Technical SEO Strategies for CMOs

Growth-stage companies face an impossible trade-off. They have budget to invest in marketing but no in-house SEO team, no dedicated content function, and no time to build expertise from scratch. David Haas solves this problem as a fractional CMO for tech and healthcare companies. His job is making them achieve as much as organizations with 10x their resources. His edge is treating SEO and AI visibility as one connected strategy instead of two separate workstreams. Here's what he built for Frenos, an operational technology cybersecurity company that went from near-zero search presence to 18.32% visibility in six months. Phase 1: EHe starts with Keyword Magic Tool and Keyword Overview to find buyer-intent queries that decision-makers actually search. Not high-volume vanity terms. Low-to-moderate difficulty keywords with commercial intent. For Frenos, that meant skipping broad terms like "OT cybersecurity" (too competitive, too little upside) and focusing on technical searches relevant to their buyers. Then he sets up Position Trackin. Phase 2: While building the SEO foundation, David opens the AI Visibility Toolkit to see where the brand appears in AI-generated answers. For Frenos, the AI Visibility score came back around 14. Typical for small brands with limited search presence. He uses Competitor Research to see how rivals' AI visibility and prompt mentions compare. It shows exactly where gaps exist. David also cross-references AI opportunities with manual community research. Reading forums where real buyers ask real questions gives him context Semrush can't surface alone. Each content piece that comes out of this process is built to do two things at once: rank in traditional search and be retrievable by AI answer engines. That means clear structure, direct answers, and genuinely useful content written for someone who just asked a question in ChatGPT. Phase 3: Once the search-optimized pages are live, David builds out a pillar-and-cluster structure around the topics that matter most. For Frenos, that meant comprehensive pillar pages on topics like OT penetration testing and industrial cybersecurity testing. Cluster content goes deeper on each theme: specific use cases, technical FAQs, subject-matter expertise that gradually introduces Frenos as a credible voice. All content in a cluster links together deliberately. Cluster pieces back to pillars. Pillar pages reference credible external sources. The effect over time: Frenos started ranking not just for individual keywords but across whole topic areas. The site had built authority around those topics. Phase 4: David watches for content climbing toward page one on Google, gaining traction on long-tail queries, and spotting gaps where competitors are vulnerable. The results after six months: Frenos went from near-zero Google visibility to 18.32%, outpacing multiple competitors in a highly technical market. AI Overview visibility steadily increased over the same period.

$45,000 per month. That's what's what we added to a client's MRR. When you have a proven formula, it's easy to replicate it across various industries. Our client, a prominent sports gambling company, faced several key obstacles: - Intense competition in the sports betting industry - Struggling to rank for high-value keywords related to popular sports events - Low organic traffic and missed revenue opportunities from SEO - Complex technical SEO issues holding back site performance To address these challenges, we implemented a robust, data-driven SEO strategy that included: 1. Technical SEO Optimization We began with a full technical audit of the site, identifying and resolving issues such as: - Slow page load times due to unoptimized images and scripts - 404 errors and broken internal links, which we fixed to preserve link equity - Enhancing mobile responsiveness - Ensuring proper schema markup 2. Keyword Research & Content Strategy Using semantic metrics to ensure alignment with modern search algorithms, we conducted in-depth keyword research focusing on high-intent, transactional keywords. We identified gaps in the client’s content compared to competitors and created a keyword map targeting both event-specific terms and evergreen content. 3. Click-Through Rate (CTR) Optimization We focused on improving CTR from search engine results pages (SERPs): - Optimized meta titles and descriptions using attention-grabbing language and relevant keywords while staying within recommended character limits. - Implemented structured data to enhance rich snippets, especially for key sports events, boosting visibility in search results. - A/B tested meta descriptions and title variations to see which version led to higher CTR and conversions. 4. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) After boosting traffic, we turned our focus to maximizing conversions: - We redesigned landing pages for popular betting events, ensuring clear CTAs, trust signals (like security badges and testimonials), and minimal user friction. - Simplified the betting sign-up process, reducing steps to encourage more users to complete their registration and place bets. 5. Link Building & Digital PR To boost the site’s authority, we: - Secured high-quality backlinks through collaborations with sports bloggers and publications, linking to valuable content like betting guides and game previews. - Launched digital PR campaigns around major sports events, gaining coverage from respected sports media outlets. - Created shareable assets like infographics on betting statistics, driving organic backlinks from reputable sites. The Results - Organic traffic grew by 165%, bringing in tens of thousands of new, high-intent visitors - We generated an additional $45,000 per month in revenue, directly attributable to our SEO and CRO work - Key betting pages reached top positions on Google for high-value sports event keywords, driving significant traffic during peak seasons

