[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":3249},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header-articles":3,"blog-article-industry-content-connections-conversions-the-b2b-marketer-s-powerhouse-trio":1470,"updatesSection-all":1963,"updatesSection-all-team":2539},[4,327,591,907,1148],{"id":5,"title":6,"author":7,"authors":8,"body":10,"caption":7,"category":315,"date":316,"description":317,"extension":318,"img":319,"imgAlt":6,"meta":320,"minutes":321,"navigation":322,"path":323,"seo":324,"seodescription":7,"seotitle":7,"stem":325,"updated":7,"__hash__":326},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fseo\u002Fwhy-you-should-monitor-brand-mentions-in-ai-search-results.md","Why You Should Monitor Brand Mentions in AI Search Results",null,[9],"Kerry Guard",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":290},"minimark",[13,17,20,23,28,31,34,42,45,68,72,80,88,91,95,98,102,105,110,118,124,128,131,156,160,174,178,181,185,188,192,195,199,202,213,217,220,224,227,231,234,238,244,247,250,254],[14,15,16],"p",{},"Right now, AI search engines are talking about your software company. Whether you track it or not, platforms like ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews answer questions every single day about your product capabilities, pricing, and market reputation. B2B software buyers use these tools to build shortlists, compare technical features, and make buying decisions before ever clicking through to a vendor's website.",[14,18,19],{},"If you rely on old brand-monitoring tools, you are running blind. Traditional monitoring platforms track static web pages, social media tags, and news mentions. They cannot show you what a buyer sees inside a conversational AI search box.",[14,21,22],{},"Unlike traditional Google search, where a website's ranking and content stay relatively consistent from day to day, AI-generated responses are dynamic. They synthesize information on the fly from across the web. Without an active monitoring strategy, inaccurate product claims, outdated pricing, or heavy competitor recommendations can quietly slip into AI responses without your knowledge, pulling qualified leads out of your pipeline before you even know they exist.",[24,25,27],"h2",{"id":26},"the-dynamic-reality-of-ai-search-results","The Dynamic Reality of AI Search Results",[14,29,30],{},"To understand why monitoring AI brand mentions requires a new approach, consider how AI search engines differ from traditional search directories.",[14,32,33],{},"In a traditional search model, Google crawls a page, indexes the text, and displays a link. If your page ranks third for a keyword, it generally stays near that spot until an algorithm update or a content change occurs.",[14,35,36,37,41],{},"AI search engines work differently. When a prospective customer prompts an AI tool—asking, for example, ",[38,39,40],"em",{},"\"What are the best enterprise cloud security platforms for healthcare compliance?\"","—the underlying Large Language Model (LLM) retrieves information from dozens of real-time sources, synthesizes the facts, and writes a unique response.",[14,43,44],{},"Because these responses are generated in real time, the way an AI engine describes your brand can shift based on:",[46,47,48,56,62],"ul",{},[49,50,51,55],"li",{},[52,53,54],"strong",{},"New Web Scrapes:"," A fresh review, a Reddit discussion thread, or an updated competitor blog post can instantly alter how the AI summarizes your company.",[49,57,58,61],{},[52,59,60],{},"Prompt Variations:"," Slight changes in how a user words a query can lead the AI to pull from entirely different data sources.",[49,63,64,67],{},[52,65,66],{},"Model Updates:"," As platforms update their underlying LLMs, the sources they trust and cite shift continuously.",[24,69,71],{"id":70},"the-risks-of-unmonitored-ai-brand-mentions","The Risks of Unmonitored AI Brand Mentions",[14,73,74,79],{},[75,76],"img",{"alt":77,"src":78},"","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.mkgmarketinginc.com\u002F378276c5-b933-4eed-8804-a96958aabcdf-why-you-should-monitor-image-1.webp","When you leave your AI presence to chance without monitoring what these engines say, you’re gambling with your brand equity, and small inaccuracies turn into major business risks.",[81,82,84,87],"h3",{"id":83},"_1-hallucinated-features-and-misattributed-limitations",[52,85,86],{},"1. Hallucina","ted Features and Misattributed Limitations",[14,89,90],{},"AI engines occasionally \"hallucinate\": presenting incorrect details with absolute authority. An AI search tool might state that your software lacks a key integration, charges hidden fees, or only supports small businesses when you actually target enterprise accounts. If a buyer reads that hallucinated summary, they may drop your company from their consideration set without ever contacting your sales team.",[81,92,94],{"id":93},"_2-competitor-hijacking","2. Competitor Hijacking",[14,96,97],{},"If your competitors actively optimize their web presence for generative search while your brand stays passive, AI engines will default to recommending your competitors. When buyers ask AI tools to compare your product against a competitor, an unmonitored response might highlight your rival's strengths while summarizing outdated or inaccurate criticisms of your platform.",[81,99,101],{"id":100},"_3-loss-of-narrative-control","3. Loss of Narrative Control",[14,103,104],{},"In B2B tech, your positioning is everything. If an AI search engine pulls its understanding of your brand from outdated PR releases, informal forum threads, or low-authority review sites, your core value proposition gets diluted. You lose control over how your product is framed during the buyer's research phase.",[14,106,107],{},[52,108,109],{},"Expert Insight from MKG Marketing:",[14,111,112,115,116],{},[38,113,114],{},"\"","Designers often say \"This website speaks more to LLMs than human beings.\" To that I say, \"Good. That's step one.\" Step one: be findable by answer engines. Humans will end up there after they search for the problem. Step two: optimize for the human experience once they arrive. Right now most teams are still trying to optimize for both at the same time, which means they optimize for neither.The order matters. Findable first. Usable second.",[38,117,114],{},[14,119,120,121,123],{},"— ",[52,122,9],{},", Founder & CEO at MKG Marketing",[24,125,127],{"id":126},"why-manual-spot-checks-arent-enough","Why Manual Spot-Checks Aren't Enough",[14,129,130],{},"Many marketing teams attempt to solve this problem by occasionally typing their company name into ChatGPT or Perplexity to see what comes up. While spot-checking is a natural first step, it fails as a long-term business strategy for three reasons:",[132,133,134,140,150],"ol",{},[49,135,136,139],{},[52,137,138],{},"Personalized and Location-Based Bias:"," AI search tools tailor responses based on user location, session history, and account settings. What you see on your desktop in an office is rarely identical to what a buyer sees in another region.",[49,141,142,145,146,149],{},[52,143,144],{},"Infinite Query Permutations:"," Buyers don't just type your brand name. They ask complex, long-tail questions like ",[38,147,148],{},"\"How long does it take to implement [Company Name] compared to [Competitor]?\""," Manual checks cannot cover the hundreds of ways prospects ask about your category.",[49,151,152,155],{},[52,153,154],{},"Lack of Historical Tracking:"," Spot-checks give you a single snapshot in time. They don't track trends, measure whether your citation share is growing, or alert you when an inaccurate claim enters the AI's data pool.",[24,157,159],{"id":158},"how-to-build-a-systematic-strategy-the-best-ways-to-monitor-brand-mentions-in-ai-search","How to Build a Systematic Strategy: The Best Ways to Monitor Brand Mentions in AI Search",[14,161,162,165,166,169,170,173],{},[75,163],{"alt":77,"src":164},"https:\u002F\u002Fassets.mkgmarketinginc.com\u002F4c47ce7e-784c-46ee-bd33-f4ff8fd72368-why-you-should-monitor-image-2.webp","Protecting your company’s digital footprint requires shifting from manual testing to a structured ",[52,167,168],{},"Search Visibility Optimization (SVO)"," framework. Establishing effective ",[52,171,172],{},"brand monitoring across ai search engines"," involves four operational steps:",[81,175,177],{"id":176},"step-1-identify-high-intent-buyer-prompts","Step 1: Identify High-Intent Buyer Prompts",[14,179,180],{},"Brainstorm the exact questions your ideal prospects ask during their evaluation phase. Move beyond simple brand searches to focus on category comparisons, feature queries, and implementation questions.",[81,182,184],{"id":183},"step-2-map-your-citation-share-across-key-ai-platforms","Step 2: Map Your \"Citation Share\" Across Key AI Platforms",[14,186,187],{},"Track how frequently AI tools cite your site compared to competitors across platforms like ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. Note which specific URLs the AI uses as references when it mentions your brand.",[81,189,191],{"id":190},"step-3-correct-the-source-data","Step 3: Correct the Source Data",[14,193,194],{},"When you identify inaccurate AI claims, trace where the model pulled the information. AI engines often pull from third-party review sites, developer documentation, or outdated press releases. Updating those primary sources corrects the data that the AI scrapes and cites.",[81,196,198],{"id":197},"step-4-measure-svo-metrics-alongside-traditional-seo","Step 4: Measure SVO Metrics Alongside Traditional SEO",[14,200,201],{},"Expand your reporting dashboard. Along with measuring traditional website traffic and organic keyword rankings, track your brand's citation growth, AI Overview inclusion rate, and direct-traffic conversions.",[14,203,204,205,212],{},"To see how modern search strategies connect directly to pipeline, explore our comprehensive",[206,207,211],"a",{"href":208,"rel":209},"https:\u002F\u002Fmkgmarketinginc.com\u002Fexpert-digital-marketing-services\u002Fsearch-visibility-optimization\u002F",[210],"nofollow"," Search Visibility Optimization (SVO) services",".",[24,214,216],{"id":215},"supporting-ai-visibility-with-paid-and-analytics-channels","Supporting AI Visibility with Paid and Analytics Channels",[14,218,219],{},"Brand monitoring in AI search provides the insights you need to protect your reputation, but driving consistent revenue requires integrating those insights across your entire marketing stack.",[81,221,223],{"id":222},"reinforcing-visibility-with-targeted-ads","Reinforcing Visibility with Targeted Ads",[14,225,226],{},"When you notice an AI search engine frequently recommending a competitor for a specific high-value query, you can immediately bridge the gap using targeted paid channels. Pairing your organic optimizations with focused digital advertising ensures your software maintains top-of-page visibility while you update and strengthen your organic source content.",[81,228,230],{"id":229},"measuring-real-world-lead-attribution","Measuring Real-World Lead Attribution",[14,232,233],{},"Because buyers often read an AI response and navigate directly to your site later, traditional click-tracking can misattribute those leads as \"Direct\" or \"Organic Brand\" search. Utilizing modern digital analytics allows you to cross-reference offline CRM data, self-reported attribution, and site activity to confirm how AI search visibility influences actual pipeline velocity.",[24,235,237],{"id":236},"summary-protecting-your-brands-digital-reputation","Summary: Protecting Your Brand's Digital Reputation",[14,239,240,243],{},[75,241],{"alt":77,"src":242},"https:\u002F\u002Fassets.mkgmarketinginc.com\u002Fbfa7aa92-037c-4f2c-8afb-5045bf32ffbc-why-you-should-monitor-image-3.webp","Monitoring your brand in AI search results is no longer optional—it is a critical requirement to protect your reputation, maintain narrative control, and secure your lead pipeline. As conversational engines continue to replace traditional search lists, tech companies that passively ignore their AI mentions risk losing market share to competitors who actively manage their generative presence.",[14,245,246],{},"Establishing a reliable monitoring framework requires dedicated expertise, systematic tracking tools, and continuous iteration.",[14,248,249],{},"At MKG Marketing, we remove the complexity. We provide an experienced, senior-level team that builds and executes your search visibility strategy directly—with no junior handoffs or black-box reporting. We help B2B software and technology companies monitor their digital presence, correct inaccurate AI citations, and convert organic visibility into predictable revenue.",[81,251,253],{"id":252},"protect-and-scale-your-ai-search-visibility","Protect and Scale Your AI Search Visibility",[46,255,256,267,279],{},[49,257,258,261,262,266],{},[52,259,260],{},"Curious how search engines and AI models actually see your brand?"," Our senior-led team breaks down your real-time visibility across AI platforms—no black-box mysteries, just clear data.",[206,263,265],{"href":208,"rel":264},[210]," Explore our Search Visibility Optimization (SVO) Services"," or book an initial search strategy review.",[49,268,269,272,273,278],{},[52,270,271],{},"Noticing a sudden shift in your traffic or search presence?"," We’re always down to talk strategy and help you make sense of the noise. ",[206,274,277],{"href":275,"rel":276},"https:\u002F\u002Fmkgmarketinginc.com\u002Fcontact\u002F",[210],"Contact the MKG Marketing team directly"," to schedule a consultation.",[49,280,281,284,285,212],{},[52,282,283],{},"Want to peek under the hood of machine learning?"," Dive into our guide:",[206,286,289],{"href":287,"rel":288},"https:\u002F\u002Fmkgmarketinginc.com\u002Fblog\u002Fseo\u002Fai-search-visibility-ranking-factors-2026-how-machines-decide-who-to-quote\u002F",[210]," AI Search Visibility Ranking Factors 2026: How Machines Decide Who to Quote",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":292},2,[293,294,301,302,308,312],{"id":26,"depth":291,"text":27},{"id":70,"depth":291,"text":71,"children":295},[296,299,300],{"id":83,"depth":297,"text":298},3,"1. Hallucinated Features and Misattributed Limitations",{"id":93,"depth":297,"text":94},{"id":100,"depth":297,"text":101},{"id":126,"depth":291,"text":127},{"id":158,"depth":291,"text":159,"children":303},[304,305,306,307],{"id":176,"depth":297,"text":177},{"id":183,"depth":297,"text":184},{"id":190,"depth":297,"text":191},{"id":197,"depth":297,"text":198},{"id":215,"depth":291,"text":216,"children":309},[310,311],{"id":222,"depth":297,"text":223},{"id":229,"depth":297,"text":230},{"id":236,"depth":291,"text":237,"children":313},[314],{"id":252,"depth":297,"text":253},"seo","2026-08-19T16:01:29.475Z","Why track what ChatGPT and Google say about you? Learn why monitoring brand mentions in AI search results is vital to protect your software company's leads.","md","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.mkgmarketinginc.com\u002F3c12c34c-ad32-459d-b38c-32bc49abb722-why-you-should-monitor-hero-image.webp",{},7,true,"\u002Fblog\u002Fseo\u002Fwhy-you-should-monitor-brand-mentions-in-ai-search-results",{"title":6,"description":317},"blog\u002Fseo\u002Fwhy-you-should-monitor-brand-mentions-in-ai-search-results","5RVi7PlUuStBs0ZDnG7rVBbJjOT75Yiu-aBaCK1SW5o",{"id":328,"title":329,"author":7,"authors":330,"body":331,"caption":7,"category":315,"date":581,"description":582,"extension":318,"img":583,"imgAlt":584,"meta":585,"minutes":586,"navigation":322,"path":587,"seo":588,"seodescription":7,"seotitle":7,"stem":589,"updated":7,"__hash__":590},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fseo\u002Fai-search-visibility-ranking-factors-2026-how-machines-decide-who-to-quote.md","AI Search Visibility Ranking Factors 2026 - How Machines Decide Who to Quote",[9],{"type":11,"value":332,"toc":566},[333,336,339,342,346,353,379,386,389,393,396,399,410,414,417,420,440,444,447,450,454,461,464,468,471,475,478,482,487,492,497,501,504,509,512,517,520,525,529,532,535,539],[14,334,335],{},"In 2026, the old playbook for getting found online just doesn't hit the same. Modern B2B buyers aren't scrolling through pages of blue links anymore. Instead, they’re going straight to tools like ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews to compare software features, stack up vendors, and build their shortlists in seconds.",[14,337,338],{},"Here’s the thing: AI engines don’t read websites the way traditional search crawlers used to. Old-school crawlers were all about keyword density, backlink totals, and meta tags to index pages in a directory. But large language models (LLMs) and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems look at the bigger picture. They care about how your information is structured, verified, and contextualized.",[14,340,341],{},"If your tech brand isn't formatted for machine readability, your website essentially becomes invisible to the very engines your buyers rely on every single day.",[24,343,345],{"id":344},"how-ai-search-engines-select-sources-in-2026","How AI Search Engines Select Sources in 2026",[14,347,348,349,352],{},"To understand how your brand gets quoted or recommended by AI, it helps to look at what happens behind the scenes. When a user enters a complex prompt, such as ",[38,350,351],{},"\"What are the top enterprise cybersecurity platforms for multi-cloud compliance?