of Product-Led SEO, using examples like Zillow to show how building high-value digital assets—rather than just "programmatic" spam—creates a sustainable competitive moat.

Schwartz also addresses the rise of AI in search, noting that personal context and AI Overviews make foundational SEO more critical than ever. He concludes with advice for SEO leaders: earn executive trust by aligning every search effort with revenue and lead generation rather than just traffic metrics.

In this episode of the SEO Rockstars podcast, Guillermo Bravo talks with Matthew Shterenberg, founder of Deep Roots, to strip away the fluff of modern search marketing and focus on what actually drives the bottom line.

Shterenberg argues that for local retail businesses like cannabis dispensaries, the path to a 20-30% increase in new customer sales lies in dominating the "local pack" for high-intent "near me" searches rather than getting lost in educational content.

He emphasizes a "back-to-basics" approach for 2026: streamlining tech stacks to avoid over-engineered sites, maintaining a rigorous system for consistent Google reviews, and balancing transactional "money pages" with focused informational content.

Jason Barnard's strategy for Brand SEO centers on a critical pivot away from a singular focus on keywords and toward building a strong brand entity.

As the founder of Kalicube, he argues that commercial success is found at the bottom of the acquisition funnel, where high-intent, branded searches occur. His methodology emphasizes clearly defining the brand's identity, who it serves, and its unique credibility.

For future-proofing against AI and Large Language Models (LLMs), he stresses the necessity of establishing the brand's website as the "entity home," ensuring message consistency across all digital footprints, actively seeking third-party corroboration, and making all offline activities visible to search machines.