TIPS FROM THE AGENCY (https://lnkd.in/gsyMAU5u) While everyone's hyping up fancy link-building tactics… We grew a client's traffic by 437% in just 6 months with some simple structural fixes. Yup, good old onsite SEO took our e-commerce client from 758k to 4.08M monthly sessions. Here are some of the fixes that you can copy and paste for your own website: ▶️ Website Structure Optimization ✅ Created a New Category System: We analyzed the 1.5 million products that the client sold and restructured categories based on competitor research and product tags, making navigation smoother and improving search visibility. We specifically looked at how competitors structured their categories and tagged their products to align with how users were searching. ✅ Automated Product Assignments: We built an automation system to auto-assign products to categories using predefined rules and AI capabilities, reducing manual effort and orphan pages. ▶️ Product Description Enhancements ✅ Expanded Product Descriptions: We added key product details (dimensions, colors, materials, assembly steps) to enhance user experience and boost conversions. The key is to provide users with as much information about your products as possible, in a way that is easy to digest and understand. ✅ Enabled Advanced Product Filtering: New data fields allowed users to filter products by specific attributes (like materials, color etc), making product discovery faster and more intuitive. ▶️ Image Optimization ✅ Implemented a Systematic Alt Text Pattern: We created a structured approach to alt text by incorporating the image title and a specific phrase related to the client’s products. This improved image rankings in Google Image Search and made the website more accessible. ✅ Applied Alt Text Across All Product Images: Using automation, we ensured that every product image received relevant and optimized alt text. This prevented content gaps and provided consistent SEO improvements across the entire catalog. ▶️ Technical SEO Improvements ✅ Implemented a Dynamic Sitemap: We replaced the static sitemap with an automated version that updates instantly when new URLs are added, keeping search engines informed in real time. ▶️ Open Graph Implementation ✅ Optimized Metadata for Social Sharing: To improve content visibility and engagement, we implemented Open Graph (OG) tags for title, description, image, and URL. This ensured structured and compelling previews when shared on social media. ✅ Boosted Rankings for Recognized Authors: Since the authors were well-known, better metadata instantly improved their rankings, reinforcing their authority in search results. The result of these changes? Sessions: 758k → 4.08M (437% growth) Engaged users: 559k → 3.02M (440% growth) Want results like this? Head over to: https://lnkd.in/gsyMAU5u We’ll provide a free audit of your website and actionable strategies to scale your traffic right away.

What does it take to setup your website to be both engaging for humans and easy to consume for machines? The single most important technical thing you can do (assuming you have basic SEO hygiene in place) is add additional metadata to your website that makes it easier for LLMs to understand the structure and meaning of your website. If you did nothing else, do that. How? One of the most impactful approaches is to use schema, which is a standard that Google, Bing, Yahoo, Yandex, and others created in 2011... and which now takes on increased importance with AEO. Virtually anyone with a Google Knowledge Graph entry is already familiar with schema. Schema makes it easy to tell a crawler "here's a product / event / bio / FAQ / article / etc page" and to lay out the page's structure. There's real opportunity here! 73% of first-page Google results use schema, but an astonishing 88% of sites haven't implemented schema yet! Content with structured data receives 42% more answer engine citations. At Webflow, Vivian Hoang and team have had great success with schema. She added an FAQ section with schema to our top six product pages. Within two weeks, half of our incremental citations in LLMs came from these six pages, and these pages saw 24% more organic traffic. In two weeks! Want a step-by-step guide from SEO to AEO technical mastery for CMOs and SEO practitioners? Check out the next post in our SEO to AEO series here: https://lnkd.in/gcC7u3NW By the way, if this sounds like a lot, come check out Webflow! We auto-generate schema, picking the right one for each page and filling it our for you, for your entire site. Ping me for more details.