\",","  an AI search engine processes the request through four specific steps:",[132,354,355,361,367,373],{},[49,356,357,360],{},[52,358,359],{},"Deconstructing the Prompt:"," The system breaks the question down to identify the core subject, key concepts, and what the user is actually trying to accomplish.",[49,362,363,366],{},[52,364,365],{},"Retrieving Relevant Data:"," Rather than pulling up a list of web addresses based on exact keywords, the engine searches its database for content that semantically matches those underlying concepts.",[49,368,369,372],{},[52,370,371],{},"Evaluating Content Structure and Source Authority:"," The system analyzes potential sources. It checks whether the text is clearly formatted, whether the facts match other reliable references, and whether the publishing site demonstrates real-world authority on the subject.",[49,374,375,378],{},[52,376,377],{},"Synthesizing the Answer and Linking Sources:"," The engine extracts direct passages from the top-rated sources, writes a unified response, and attaches clickable links so the user can verify where the information came from.",[24,380,382,385],{"id":381},"the-core-2026-ai-search-visibility-ranking-factors",[75,383],{"alt":77,"src":384},"https:\u002F\u002Fassets.mkgmarketinginc.com\u002Fee360449-da4d-4dfe-a8b0-4ac440db5ad4-ai-visibility-1.png","The Core 2026 AI Search Visibility Ranking Factors",[14,387,388],{},"Based on industry observations and current AI search visibility benchmarks for 2026, AI search algorithms look at six critical factors when deciding which sources deserve a quote:",[81,390,392],{"id":391},"_1-information-gain-and-uniqueness","1. Information Gain and Uniqueness",[14,394,395],{},"AI engines exist to synthesize what's already out there. If your article just repeats the same generic overview that ten other websites published, an LLM has zero reason to cite your brand. Information Gain measures how much new, non-redundant value a page brings to the table.",[14,397,398],{},"To score high here, your content needs:",[46,400,401,404,407],{},[49,402,403],{},"Proprietary research, benchmark surveys, and original data.",[49,405,406],{},"Direct commentary from verified subject matter experts.",[49,408,409],{},"Real-world implementation metrics and detailed technical breakdowns.",[81,411,413],{"id":412},"_2-machine-readable-content-formatting-semantic-chunking","2. Machine-Readable Content Formatting (Semantic Chunking)",[14,415,416],{},"LLMs process web pages in \"chunks\" rather than reading articles sequentially from start to finish. If your key insights are buried inside massive walls of text with generic subheadings, the retrieval model is going to miss the context entirely.",[14,418,419],{},"Winning sites use explicit, machine-readable formatting:",[46,421,422,428,434],{},[49,423,424,427],{},[52,425,426],{},"Question-and-Answer Headers:"," Use direct H2 and H3 subheadings that mirror natural-language user queries.",[49,429,430,433],{},[52,431,432],{},"Bottom-Line-First Declarations:"," State the direct answer or main takeaway in the very first sentence beneath a heading before diving into the details.",[49,435,436,439],{},[52,437,438],{},"Clean Data Tables and Lists:"," Present technical comparisons, feature breakdowns, and numerical data using structured HTML tables and bulleted lists.",[81,441,443],{"id":442},"_3-entity-consistency-and-schema-markup","3. Entity Consistency and Schema Markup",[14,445,446],{},"AI search engines build vast knowledge graphs of \"entities\" (companies, products, executives, and concepts). For an engine to confidently recommend your SaaS platform, it has to verify that your brand is a recognized, trusted entity in your category.",[14,448,449],{},"Implementing detailed JSON-LD Schema markup, including Organization, SoftwareApplication, Article, and FAQPage schemas, gives search engines clear, explicit data about what you offer. When your on-page Schema matches external mentions across review platforms, news outlets, and industry databases, the LLM’s confidence score goes way up.",[81,451,453],{"id":452},"_4-technical-answer-density","4. Technical Answer Density",[14,455,456,457,460],{},"Answer density is all about the concentration of real, factual value relative to your total word count. Unedited AI fluff—filled with generic intros like ",[38,458,459],{},"\"In today's fast-paced digital world...\"","—completely dilutes your message.",[14,462,463],{},"In 2026, AI retrieval systems favor high-density content that delivers precise technical facts, clear definitions, and actionable steps without any extra noise.",[81,465,467],{"id":466},"_5-multi-source-digital-co-citations","5. Multi-Source Digital Co-Citations",[14,469,470],{},"An LLM rarely relies on a single web page to build an answer, it cross-references multiple sources to verify facts. If your platform is mentioned with positive sentiment across third-party review sites, developer forums, PR releases, and partner docs, generative engines see your site as an authoritative industry reference.",[81,472,474],{"id":473},"_6-demonstrable-e-e-a-t-signals","6. Demonstrable E-E-A-T Signals",[14,476,477],{},"Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) are as foundational as ever. AI engines actively look for proof that a real human with hands-on experience created or reviewed the content. Explicit author bios linked to verified LinkedIn profiles, direct quotes from company leaders, and clear links to primary sources all reinforce your site's trust score.",[14,479,480],{},[52,481,109],{},[14,483,484],{},[38,485,486],{},"\"Understanding these technical AI ranking factors is essential for tech brands today. AI engines don't read content for entertainment—they crawl websites looking for structured facts they can instantly trust and quote. Structuring your site for machine readability isn't just an optimization tactic; it is the only way to protect your digital footprint and ensure your software stays on your buyers' shortlists as traditional search continues to evolve.\"",[14,488,120,489,491],{},[52,490,9],{},", Founder & CEO of MKG Marketing",[14,493,494],{},[75,495],{"alt":77,"src":496},"https:\u002F\u002Fassets.mkgmarketinginc.com\u002F76a1ca67-794d-4085-afd3-68d0afbbb963-ai-visibility-2.png",[24,498,500],{"id":499},"combining-technical-ai-formatting-with-a-full-funnel-growth-strategy","Combining Technical AI Formatting with a Full-Funnel Growth Strategy",[14,502,503],{},"Appearing in AI search answers is a critical first step, but visibility alone does not close enterprise software deals. To convert that visibility into actual sales pipeline, tech companies need to connect their organic search efforts with paid channels and accurate tracking.",[14,505,506],{},[52,507,508],{},"Combining Organic and Paid Reach",[14,510,511],{},"When an AI engine routinely quotes your brand as an industry authority, buyers build trust before they ever speak with your sales team. Companies can build on that momentum by pairing organic optimizations with targeted digital advertising. Running paid campaigns aimed at accounts searching for your software category ensures your brand stays visible in both sponsored ads and generated AI responses.",[14,513,514],{},[52,515,516],{},"Tracking Real-World Influence",[14,518,519],{},"Because AI Overviews often answer questions directly on the screen, traditional \"last-click\" measurement tools no longer tell the full story. Using modern digital analytics allows marketing teams to track direct site traffic, self-reported source data, and sales cycle speed. This gives leadership a clear view of how search visibility actually drives revenue.",[14,521,522],{},[75,523],{"alt":77,"src":524},"https:\u002F\u002Fassets.mkgmarketinginc.com\u002F221ea7d6-aa63-4d37-a9dd-78f35fdc9bf6-ai-visibility-3.png",[24,526,528],{"id":527},"future-proofing-your-brand-for-ai-search","Future-Proofing Your Brand for AI Search",[14,530,531],{},"Winning visibility in modern AI search comes down to three practical elements: clear site structure, verified real-world expertise, and a consistent presence across the web. As AI tools change how people research software, relying solely on old keyword-stuffing tactics will cause your brand to fall behind.",[14,533,534],{},"At MKG Marketing, we specialize in helping B2B software and cybersecurity organizations navigate these complex search shifts. Our flat, senior-led structure means you work directly with experienced digital strategists, never junior handoffs. We deploy our unified Search Visibility Optimization (SVO) framework to ensure your website is structured for machine readability, citable by leading AI tools, and built to drive qualified sales pipeline.",[81,536,538],{"id":537},"take-control-of-your-ai-search-visibility","Take Control of Your AI Search Visibility",[46,540,541,550,558],{},[49,542,543,544,549],{},"Ready to see how AI search engines view your website? Explore our",[206,545,548],{"href":546,"rel":547},"https:\u002F\u002Fmkgmarketinginc.com\u002Fexpert-digital-marketing-services\u002F",[210]," Search Visibility Optimization (SVO) Services"," or schedule an initial search strategy review with our senior team.",[49,551,552,553,557],{},"Have questions about your site's technical structure or recent traffic changes?",[206,554,556],{"href":275,"rel":555},[210]," Contact MKG Marketing directly"," to speak with a digital search expert.",[49,559,560,561,212],{},"Want to learn more about the shift from traditional SEO to answer engine optimization? Read our guide on",[206,562,565],{"href":563,"rel":564},"https:\u002F\u002Fmkgmarketinginc.com\u002Fblog\u002Fseo\u002Fai-search-vs-traditional-search-navigating-the-shift-to-search-visibility-optimization-svo\u002F",[210]," AI Search vs Traditional Search: Navigating the Shift to SVO",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":567},[568,569,577,578],{"id":344,"depth":291,"text":345},{"id":381,"depth":291,"text":385,"children":570},[571,572,573,574,575,576],{"id":391,"depth":297,"text":392},{"id":412,"depth":297,"text":413},{"id":442,"depth":297,"text":443},{"id":452,"depth":297,"text":453},{"id":466,"depth":297,"text":467},{"id":473,"depth":297,"text":474},{"id":499,"depth":291,"text":500},{"id":527,"depth":291,"text":528,"children":579},[580],{"id":537,"depth":297,"text":538},"2026-08-11T17:38:25.303Z","How do AI engines choose which websites to quote? Discover the core AI search ranking factors for 2026 and how to get your brand cited.","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.mkgmarketinginc.com\u002Ff37f521d-b3f6-49bb-8b34-f6ddf2fa1770-mkg-blog-ai-search-visibility-ranking-factors.webp","AI Search Visibility Factors 2026",{},6,"\u002Fblog\u002Fseo\u002Fai-search-visibility-ranking-factors-2026-how-machines-decide-who-to-quote",{"title":329,"description":582},"blog\u002Fseo\u002Fai-search-visibility-ranking-factors-2026-how-machines-decide-who-to-quote","uugtYiGYIyZuZEQYrtHFmRy06Rx8hcoFT6g3C0eLqW4",{"id":592,"title":593,"author":7,"authors":594,"body":595,"caption":7,"category":315,"date":898,"description":899,"extension":318,"img":900,"imgAlt":901,"meta":902,"minutes":321,"navigation":322,"path":903,"seo":904,"seodescription":7,"seotitle":7,"stem":905,"updated":7,"__hash__":906},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fseo\u002Fai-search-vs-traditional-search-navigating-the-shift-to-search-visibility-optimization-svo.md","AI Search vs Traditional Search - Navigating the Shift to Search Visibility Optimization (SVO)",[9],{"type":11,"value":596,"toc":878},[597,600,604,607,617,621,624,635,642,646,649,656,663,666,669,672,683,686,691,694,697,702,707,714,717,784,788,791,794,805,809,812,816,819,823,826,830,833,840,843,846,849,853],[14,598,599],{},"For nearly two decades, the digital playbook for B2B software and tech companies was tried and true: pick your keywords, optimize your site, build backlinks, and win the glory of a top ten spot on a page of blue links. Today… not so much. You might notice your organic website traffic dropping even though your keyword rankings haven't changed. The reason isn't that your competitors suddenly bought more backlinks—it is because the fundamental way people look for information has evolved. Users are moving away from traditional engines and turning to conversational models, leaving marketing leaders to navigate the massive operational shift between ai search vs traditional search engines. Fixing this isn't about buying more links; it’s about changing how your website presents information to be indexed by both humans and algorithms.",[24,601,603],{"id":602},"the-core-differences-ten-blue-links-vs-synthesized-answers","The Core Differences: Ten Blue Links vs. Synthesized Answers",[14,605,606],{},"To understand why traditional search engine optimization (SEO) is no longer enough on its own, we have to look at how user behavior and technology have diverged.",[14,608,609,610,613,614,212],{},"When analyzing ai-driven search engines vs traditional search engines differences, the distinction comes down to ",[38,611,612],{},"retrieval"," versus ",[38,615,616],{},"synthesis",[81,618,620],{"id":619},"traditional-search-the-index-and-click-engine","Traditional Search: The Index and Click Engine",[14,622,623],{},"Traditional search engines operate as massive directory indices. A user types a query like \"best enterprise CRM for SaaS,\" and the engine returns pages of indexed links ranked by relevance, domain authority, and technical optimization. The user must then:",[132,625,626,629,632],{},[49,627,628],{},"Click into three to five separate websites.",[49,630,631],{},"Read through intro fluff and sales copy.",[49,633,634],{},"Manually synthesize the data to make a decision.",[14,636,637,638,641],{},"This model relies on driving traffic ",[38,639,640],{},"to"," your website. Your site is the destination where the user finds the answer.",[81,643,645],{"id":644},"ai-search-the-direct-answer-engine","AI Search: The Direct Answer Engine",[14,647,648],{},"AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google AI Overviews bypass the directory model entirely. They do not just fetch links; they read, cross-reference, and summarize content from across the web into a single, cohesive answer right inside the search interface.",[14,650,651,652,655],{},"When comparing traditional vs ai search results rankings, the target moves from ranking #1 on a keyword list to becoming the primary ",[38,653,654],{},"cited source"," inside an LLM's generated summary. If an AI overview answers your prospect's question completely on the search page, they won't click through to your blog—even if you rank at the top of the organic list.",[24,657,659,662],{"id":658},"why-software-companies-are-losing-traffic-the-zero-click-reality",[75,660],{"alt":77,"src":661},"https:\u002F\u002Fassets.mkgmarketinginc.com\u002Fa22194a2-19e3-4d2b-a42e-4ad5c6d95b69-click.png","Why Software Companies Are Losing Traffic (The Zero-Click Reality)",[14,664,665],{},"This structural shift explains the mysterious drop in website sessions across B2B software and tech sectors. Buyers are getting their answers without ever visiting your domain.",[14,667,668],{},"When considering ai enterprise search vs traditional enterprise search, enterprise software buyers are no longer hunting through lengthy technical documentation manually. They are asking AI engines to summarize product capabilities, compare pricing structures, and aggregate user reviews into single tables.",[14,670,671],{},"If your marketing strategy relies exclusively on legacy SEO tactics, you face three major risks:",[46,673,674,677,680],{},[49,675,676],{},"Zero-Click Erosion: Higher-funnel informational traffic evaporates as AI Overviews satisfy search intent directly on the results page.",[49,678,679],{},"Loss of Brand Mindshare: If LLMs aren't trained on or citing your content, your product simply doesn't exist during the buyer's initial research phase.",[49,681,682],{},"Vanity Metric Misalignment: Your SEO agency may report stable keyword positions, but your inbound lead forms and phone calls tell a very different story.",[81,684,109],{"id":685},"expert-insight-from-mkg-marketing",[14,687,688,690],{},[38,689,114],{},"AI is making the decision on what it's going to show the user. The system decided your content was the most trustworthy, most citable answer to that exact question for that exact person. Writing something good and checking the ‘helpful content’ boxes doesn't get you there. Those are very different bars.",[14,692,693],{},"‘Helpful’ is table stakes. It's what gets you into the building, not into the room where the AI is assembling its answer.",[14,695,696],{},"What gets you cited is specificity: The right category. Website & Page Structure. Consistent messaging across your entire