Growth with topical SEO Prowess

Hey folks, welcome back to another awesome episode of Smooth Operators' Guide! Here, we deep dive into the tech trenches, thanks to some top-notch industry pros – think CTOs, CEOs, CMOs, CROs, and Growth gurus – who are here to spill the beans on the apps driving their success. In these exclusive chats, we're getting the lowdown on the apps that keep their businesses ticking, straight from the mouths of the movers and shakers themselves.

So, who's stealing the show this week? It's none other than Ethan Smith , CEO at Graphite, Reforge. Brace yourselves for some seriously game-changing insights! Let’s get into it: 🚀

1. Tell us a little about yourself. Introduce yourself to our audience; talk about your current role, initiatives and other interesting projects you’re working on.

I’m Ethan, passionate about SEO because it has the potential to transform the quality of content we consume every day. I’m the CEO of Graphite, a premier SEO and growth marketing agency.

I’ve advised companies like Calm, MasterClass, Honey, Upwork, Notion, Webflow, Ticketmaster, Neiman Marcus Group, and Thumbtack. He is also an adjunct professor at IE Business School.

2. What does your tech stack look like, and what are your go-to tools for running your day-to-day operations?

For our company operations, we rely heavily on Slack for communication, Notion for project management and documentation, and Webflow for web development and design.

For SEO, we utilize a combination of tools including the Graphite.io Platform, Ahrefs, and Semrush to optimize our search engine presence and performance.

3. What growth verticals or channels are you bullish on and why?

I’m interested in optimization of new chat and AI search surfaces which I’ll speak about here: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7208823392785854464/

4. We know data is a complex gold mine often not tapped into well. What’s your take on it and how do you keep your team informed?

We have a 10 person AI and data science team where we do our own research. There isn’t a lot of original research for SEO, which is why we mostly do our own original research. Here are some examples:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7208834609369731072

/https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7155983924228243456

/https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7092464970713497600/

5. What metrics, KPIs, and numbers tell you whether you’re headed the right way?

We follow what we call the "SEO Journey" to gauge our progress. Initially, we aim to rank at the bottom of page 1 for key terms (Page 1 SERP for head terms). As we improve, we strive to rank higher, ideally within the top 5 for these terms (Top 5 SERP for head terms).

Next, we monitor the increase in traffic, starting with low daily clicks and gradually moving to higher daily clicks. Ultimately, our success is measured by driving conversions.

6. Every leader has that one metric that tells the whole story. What’s that one metric for you and why?

Ultimately we focus on driving conversions. It’s the clearest indicator of how effective our marketing efforts are and how well our business is performing.

7. Rapid fire round. Which tool(s) would you say:

• Is your Swiss army knife: https://www.scrapebox.com/
• You cannot live without in your stack: Ahrefs
• Undiscovered gem: Originality ai
• New to your stack: Graphite.io

8. What’s one unobvious tactic, tool, or piece of advice that has worked wonders for you?

Leveraging topical authority has been a game-changer for us. Instead of focusing solely on generic keyword difficulty, we select topics that are highly specific to our website's niche.

About Ethan:

Ethan is the CEO of Graphite, a leading SEO and growth marketing agency renowned for its expertise in digital strategy and optimization. With a rich portfolio, he has provided strategic counsel to industry giants such as Calm, MasterClass, Honey, Upwork, Notion, Webflow, Ticketmaster, Neiman Marcus, and Thumbtack. Ethan's insights and leadership extend beyond his role as CEO; he also serves as an adjunct professor at IE Business School, where he shares his extensive knowledge and experience in digital marketing and business strategy with future leaders.

Ethan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanls/

Graphite’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphitehq/

Reforge’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reforge/