Let’s be honest. Improvements in search rankings and organic traffic don’t always translate into sales. Yet, you spend the majority of your SEO resources on driving rankings and traffic. What if you built your SEO content with conversion in mind from the beginning? You’d generate more organic traffic that actually converts into revenue! Join 20-year search marketing veteran as he unveils his framework for developing SEO content with conversion in mind every step of the way ‒ from keyword strategy to content development and publication. Takeaways: Tactics and benchmarks for SEO content that converts in 2024 Page layouts and content formats that convert organic traffic Crafting keyword strategy and calls-to-action for conversion

1. MASTER
CLASS
TORONTO, ON ~ APRIL 18 - 19, 2024
DIGIMARCONCANADA.CA | #DigiMarConCanada
Dale Bertrand
PRESIDENT
FIRE&SPARK
SEO for Revenue:
Grow Your Business,
Not Just Your Rankings

2. Dale Bertrand | Fire&Spark
SEO for Revenue
Grow Your Business, Not Just
Your Rankings

3. Hi.

4. My Background
● Intersection of technology and marketing
● Studied AI in graduate school
● Built a super computer for the NSA
● 15 years working on digital marketing strategy
● Founded Fire&Spark digital marketing agency
Clients

5. Stay Ahead of Search
Algorithm Changes

7. Google’s Shift to AI Algorithms
Rules based AI based

8. Web
Google’s AI
Search Engine
Keyword
Searches
Crawling Indexation
Search
Results

10. Prediction Machine
Google makes predictions
based on the intent behind
the query

11. Why is AI Better?
● Better results
● Learning algorithms
● Operates at scale
● Faster algorithm updates
● Trained by humans

12. How Does Google
Train Its AI?

13. Training Google’s AI
Identify Signals

14. Human Quality Raters
Training Google’s AI

15. Training Google’s AI
Monitor Search Behavior

16. Evolution of Search Algorithms
Early Search Engines
1. Find words on pages
2. Rank pages by Page Rank
1. Understand the intent behind the
keyword
2. Rank pages based on Google’s
understanding of intent
3. Learn from searchers’ interactions
with the search results
AI Search Engines

17. Early Search Engines AI Search Engines

18. 18

19. SEO for Rankings
SEO for Revenue
What are the highest volume keywords?
What's our page load speed?
How will we track rankings?
How will we track sales?
What information do our best customers need?
What are the highest intent searches?
SEO Strategy Questions

20. Google SGE

22. Forces Driving Gen AI Search
Traditional Search
Technology
Google
LLMs are unreliable, inaccurate
and slow; Tech break throughs
uncertain
Business model reliant on search
advertising; Cautious approach
Gen AI Search
Consumer
Behavior
Search
Competitors
Unable to gain market
share with Gen AI engines
Consumer search inertia,
potential lack of interest
LLMs, RAG and hardware
are improving rapidly
Google is determined to
maintain market share
Offering compelling gen AI search
alternatives (E.g. Bing Chat, Perplexity.ai)
Consumers expect answers and search with
longer queries and conversational follow-up

23. SEO for Revenue
Search Behavior
SGE Rollout
Are queries getting longer?
Are consumers using LLMs for
conversational search?
Are consumers using alternative search
engines?
Have rankings factors changed?
How prominent are the organic results?
Do SGE features appear in Google?
What to Watch?

24. Expected Timeline
Impossible Probable
Probable Unlikely
Low
High
Low
Search
Behavior
Change
Generative AI
Features
High
End of
2024
End of
2025

25. How to Respond
Optimize for alternative
search engines
Shift to GEO strategies
Modern SEO
Optimize for alternative
search engines
Low
High
Low
Search
Behavior
Change
Generative AI
Features
High

26. Monitor Google Patent Filings
Follow Google’s patent filings here:
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/category/seo/google-patents/
Patent
US11769017B1
⬤ Generative AI
Search
⬤ Personalized
based on
context

27. Try Perplexity.ai

28. Determine Your Keyword Mix

29. Monitoring the
Impact of SGE

30. Monitoring SGE Results
⬤ Are your customers moving to chat
search?
⬤ Are words per query increasing?
⬤ What is your visibility in chat
search?
⬤ What share of chat search do your
competitors have?
⬤ Are you losing traffic to chat
search?
⬤ How is SGE traffic converting?

31. How to Evolve Your
SEO Strategy

32. SEO for Revenue
Search Behavior
SGE Rollout
Are queries getting longer?
Are consumers using LLMs for
conversational search?
Are consumers using alternative search
engines?
Have rankings factors changed?
How prominent are the organic results?
Do SGE features appear in Google?
What to Watch?

33. The Next 18 Months
Q1 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2024 Q4 2024 Q1 2025 Q2 2025
Monitoring
Determine your
current mix of
keywords
(informational,
navigational,
product, etc)
Monitor your
SGE visibility
manually (by
query type) or
with a prompting
sheet
Start monitoring
for longer, more
complex queries
(monthly)
Monitor for
specific SGE
features that
appear for high-
value searches
Expand visibility
tracking to
leading gen AI
engines (Bing,
Perplexity,
Apple)
Adopt automated
SGE tracking
(record layout
and brand
visibility)
Gen AI Testing
Experiments:
Manual SGE
testing (by
query type)
Experiments:
Chatbot referral
tracking
Determine the
SGE features
that appear for
high-value
queries
Experiments:
Test GEO
ranking factors
with content
changes
Experiments:
Analyze server
logs for LLM
fetches
Experiments:
LLM + RAG
modeling
SEO Strategy
Integrate paid
and organic
analytics
Monitor LLM
visibility in
prompting sheet
Implement
structured data
for semantic
search
Refocus SEO
content on mid
and bottom of
funnel
Measure and
update CTR
model for top 10
positions
Implement
appropriate
content formats
and
optimizations

34. Large Language
Models
(ChatGPT)

35. Quick IQ Test
1+1 = ?

36. Large Language Models

37. AI for Search
Intent

38. 38

39. 39

40. 40

41. Generate Converting Keywords

42. Analyzing
Search
Console
Click Data

43. Crafting CTAs

45. Craft Brewery Online Offers

47. Let’s take a quick break
Download my slides
dale@fireandspark.com

48. Four AI-driven
SEO Content
Recipes

49. AI-driven Content
• AI assisted copy and
visuals
• Conversion opportunities
• Intent targeted

50. Niche Buying
Guide

51. Q&A
Content

52. Comparison
Content

53. Niche
Calculator

54. SEO is Changing

55. 55

56. Interested?
Email:
dale@fireandspark.com
SGE Risks and Opportunity Analysis