footprint. A point of view that the model can actually extract and reuse with confidence.",[14,698,699,700],{},"So when Google says ‘just be helpful,’ they're not wrong. They're just leaving out about 80% of what actually matters. And the companies that take that advice at face value are going to watch their visibility collapse while their content quality stays perfectly fine.",[38,701,114],{},[14,703,120,704,706],{},[52,705,9],{},", CEO & Founder of MKG Marketing",[24,708,710,713],{"id":709},"the-evolution-moving-from-seo-to-svo-aeo-and-geo",[75,711],{"alt":77,"src":712},"https:\u002F\u002Fassets.mkgmarketinginc.com\u002F4dd65826-2a82-444b-9693-b6845e4438c0-meeting.png","The Evolution: Moving from SEO to SVO, AEO, and GEO",[14,715,716],{},"To stay visible and continue generating qualified pipeline, marketing executives must expand their organic framework beyond traditional boundaries. This requires a modern, multi-layered approach:",[718,719,720,736],"table",{},[721,722,723],"thead",{},[724,725,726,730,733],"tr",{},[727,728,729],"th",{},"Framework",[727,731,732],{},"Full Name",[727,734,735],{},"Primary Objective",[737,738,739,751,762,773],"tbody",{},[724,740,741,745,748],{},[742,743,744],"td",{},"SEO",[742,746,747],{},"Search Engine Optimization",[742,749,750],{},"Ranking pages on traditional search engine results pages (SERPs) for targeted keywords.",[724,752,753,756,759],{},[742,754,755],{},"AEO",[742,757,758],{},"Answer Engine Optimization",[742,760,761],{},"Structuring data so voice assistants and snippet engines can pull direct, succinct answers.",[724,763,764,767,770],{},[742,765,766],{},"GEO",[742,768,769],{},"Generative Engine Optimization",[742,771,772],{},"Formatting brand narrative, statistics, and domain expertise so LLMs ingest and cite your brand.",[724,774,775,778,781],{},[742,776,777],{},"SVO",[742,779,780],{},"Search Visibility Optimization",[742,782,783],{},"The Unified Strategy: Maximizing total brand presence across both traditional links and AI answer engines.",[81,785,787],{"id":786},"how-search-visibility-optimization-svo-solves-the-gap","How Search Visibility Optimization (SVO) Solves the Gap",[14,789,790],{},"SVO doesn't discard traditional SEO; it unifies SEO, AEO, and GEO into a single operational framework.",[14,792,793],{},"Rather than chasing raw session counts, SVO focuses on Information Gain and Citations. To win citations in AI-generated answers, your web content must feature:",[132,795,796,799,802],{},[49,797,798],{},"Clear, Schema-Structured Data: Helping bots identify who you are, what your software does, and who you serve without guessing.",[49,800,801],{},"First-Party Expertise (E-E-A-T): Unique data points, proprietary benchmark reports, and expert commentary that LLMs cannot synthesize from generic web text.",[49,803,804],{},"Direct Answer Formatting: Clear, concise definitions at the top of technical pieces that allow answer engines to extract key takeaways cleanly.",[24,806,808],{"id":807},"practical-steps-to-adapt-your-search-strategy-today","Practical Steps to Adapt Your Search Strategy Today",[14,810,811],{},"Shifting your company's digital presence to capture both traditional and AI-driven search doesn't require scrapping your entire content library. It requires restructuring how your information is delivered.",[81,813,815],{"id":814},"_1-optimize-for-high-information-gain","1. Optimize for High Information Gain",[14,817,818],{},"Eliminate generic, top-of-funnel fluff articles that summarize widely available knowledge. AI engines already summarize that data effortlessly. Focus instead on deep, opinionated, original content: teardowns of real customer implementation challenges, original survey data, and niche technical workflows.",[81,820,822],{"id":821},"_2-standardize-entity-and-brand-citations","2. Standardize Entity and Brand Citations",[14,824,825],{},"Ensure your brand's core value proposition, product categories, and technical terminology are consistent across external review sites, Wikipedia entries, PR releases, and your own domain. LLMs establish trust by cross-referencing brand information across multiple authoritative sources.",[81,827,829],{"id":828},"_3-track-pipeline-impact-over-pure-clicks","3. Track Pipeline Impact over Pure Clicks",[14,831,832],{},"Recognize that a drop in informational blog clicks does not automatically mean a drop in revenue. If an AI search tool cites your software as the top recommendation for an enterprise query, the prospect may navigate directly to your pricing or contact page to initiate a call. Measure branded search volume, direct traffic, and pipeline velocity alongside traditional organic metrics.",[24,834,836,839],{"id":835},"summary-adapting-to-how-buyers-search-today",[75,837],{"alt":77,"src":838},"https:\u002F\u002Fassets.mkgmarketinginc.com\u002F1a47aa4c-b986-4fd6-b30d-5ff622a02239-brain.png","Summary: Adapting to How Buyers Search Today",[14,841,842],{},"The debate surrounding ai search vs traditional search engines isn't about choosing one platform over the other. Traditional search engines will continue to process billions of queries, but AI-driven answer engines are rapidly capturing high-intent B2B research behavior. If software and tech companies want to keep filling their sales pipelines with new customers, they must adapt to how people search today.",[14,844,845],{},"Succeeding in this new landscape requires a refined strategy, technical precision, and continuous testing across evolving engine algorithms.",[14,847,848],{},"At MKG Marketing, we eliminate the guesswork. We provide a senior-led team of digital experts who handle your search strategy and technical execution directly—with zero handoffs to junior staff. We help growing tech organizations build future-proof organic engines that drive clear visibility, authoritative citations, and real business revenue.",[81,850,852],{"id":851},"ready-to-modernize-your-search-strategy","Ready to Modernize Your Search Strategy?",[46,854,855,863,870],{},[49,856,857,858,862],{},"Organic search is constantly shifting. Let’s figure it out together. We help tech leaders cut through the noise and build search strategies that actually drive growth. Explore our ",[206,859,861],{"href":208,"rel":860},[210],"Search Visibility Optimization (SVO) Services"," or book your initial search strategy review.",[49,864,865,866,278],{},"Skip the generic SEO agency playbook. Our senior team works alongside you to build a tailored search strategy that gets your brand seen. Ready to fix traffic drops or scale what’s already working? ",[206,867,869],{"href":275,"rel":868},[210],"Contact MKG Marketing today",[49,871,872,873,212],{},"Ready to learn more about content quality in the age of artificial intelligence? We got you covered:",[206,874,877],{"href":875,"rel":876},"https:\u002F\u002Fmkgmarketinginc.com\u002Fblog\u002Fseo\u002Fis-ai-content-bad-for-seo-how-to-scale-traffic-without-sacrificing-rankings\u002F",[210]," Is AI Content Bad for SEO? How to Scale Traffic Without Sacrificing Rankings",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":879},[880,884,887,890,895],{"id":602,"depth":291,"text":603,"children":881},[882,883],{"id":619,"depth":297,"text":620},{"id":644,"depth":297,"text":645},{"id":658,"depth":291,"text":662,"children":885},[886],{"id":685,"depth":297,"text":109},{"id":709,"depth":291,"text":713,"children":888},[889],{"id":786,"depth":297,"text":787},{"id":807,"depth":291,"text":808,"children":891},[892,893,894],{"id":814,"depth":297,"text":815},{"id":821,"depth":297,"text":822},{"id":828,"depth":297,"text":829},{"id":835,"depth":291,"text":839,"children":896},[897],{"id":851,"depth":297,"text":852},"2026-08-05T15:31:00.000Z","Traditional SEO is shifting. Learn how AI search engines are disrupting the ten blue links and how to win brand mentions in LLM responses.","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.mkgmarketinginc.com\u002Ff8233c21-a553-4cdf-b08e-62ba6de46295-mkg-blog-ai-search-vs-traditional-search-hero-image.webp","Stop Chasing Clicks, Capture Direct-Answer AI",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fseo\u002Fai-search-vs-traditional-search-navigating-the-shift-to-search-visibility-optimization-svo",{"title":593,"description":899},"blog\u002Fseo\u002Fai-search-vs-traditional-search-navigating-the-shift-to-search-visibility-optimization-svo","V9JrsiIyJkiYENE0VMv29Din97ayk4JQ9vcwSe6Flz0",{"id":908,"title":909,"author":7,"authors":7,"body":910,"caption":7,"category":315,"date":1139,"description":1140,"extension":318,"img":1141,"imgAlt":1142,"meta":1143,"minutes":297,"navigation":322,"path":1144,"seo":1145,"seodescription":7,"seotitle":7,"stem":1146,"updated":7,"__hash__":1147},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fseo\u002Fsearch-visibility-optimization-svo-monthly-overview-july-2026.md","Search Visibility Optimization (SVO) Monthly Overview - July 2026",{"type":11,"value":911,"toc":1131},[912,918,967,973,1009,1015,1050,1056,1083,1089,1092,1097,1100,1103,1123],[24,913,915],{"id":914},"executive-summary-the-tldr",[52,916,917],{},"Executive Summary (The TL;DR)",[46,919,920,932,943,955],{},[49,921,922,925,926,931],{},[52,923,924],{},"Google Refines Helpful Content Systems:"," The",[206,927,930],{"href":928,"rel":929},"https:\u002F\u002Fadelev8.com\u002Fblog\u002Fgoogle-july-2026-helpful-content-update",[210]," July 2026 Helpful Content Update"," shifts evaluation metrics from blunt site-wide penalties to granular, section-level filtering, strictly penalizing synthetic, low-effort material while rewarding verified practitioner expertise.",[49,933,934,937,938,212],{},[52,935,936],{},"AI Overviews Expansion:"," Google integrated live news carousels and direct image generation inside AI Overviews, which now feature in approximately",[206,939,942],{"href":940,"rel":941},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.artificialintelligence-news.com\u002Fnews\u002Fgoogle-ai-overviews-us-searches\u002F",[210]," 43% of US searches",[49,944,945,948,949,954],{},[52,946,947],{},"Search Console Controls Updates:"," Site owners can now explicitly manage and isolate content inclusion within AI Overviews and AI Mode via",[206,950,953],{"href":951,"rel":952},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.numinix.com\u002Fblog\u002Fjuly-2026-seo-algorithm-news-update\u002F",[210]," updated Search Console controls"," without sacrificing baseline organic rankings.",[49,956,957,960,961,966],{},[52,958,959],{},"AEO and Third Party Integration:"," ChatGPT’s integration of live third-party platform data (such as",[206,962,965],{"href":963,"rel":964},"https:\u002F\u002Fsearchengineland.com\u002Fgoogle-to-update-local-services-ads-policies-in-july-479653",[210]," Yelp reviews, ratings, and photos",") forces B2B and B2C brands to optimize their multi-platform digital footprints beyond owned properties.",[24,968,970],{"id":969},"algorithm-technical-seo-updates",[52,971,972],{},"Algorithm & Technical SEO Updates",[46,974,975,987,998],{},[49,976,977,980,981,986],{},[52,978,979],{},"The July 2026 Helpful Content Update:"," Google deployed a ",[206,982,985],{"href":983,"rel":984},"https:\u002F\u002Fseovendor.co\u002Fgoogle-algorithm-updates-july-2026\u002F",[210],"targeted update"," to its Helpful Content System, tightening synthetic content detection and increasing E-E-A-T weightings. Unlike previous iterations that carried a risk of broad site-wide demotions, this update introduces granular section-level assessments, permitting well-authored pages on otherwise mixed-quality domains to retain visibility.",[49,988,989,992,993,997],{},[52,990,991],{},"Global Spam Countermeasures:"," Running alongside minor core adjustments, ",[206,994,996],{"href":951,"rel":995},[210],"a global spam update"," rolled out to refine SpamBrain heuristics, targeting systemic manipulation patterns rather than isolated link-building tactics.",[49,999,1000,1003,1004,1008],{},[52,1001,1002],{},"Search Console Shifts:"," Platform-wide properties and explicit GEO isolation controls ",[206,1005,1007],{"href":951,"rel":1006},[210],"went live",", enabling technical leaders to partition content accessibility for generative experiences without damaging classic organic indexing.",[24,1010,1012],{"id":1011},"geoaeo-updates",[52,1013,1014],{},"GEO\u002FAEO Updates",[46,1016,1017,1027,1038],{},[49,1018,1019,1022,1023,1026],{},[52,1020,1021],{},"AI Overview Saturation & Features:"," Market intelligence indicates AI Overviews now appear in roughly",[206,1024,942],{"href":940,"rel":1025},[210],", fundamentally altering click-through dynamics. July updates added real-time news carousels and native AI-generated image creation directly into query responses, shifting user engagement loops.",[49,1028,1029,1032,1033,1037],{},[52,1030,1031],{},"Cross-Platform Citation Shifts:"," ChatGPT expanded its retrieval architecture by integrating live third-party review and vector data (including",[206,1034,1036],{"href":963,"rel":1035},[210]," Yelp reviews and ratings","), illustrating that LLM engines rely heavily on aggregated ecosystem trust signals rather than just corporate web properties.",[49,1039,1040,1043,1044,1049],{},[52,1041,1042],{},"The \"Ghost Citation\" Phenomenon:"," ",[206,1045,1048],{"href":1046,"rel":1047},"https:\u002F\u002Fsearchengineland.com\u002Fai-halftime-report-h1-2026-483912",[210],"Emerging tracking data"," highlights that AI engines frequently synthesize information from third-party aggregators and forums, leaving primary creators uncredited unless structured entities are explicitly claimed and verified.",[24,1051,1053],{"id":1052},"strategic-implications-for-leaders",[52,1054,1055],{},"Strategic Implications for Leaders",[46,1057,1058,1064],{},[49,1059,1060,1063],{},[52,1061,1062],{},"What to ignore:"," Short-term ranking fluctuations and mass content deletions. High-volume, automated articles no longer hold value under current search filters, making rapid content generation counterproductive.",[49,1065,1066,1069],{},[52,1067,1068],{},"Where to pivot:",[46,1070,1071,1077],{},[49,1072,1073,1076],{},[52,1074,1075],{},"Clean up low-value content:"," Review site pages for thin or AI-generated text. Replace surface-level summaries with original research, customer case studies, and expert data that language models cannot replicate.",[49,1078,1079,1082],{},[52,1080,1081],{},"Standardize off-page brand data:"," Align Schema markup, corporate records, and third-party profiles across major directories and review platforms. Search engines and AI systems rely heavily on external sources to verify company authority.",[24,1084,1086],{"id":1085},"looking-ahead",[52,1087,1088],{},"Looking Ahead",[14,1090,1091],{},"Google historically issues a major core algorithm update in late Q3. Growth teams should focus on deepening coverage within core subject areas rather than publishing broadly across adjacent topics.",[24,1093,1095],{"id":1094},"search-visibility-optimization-svo",[52,1096,168],{},[14,1098,1099],{},"Maintaining search traffic now requires managing three distinct channels: standard web indexing, answer engine citations (AEO), and generative search layouts (GEO).",[14,1101,1102],{},"MKG assists growth-stage technology companies with:",[46,1104,1105,1111,1117],{},[49,1106,1107,1110],{},[52,1108,1109],{},"GEO and AEO Audits:"," Evaluating brand presence and citation rates across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.",[49,1112,1113,1116],{},[52,1114,1115],{},"Structured Data Infrastructure:"," Aligning Schema markup and technical index controls to safeguard search presence.",[49,1118,1119,1122],{},[52,1120,1121],{},"Pipeline Attribution Modeling:"," Measuring how generative search visibility impacts customer acquisition costs (CAC) and deal velocity.",[14,1124,1125,1126,1130],{},"To review your domain's generative search visibility, ",[206,1127,1129],{"href":275,"rel":1128},[210],"schedule a consultation"," with an MKG search specialist.",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":1132},[1133,1134,1135,1136,1137,1138],{"id":914,"depth":291,"text":917},{"id":969,"depth":291,"text":972},{"id":1011,"depth":291,"text":1014},{"id":1052,"depth":291,"text":1055},{"id":1085,"depth":291,"text":1088},{"id":1094,"depth":291,"text":168},"2026-08-04T16:16:55.368Z","Stay updated on the July 2026 search landscape: Google’s granular Helpful Content Update, AI Overviews reaching 43% of US searches, new Search Console controls for AI Mode, and ChatGPT's integration of third-party platform data.","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.mkgmarketinginc.com\u002F9bacf7c4-18eb-47f1-87fb-986cba555a73-Copy of 11766_(1920x1080) (7).png","close-up image of a blue pushpin marking a location on a detailed paper map",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fseo\u002Fsearch-visibility-optimization-svo-monthly-overview-july-2026",{"title":909,"description":1140},"blog\u002Fseo\u002Fsearch-visibility-optimization-svo-monthly-overview-july-2026","vjZWWe3kKlLwQrZGoaeSywpxYkFiYyKtWSho-GG-CHw",{"id":1149,"title":1150,"author":7,"authors":7,"body":1151,"caption":7,"category":315,"date":1461,"description":1462,"extension":318,"img":1463,"imgAlt":1464,"meta":1465,"minutes":321,"navigation":322,"path":1466,"seo":1467,"seodescription":7,"seotitle":7,"stem":1468,"updated":7,"__hash__":1469},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Fseo\u002Fis-ai-content-bad-for-seo-how-to-scale-traffic-without-sacrificing-rankings.md","Is