Ranking Revolution

Welcome to the rinky revolution podcast,
your go-to source for strategies

and ideas for SEO, organic growth,
content creation and online business.

This is part two with the
interview with Alex Kapp, Zola.

Solo.

And part one, we talked about real estate
SEO and how he found his way into SEO.

In 2020, we finish up this conversation,
talking about AI and how he uses AI

for generating ideas and content.

And just generally how he uses AI.

So if you didn't check out part one,
be sure to check out that first part

so you can continue along and let's get
to the interview with Alex right now.

Doug: When you started in 2020, the
AI tools were kind of garbage or non

existent since chat GPT came out a
couple of years ago, things Really

moved in a different direction.

It's impacting almost all websites now,
either because they're publishing more

content or they're now displaced because
there's AI content taking their place.

So how have you integrated AI?

How do you use it today?

We're recording in early 2024.

Yeah.

What's AI done for you?

Alex: It's been huge.

It's saved a lot of money.

I no longer use.

Even though they were great, like
BuySellText, we used to get a lot of

content through, shout out to them, they
were solid, that's like an outsourcing

content website, no affiliation, and
then we used, uh, TextBroker too, which

was, was decent, we got a little less
quality from them for similar pricing, uh,

but we don't do any of that anymore, we
consult with ChatGBT, plus four, or four

plus, whichever one we pay twenty bucks a
month for, Um, and it's been super solid.

So we use it for all of our guest posts.

Um, we use certain queries and prompts
that make it seem pretty decent.

We still edit everything though, before
we send it off to as a guest post and same

thing with the content on our own website.

SD house guys, which is our, um, our San
Diego website started at one year ago.

So that's really had the true like
impact of AI versus our first site.

Um, cause we've used it on over a
hundred blogs, Chad, GBT for that site.

Um, and the traffic's at an all time high.

It's gaining some traction.

Google's digging a lot of what it's
spitting out, but again, it's not just

a copy paste as people have said in
the industry, um, that can get you in.

not far, um, and lead to some
repetition and things like

that and not sounding natural.

So yeah, it's been huge.

Um, it's saved us a lot of time, saved
us a lot of money, um, and it's worked,

but you have to still put your spin and
edit on it sometimes or most of the time.

Doug: What's your workflow using AI?

Chad,

Alex: GBT with the prompts, then, um,
throw it into copy scape, then throw it

into AI detector, which is like an AI
checker, try and get that below like 15%.

AI written detection and then throw it
into Google doc or no, sorry, then just

publish it, uh, grammarly when, uh, when
it's in WordPress before it's posted.

Okay.

Doug: Anything specific with your prompts?

Um, you just, or do you just
take like a keyword and kind of

walk through with an outline?

What's the internal part
of the chat GPT part?

Alex: We use the same prompt to start
every time and I think it's something

along the lines of I just copy and
paste this I don't even remember

it off the top of my head, but it's
something like write in a concise like

in concise sentences But be descriptive.

It's some kind of combination of
that And that's been helpful for it

to like it doesn't ramble too much
I oftentimes do have to find like

Ask it to expand a little bit and
then I'll chop it down a bit more.

So usually it'll spit out like five
or 600 sentences based on a lot of

the prompts we've done recently.

Then I'll say expand it more it'll
spit out like 800 and we'll edit

it to around Like the 1200 range
or if it needs less like 750 words

Doug: Okay, and then about
how long does it take you?

To get your finished output.

Alex: hour, hour and a half,
depending on how deep I go.

And if I add more specific data, if
it's like a blah blog, whatever an hour.

Um, but if I'm lately, we've been trying
to go a little more robust and, you know,

instead of one photo at three instead of
no videos at one, even if it's not ours.

Um, and try and get above the thousand
word threshold with a few data points,

bullet points, Italian, bolds, things
like that, just to spice up the on page.

But, um, it's an hour to hour and a half.

It's common.

Doug: All right.

And then how long was it taking
you when you were writing it

by hand back in the old days?

Alex: Uh, dude, I don't know,
four hours, a lot longer.

Doug: And you were locked inside.

Like time had no meaning
back then during COVID,

Alex: right?

I think my fingers have grown cause I
probably lost some inches on my fingers

for how much typing and writing I
was doing before AI and now it's way

less typing, so fingers are happy.

