• Sep 15, 2025
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Surround sound SEO

Marketing Facts & Hacks Episode 3

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Get mentioned on other authoritative websites through guest posts, collaborations, and outreach. This builds backlinks and boosts your SEO rankings, further establishing your authority.

Start with the basics: write content targeting high-value keywords, like "best CMS software" or "top competitors." This is the traditional SEO playbook, but it’s still effective in building visibility and driving traffic.

SEO is no longer just about ranking high on search engines. With the rise of LLMs (Large Language Models) and Generative AI, SEO is getting more complex, and staying at the top of the rankings is harder than ever. The big difference here is that rather than focusing on a few keywords, you need a broader brand strategy.

In this episode of Marketing Facts and Hacks, we’re revisiting what it means to use leading-edge SEO practices, and trust me, the game has changed. If you’re still using the strategy of ranking for a single keyword, you’re going to fall behind your competitors, as this week’s expert guest will tell you.

The Facts: SEO’s evolution

One thing remains the same though: SEO is still the key to driving organic traffic. But the competition is fiercer than ever. According to Search Engine Journal, marketers are facing increasing algorithm changes in 2025, and as HubSpot reports, 88% of marketers plan to increase their SEO spend but aren’t seeing better results. So what’s changed?

Surprise! Generative AI.

Yes, AI is the biggest disruptor to SEO performance, opening up new challenges for every marketing team. If you’re not ranking on page one of Google, you’re likely invisible. According to Backlinko, less than 1% of searchers click on the second page of results. Yikes.

So, to help us navigate this new SEO landscape, I reached out to Alex Birkett, founder of Omniscient Digital and a leading SEO expert who’s worked with major companies like HubSpot. Alex has helped high-growth startups and Fortune 500 brands achieve SEO success. In this episode, he shares his insights on surround sound SEO—a powerful strategy to help you dominate the rankings and stay visible across all touchpoints. 

The Hack: Surround sound SEO

According to Alex, the key is surround sound SEO—a strategy that focuses on being everywhere, not just ranking for one keyword. The goal is to increase your brand’s presence across various touchpoints—whether it’s blogs, podcasts, PR, or online reviews.

Here are the three major areas you need to focus on:

Creating your own content

Start with the basics: write content targeting high-value keywords, like "best CMS software" or "top competitors." This is the traditional SEO playbook, but it’s still effective in building visibility and driving traffic.

Leverage other websites

Get mentioned on other authoritative websites through guest posts, collaborations, and outreach. This builds backlinks and boosts your SEO rankings, further establishing your authority.Other Websites

User-generated content

The hardest, but most rewarding, part of SEO is user-generated content. Sites like Reddit, Quora, and online reviews are often highly ranked in search results. Getting your brand talked about on these platforms will have a significant impact on your SEO. You need a solid customer marketing playbook to manage this, encouraging your audience to share organic, authentic content that boosts your brand’s presence.rated content

Watch the full episode here:

Why it works: The power of ubiquity

Surround sound SEO works because it builds your brand’s ubiquity—the more often your brand is mentioned across various channels, the more likely you are to be seen as an authority. This strategy doesn’t just focus on one piece of content ranking high—it’s about making sure your brand is consistently showing up everywhere, across multiple relevant touchpoints. As Alex explains, this kind of repetition and exposure is what drives SEO success in today’s world.

The real magic happens when all of this works together. Instead of creating isolated content silos, you’re creating an integrated approach that pushes your brand across the web. By becoming ubiquitous in your category, your content feeds into AI-driven search models, like LLMs, which are becoming more influential in SEO rankings. Being mentioned in multiple places helps ensure that your brand is seen as an authoritative source for those searching for relevant terms.

This approach also ties into broader business goals. Yes, surround sound SEO improves visibility, but also drives better lead generation and conversions; by increasing your exposure across different digital channels, you establish trust and authority, ultimately making it easier to convert leads into customers.

Alex’s advice isn’t just relevant—it’s essential. Surround sound SEO can have a huge impact on your lead-generation efforts and help you stay visible in an increasingly crowded digital world.

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About the author

Vanessa Dietz

Head of Global Demand Generation, Magnolia

Vanessa Dietz is Magnolia’s Head of Demand Generation. She focuses on creating data-driven marketing strategies that connect the right messages with the right audience at the right time. Vanessa loves turning insights into campaigns that drive real business results and tackling complex B2B challenges with creative, practical solutions.