AI Content Bad for SEO? How to Scale Traffic Without Sacrificing Rankings",{"type":11,"value":1152,"toc":1445},[1153,1160,1166,1169,1184,1187,1190,1204,1211,1214,1218,1221,1227,1238,1244,1247,1253,1264,1266,1271,1274,1277,1282,1287,1294,1301,1304,1310,1313,1319,1322,1333,1339,1342,1349,1358,1365,1372,1377,1380,1395,1401,1407,1410,1417,1421],[14,1154,1155,1156,1159],{},"Let’s answer the question on every marketing leader’s mind right away: ",[52,1157,1158],{},"No, AI content is not inherently bad for SEO."," Google does not automatically penalize text simply because an artificial intelligence model generated it. In fact, Google’s official Search guidelines state that the search engine ranks content based on its helpfulness, relevance, and quality—not on who (or what) typed the words.",[14,1161,1162,1163],{},"However, there is a massive caveat that every modern CMO and VP of Marketing must understand: ",[52,1164,1165],{},"publishing unedited, mass-produced AI text is a fast track to losing traffic.",[14,1167,1168],{},"While AI can drastically accelerate your research and drafting phases, relying on raw algorithm outputs to power your organic search strategy will inevitably hurt your brand. The internet is quickly becoming flooded with synthesized, low-effort fluff. Search engines are aggressively updating their algorithms to identify and down-rank generic copy that fails to bring new value to the web.",[14,1170,1171,1172,1175,1176,1179,1180,1183],{},"So, ",[52,1173,1174],{},"does AI-generated content impact SEO?"," Absolutely—for better or for worse depending entirely on ",[38,1177,1178],{},"how"," you use it. To navigate this new era of search, B2B software and tech companies must learn how to safely leverage AI as an efficiency tool while keeping senior human strategy in full control. ",[75,1181],{"alt":77,"src":1182},"https:\u002F\u002Fassets.mkgmarketinginc.com\u002Fe5fe90d6-da9d-42d8-8ca3-5c601eb33fc8-ai-content-bad-for-seo-1.png","What Google Actually Cites About AI-Generated Content",[14,1185,1186],{},"A widespread myth floating around boardrooms is that Google possesses a universal \"AI detector\" that immediately penalizes any site using machine learning tools. This misconception has led to two extreme behaviors: organizations either banned AI entirely out of fear, or they went all-in, firing editorial teams and pumping out hundreds of unvetted AI articles a month.",[14,1188,1189],{},"Both approaches are flawed. Google’s position on AI content is clear and consistent:",[46,1191,1192,1198],{},[49,1193,1194,1197],{},[52,1195,1196],{},"Intent matters over medium:"," If you use automation, including generative AI, primarily to manipulate search rankings, it is considered a violation of Google's spam policies.",[49,1199,1200,1203],{},[52,1201,1202],{},"Quality is the ultimate benchmark:"," If your content offers original information, insightful analysis, and clear utility to the searcher, Google will reward it—regardless of whether AI helped draft the paragraphs.",[14,1205,1206,1207,1210],{},"This distinction rests on Google’s ",[52,1208,1209],{},"E-E-A-T framework",": Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.",[14,1212,1213],{},"Generative AI models are trained on existing web data; by design, they scrape, synthesize, and regurgitate information that has already been published. They cannot draw from personal background, run proprietary benchmark studies, or conduct interviews with industry veterans. Therefore, raw AI content inherently lacks the \"First-Hand Experience\" and deep \"Expertise\" required to satisfy modern search criteria.",[24,1215,1217],{"id":1216},"why-copy-pasting-ai-copy-destroys-your-organic-traffic","Why Copy-Pasting AI Copy Destroys Your Organic Traffic",[14,1219,1220],{},"If Google doesn't penalize AI text on principle, why are so many tech sites seeing their organic impressions plummet after launching automated content initiatives? The answer lies in the subtle traps of machine-generated prose.",[81,1222,1224],{"id":1223},"_1-the-information-gain-problem",[52,1225,1226],{},"1. The Information Gain Problem",[14,1228,1229,1230,1233,1234,1237],{},"Search engine algorithms are increasingly prioritizing ",[52,1231,1232],{},"Information Gain","—a metric that measures whether a piece of content adds ",[38,1235,1236],{},"new"," facts, perspectives, or data points to a topic compared to existing index results. When an AI tool drafts an article, it simply summarizes what the top ten results on Google are already saying. It offers zero information gain. If your page is merely an average of what is already online, Google has no incentive to rank you above established competitors.",[81,1239,1241],{"id":1240},"_2-hallucinations-and-brand-risk",[52,1242,1243],{},"2. Hallucinations and Brand Risk",[14,1245,1246],{},"Large Language Models (LLMs) are predictive engines, not factual databases. They routinely invent statistics, misquote technical documentation, and present incorrect product capabilities with total confidence. Publishing hallucinated facts erodes consumer trust and signals to search crawlers that your site lacks basic editorial integrity.",[81,1248,1250],{"id":1249},"_3-the-homogenization-of-brand-voice",[52,1251,1252],{},"3. The Homogenization of Brand Voice",[14,1254,1255,1256,1259,1260,1263],{},"B2B tech buyers are sophisticated. They can spot low-effort, synthetic writing instantly. Text bloated with hollow transitions (",[38,1257,1258],{},"\"In today's fast-paced digital landscape...\""," or ",[38,1261,1262],{},"\"It is crucial to leverage...\"",") signals to prospects that your company lacks real point-of-view authority. If your content sounds identical to every competitor using the same prompts, you lose your market positioning.",[24,1265,109],{"id":685},[14,1267,1268,1270],{},[38,1269,114],{},"The AI has no reason to pick yours over theirs. It's looking for something it can confidently reuse, and if your version doesn't add anything new, you're background noise.",[14,1272,1273],{},"So instead of writing more, I'm going page by page through what already exists and asking one question: does this page say something that no other page on the internet says?",[14,1275,1276],{},"Original data. A real client pattern you documented. A first-person account of what actually happened when you tried the thing everyone recommends. ",[14,1278,1279,1280],{},"That's what AI pulls in. The generic stuff is what AI already has forty versions of. It doesn't need yours.",[38,1281,114],{},[14,1283,120,1284,1286],{},[52,1285,9],{},", CEO of MKG Marketing",[24,1288,1290,1293],{"id":1289},"how-to-safely-use-ai-as-a-marketing-assistant-not-a-lead-strategist",[75,1291],{"alt":77,"src":1292},"https:\u002F\u002Fassets.mkgmarketinginc.com\u002Fc8d0926d-82b9-42f9-85f4-3c433da82d78-ai-content-bad-for-seo-2.png","How to Safely Use AI as a Marketing Assistant (Not a Lead Strategist)",[14,1295,1296,1297,1300],{},"To succeed in search today, modern tech companies don't need to abandon AI; they need to integrate it into a ",[52,1298,1299],{},"human-led editorial workflow",". AI should act as the junior analyst that handles heavy administrative lifting, while senior strategists serve as the editorial director.",[14,1302,1303],{},"Here is how high-growth organizations use AI tools safely without putting their search performance at risk:",[81,1305,1307],{"id":1306},"_1-accelerate-research-and-formatting",[52,1308,1309],{},"1. Accelerate Research and Formatting",[14,1311,1312],{},"Use AI to synthesize lengthy transcripts, cluster search intent, organize raw data, and draft initial structural outlines. Asking an AI tool to suggest five logical structural flows for a technical guide saves hours of brainstorming without diluting your editorial voice.",[81,1314,1316],{"id":1315},"_2-inject-proprietary-data-and-human-storytelling",[52,1317,1318],{},"2. Inject Proprietary Data and Human Storytelling",[14,1320,1321],{},"Once a rough outline or foundational draft exists, a subject matter expert (SME) must step in. Inject real-world elements that an algorithm can never produce:",[46,1323,1324,1327,1330],{},[49,1325,1326],{},"Customer case studies and real implementation metrics.",[49,1328,1329],{},"Direct quotes from internal product architects or sales engineers.",[49,1331,1332],{},"Unique takeaways or counter-intuitive opinions that challenge status-quo industry advice.",[81,1334,1336],{"id":1335},"_3-rigorous-fact-checking-and-editorial-oversight",[52,1337,1338],{},"3. Rigorous Fact-Checking and Editorial Oversight",[14,1340,1341],{},"Every claim, statistic, and technical instruction generated during the drafting phase must be verified by a human editor. Ensure the tone matches your brand guidelines and eliminate boilerplate AI phrasing.",[14,1343,1344,1345,1348],{},"Want to see how your current search strategy measures up against the latest engine updates? Explore our comprehensive",[206,1346,211],{"href":208,"rel":1347},[210]," or book an initial search strategy review with our senior team today.",[24,1350,1352,1355],{"id":1351},"beyond-traditional-seo-preparing-for-search-visibility-optimization-svo",[75,1353],{"alt":77,"src":1354},"https:\u002F\u002Fassets.mkgmarketinginc.com\u002F2cd275b2-b56c-4864-b728-e18e54f45370-ai-content-bad-for-seo-3.png",[52,1356,1357],{},"Beyond Traditional SEO: Preparing for Search Visibility Optimization (SVO)",[14,1359,1360,1361,1364],{},"The debate over whether AI-generated content ",[52,1362,1363],{},"is good for seo"," is part of a much larger shift in how users find information. Search is no longer confined to a list of ten blue links on a traditional search results page.",[14,1366,1367,1368,1371],{},"With the rapid adoption of AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, users are increasingly getting direct answers synthesized and generated right inside search interfaces. This shift means that optimizing purely for keyword clicks is no longer enough. You must optimize for ",[52,1369,1370],{},"total brand visibility"," across AI search models and traditional engines alike.",[14,1373,1374,1375,212],{},"This evolution is what we call ",[52,1376,168],{},[14,1378,1379],{},"To win in an SVO-driven ecosystem, your content must be authoritative enough that AI models choose to cite your brand as the primary source of truth. Generic, auto-generated articles will never be cited by AI search tools because those articles lack original authority. The only way to capture mindshare in both AI answers and traditional search lists is by publishing high-gain, expert-driven content that clearly demonstrates E-E-A-T.",[14,1381,1382,1383,1388,1389,1394],{},"If your organic reach is stalling due to changing algorithms, taking a holistic view of your digital presence is essential. Aligning your organic content strategy with high-intent paid acquisition via",[206,1384,1387],{"href":1385,"rel":1386},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.google.com\u002Fsearch?q=https:\u002F\u002Fmkgmarketinginc.com\u002Fservices\u002Fdigital-advertising\u002F",[210]," Digital Advertising"," and measuring true user journeys through robust",[206,1390,1393],{"href":1391,"rel":1392},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.google.com\u002Fsearch?q=https:\u002F\u002Fmkgmarketinginc.com\u002Fservices\u002Fanalytics\u002F",[210]," Digital Analytics"," ensures your marketing engine generates pipeline—not just empty clicks.",[24,1396,1398],{"id":1397},"summary-adapting-your-search-engine-strategy-for-long-term-growth",[52,1399,1400],{},"Summary: Adapting Your Search Engine Strategy for Long-Term Growth",[14,1402,1403,1404,1406],{},"To recap: ",[52,1405,1174],{}," Yes. If you treat AI as a magic shortcut to generate hundreds of unvetted blog posts, your search visibility will eventually collapse; quickly building a house out of AI sticks won’t protect you when the Big Bad Search Engine Wolf comes calling. But if you treat AI as an efficiency engine that supports a human-led, expert-driven content pipeline, you can scale output without sacrificing rankings.",[14,1408,1409],{},"As search engines adapt to the flood of synthetic content, companies must adapt how they communicate with their buyers. The brands that win over the next decade won't be those that avoid AI, nor will they be those that hand their entire marketing strategy over to algorithms. The winners will be the organizations that pair cutting-edge tools with an authentic, human-driven brand voice.",[14,1411,1412,1413,1416],{},"At ",[52,1414,1415],{},"MKG Marketing",", we don't pass your search strategy off to junior account managers or unmonitored software bots. We provide an experienced, senior-led team that handles both the high-level strategy and technical execution directly. We help B2B tech and software companies navigate complex search updates, build a sustainable organic pipeline, and maintain complete operational control over their brand narrative.",[24,1418,1420],{"id":1419},"ready-to-build-a-future-proof-search-strategy","Ready to Build a Future-Proof Search Strategy?",[46,1422,1423,1430,1437],{},[49,1424,1425,1426,212],{},"Learn how our senior-led team can audit and elevate your organic reach.",[206,1427,1429],{"href":208,"rel":1428},[210]," Explore our Search Visibility Optimization (SVO) Services & Strategy Reviews",[49,1431,1432,1433,278],{},"Have immediate questions about your traffic or upcoming search updates?",[206,1434,1436],{"href":275,"rel":1435},[210]," Contact the MKG Marketing Team directly",[49,1438,1439,1440,212],{},"Want to dive deeper into modern search trends? Read our latest guide:",[206,1441,1444],{"href":1442,"rel":1443},"https:\u002F\u002Fmkgmarketinginc.com\u002Fblog\u002F",[210]," Beyond Last-Click: How to Measure Marketing Influence in an AI-First World",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":1446},[1447,1452,1453,1458,1459,1460],{"id":1216,"depth":291,"text":1217,"children":1448},[1449,1450,1451],{"id":1223,"depth":297,"text":1226},{"id":1240,"depth":297,"text":1243},{"id":1249,"depth":297,"text":1252},{"id":685,"depth":291,"text":109},{"id":1289,"depth":291,"text":1293,"children":1454},[1455,1456,1457],{"id":1306,"depth":297,"text":1309},{"id":1315,"depth":297,"text":1318},{"id":1335,"depth":297,"text":1338},{"id":1351,"depth":291,"text":1357},{"id":1397,"depth":291,"text":1400},{"id":1419,"depth":291,"text":1420},"2026-07-31T16:42:23.391Z","Does AI-generated content impact SEO? Discover how to safely use AI tools to build traffic and why copy-pasting generic text will hurt your rankings.","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.mkgmarketinginc.com\u002Fa2137492-5860-4960-8c3b-cc662b7514b0-mkg-blog-is-ai-content-bad-for-seo.webp","Is AI Content Bad for SEO",{},"\u002Fblog\u002Fseo\u002Fis-ai-content-bad-for-seo-how-to-scale-traffic-without-sacrificing-rankings",{"title":1150,"description":1462},"blog\u002Fseo\u002Fis-ai-content-bad-for-seo-how-to-scale-traffic-without-sacrificing-rankings","ysFwsXe-UHutD2vqfe9YpM1Dn_CZgi--Ors35vnm0Bc",{"id":1471,"title":1472,"author":7,"authors":1473,"body":1474,"caption":7,"category":1898,"date":1899,"description":1900,"extension":318,"img":7,"imgAlt":77,"meta":1901,"minutes":1903,"navigation":322,"path":1904,"seo":1905,"seodescription":7,"seotitle":7,"stem":1906,"updated":7,"__hash__":1907,"people":1908},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Findustry\u002Fcontent-connections-conversions-the-b2b-marketer-s-powerhouse-trio.md","The B2B Marketer's Powerhouse Trio",[9],{"type":11,"value":1475,"toc":1892},[1476,1482,1485,1491,1500,1506,1512,1518,1528,1536,1539,1542,1545,1548,1551,1554,1557,1560,1563,1566,1569,1572,1575,1578,1581,1584,1587,1590,1593,1596,1599,1602,1605,1608,1611,1614,1617,1620,1623,1626,1629,1632,1635,1638,1641,1644,1647,1650,1653,1656,1659,1662,1665,1668,1671,1674,1677,1680,1683,1686,1689,1692,1695,1698,1701,1704,1707,1710,1713,1716,1719,1722,1725,1728,1731,1734,1737,1740,1743,1746,1749,1752,1755,1758,1761,1764,1767,1770,1773,1776,1779,1782,1785,1788,1791,1794,1797,1800,1803,1806,1809,1812,1815,1818,1821,1824,1827,1830,1833,1836,1839,1842,1845,1848,1851,1854,1857,1860,1863,1866,1869,1872,1875,1878,1881,1884,1887,1890],[24,1477,1479],{"id":1478},"overview",[52,1480,1481],{},"Overview:",[14,1483,1484],{},"Kerry Guard, CEO of MKG Marketing, joined Ranmay Rath on the \"eCoffee with Experts\" podcast to discuss her career shift from media planning to digital marketing and her leadership at MKG Marketing. She shared insights on MKG’s focus on SEO and digital advertising for B2B tech sectors, particularly cybersecurity and SaaS. Kerry emphasized the importance of authentic engagement and data-driven strategies over traditional cold calling. She also touched on the challenges of running a niche marketing agency