Websites are happy.

Life's good.

Doug: Now that you've had a few more
years of experience, how are you

looking at sort of keywords and topical
authority and really kind of really

choosing what to publish on your website?

Alex: A lot of what we've done recently is
questions that have come up on the realtor

side, uh, in my day to day job that I was
like, Oh, I actually had to Google it.

Like I didn't know the answer.

I was like, I should.

I should write a blog on that, you
know, um, as long as it's not too like

too basic and too competitive with like
super strong websites ranking for it.

But like, yeah, so that's been helpful.

Um, that obviously is
not like really scalable.

That just comes with time and doing
your day to day job and listening,

but trying to be aware of that, you
know, can help you tease out a couple

of those that could work as you go.

Um, Oh, one thing we did that was helpful.

Um, we took Quora.

And then we put that into
Ahrefs and then showed what it

was ranking for, for keywords.

And then like, we went to like
organic, like what, all the

keywords that it ranks for.

And then we searched by specific
keywords like real estate.

Um, and then we, I think we put
in one more filter metric that

was like volume of searches or
difficulty or something like that.

But anyway, we were able to find like
what Quora ranks for, um, within real

estate and it could be, you know,
one, one example was like, what.

Like, is it weird that I live at
home at 25 years old, you know, cause

I had the word home in it when we
included home and I wrote that and

it gets like, you know, it gets like,
I think a couple of clicks a day.

Um, yeah.

So like, just like things like that.

I was like, I heard
Quora's ranking for it.

That, that might mean that there's
not a lot of other websites trying

to rank for these things, and
they're still slightly relevant.

Um, if you type in, you know, the, the
words that have to do with your niche.

Um, that gave us a good amount
of, uh, of topics to write.

And we did that like a year ago and
are still cruising through some.

Doug: Yeah.

And I've heard that with like Reddit
or forums and other similar things

where, you know, back in the old days,
those sites weren't as optimized.

Of course, recently with helpful
content update, a lot of user generated

content is ranking higher, which
brings me to how did the helpful

content update treat your sites?

Did you have any impact even with
the updates all through 2023?

Alex: We have been okay.

Um, thankfully knock on wood for the
helpful content update where we got

rocked was the 2022 December update.

And I think that was with backlinks,
I believe, or I don't, I forget.

Um, do you remember what
that one was all about?

Doug: No, I don't remember.

There were so many, like,
during those timeframes.

Alex: Totally, yeah.

And tis the season, the holidays,
that's when they pop up for Black

Friday, and, you know, all that, all
that stuff, all the online stuff.

But, um, you know, helpful content has
been okay, and that's why we're, like,

even more jazzed about the AI content
and the way we're doing it, um, cause

it's working and it's, you know, You
know, it's like low hanging, um, lower

hanging competition keywords that we're
finding, um, and spitting out solid

enough content at a solid enough rate.

We're not pumping out
like five blogs a day, um.

The most I've done was like three blogs
a day, but that's like, if no one calls

me or emails me, um, the whole day.

But, uh, yeah, last year was okay
with, with updates, thankfully.

And

Doug: I feel like real estate would be a
little bit different than a website with

affiliate reviews and that kind of thing.

And I take it you have, I
mean, you live in California.

Do you live in San Diego?

So it's like, you live there,
you can actually take pictures

of the places you're going to.

You're like, Hey, there's mission beach.

What's the other thing?

And then in Philly, are
you from Philadelphia?

Right outside.

Yeah.

So it's like, you know what it's
like, you could write about the

neighborhood and cheese sticks.

I don't know.

I don't know much about it.

That's a good start.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So, okay.

You mentioned, you know, you
have time to write more and

publish more if no one's calling.

Hopefully people are calling, right?

So how are the leads from SEO compared
to other leads that might come in?

And I think this is, it's so
key for people like learning SEO

for their own business versus
just like SEO for its own sake.

So what are the leads like?

Alex: Worlds of difference, the complete,
complete opposite experience, especially

if you're in a place like Philly, the
East coast, you know, people are like way,

way less They're just straight shooters.

They're blunt.

Like if you're cold calling them,
they're going to get pissed off.

So that happened a lot to us, but
it was the old, you know, we cold

called, we direct mailed postcard.

Mass text messages, you know,
like ringless voicemails.

