AI, Automation, and the SEO Role

E994: I sit down with Yas Haque, former Head of SEO at Omnicom, to break down what actually separates the world's largest SEO agencies from smaller shops.

This is how enterprise SEO works in practice - how big agencies win clients, structure work, get buy-in from massive organizations, and where they waste time and money.

We cover what smaller agencies can immediately adopt, what they should ignore, and how to compete against companies with far more resources.

If you run an SEO agency, work in-house, or are trying to get better results from SEO, this episode will give you a clearer picture of how the highest level of the industry operates.

Topics covered: - The single most important thing small SEO agencies should improve immediately (packaging) - Why presentation and storytelling matter as much as technical SEO - How enterprise teams think about SEO as both an art and a system - How to structure SEO work so non-SEOs understand and act on it - The role of storytelling in getting buy-in and driving implementation - How large agencies analyze competitors and find gaps at scale - Why granular keyword segmentation creates real competitive advantages - How quick wins (like featured snippets and AI results) can drive outsized impact - How SEO influences other channels like paid search and direct traffic

Inside enterprise SEO: - What it's actually like working at companies like Omnicom and Dentsu - The types of tools and resources large agencies have access to - How big agencies support teams with data, tooling, and internal resources - Why implementation is the hardest part of enterprise SEO - How to get changes deployed inside large organizations - Real examples of solving technical challenges across complex systems

What might surprise you: - Why most clients don't use the dashboards they pay for - Where large agencies spend time that doesn't drive real results - How packaging and communication often matter more than the work itself - Why many enterprise SEO problems are organizational, not technical

Tactical insights: - How to evaluate a site quickly before going deep - How to create urgency during pitches and client conversations - How to win clients by showing competitor weaknesses - How to simplify complex SEO ideas so decision-makers act on them - Why understanding CMSs and technical limitations is critical

Advice for newer SEOs: - Why building your own site is still the fastest way to learn - What skills matter beyond SEO (like design and UX tools) - How to think about SEO as "search experience optimization" - Why giving real value to users should guide everything you do

We also discuss how SEO is evolving with AI, where it's overhyped, and why the core principles still hold.

This episode is especially useful if you want to: - Improve how you present SEO work - Close more clients - Get better implementation rates - Compete against larger agencies - Understand how enterprise SEO actually functions

⭐️ Yas Haque on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/yashaque/ ⭐️ Yas Haque on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yhawke/

🔎 Search Experience Optimization - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/search-experience-optimization/

🚀 Edward's SEO Articles - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/search-engine-optimization/

💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/

00:00 Meet the SEO King 01:49 Why This Episode Matters 02:38 Packaging That Wins Clients 07:50 Storytelling and Attribution 09:11 Keyword Buckets and Topical Gaps 11:19 Featured Snippets to AI Overviews 14:53 Big Agency Resources and Tools 16:45 The 22 Second SEO Audit 19:29 Getting Enterprise Changes Shipped 21:43 Reverse Proxies Over Subdomains 25:07 AI Panic and Search Experience 29:17 Voice Search Hype 29:39 Execs Aren't Consumers 30:21 Agency Waste Exposed 30:54 Dashboards vs Impact 31:38 Page Speed Debate 35:20 Bespoke Packages Win 37:04 How to Win Pitches 39:06 Creating Urgency Fast 42:49 SEO Career Advice 45:27 New Business With Wife 46:39 Celebrity Reputation SEO 48:42 Vibe Coded SaaS Play 51:38 Restaurant SaaS SEO Gap 52:58 Compact Keywords Strategy 55:54 Wrap Up and Thanks

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#searchengineoptimization #agencyseo #performancemarketing #marketingagencies