and offered financial advice for new entrepreneurs. The podcast highlighted Kerry's approach to leveraging her podcast for business growth and concluded with personal reflections and a light-hearted rapid-fire round.",[24,1486,1488],{"id":1487},"key-moments",[52,1489,1490],{},"Key Moments:",[14,1492,1493,1499],{},[52,1494,1495,1498],{},[1496,1497],"br",{},"MKG Marketing's Genesis and Focus:"," Kerry Guard shared her journey from traditional media planning to digital marketing, leading to the founding of MKG Marketing with her partner, Mike Krass. They focused on creating a digital advertising firm that delivers measurable business outcomes, particularly specializing in SEO and digital advertising for cybersecurity and SaaS sectors.",[14,1501,1502,1505],{},[52,1503,1504],{},"Value of Podcasting in Marketing:"," Kerry emphasized the importance of her podcast in building relationships, staying informed on industry trends, and generating content. She noted that effective podcasting requires a good host, significant upfront production work, and consistent engagement to harness its full marketing potential.",[14,1507,1508,1511],{},[52,1509,1510],{},"Entrepreneurial Insights and Challenges:"," Reflecting on the challenges of agency leadership, Kerry highlighted the importance of understanding financial fundamentals to ensure sustainable growth. She shared personal anecdotes on balancing work and life, illustrating her hands-on approach to both business and personal life management.",[24,1513,1515],{"id":1514},"take-a-listen",[52,1516,1517],{},"Take a listen:",[1519,1520],"iframe",{"width":1521,"height":1522,"src":1523,"title":1524,"frameBorder":1525,"allow":1526,"referrerPolicy":1527,"allowFullScreen":322},560,315,"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FV0l5Zr6Ms6Y?si=vIv-9RWx_m-t-a07","YouTube video player","0","accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share","strict-origin-when-cross-origin",[24,1529,1531,1533],{"id":1530},"transcript",[1496,1532],{},[52,1534,1535],{},"Transcript:",[14,1537,1538],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:00:15]:",[14,1540,1541],{},"Hey. Hi, everyone. Welcome to your show, e coffee with experts. This is your host, Ran Meha. And today we have Kerry Gaud, who is the CEO of MKG Marketing with us. Hey, Kerry.",[14,1543,1544],{},"Kerry Guard [00:00:25]:",[14,1546,1547],{},"Hi, Ranmay. How's it going?",[14,1549,1550],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:00:27]:",[14,1552,1553],{},"All good? Yeah. It's been your week so far?",[14,1555,1556],{},"Kerry Guard [00:00:29]:",[14,1558,1559],{},"It's been good. It's been good. The sun was out a few days here in the UK, so I was soaking it in.",[14,1561,1562],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:00:35]:",[14,1564,1565],{},"Lovely. Okay, before we move any forward, why don't you talk us through your journey? Let's get to know the human behind the mic and talk us through your journey. Let us know what MKG marketing is all about. What do you guys specialize in? And we take it from there.",[14,1567,1568],{},"Kerry Guard [00:00:51]:",[14,1570,1571],{},"Yeah, I'll try and make it short because it's twofold. There's my journey. Yeah, because there's my journey. So I started as a digital. Nope. I started as a media planner in New York City at Universal McCann on the traditional side, so grps with tv and placements in print right before the 2008 crash when everything switched to digital, which is then when I also switched to digital and worked at publicist modem on the general Mills account as an assistant media planner planning the Yoplait for General Mills and $10 million account. And I worked long at typical New York grind. I worked crazy hours, but I learned a heck of a lot before then.",[14,1573,1574],{},"Kerry Guard [00:01:35]:",[14,1576,1577],{},"Before I met my now husband and moved to Seattle where I picked up a job at MEC, which was a digital agency in Seattle where they worked on the Microsoft account. So I got to break in the b two B. And it was an interesting account because Microsoft has their own website, Microsoft.com. And what they would do is they would run their own products and brands across that website. And so we would manage all of that and do all the data. And that's where I really found my love of spreadsheets and data and haven't really looked back since. From there, I went to a smaller boutique agency in Seattle called Wong duty. I'm not making that up.",[14,1579,1580],{},"Kerry Guard [00:02:18]:",[14,1582,1583],{},"That was the name of the agency. Needless to say, they were more of a creative shop that happened to have a media department of two, which was me and my now business partner, Mike Krass. Mike and I would stew in the back office after hours and cook up like if we started an agency, what would this feel like? Because this is it. And we're a side note, and we're working with companies that want to know how much money we made them. But everything we were doing is awareness. We cant actually drive business outcomes and we had a company show up to Wang duty for a travel company for hotels. So you book hotels through their website and were like oh my gosh. We could actually measure revenue.",[14,1585,1586],{},"Kerry Guard [00:03:01]:",[14,1588,1589],{},"This is amazing. And the agency turned it down because it was small peanuts to them. And Mike and I were like not small peanuts to us, lets go. And we asked if we could pitch it. They said yes and we were basically off and running. We didnt end up winning that business, but we had to get everything up and we had an idea of what we wanted to do, which was really work with companies where we could run media from digital advertising and actually measure if we made the money. That is still true today. We've pivoted a whole bunch from the traditional digital media planning of rfping direct websites or working with dsps.",[14,1591,1592],{},"Kerry Guard [00:03:36]:",[14,1594,1595],{},"And now we're more into the down the funnel PPC side as well as the SEO, and using those two to really make sure that we reach the right audience. And what's interesting about what our journey is, we ended up landing right out of the gate, the box.com account, and it really broke us into that tech b two b space and we just haven't looked back. And then even. It's always an evolution this right as an agency. Start high level anything for money. Mkg's had three lives. The first live is anything for money. And then as we started making wonderful relationships with our clients and they started moving around, it became clear that we ended up specializing naturally in certain areas, and those two areas ended up being cybersecurity and SaaS.",[14,1597,1598],{},"Kerry Guard [00:04:25]:",[14,1600,1601],{},"And it's been really interesting because this isn't your typical b, two b clients, because they're marketing to really tough audiences in the practitioner side or CIsO side, where they don't want anything to really do marketing and sales is a necessary evil in their eyes. And so it's like how do you build that trust in the marketing and sales to really bring those people in to say, we actually want to help you do your job better, and we're not here to use fear, uncertainty and doubt. We really want to make sure that we're the right product for you or not. And using that messaging and showing up where they are and being there when they're ready to talk rather than cold calling and bothering them essentially. So it's this really wonderful audience and it's a really wonderful group who have this. They really want to make a difference in the world. So it's really nice to work on products that are trying to make a change and to support them and to feel that fire. So that's where we are, that's what we do.",[14,1603,1604],{},"Kerry Guard [00:05:24]:",[14,1606,1607],{},"And it's been a wild ride. I love it.",[14,1609,1610],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:05:26]:",[14,1612,1613],{},"Lovely. Quite a journey. Great. Do you feel cold calling in the b two B space has really died. What is your take on it?",[14,1615,1616],{},"Kerry Guard [00:05:35]:",[14,1618,1619],{},"From a cold outreach standpoint? For emails and phone? I believe that it is dying off, if not already dead. The audience has been really clear in my eyes. If you listen to people who've done the research, like Danny Wolf or you listen to sales practitioners and their numbers, it's not there. And on top of that, you're working with an audience that isn't any endless. So you're burning bridges. It's not a numbers game anymore. You can't just call as many people as you want as humanly possible and hope that you get to that 1%. It's not that big of an audience, especially when you're talking about an industry like cyber.",[14,1621,1622],{},"Kerry Guard [00:06:14]:",[14,1624,1625],{},"So you have to be really intentional with your outreach. Marketing has to pull their weights in surrounding the audience, getting them the information they need, nurturing them through the funnel, and letting the audience make the decision of when they're ready to talk to sales. And I think that's a better use of sales as time they get to cultivate relationships with people who are more interested in really learning about the product and it being helpful. I think it's better for from a human connection standpoint, from a number standpoint, and from an ultimate revenue, bottom of the funnel standpoint.",[14,1627,1628],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:06:48]:",[14,1630,1631],{},"Yeah. Yeah. That is what I feel as well. Your sales should not be introducing your product or service or your company to your prospect. They should be knowing about it beforehand, informed about why the meeting is being scheduled and why are you guys meeting. Right, so before you do that versus sales guy walking in, doing the presentation, making the company understand what they do and all that stuff. Quite a valid point there, talking about agency ownership. Kerry, you have been in the spot for quite some time now.",[14,1633,1634],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:07:19]:",[14,1636,1637],{},"Right? So give us the challenges of running your own agency. How difficult was it initially when you started out? Right. And to keep the lights on as an agency, we take all sort of businesses initially. Talk us through your journey as an agency owner, how difficult it has been. I would not say how difficult or easy because I know it is not easy. How difficult it has been so far?",[14,1639,1640],{},"Kerry Guard [00:07:43]:",[14,1642,1643],{},"I don't think it's been. I think there's been moments of difficulty, but overall I relish the challenge. It has definitely been a challenge. Or in the early days when it was just Mike and I it wasn't. The hardest part of being a business owner is knowing when to stop. I still know that I've learned that lesson, even to this day. But it's ultimately like that work life balance of not checking your emails at 10:00 at night before bed and really making sure that you put work down for a minute and walk away. So I think that was, like, for us initially, when we got up and running, it was not being on the clock all the time.",[14,1645,1646],{},"Kerry Guard [00:08:24]:",[14,1648,1649],{},"I think for us, in retrospect, comparatively, as you get bigger, you just develop different problems. So the early days feel like, oh, they were a walk in the park. I'm sure it was really hard in the moment. I remember my business partner making 40 some cold calls to. And this was back in 20, 11, 40 some cold calls to VMware alone just to try and get a meeting. Which he did. Which he did. He made it happen.",[14,1651,1652],{},"Kerry Guard [00:08:52]:",[14,1654,1655],{},"We did win the client, and we did work with VMware for quite a while. And the clients that left there and then brought us along to their other companies, that was a huge moment for us. But I remember him just getting up in the morning and just dialing just to get somebody on the phone. So those initial new business lands was definitely hard.",[14,1657,1658],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:09:14]:",[14,1660,1661],{},"Yeah.",[14,1663,1664],{},"Kerry Guard [00:09:14]:",[14,1666,1667],{},"Then it was. I don't want to say it was easy, but then it was coming to us. Right, like I said. So we landed VMware, and then those clients left. They went other places, and then they brought us along, and that was. There was stint there where you could actually tie all of our clients. We had eight clients, and you could tie them all back to VMware. It was wild.",[14,1669,1670],{},"Kerry Guard [00:09:30]:",[14,1672,1673],{},"Like, six years later, all back to VMware. It's the referral, right. That's how all agencies generally grow out of the gate is the referral piece, and we're still there. It's still very referral based for us. We are breaking out of that. I would say that's our current hurdle is, okay. You can't rely on referrals forever. And so where does that new business come from outside of referrals? Which is another really tough leap to make, because it has to be done again.",[14,1675,1676],{},"Kerry Guard [00:09:58]:",[14,1678,1679],{},"Coming back to that notion of cold outreach not really being effective anymore. It has to come back to building relationships and finding the right folks to build those relationships with, and not expecting everything to be a sales call. So even with my podcast, I have so many times where people show up after my show or days later or even a month later, and be like, I still don't know what you do, I'm like, that's cool. I'm happy to tell you now, but I just wanted to, I'd rather have that authentic conversation of them being curious rather than coming in and being like, this is who we are. Just want to make sure you know it. It's really tough when you're trying to build that initial relationship to immediately launch into that. I've been really intentional and it's taken. I've been doing the podcast for four years, and at the end of the day, a lot of the people I've had on my show, we've had a couple pieces of new business come out of it, which has been wonderful, great people to work with.",[14,1681,1682],{},"Kerry Guard [00:10:47]:",[14,1684,1685],{},"But at the end of the day, it's been a referral piece for us. So we have wonderful people on. We build these wonderful relationships, and then they're on the show, they share it, and they go out and they talk about the great experience they had. And so that's been a really interesting piece that I wasn't. That was lovely and unexpected. But that's really where, like, that intentional marketing needs to come in to get away from that referral, which is where we've lived for so long. So I'd say as an agency owner, that's really been the hardest part. It was hard to get that first few pieces of business, and then we rode the referral for a while, and now it's making that new leap.",[14,1687,1688],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:11:24]:",[14,1690,1691],{},"Lovely, lovely. I was coming to that. How do you see podcast as a sales or marketing engine for any brand? What is your take on it, since you have been doing it for four years now and you would have had your successes like you spoke about, what do you feel in general about podcasts as a sales machinery or a marketing strategy?",[14,1693,1694],{},"Kerry Guard [00:11:44]:",[14,1696,1697],{},"I think it's phenomenal. You do need some stars to align. I don't know that it's for every company and every person necessarily. You do need a couple things. One is you need to have an audience that even wants to be on a podcast. You need a person who can be a really great host, who's a bit outgoing, who can be curious, who can ask questions. It actually took me a while to learn that. I knew podcasting was going to be a great vehicle, but I didn't know how to be a host.",[14,1699,1700],{},"Kerry Guard [00:12:16]:",[14,1702,1703],{},"And it was like, I would say the first year was a lot of sitting in an uncomfortable place of just making sure I had enough I could get comfortable in the moment of asking the right questions. Like, that was really hard. Now I can just, I don't do a whole lot of prep for my shows. I just get on and have fun. But there was a learning curve there. So having a great host who can really cultivate that and lean into it is something else that's really necessary to have a good show. And then there's a whole production piece that you don't even see come in. You're like, I'm going to start a podcast and it's going to be great.",[14,1705,1706],{},"Kerry Guard [00:12:52]:",[14,1708,1709],{},"And then you realize you have to download it and edit it and then work on it and add the intro and outro and all of the things and you really need. It's a heavy upfront lift, but the magic of it is few things. One is you get to build amazing relationships with your ultimate audience and you get to know what's on their minds. Like, I feel like I'm on the cutting edge. I feel very comfortable in