We've tried everything and
it's a quick, those are all

quick ways to piss people off.

Um, and in Philly, they
will let you know for sure.

And, you know, we're reaching out
to people who didn't necessarily

want to be reached out to, but
they're like, yeah, maybe I'll sell.

So it's a lot of like us pushing them
and not pushing them, but like, You

know, it's like they don't, maybe
they don't really need to, or it's

not a timing, the timing's not right.

SEO is way different, right?

There are surgery on
Google or somewhere else.

Usually Google and they have a
problem or they need information.

They have a need.

Um, so it's an entirely
different conversation.

Um, and what the way we've switched up
our kind of like vibe when someone, when

it's an SEO lead, it's like, and this
is also just true, but we say this line,

we're like, yeah, like, you know, I'll get
all the information about the property.

And then we're like, Hey, like
I'm going to talk to my partner, a

business partner who I do this with.

Um, and like, we'll, we'll see
if this even does make sense

for us to take on as a project.

Maybe, maybe it doesn't.

Sometimes, I always say it's no hard
feelings, it's nothing personal, but

it doesn't always make sense for us.

Versus, when we were, you know,
outbound marketing to people, um, we

were like, please sell me your house.

You know, so very
different, uh, experience

Doug: makes total sense.

I mean, people are trying to find
you versus you trying to like get

in their face and distract them from
whatever it is they're trying to do.

So totally makes sense.

That's awesome.

All right.

So what's your top priority for
SEO right now with your sites?

Alex: Both are kind of
in different phases.

So the older one is,
and it's not that old.

It's like for just over four years.

The Philly one.

Um, that one's okay.

We haven't really had
to focus on that much.

Thankfully, just kind of making
sure like, since it has more

content maintaining it, right?

So updating stuff, if it says
2023, change that blog at 2024.

If it's in the, you know, if it's
something that should be updated, things

like that, just like yearly kind of
maintenance, um, broken links, you know,

making sure all that stuff is, is okay.

Uh, but for the newer site, which
we're still trying to get ranked

for more stuff, it's, it just
comes down to the basics, right?

Backlinks and.

And just trying to do those
simultaneously, um, to grow the overall

health and wealth of the website, you
know, get, get more of a, or become

more of an authority, topical authority.

It's kind of like the goal
that we're shooting for.

Right.

And we're getting there
with certain stuff.

Um, it's also been tough though in
San Diego, like the two websites

that are beating us for certain
terms for like selling a house.

Um, one is 10 years old.

Super strong SEO from like a while back.

And then the other one has like
400 Google reviews, no joke.

It's crazy.

Um, so I feel like Google puts a
lot of weight on that too, just

cause it's so many and they know
it's a local kind of service.

in a local business.

So we're trying to figure out
how to, um, how to out SEO.

I'm really, um, which
has been interesting.

And another, another thing too, that
I've heard recently that we want

to try and I don't know how we're
going to try and capture more of

this, but it's like brand searches.

So if someone types in your business
name and then clicks on your website,

you know, it's a good signal to Google
People say like how do you do that?

Just be a normal business and like
interact with people but with houses

It's like, you know, we're not buying
20 houses a month kind of thing So we

don't have that as much and been trying
to think of some ideas haven't thought

of too many good ones for that yet
but that's like Probably priority list

priority number three or four is like
branded searches and how to tackle that

Doug: well to be really meta I think
being on podcast is really good for a

number of reasons by the way, but People
are listening to this right now while

they're driving They're doing laundry.

They're exercising.

They're walking the dog and They're
probably gonna remember You SD

what's the name of the website?

SD

Alex: house

Doug: guys.

com SD house guys.

Brotherly love properties.

com.

We're saying it right now.

Right.

So they're going to go and search
for it probably versus like

going to look at the show notes.

That's what I do typically.

And then.

You'll get your brain to search there.

So I think, cause I personally do it.

I think that does help.

Alex: That's true.

I didn't even think
about that, to be honest.

So yeah,

Doug: so little tip.

Yeah.

Very meta.

Awesome.

Well, as we're wrapping it up here,
a couple, A couple other quick ones.

How do you stay motivated?

I mean, there's a lot
of changes with Google.

You never know when an
update is going to pop up.

You have AI coming in.

So how are you staying motivated?

