Marketers understand the value of search engine optimization (SEO), but they need to clearly communicate why it matters to get buy-in from executives, stakeholders, and clients. Today’s guest is Eli Schwartz, a consultant and growth advisor. Also, he is the author of Product-Led SEO, a new book that describes how to communicate the value of SEO and think strategically and philosophically about SEO to be successful.   Some of the highlights of the show include: What motivated Eli to write the book? Explain to leaders how to do SEO sensibly Sweet Spot: Start SEO when spending at least $1-2 million on paid marketing Disparity: How much is your company spending on paid marketing versus SEO? Big Problem: SEO blackboxes things and mystifies it intentionally with metrics Metrics vs. Outcomes: SEO is about speaking the same language, not keywords Big Budget: Put money in to produce content, create product, and make a profit Big Consequence: Prioritize SEO or continue to fall behind business competitors SEO Do’s and Don’ts: Focus on content but not allocate enough resources Monetary Value: Clearly communicate what you need and why to impact ROI SEO Standpoint: Create content from a product perspective for user engagement Priorities: Base SEO on users, not search volume/traffic, to get biggest benefits Leaders don't need to understand SEO, but they need to know the outcomes Recipe for Success/Failure: Create product, product flops, and ideas don’t work   Links: Eli Schwartz on LinkedIn Eli Schwartz’s Website Eli Schwartz on Twitter Product-Led SEO SurveyMonkey Ahrefs Ben Sailer on LinkedIn CoSchedule   Quotes from Eli Schwartz: “I am a huge fan of not creating any sort of content unless you know that there are users that will consume it, it makes sense for users, and it will end up converting.” “If you don't do SEO, then your competitors move ahead of you. If you don't do the right SEO, you just lose your entire investment. But that's not the way most people think of it.” “Social media is a little bit lower in the funnel. I think paid marketing is at the bottom of the funnel. Brand marketing is potentially higher in the funnel than SEO. Make them all work together and that's where SEO will be the most profitable.” “They don't need to understand how SEO works. What they do need to understand are the outcomes, and the work that's going to be done, and of course, the investment that's going to be made.”