saying things like cold outreach is dying or dead because I've listened to enough shows, had enough people on who are experiencing this firsthand. So it's been wonderful in keeping me on the cutting edge from a digital marketing standpoint, knowing what's important to my audience, knowing what they're leaning into. ABM is another one. I was talking about ABM years before it really took off.",[14,1711,1712],{},"Kerry Guard [00:13:44]:",[14,1714,1715],{},"I had latin incontinent on my show in 2019 where she was like, ungate everything. And I was like, this is blasphemy, Latin. What are you doing to me? But now it's becoming a normal thing to do thanks to the technology. But I was on the cutting edge of being able to have some of those tough conversations. And the third thing it does is it's just endless content. Especially now with the technology that's available. You can create clips, you can have a transcript, you can have. Now you're having your show on eight different platforms.",[14,1717,1718],{},"Kerry Guard [00:14:16]:",[14,1720,1721],{},"That's all feeding back into your website. It's social media content for days. We have so much content now that we're actually able to group shows together and put them through AI to come up with an idea on what the trends are and what people are saying in relation to a certain topic. And so it's when you can really like, stick with it, it just has endless possibilities. But standing it up, it's a lift. Sticking with it is a commitment.",[14,1723,1724],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:14:50]:",[14,1726,1727],{},"Absolutely. Absolutely. Great. Because this is a burning question in terms of how podcasts can benefit out of it, and I see a lot of business owners trying to do that. Right? But like you mentioned, you got to understand your niche, the space that you are in what sort of guests you want to invite on your show, so that it kind of, end of the day, it provides value to the space audiences that you're catering to, and then you can think of the next steps. Right. So it makes a lot of sense there. Great job.",[14,1729,1730],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:15:22]:",[14,1732,1733],{},"Given the competitive nature of space that you are in the tech space. Right. How do you approach developing the strategy that kind of works and is successful? Because I would like to believe, I know that for them, as a matter of fact, that the space that you are in, you got a lot of competition, a lot of agencies who are really good at what they do. So they would have their clients fighting for the top charts there. So how do you fight off that competition to ensure your clients are staying ahead of the curve?",[14,1735,1736],{},"Kerry Guard [00:15:54]:",[14,1738,1739],{},"For us, that's then the beauty of being niche. Right. So there isn't a lot of competition in the cybersecurity space. There's a lot of agencies that do cybersecurity, but they also do a lot of other things. So they do finance and a bunch of other. Even though we can put CPG again in line of the industries that they serve, and CPG versus cybersecurity to very different approaches that you need there. So again, I think it comes back to really knowing the industry, knowing the audience. I keep coming back to the audience because it's so key in understanding of how to build that value.",[14,1741,1742],{},"Kerry Guard [00:16:28]:",[14,1744,1745],{},"At the end of the day, SEO is really about the value that you're bringing to your end user of what they're searching for, what questions they have, how you can show up and answer those questions reliably, how you can let Google know that you're a master in the space and building that foundation through the technical aspect of it, so that you're helping your whole website rise to the top and then showing up for those very particular keywords. And at the end of the day, the click through rate is what matters. You can show up from an impression standpoint all day long, but if it's not the value that they're looking for, it's not answering the question that they have, then what is it all for? So I think for us, it's really coming down to knowing what the end user is after and really meeting them where they are.",[14,1747,1748],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:17:17]:",[14,1750,1751],{},"Lovely. And you migrated from working with Microsoft, managing social campaigns, right, to leading your own agency. So what sparked that entrepreneur leap? And did you feel that any lessons learned at Microsoft helped in your journey as an agency owner? I'm sure it did.",[14,1753,1754],{},"Kerry Guard [00:17:39]:",[14,1756,1757],{},"Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. So at Microsoft, I was managing digital ads campaigns across Microsoft.com dot. So I wasn't managing any social that a whole different beast that I had not yet dabbled with. And even now I would consider myself a dabbler in social. It's not a core competency of mine. I've gotten to know LinkedIn pretty well, but I'm still figuring. But the big thing that I learned at Microsoft and that I really took with me is the data aspect.",[14,1759,1760],{},"Kerry Guard [00:18:06]:",[14,1762,1763],{},"I would be exporting these monster outputs from Atlas, dating myself there. Atlas was Microsoft product for ad management and we would have just reams of data. And this was before you had a data warehouse, right. So it would end up in these giant Excel sheets. And I had to figure out how to get, how to create dashboards to read the data in a time where it was raw. Right. We didn't have a looker studio. We didn't have fancy platforms like improvado where you could connect everything from the backend and then just use looker studio to make it pretty and then read the data.",[14,1765,1766],{},"Kerry Guard [00:18:45]:",[14,1768,1769],{},"Right. I had to create that from scratch. And really living in the data created a love for me of knowing that was the magic. Right. Like it's all, well, I'm going to run ads. What did it do? I still have that today. I've actually been sitting with my team unpacking a current client and I'm exporting, they're like, Kerry, there's a dashboard over here. I'm like, I know, but I need to, like, I need the raw data, I need to pivot it and I need to work with it and I need to go down the rabbit holes and I need like full control over it that I just can't get in a fancy, fancy dashboard.",[14,1771,1772],{},"Kerry Guard [00:19:20]:",[14,1774,1775],{},"And so I really think that having that core competency and building NKG from a place of business outcomes and measurable media, that was our tagline for the longest time. Measurable media is what set us apart for a very long time. And even to this day, I think leaning in as an agency owner, as a business owner, being able to speak to my clients in that capacity of knowing that they have leadership that they have to answer to in how much revenue that they're driving. I understand that to my core, not both as an agency owner, as a business owner, and having lived in data for most of my career. Yeah, that I would say that's how that bridge happened.",[14,1777,1778],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:20:07]:",[14,1780,1781],{},"Lovely, lovely, great, Kerry. But yeah, I would like you to give us top three tips or some advices to our listeners today. You know who are trying to make a mark in the digital marketing space or let's say, you know, trying to start their entrepreneurial journey or trying to start their own agency. So, yeah, since you have been there, you migrated from a typical corporate setup. You're starting your own agency, doing really good nowadays. So, you know, watch as an advice would mean a lot. So give us those tips that you might have been, that might have been.",[14,1783,1784],{},"Kerry Guard [00:20:41]:",[14,1786,1787],{},"Helpful for you as an agency owner. Understand, or as early, as soon as humanly possible, what finances, okay, from revenue to your expenses to your profit margin, and then pay close attention to that profit margin, because at the end of the day, you can be making all the money and all of the land. But if your expenses are outpacing your revenue, then you're growing broke, and this is not an upside down world you want to live. I may be speaking from experience, understand how finance works, and figure out how. How to keep your expenses in line with your revenue. So you get, like, a 18% to 25% profit margin that's on the high end. That's, like, really good. So if you're hitting those numbers, hats off to y'all.",[14,1789,1790],{},"Kerry Guard [00:21:40]:",[14,1792,1793],{},"That's like the sweet spot. So if you can do that early on and then stick with it, you're going to be in good shape and know what cash flow is, know how to work your contract so that you're getting paid in a way that you can pay your people and not get caught off with having to burn cash to do that. So I would say I wish I had understood finance sooner, and those would be the things that I wish I had known. I know now.",[14,1795,1796],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:22:12]:",[14,1798,1799],{},"Great. Lovely. Let's play a quick rapid fire then. Now.",[14,1801,1802],{},"Kerry Guard [00:22:16]:",[14,1804,1805],{},"Oh, gosh. Okay.",[14,1807,1808],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:22:18]:",[14,1810,1811],{},"All right. Your last Google search.",[14,1813,1814],{},"Kerry Guard [00:22:20]:",[14,1816,1817],{},"My last Google search. Oh, does Google Drive count? No, I'm just kidding. I use search for everything. I use it in email, I use it in drive. My last Google search, I feel like I should look it up. Oh, I know what it was. It was the. I heard that Ryan Gosling did a Kenanuff performance at the Oscars, and I just had to see it.",[14,1819,1820],{},"Kerry Guard [00:22:41]:",[14,1822,1823],{},"So that was the last thing I googled.",[14,1825,1826],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:22:44]:",[14,1828,1829],{},"All right.",[14,1831,1832],{},"Kerry Guard [00:22:44]:",[14,1834,1835],{},"It's excellent.",[14,1837,1838],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:22:45]:",[14,1840,1841],{},"Lovely. You're a celebrity crush, Ryan Gosling, of course.",[14,1843,1844],{},"Kerry Guard [00:22:50]:",[14,1846,1847],{},"So I had to go watch the Kennet video.",[14,1849,1850],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:22:52]:",[14,1852,1853],{},"All right, where do we find you on Friday evenings?",[14,1855,1856],{},"Kerry Guard [00:22:55]:",[14,1858,1859],{},"Friday evenings recently, on my sofa with a glass of wine, watching something terrible. Probably a blast from the past, like a Gilmore girls or an episode of Friends or decompression time.",[14,1861,1862],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:23:08]:",[14,1864,1865],{},"Right.",[14,1867,1868],{},"Kerry Guard [00:23:09]:",[14,1870,1871],{},"Kids are in bed, work is done.",[14,1873,1874],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:23:14]:",[14,1876,1877],{},"Lovely. Great. Yeah, I'm not really any further. Thank you so much for taking your time and doing this with us. Really appreciate it.",[14,1879,1880],{},"Kerry Guard [00:23:22]:",[14,1882,1883],{},"Thank you. Good to meet you, Renmay. Thank you for having me.",[14,1885,1886],{},"Ranmay Rath [00:23:25]:",[14,1888,1889],{},"Great. Thank you.",[1496,1891],{},{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":1893},[1894,1895,1896,1897],{"id":1478,"depth":291,"text":1481},{"id":1487,"depth":291,"text":1490},{"id":1514,"depth":291,"text":1517},{"id":1530,"depth":291,"text":1535},"industry","2024-04-23T16:47:48Z","Kerry Guard, CEO of MKG Marketing, shares her transition from media planning to leading a digital marketing agency focused on B2B tech sectors.",{"_schema":1902},"default",21,"\u002Fblog\u002Findustry\u002Fcontent-connections-conversions-the-b2b-marketer-s-powerhouse-trio",{"title":1472,"description":1900},"blog\u002Findustry\u002Fcontent-connections-conversions-the-b2b-marketer-s-powerhouse-trio","XINZi8lszKb0PVHKKsvpV28Z28NsfjmdasTj2zyS6e0",[1909],{"id":1910,"title":9,"body":1911,"date":7,"description":1946,"extension":318,"images":1947,"isLeader":322,"jobTitle":1949,"linkedIn":1950,"meta":1951,"name":9,"navigation":322,"path":1953,"quote":1954,"quoteCite":1955,"ref":1956,"seo":1957,"sequence":1958,"stem":1959,"team":1960,"twitter":1950,"updated":7,"website":1961,"__hash__":1962},"team\u002Fteam\u002Fkerry-guard.md",{"type":11,"value":1912,"toc":1943},[1913,1918,1926,1934,1938],[14,1914,1917],{"className":1915},[1916],"text-lg","Kerry Guard (she\u002Fher) is a mom of twins - boy and a girl. She understands what work life balance really looks like and is on a mission to build a company that honors parents having a career and a life. She’s out to prove you really can have both with policies like ensuring 20 days of vacation each year, no client emails after 6PM or weekends, unlimited sick days, and everyday flexibility.",[14,1919,1920,1921,1925],{},"She also hosts our podcast, ",[206,1922,1924],{"href":1923},"\u002Fpodcasts\u002Fmarketing-leaders\u002F","Back on T-R-A-C-K",", which brings eight digital marketing experts to your ears every quarter.",[14,1927,1928,1929,1933],{},"Kerry is responsible for HR. If you’d like to join MKG where people are first and your expertise matter, Kerry will be with you through the entire interview process ensuring each candidate meets the necessary requirements and gets a fair shot. Want to join MKG and Kerry’s mission of bringing People First to as many people as possible? Check out our ",[206,1930,1932],{"href":1931},"\u002Fabout\u002Fjobs\u002F","Jobs page"," and see if we have a position right for you!",[81,1935,1937],{"id":1936},"fun-facts","Fun facts",[46,1939,1940],{},[49,1941,1942],{},"Kerry now lives in Guernsey — a tiny nook in the world between England and France. Come visit for a spot of tea any time!",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":1944},[1945],{"id":1936,"depth":297,"text":1937},"Meet Kerry Guard, one of MKG Marketing’s founders. She currently fills the role of CEO of MKG as well as hosting the podcast, Back on T-R-A-C-K.",{"landscape":1948},"kerry-guard.webp","Founder & CEO","kerryguard",{"imageDescription":1952},"Kerry Guard, MKG Marketing’s Owner\u002FCEO, stands on a street in Guernsey with the Town Church behind her | MKG Marketing","\u002Fteam\u002Fkerry-guard","I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness — it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.","Brené 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Moman Rawden",{"type":11,"value":2544,"toc":2571},[2545,2549,2552,2555,2558,2560],[14,2546,2548],{"className":2547},[1916],"Alanna graduated from the University of Alabama in 2004. She started her career at an advertising agency in Birmingham, AL, and has spent most of her career in Account Leadership roles working on consumer brands like Verizon Wireless, Books-A-Million, Toys ‘R’ Us, and Hard Rock Hotel & Casinos. In 2015, she left the agency world with a desire to gain more digital advertising experience, which led to her running a one-person digital department for a regional credit union.",[14,2550,2551],{},"Account Direction has always been a natural fit for Alanna because she enjoys managing projects, big picture strategy, and building relationships. She chose to come back to the agency world when she learned about MKG and our People First values.",[14,2553,2554],{},"She is most proud of the impact she had on her previous company by creating a positive and supportive environment for those she managed. ",[14,2556,2557],{},"Alanna enjoys spending time with her husband and two teenage daughters, has a very eclectic taste in music, and is an obsessive Hamilfan.",[81,2559,1937],{"id":1936},[46,2561,2562,2565,2568],{},[49,2563,2564],{},"In college, she won a radio contest for her youngest brother to have dinner with Nickelback. The band spent the entire evening trying to convince her, then 15-year-old, brother to drop out of school.",[49,2566,2567],{},"She once spent 3 hours convincing a famous country singer to get off his tour bus to shoot a commercial that her client had contracted him to be in.",[49,2569,2570],{},"Her family is a big fan of True Crime, and they binge Crime Junkie on every road trip.",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":2572},[2573],{"id":1936,"depth":297,"text":1937},"Meet Alanna Moman-Rawden, one of MKG Marketing’s amazing Account Directors, bringing 15+ years of account leadership and direction to the table.",{"landscape":2576},"alanna-moman-rawden.webp","Director, People & Culture","alanna-moman-rawden",{},"Alanna Moman-Rawden","\u002Fteam\u002Falanna-moman-rawden","I am the one thing in life I can control. I am inimitable. I am an original.","Aaron Burr, Hamilton",{"description":2574},"team\u002Falanna-moman-rawden","WPmQvGfbA7GjEpvcVEps9YUFm4Ihb7jAlxEbp7tr3IA",{"id":2588,"title":2589,"body":2590,"date":7,"description":2629,"extension":318,"images":2630,"isLeader":2632,"jobTitle":2633,"linkedIn":2634,"meta":2635,"name":2589,"navigation":322,"path":2636,"quote":7,"quoteCite":2583,"ref":2637,"seo":2638,"sequence":2639,"stem":2640,"team":2633,"twitter":7,"updated":7,"website":7,"__hash__":2641},"team\u002Fteam\u002Falicia-antonow.md","Alicia Antonow",{"type":11,"value":2591,"toc":2627},[2592,2597,2600,2605,2608,2613,2616,2621,2624],[14,2593,2594],{},[52,2595,2596],{},"How I Got Into Digital Advertising",[14,2598,2599],{},"With a background as a nurse, my journey into digital advertising began unexpectedly when I back to Ann Arbor, Michigan. A Google Partner approached me to assist with healthcare content and ads. I quickly discovered a passion for the field, and with Google Ads sales training followed by SEM training, I was hooked.",[14,2601,2602],{},[52,2603,2604],{},"What I Love About Paid Search",[14,2606,2607],{},"Every campaign is like a unique puzzle, even within the same industry. Variations in geography, audiences, and keywords make each project different. I enjoy leveraging the full suite of Google products—Search, Display, Demand Gen, and YouTube—because they work best when integrated. The ever-evolving nature of the work keeps me inspired and challenged.",[14,2609,2610],{},[52,2611,2612],{},"Why I Chose MKG Marketing",[14,2614,2615],{},"I was drawn to MKG Marketing for its people-first culture. The company recognizes that we are all human, with lives outside of work, and fosters a supportive environment that values balance and well-being.",[14,2617,2618],{},[52,2619,2620],{},"Fun Facts About Me",[14,2622,2623],{},"I’m an avid traveler and love immersing myself in different cultures. Before having kids, my husband and I spent at least three months each year exploring the world.",[14,2625,2626],{},"I take cooking classes with locals wherever I go and love scuba diving whenever there’s water nearby.