Especially, I mean, you're
running essentially two separate

businesses being like a full time
marketer director for your company.

Alex: Yeah.

Um, Life balance, off the bat,
is important to avoid burnout.

Burnout's easy, especially when
you're on the computer all day.

So, that's, that's number one.

Uh, how else do we stay,
do I stay motivated?

Uh, I would say have a buddy that
you can vent to and riff with.

Or a mastermind, that's
another way to do it.

But I have one buddy from that mastermind
who we're still like, we still talk on the

phone once a week and riff on SEO stuff.

Um, yeah.

They almost say like if, like for
investors out there, like if you're

in the stock market or in crypto,
they're like, have a bear market

buddy, like have a buddy to get
you through those tough times.

It's true with lots of things in
life, including SEO struggles.

Um, so that just helps me stay motivated.

Cause if I'm having a down day, he
perks me up and he's like, he helps,

you know, he reminds me of like higher
picture or bigger, you know, higher,

higher level overview of, The journey
and even if it's bad week bad month and

SEO and things aren't going right It's
like look how far you came kind of thing.

So that's helpful.

And then writing down your goals is
Translatable and good for for anything

really and trying to when trying to
get motivated so write down your goals

track them measure them and Don't
forget to You know, celebrate a little

bit, even if it's a little victory,
like, you know, celebrations, even if

it's just like a little nice dinner or
whatever to treat yourself, that stuff

can like just help you out and help
you get through the day to day stuff.

That's not so not so fun.

Doug: Very good.

Awesome.

Well, this has been really fun.

Alex, do you have any other
thoughts before we let people

know where they could find you?

Alex: Anything is possible.

If you don't know SEO, you can learn it.

it's helpful to have a
lot of time to do that.

Um, but there's ways to learn it
and grow your business or create

your lifestyle that you want.

So SEO is just like a
tool for that, right?

Um, but as we were talking about
earlier, the, if you're a service

business, the leads that do come
through SEO are pretty fantastic.

Um, so that can definitely take a lot
of stress out of your life and turn

your business around, make it great.

Um, yeah.

So align, yeah, figure out what, how you
want to align your life and your business.

And, um, just know that that's possible.

Talk to people who are doing it.

And, um, it's all figure out a bull,
especially with all the online resources

and podcasts and things like this.

So

Doug: very good.

All right.

Where can people find you?

We're going to link up for everything, but
you could describe where people can go to

get more from you and hear more from you.

Alex: Cool.

Thanks, Doug.

Um, I'm not on social media as like
a, as a personal social media at all.

It's just business,
social medias and stuff.

So if you want to reach out, if you're.

Uh, if you're in San Diego and
want to grab a coffee or like have

questions on real estate or SEO stuff,
feel free to reach out sdhouseguys.

com, um, and that has
all of my contact info.

Um, and our other site would
have the same contact info too.

So I just say sdhouseguys.

com if, if, uh, you want to say,
Hey, you have questions on stuff.

Right

Doug: on.

Cool.

Yeah.

We'll link up for all that stuff.

And thanks a lot, Alex.

Hopefully we'll catch up soon.

Thanks, Doug.

Thanks a lot to Alex.

It was cool.

Hanging out with them and
digging into the details.

It's always interesting to hear
about people that are newer

with SEO and they picked it up
just like in the last few years.

Of course.

Uh, 2020 has been four years
and four years is a long time.

When you think about focusing on a
specific skillset, but at the same time,

when you think back that some of the
folks that I've interviewed, like Tim

Schmidt, he's been doing SEO and affiliate
marketing for like 20 plus years.

I've been around for about 10, but
it's very interesting when you, you

know, you talk to someone who is just
getting started and like how much

progress they can make, especially when
they apply it to a specific industry

that they're already familiar with.

So they kind of have an unfair advantage.

I'll put up links for all the
stuff that Alex mentioned.

So you can get to really easily.

And if you have a chance, if you like this
show, If you want to do a personal favor

for me, make sure you leave a review.

Make sure you're subscribed.

If you're over on the YouTube side.

You know, leave a comment and you
can say anything you want in there.

It really doesn't matter as long as
there's some interaction, but it does help

out your chat with your friends on there.

And you can just have a
conversation in the comments.

I really don't care like the videos, all
that kind of stuff really appreciate it.

And I'll catch you on the next episode.