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SmithDigital
Welcome to SmithDigital Insights, the podcast where we unravel the strategies and tools powering digital marketing success. Join Eric Smith, founder of SmithDigital, as we dive deep into the world of inbound and outbound marketing, buyer intent data, SEO, HubSpot solutions, and more.
Each episode features actionable insights, industry trends, and expert discussions designed to help businesses maximize ROI, generate high-quality leads, and drive sustainable growth. Whether you’re a business owner, marketer, or sales professional, this is your go-to resource for elevating your digital marketing game.
All Episodes
The Great Decoupling of Clicks and Impressions
In this episode of SmithDigital, titled "The Great Decoupling of Clicks and Impressions," I delve into a seismic shift in digital marketing. Imagine spending countless hours perfecting your content, only to find the rules have changed. We're exploring the phenomenon where Google search impressions have surged by 49%, yet clickthrough rates have plummeted by 30%. This "great decoupling," as coined by Darwin Santos, is largely driven by the rise of AI overviews in search results, which often answer user queries directly. I discuss the implications for content creators and business owners, emphasizing the need to optimize for zero-click scenarios and focus on brand visibility. As the link between visibility and engagement shifts, we must rethink how we measure success and value our online presence. Join me as we navigate this new landscape and explore strategies for thriving in a world where brand awareness may outweigh immediate clicks.
Core Web Vitals: NP Digital's Speed Paradox
In this episode, we break down the sharp contradiction between what digital marketing leaders preach and what they practice—focusing on NP Digital’s failure to meet Core Web Vitals, despite Neil Patel’s vocal advocacy for fast websites. We’ll examine: Why even top marketing agencies struggle with page speed How bloated design, conversion tools, and poor technical hygiene sabotage performance The disproportionate impact of slow sites on mid-market and growth-stage companies Actionable strategies for improving Core Web Vitals, from LCP and CLS to performance budgeting and RUM tools Why website speed is no longer a technical detail—it’s a business growth lever You’ll also hear why small businesses can’t afford to ignore these issues the way big brands can—and how firms like SmithDigital are helping clients turn performance into pipeline. Whether you're a marketer, web designer, or SaaS leader, this episode will challenge your assumptions and equip you with the insights needed to build faster, more conversion-ready digital experiences.
The AI Coup: How Google Rewrote the Rules of the Web
Google is no longer just a search engine. It's now the world’s most powerful answer machine—and it’s rewriting the web as we know it. In this episode, we unpack the seismic shift triggered by Google’s AI Overviews and the silent launch of “AI Mode,” a transformation that turns search from a discovery engine into a walled-garden oracle. We dive into: -The Death of Blue Links: What it means when Google stops guiding traffic and starts absorbing it. -The Broken Social Contract: How the tacit agreement between publishers and platforms has collapsed—and what’s replacing it. -The New Economics of Visibility: Why being cited in an AI answer won’t pay the bills, and how traffic is evaporating without warning. -The Mirage of Google Discover: Why your next traffic spike might be your last, and why relying on Discover is a losing game. -AI Visibility vs. SEO Rankings: A new playbook for surviving—and even thriving—in a machine-interpreted web. -A Call to Arms: Structured data, human-centric content, creator compensation, and the urgent need for collective resistance. This is not just a search update. It’s an epistemological shift—a redefinition of how information is surfaced, monetized, and controlled. If you publish content online, this episode is your survival guide to the post-search era.
How Tech Companies Win at SEO: Strategies That Scale
In this episode, we dive into a high-impact SEO playbook designed specifically for tech companies and startups aiming to cut through the digital noise. Discover why mastering SEO is no longer optional — it’s mission critical, with organic search now driving 53% of all website traffic. We break down the complete strategy outlined in a comprehensive SEO guide, covering not just what to do, but why and how to do it — specifically for B2B SaaS and tech audiences. What You'll Learn: 1. Why SEO is uniquely powerful for scaling tech companies 2. How today’s digitally fluent tech buyers search for solutions 3. The importance of aligning SEO with specific buyer journeys 4. Goal-setting and KPIs that actually move the needle 5. Tactical insights into content strategy, pillar pages, keyword clustering, and link building 6. Common pitfalls and why generic SEO strategies don’t work in tech Whether you're a growth leader, product marketer, founder, or SEO strategist in tech, this episode delivers practical, actionable insights you can apply today to drive traffic, trust, and conversions.