\nMy kids are my world—seeing their faces light up when experiencing something new brings me the greatest joy.",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":2628},[],"Meet Alicia Antonow, one of MKG Marketing’s saavy digital ads experts, bringing 15+ years of hands on execution and strategy to the table.",{"landscape":2631},"alicia-antonow.webp",false,"Digital Advertising Experts","alicia-a-36459bb5",{},"\u002Fteam\u002Falicia-antonow","alicia-antonow",{"description":2629},54,"team\u002Falicia-antonow","dX6MgSjdInEGV2mLfl0Uv4cjJ2Si5idzNXLe33_xMZY",{"id":2643,"title":2644,"body":2645,"date":7,"description":2676,"extension":318,"images":2677,"isLeader":2632,"jobTitle":2679,"linkedIn":2680,"meta":2681,"name":2644,"navigation":322,"path":2682,"quote":7,"quoteCite":7,"ref":2683,"seo":2684,"sequence":2685,"stem":2686,"team":2687,"twitter":7,"updated":7,"website":7,"__hash__":2688},"team\u002Fteam\u002Favery-davis.md","Avery Davis",{"type":11,"value":2646,"toc":2673},[2647,2651,2654,2657,2660,2662],[14,2648,2650],{"className":2649},[1916],"\nAvery began his digital marketing career at a tech startup focused on ID scanning and facial recognition software. In addition to gaining a deep understanding of paid media and analytics, this peaked his interest in cybersecurity and tech in general. He then transitioned to agency life where he specialized in SaaS marketing.\n",[14,2652,2653],{},"Over the years, Avery has touched a variety of verticals including health and beauty, eCommerce, medical\u002Fpharma, education, and more. He is drawn to agency life because of the variety of clients he is able to work with and, in turn, learn from.",[14,2655,2656],{},"Although he’s touched several areas of digital marketing, Avery feels most at home when doing Account\u002F Project Management as well as Copywriting.",[14,2658,2659],{},"As is the theme with many of our staff, Avery was drawn to MKG because of our culture. In Avery’s words “MKG shares the same values as I do in both my professional and my personal life. When I saw that we meshed so well, this was an opportunity I couldn’t refuse!”",[81,2661,1937],{"id":1936},[46,2663,2664,2667,2670],{},[49,2665,2666],{},"Avery is an avid racquetball player. Having first gotten into the sport in college, he’s had lots of fun playing over the years. He tries to get to the court at least once a week.",[49,2668,2669],{},"Avery is a hobby bartender and enjoys making, tasting, and learning about different drinks. He’s mainly a Kentucky bourbon guy but also loves Japanese whisky!",[49,2671,2672],{},"Avery is a black belt in Pasaryu. This is a Korean mixed martial art which includes karate, kung fu, and Taekwondo. He has also trained and competed with weapons: nunchucks and samurai sword just to name a couple!",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":2674},[2675],{"id":1936,"depth":297,"text":1937},"Avery Davis is an Account Superivor here at MKG Marketing.",{"landscape":2678},"avery-davis.webp","Account Supervisor","avery-davis-114055191",{},"\u002Fteam\u002Favery-davis","avery-davis",{"description":2676},59,"team\u002Favery-davis","Account Services","ysXkJK5t3F27trCgdjC7IRHXNs-Qxp9YxjH9QT3gDqQ",{"id":2690,"title":2691,"body":2692,"date":7,"description":2722,"extension":318,"images":2723,"isLeader":2632,"jobTitle":2725,"linkedIn":2726,"meta":2727,"name":2691,"navigation":322,"path":2728,"quote":2729,"quoteCite":2730,"ref":2731,"seo":2732,"sequence":2733,"stem":2734,"team":2735,"twitter":7,"updated":7,"website":7,"__hash__":2736},"team\u002Fteam\u002Fjared-gerling.md","Jared Gerling",{"type":11,"value":2693,"toc":2720},[2694,2697,2700,2703,2706,2709],[14,2695,2696],{},"Jared's journey into digital marketing started with answering a classified ad for a company looking for people with writing backgrounds for a position in SEO. As a graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in Creative Writing, this sounded like the perfect opportunity.",[14,2698,2699],{},"This small agency taught him SEO from the ground up, and, after taking a break from digital marketing to receive his MA from DePaul University, Jared jumped back into the field at a medium-sized agency out of Chicago as an SEO analyst.",[14,2701,2702],{},"Since then, Jared has worked for large and small marketing agencies for over a decade, providing expert SEO services in almost every industry that has a website on the internet. And with his background in writing, Jared feels most at home in the content and customer facing side of SEO and digital marketing.",[14,2704,2705],{},"It was first and foremost the people that drew Jared to MKG. Everyone at MKG has been so in tune with his values and his personality, and they've made his time at MKG easily the best experience of his career.",[14,2707,2708],{},"Fun Facts:",[46,2710,2711,2714,2717],{},[49,2712,2713],{},"I love to travel with my wife. We've been to many incredible places over the years, and are always on the lookout for our next destination.",[49,2715,2716],{},"I was a college rower in my younger days. I rowed mostly eights as a port, and competed against some of the best schools in the nation...and lost to most of them.",[49,2718,2719],{},"I love a really good French Martini.",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":2721},[],"Meet Jared Gerling, one of MKG Marketing’s thoughtful SEO Experts, bringing 10+ years of experience, intentionality, and creativity to the team.",{"landscape":2724},"jared-gerling.webp","SEO Expert","jaredgerling",{},"\u002Fteam\u002Fjared-gerling","The truth is, most of us discover where we are heading when we arrive.","Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes)","jared-gerling",{"description":2722},55,"team\u002Fjared-gerling","SEO Experts","1TbRdjbaY8GvD4YbpM3Pm85IGECKXrMtdVY8OquXFkg",{"id":2738,"title":2739,"body":2740,"date":7,"description":2774,"extension":318,"images":2775,"isLeader":2632,"jobTitle":2777,"linkedIn":7,"meta":2778,"name":2780,"navigation":322,"path":2781,"quote":7,"quoteCite":7,"ref":2782,"seo":2783,"sequence":2784,"stem":2785,"team":7,"twitter":7,"updated":7,"website":7,"__hash__":2786},"team\u002Fteam\u002Fkathy-obrien.md","Kathy Obrien",{"type":11,"value":2741,"toc":2771},[2742,2746,2749,2755,2758,2760],[14,2743,2745],{"className":2744},[1916],"\nKathy loves details and has managed the finer details of business her entire career.  She started her career in Center City, Philadelphia working for several law firms.  After she was married and had her first son, she left the bustling city to work closer to home at an international publishing company.  In 1994, Kathy and her husband Bill moved with their two sons to Charlotte, North Carolina.  They eventually completed their family with two more boys born in Charlotte.\n",[14,2747,2748],{},"In 2000 they relocated to Chester County, a suburb of Philadelphia. After a hiatus and four sons, Kathy returned to work in Chester County. This time, she gave retail a whirl so that she could be home when her school age boys were home. She quickly found out Ann Taylor was employing one of their best customers. Kathy then spent the following 10+ years in the Non-Profit arena where she did whatever needed to be done to further the mission. No job was too big, small, or unimportant to tackle.",[2750,2751,2752],"blockquote",{},[14,2753,2754],{},"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.\nMother Teresa",[14,2756,2757],{},"By February 2020, Kathy was eager to build something for herself and her family. She set off on a new adventure of starting her own business when she was connected with Kerry, Mike, and MKG. Having commuted and worked outside of the home for 10+ years, she was ready to work from home and have a better life balance. She followed the rainbow and found MKG in her pot of gold. MKG is like no other firm or organization for which Kathy has worked. Their standard of people first is evident in every team member, every decision, every meeting, every interaction. They live their standard.",[81,2759,1937],{"id":1936},[46,2761,2762,2765,2768],{},[49,2763,2764],{},"Kathy’s dislikes: fruit & chocolate together and Tuesday.",[49,2766,2767],{},"Family: Kathy met her husband Bill in Wildwood, New Jersey after their high school graduations during “Senior Week”. They have 4 sons and 2 grandsons. There hasn’t been a girl born in the O’Brien family in 32 years! You will often hear Kathy saying her boys are the best 4 gifts she’s ever been given.",[49,2769,2770],{},"Special talent: Baking. Her boys’ (Bill included) favorites are Spritz Cookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies. There is a running family debate as to whether Ricotta Cookies are cookies or biscuits. At Christmas time, Kathy has been known to hide cookies to save some for guests.",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":2772},[2773],{"id":1936,"depth":297,"text":1937},"Meet Kathy O’Brien, MKG Marketing’s amazing executive assistant who consistently supports all of MKG across the many needs of the company.",{"landscape":2776},"kathy-obrien.webp","Executive Assistant",{"imageDescription":2779},"Kathy O’Brien, MKG Marketing’s Executive Assistant, in front of a gray background | MKG Marketing","Kathy O'Brien","\u002Fteam\u002Fkathy-obrien","kathy-obrien",{"description":2774},80,"team\u002Fkathy-obrien","lRwZA7wCSBsHC6ufODo6kKfYgfp9Nf-RTYoTK1zEMo0",{"id":1910,"title":9,"body":2788,"date":7,"description":1946,"extension":318,"images":2810,"isLeader":322,"jobTitle":1949,"linkedIn":1950,"meta":2811,"name":9,"navigation":322,"path":1953,"quote":1954,"quoteCite":1955,"ref":1956,"seo":2812,"sequence":1958,"stem":1959,"team":1960,"twitter":1950,"updated":7,"website":1961,"__hash__":1962},{"type":11,"value":2789,"toc":2807},[2790,2793,2797,2801,2803],[14,2791,1917],{"className":2792},[1916],[14,2794,1920,2795,1925],{},[206,2796,1924],{"href":1923},[14,2798,1928,2799,1933],{},[206,2800,1932],{"href":1931},[81,2802,1937],{"id":1936},[46,2804,2805],{},[49,2806,1942],{},{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":2808},[2809],{"id":1936,"depth":297,"text":1937},{"landscape":1948},{"imageDescription":1952},{"description":1946},{"id":2814,"title":2815,"body":2816,"date":7,"description":2849,"extension":318,"images":2850,"isLeader":2632,"jobTitle":2852,"linkedIn":2853,"meta":2854,"name":2815,"navigation":322,"path":2855,"quote":7,"quoteCite":7,"ref":2856,"seo":2857,"sequence":2858,"stem":2859,"team":2633,"twitter":7,"updated":7,"website":7,"__hash__":2860},"team\u002Fteam\u002Fleigh-snyder.md","Leigh Snyder",{"type":11,"value":2817,"toc":2846},[2818,2822,2825,2828,2831,2834,2837,2840,2843],[14,2819,2821],{"className":2820},[1916],"\nLeigh has over 15 years of experience of managing Paid Search campaigns. She started her career at Solid Cactus, a full service eCommerce agency in Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania. Having no experience in Paid Search, she learned as she went, starting out in the earlier days of Google Adwords, when Adwords Editor wasn't even being used yet.\n",[14,2823,2824],{},"Leigh loves to create accounts and watch them grow, even more she loves to take a poorly performing account and turn it around. Watching the KPIs increase from changes she has made or new ideas she implements, keeps her career exciting.",[14,2826,2827],{},"Managing a wide variety of accounts that include local car dealerships, worldwide clothing stores, online supplement shops to plastic surgeons and much much more, Leigh brings a vast knowledge of creative ways in managing accounts.",[14,2829,2830],{},"While working the majority of her career in local offices, the options for expanding her career were becoming less and less. She decided to apply for a remote job (before it was the norm) and was able to get experience that wasn't as prevalent in the smaller area in which she resides.",[14,2832,2833],{},"After working from home for the past 6 years the opportunities kept coming and when MKG reached out to her, she knew that there was something special about them and decided to take the leap. The people first environment is not just talked about here, but it is practiced everyday. MKG Marketing is unlike anywhere she has ever worked.",[14,2835,2836],{},"Outside of work, Leigh enjoys spending time with her husband Dustin, their blended family (Emma, Casey, Jake & Brayden) and their dog Millie.",[14,2838,2839],{},"The kitchen is where you will always find her, she loves to cook and bake all things Gluten Free and no one ever knows. When they are not at a swim meet or a baseball game they love swimming in their pool, long walks on the local trails, renovating their house and binging shows.",[81,2841,2842],{"id":1936},"Fun Facts",[14,2844,2845],{},"Although it was just was a short time, at age 19 Leigh drove cross country from a small town in PA and moved to Hollywood Hills, CA. Her view from her kitchen window was the Hollywood sign. Not a bad first apartment.",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":2847},[2848],{"id":1936,"depth":297,"text":2842},"Meet Leigh Snyder, one of MKG Marketing’s amazing digital advertising experts, bringing 15 plus years of experience to the team",{"landscape":2851},"leigh-snyder.webp","Digital Advertising Expert","leighasnyder",{},"\u002Fteam\u002Fleigh-snyder","leigh-snyder",{"description":2849},50,"team\u002Fleigh-snyder","tY2JnqulQK9AU4TGRfATRnob3Thk9e9yAPu6iKBPA_s",{"id":2862,"title":2863,"body":2864,"date":7,"description":2911,"extension":318,"images":2912,"isLeader":2632,"jobTitle":2914,"linkedIn":2915,"meta":2916,"name":2863,"navigation":322,"path":2918,"quote":2919,"quoteCite":2863,"ref":2915,"seo":2920,"sequence":321,"stem":2921,"team":7,"twitter":7,"updated":7,"website":7,"__hash__":2922},"team\u002Fteam\u002Fmarketing-leadership\u002Fceleste-jacroux.md","Celeste Jacroux",{"type":11,"value":2865,"toc":2908},[2866,2874,2877,2884,2888],[14,2867,2869,2870,2873],{"className":2868},[1916],"\nCeleste Jacroux is a Go-to-Market architect for companies ready to graduate from \"random acts of marketing\" to a predictable revenue engine. As the Founder of ",[52,2871,2872],{},"Swell Marketing Advisors"," and a strategic partner to MKG, she brings deep expertise in aligning product, sales, and marketing into a cohesive GTM strategy.",[14,2875,2876],{},"Celeste understands that for founders, the hardest phase is often bridging the gap between a great product and the market that needs it. She specializes in clarifying positioning, defining ideal customer profiles (ICPs), and building the strategic roadmap that turns vision into traction.",[14,2878,2879,2880,2883],{},"At MKG, Celeste steps in as a Marketing Leader for our ",[52,2881,2882],{},"Marketing Leadership + Activation"," clients. She provides the senior-level direction and GTM rigor, working hand-in-hand with MKG’s activation teams to ensure that strategy doesn't just sit in a deck—it gets executed, measured, and optimized for growth.",[81,2885,2887],{"id":2886},"expertise","Expertise",[46,2889,2890,2896,2902],{},[49,2891,2892,2895],{},[52,2893,2894],{},"Go-to-Market Strategy:"," Launching new products and entering new markets with precision.",[49,2897,2898,2901],{},[52,2899,2900],{},"Positioning & Messaging:"," Translating complex tech into clear customer