CMO asking about our SEO, GEO and content services: “How long until this turns into demos and pipeline?” Totally fair question. Here’s what our clients have seen: +222% in organic inbound SaaS leads in four months +400% in fintech leads within 12 months +427% in SaaS leads in seven months +67.87% in YoY revenue from organic search in just two months This is what happens when you start close to the deal and build with buying intent in mind. Here’s exactly how you can do it: 1. Start with revenue-adjacent content (bottom-funnel). Identify pages already ranking between positions 4–15 for high-intent keywords. (Ahrefs → Keyword Opportunities → filter to commercial intent.) These pages are one step away from driving revenue. Then ask: “What would make this page the most trusted, helpful, and convincing version on the internet?” Upgrade with: 1. A tighter, more compelling meta title (“SaaS SEO Agency [Crush Your 2026 MRR Goals]” works beautifully) 2. POV insights from real practitioners on your team 3. Screenshots, product GIFs, real examples 4. Customer quotes + social proof 5. FAQs pulled directly from sales & CS objections 6. Internal links that reinforce authority and topical depth These are the moves that lift pages in organic search and into AI Overview + LLM visibility. 2. Build your “money keyword” matrix. Open a Google Sheet with four columns: - Core offers - Industries you serve best - Competitors - ICP jobs-to-be-done Now map the long-tail, sales-intent queries your future buyers are actively searching: “best X software” “X for [industry]” “[competitor] alternatives/pricing/reviews” “[competitor] vs [competitor] vs [you]” “how to solve [expensive, painful problem]” Prioritize the low difficulty / high intent ones and create the best pages on the internet for them. These are the pages that start driving demos FAST. TBH, SEO is still a long game… but pipeline doesn’t have to be. When you start close to the deal, align to real buying intent, and build content that sounds like your customer (not your internal deck), the wins come much faster.

Here's a genuinely great workflow to improve your website's technical SEO and domain rating using Claude Cowork (THIS IS NOT A LEAD MAGNET) Every SEO agency charges $3-10K/month and focuses on content. More blogs. More keywords. More pages. Meanwhile your website has 200 technical issues stopping Google from ranking anything. Content doesn't matter if your technical SEO is broken. Fix the foundation first. Here's what you need: → Ahrefs subscription → Google Search Console connected to your site → Claude Pro or Max plan 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: Run an Ahrefs Site Audit Go to Ahrefs → Site Audit → run a full crawl of your site. It flags every technical issue: broken URLs, missing H1 tags, missing alt text, redirect chains, orphaned pages, slow load times. Hit "Export All." Download the zip file with every issue and affected page. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: Export your unindexed pages Go to Google Search Console → Pages → "Not Indexed." These are pages you built that Google literally can't see. Your content exists but search engines don't know it. Export this list. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯: Create a folder called "Technical Fixes" Drop both exports in there. The Ahrefs files and the Search Console export. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟰: Feed it all to Claude Cowork This is the important part. Don't just paste files into a regular Claude chat. Use Cowork. Regular Claude chats burn through context limits fast with large exports and start hallucinating fixes when the files get too big. Cowork handles the full folder, processes files properly, and keeps accuracy high across the entire audit. Open Cowork. Upload the folder. Use this prompt: "You're a technical SEO analyst for early-stage startups. Go through all these files. List every issue ranked by: highest impact + easiest to fix on top, lowest impact + hardest to fix at the bottom. Create a step-by-step game plan with time estimates. My site is built on [Framer/Webflow/your platform]." 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟱: Execute from the top Cowork gives you a prioritized fix list with exact instructions. Start at the top. Highest impact, lowest effort. Your Ahrefs health score climbs within days. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟲: Resubmit your sitemap manually After you've made the fixes, go to Google Search Console → Sitemaps → resubmit your sitemap yourself. Do not wait for Google to recrawl on its own. That can take weeks. Force the reindex. This affects how Google ranks you AND how AI search engines cite you. We ran this at Valley. It works. It needs 30 minutes and a Claude subscription, and notice how I could talk about a claude cowork usecase without making it a lead magnet. Fix your technical SEO before you write another blog post. The moment you have excellent technical SEO - go berserk with blogs and other content.