value.",[49,2903,2904,2907],{},[52,2905,2906],{},"Sales & Marketing Alignment:"," Ensuring the revenue team is fighting the same battle.",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":2909},[2910],{"id":2886,"depth":297,"text":2887},"Meet Celeste Jacroux, a strategic GTM partner to MKG and Founder of Sweel Marketing Advisors. She leads Go-to-Market strategy for high-growth companies.",{"landscape":2913},"celeste-jacroux.webp","Fractional GTM Leader | Founder, Swell Marketing Advisors","celeste-jacroux",{"imageDescription":2917},"Celeste Jacroux, Founder of Swell Marketing Advisors and MKG Partner","\u002Fteam\u002Fmarketing-leadership\u002Fceleste-jacroux","A great product doesn't win on its own. It wins when the story, the strategy, and the sales motion all pull in the exact same direction.",{"description":2911},"team\u002Fmarketing-leadership\u002Fceleste-jacroux","xCdtcFdNV4sp78oidUDMCvxluqrG5iEdRJkxxEAOYq0",{"id":2924,"title":9,"body":2925,"date":7,"description":2972,"extension":318,"images":2973,"isLeader":2632,"jobTitle":2974,"linkedIn":1950,"meta":2975,"name":9,"navigation":322,"path":2976,"quote":1954,"quoteCite":1955,"ref":1956,"seo":2977,"sequence":2978,"stem":2979,"team":7,"twitter":1950,"updated":7,"website":7,"__hash__":2980},"team\u002Fteam\u002Fmarketing-leadership\u002Fkerry-guard.md",{"type":11,"value":2926,"toc":2969},[2927,2931,2954,2960,2963,2965],[14,2928,2930],{"className":2929},[1916],"\nKerry Guard (she\u002Fher) is the strategist founders call when they are tired of guessing. As the CEO of MKG Marketing, she doesn’t just run the agency; she steps into the trenches with clients as a Fractional Marketing Leader. She specializes in helping founders navigate the \"Growth Valley\"—building the systems, strategy, and teams required to scale from traction to expansion.",[14,2932,2933,2934,2937,2938,2941,2942,2945,2946,2949,2950,2953],{},"Her recent work focuses on bringing enterprise-level rigor to growing businesses. She serves as the strategic marketing engine for a diverse portfolio, including ",[52,2935,2936],{},"Rutkowski Law Firm",", ",[52,2939,2940],{},"Fulcrum Enterprise Group",", and ",[52,2943,2944],{},"Premier Office Movers",", where she aligns revenue goals with marketing execution. Whether she is translating complex tech into a go-to-market narrative for ",[52,2947,2948],{},"Avalanche Fusion",", or helping ",[52,2951,2952],{},"Extraordinary Advisors"," amplify their message, Kerry brings clarity and momentum to every leadership team she joins.",[14,2955,2956,2957,2959],{},"She is also the host of ",[206,2958,1924],{"href":1923},", where she interviews CMOs and Founders to uncover the human stories behind high-growth companies.",[14,2961,2962],{},"Kerry proves that high performance doesn't require burnout. As a mom of twins, she built MKG on a \"People First\" methodology—championing policies like 20 vacation days and zero after-hours emails—because she knows that rested, respected experts drive the best ROI.",[81,2964,1937],{"id":1936},[46,2966,2967],{},[49,2968,1942],{},{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":2970},[2971],{"id":1936,"depth":297,"text":1937},"Meet Kerry Guard, MKG Marketing’s CEO and Principal Strategist. She works directly with founders to build scalable marketing engines while hosting the podcast, Back on T-R-A-C-K.",{"landscape":1948},"Fractional Marketing Leaders",{"imageDescription":1952},"\u002Fteam\u002Fmarketing-leadership\u002Fkerry-guard",{"description":2972},5,"team\u002Fmarketing-leadership\u002Fkerry-guard","oOXvRk_JAfbvrAQoDmPize2X6zquuQG1YD5msODvKcE",{"id":2982,"title":2983,"body":2984,"date":7,"description":3035,"extension":318,"images":3036,"isLeader":2632,"jobTitle":3038,"linkedIn":3039,"meta":3040,"name":3042,"navigation":322,"path":3043,"quote":3044,"quoteCite":3042,"ref":3039,"seo":3045,"sequence":586,"stem":3046,"team":7,"twitter":7,"updated":7,"website":7,"__hash__":3047},"team\u002Fteam\u002Fmarketing-leadership\u002Flaura-mcaliley.md","Laura Mcaliley",{"type":11,"value":2985,"toc":3032},[2986,2990,3001,3004,3010,3012],[14,2987,2989],{"className":2988},[1916],"\nLaura McAliley is the growth strategist founders call when they are ready to turn early traction into sustainable momentum. As the Founder of Pebble Marketing and a key Marketing Leadership partner for MKG, Laura bridges the gap between high-level vision and the gritty execution required to scale.",[14,2991,2992,2993,2996,2997,3000],{},"Her track record speaks the language of investors and boards. She has successfully scaled SaaS startups from seed stage through to exit, most notably orchestrating a ",[52,2994,2995],{},"3x revenue lift"," at ",[52,2998,2999],{},"Security Journey"," that led to a successful acquisition.",[14,3002,3003],{},"Laura thrives in the \"messy middle\" of growth. Whether she is navigating the complexities of a Fortune 100 account or launching a scrappy go-to-market strategy for a new startup, her approach is the same: build the brand, unlock the revenue, and get the business investor-ready.",[14,3005,3006,3007,3009],{},"At MKG, Laura acts as a Fractional CMO for our ",[52,3008,2882],{}," clients, bringing the senior firepower needed to professionalize your marketing function without the full-time executive headcount.",[81,3011,2887],{"id":2886},[46,3013,3014,3020,3026],{},[49,3015,3016,3019],{},[52,3017,3018],{},"SaaS Scaling:"," From Seed to Exit",[49,3021,3022,3025],{},[52,3023,3024],{},"Revenue Operations:"," Aligning marketing spend with sales outcomes",[49,3027,3028,3031],{},[52,3029,3030],{},"Brand Strategy:"," Positioning startups for acquisition and investment",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":3033},[3034],{"id":2886,"depth":297,"text":2887},"Meet Laura McAliley, a strategic partner to MKG and Founder of Pebble Marketing. She serves as a Fractional CMO, helping founders scale from seed to exit.",{"landscape":3037},"laura-mcaliley.webp","Fractional CMO | Founder, Pebble Marketing","laura-mcaliley",{"imageDescription":3041},"Laura McAliley, Fractional CMO and Founder of Pebble Marketing","Laura McAliley","\u002Fteam\u002Fmarketing-leadership\u002Flaura-mcaliley","Founders don't need another slide deck. They need a roadmap to revenue and a partner willing to get their hands dirty to build it.",{"description":3035},"team\u002Fmarketing-leadership\u002Flaura-mcaliley","ke5GsAQwur6LBbt6guZUCgKQT6MJJm8UL5XCaXjVnZM",{"id":3049,"title":3050,"body":3051,"date":7,"description":3079,"extension":318,"images":3080,"isLeader":2632,"jobTitle":3082,"linkedIn":3083,"meta":3084,"name":3050,"navigation":322,"path":3086,"quote":3087,"quoteCite":3088,"ref":3089,"seo":3090,"sequence":3091,"stem":3092,"team":7,"twitter":3083,"updated":7,"website":7,"__hash__":3093},"team\u002Fteam\u002Fmike-krass.md","Mike Krass",{"type":11,"value":3052,"toc":3077},[3053,3057,3060,3063],[14,3054,3056],{"className":3055},[1916],"A proud Washington State University alum — Go Cougs! — who grew up on the west coast of the United States, Mike has lived on three continents during his lifetime.",[14,3058,3059],{},"Over the past decade Mike has led MKG Marketing in becoming a 7-figure business, joined the global Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) as a member as well as holds a seat on their Board of Directors and mentored other business owners through organizations like Idea Village, EO and General Assembly.",[14,3061,3062],{},"When he’s not at work, Mike enjoys:",[46,3064,3065,3068,3071,3074],{},[49,3066,3067],{},"Riding his beach cruiser bike in the park.",[49,3069,3070],{},"Reading business and spy novels (often at the same time — ask him how many half finished books he’s currently reading on his Kindle!)",[49,3072,3073],{},"Traveling the world.",[49,3075,3076],{},"Flying N5478N — his trusty 1981 Cessna 182.",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":3078},[],"Meet Mike Krass, one of MKG Marketing’s founders. He currently drives the big picture vision for the agency and supports biz dev and sales efforts.",{"landscape":3081},"mike-krass.webp","Owner\u002FVisionary","mikekrass",{"imageDescription":3085},"Mike Krass, MKG Marketing’s Owner\u002FVisionary, standing in front of St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter of New Orleans | MKG Marketing","\u002Fteam\u002Fmike-krass","Focus on the road, not the wall.","Alvin Alexander","mike-krass",{"description":3079},10,"team\u002Fmike-krass","WCJwOrpm4HOYHMODFwHdEILqPkcZwTSZUakkr3-n3rs",{"id":3095,"title":3096,"body":3097,"date":7,"description":3117,"extension":318,"images":3118,"isLeader":322,"jobTitle":3120,"linkedIn":3121,"meta":3122,"name":3096,"navigation":322,"path":3123,"quote":3124,"quoteCite":3125,"ref":3121,"seo":3126,"sequence":3127,"stem":3128,"team":3129,"twitter":3130,"updated":7,"website":7,"__hash__":3131},"team\u002Fteam\u002Fnathan-stenberg.md","Nathan Stenberg",{"type":11,"value":3098,"toc":3115},[3099,3103,3106,3109,3112],[14,3100,3102],{"className":3101},[1916],"Our SEO Expert, Nathan, comes to MKG with an extensive background in digital marketing from front-end development to omni-channel marketing strategy.",[14,3104,3105],{},"He discovered SEO as part of a tech support job with a template website company where he was supporting clients with their websites. There he defined and developed the standards and processes that the SEO team would use for keyword research as well as the writing and implementation of the optimization. He then leveraged these standards to create an add-on subscription-based SEO product called “SEO Boost” which provided clients with a more proactive SEO service for their websites. This resulted in him providing keyword research and optimization recommendations for close to 1,500 websites during his tenure.",[14,3107,3108],{},"From there Nathan moved into the agency world, staring with a small boutique firm in Portland, OR, providing SEO audits and recommendations for clients ranging from small businesses to enterprise e-commerce companies.",[14,3110,3111],{},"He then moved to a larger agency and, once again, developed the SEO Team processes as the agency transitioned from an email-focused agency to a full-service digital marketing agency. During this time, Nathan was able to explore different areas of digital marketing strategy and really developed an understanding and passion for omni-channel marketing.",[14,3113,3114],{},"When Nathan is not working, he enjoys spending time with his partner and two children. You can find him playing casual sports, music, and Overwatch as well as snowboarding and cooking.",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":3116},[],"Meet Nathan Stenberg, one of MKG Marketing’s Digital Marketing Strategist, with an extensive background in digital marketing from front-end development to omni-channel strategy. ",{"landscape":3119},"nathan-stenberg.webp","Director, Strategy","nathan-stenberg",{},"\u002Fteam\u002Fnathan-stenberg","Repetition is the path to mastery.","Zenyatta",{"description":3117},4,"team\u002Fnathan-stenberg","Marketing Strategists","natestenberg23","1moy0e42nEoQgH0weNaASdQ6FTDWXwC5TDftv5YS3tU",{"id":3133,"title":3134,"body":3135,"date":7,"description":3163,"extension":318,"images":3164,"isLeader":2632,"jobTitle":2852,"linkedIn":3166,"meta":3167,"name":3134,"navigation":322,"path":3168,"quote":3169,"quoteCite":1955,"ref":3170,"seo":3171,"sequence":3172,"stem":3173,"team":2633,"twitter":7,"updated":7,"website":7,"__hash__":3174},"team\u002Fteam\u002Fnick-bare.md","Nick Bare",{"type":11,"value":3136,"toc":3161},[3137,3141,3144,3147,3150],[14,3138,3140],{"className":3139},[1916],"Nick Bare's college offered a digital technology and culture degree and heI ended up taking some communications and marketing classes as well and liked the thought of them all lining up with each other. Once he graduated, he landed a role in paid search and has been doing it for nine+ years now.",[14,3142,3143],{},"He loves that there's always a challenge to tackle. He enjoys taking on new accounts and getting into the weeds to see what can help them turn around and start driving more efficient leads.",[14,3145,3146],{},"He's most proud of being a dad.",[14,3148,3149],{},"Interesting facts:",[46,3151,3152,3155,3158],{},[49,3153,3154],{},"Born with a cleft lip and palate and has had seven surgeries in his life",[49,3156,3157],{},"Watched the Seahawks win Super Bowl 48 with his dad in New York",[49,3159,3160],{},"Travels around the country to visit all the MLB stadiums with his son",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":3162},[],"Meet Nick Bare, one of MKG Marketing’s Digital Advertising Expert, bringing 15 plus years of experience to the team. ",{"landscape":3165},"nick-bare.webp","nickbare",{},"\u002Fteam\u002Fnick-bare","We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can't have both.","nick-bare",{"description":3163},52,"team\u002Fnick-bare","yVusNcEIbiAvdPE02qyDKE_aINcQ0QMXSeyOKv9x5PE",{"id":3176,"title":3177,"body":3178,"date":7,"description":3163,"extension":318,"images":3205,"isLeader":2632,"jobTitle":3207,"linkedIn":3208,"meta":3209,"name":3177,"navigation":322,"path":3210,"quote":3211,"quoteCite":3212,"ref":3213,"seo":3214,"sequence":3215,"stem":3216,"team":3217,"twitter":7,"updated":7,"website":7,"__hash__":3218},"team\u002Fteam\u002Fprachi-sarin.md","Prachi Sarin",{"type":11,"value":3179,"toc":3203},[3180,3183,3186,3189],[14,3181,3182],{},"Prachi has worked in marketing for over 10 years across various industries, but digital marketing has always been her true interest. She finally got the opportunity to pursue it when she moved to the United States and joined MKG as an apprentice, embarking on her digital marketing journey.​",[14,3184,3185],{},"Why I Joined MKG Marketing:\nI joined MKG Marketing because of its people-first culture, transparency, and commitment to growth. It’s a place where I can learn, contribute, and work with a team that genuinely cares.",[14,3187,3188],{},"Fun Facts About Me:",[46,3190,3191,3194,3197,3200],{},[49,3192,3193],{},"I love to read detective, thriller, and mystery books and watch shows in the same genre.",[49,3195,3196],{},"I’m a mom to twin girls—they are my world! Watching them grow, learn, and explore life brings me joy.",[49,3198,3199],{},"I love cooking for my family. It started with my husband, who’s a foodie, and now we cook together for our daughters.",[49,3201,3202],{},"Our family also enjoys playing video games—it’s our way to unwind and have fun together.",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":3204},[],{"landscape":3206},"prachi-sarin.webp","Digital Marketing Coordinator","prachisarin",{},"\u002Fteam\u002Fprachi-sarin","We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things because we're curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.","Walt Disney","prachi-sarin",{"description":3163},75,"team\u002Fprachi-sarin","Digital Marketing","LjXpVTmZn-XwzExAyq2igbw_fHhrVcf4nOLoEmURbEQ",{"id":3220,"title":3221,"body":3222,"date":7,"description":3236,"extension":318,"images":3237,"isLeader":322,"jobTitle":3239,"linkedIn":3240,"meta":3241,"name":3221,"navigation":322,"path":3242,"quote":3243,"quoteCite":3244,"ref":3245,"seo":3246,"sequence":291,"stem":3247,"team":1960,"twitter":7,"updated":7,"website":7,"__hash__":3248},"team\u002Fteam\u002Fsam-ellsworth.md","Sam Ellsworth",{"type":11,"value":3223,"toc":3234},[3224,3228,3231],[14,3225,3227],{"className":3226},[1916],"Sam has over 15 years of experience managing the development of marketing campaigns for national and global brands. She started her career in San Francisco, working in account management at ad agencies, where she managed a range of successful marketing campaigns from Super Bowl TV spots and fully-integrated product launches to social media campaigns and events.",[14,3229,3230],{},"After 12 years in San Francisco, Sam and her husband decided it was time to leave the big city and find a slower pace of life, settling down outside of Burlington, Vermont. Sam spent her first couple years in Vermont working remotely for a San Francisco agency and then as the Marketing Director at a local craft brewery before joining the MKG team. She was drawn to MKG due to our people first value and the opportunity to get to focus on a few specific, results driven marketing tactics.",[14,3232,3233],{},"Outside of work, Sam spends her time with her husband, 4-year-old daughter and chocolate lab exploring Vermont and all it has to offer — from hiking, skiing and enjoying all the local food to growing their backyard garden and working on a never-ending list of house renovations.",{"title":77,"searchDepth":291,"depth":291,"links":3235},[],"Meet Sam Ellsworth, one of MKG Marketing’s amazing Account Directors, who brings over 15 years experience managing marketing campaign development. ",{"landscape":3238},"sam-ellsworth.webp","Director, Client Services","samantha-ellsworth-40875866",{},"\u002Fteam\u002Fsam-ellsworth","Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.","Dr. Seuss","sam-ellsworth",{"description":3236},"team\u002Fsam-ellsworth","Xb0ljkUHaVzTObdBxfiOxIpE5jcK9HSfgiMlBhd8fuc",1787835212666]