In this episode of E-Coffee with Experts, our host Austin Willman chats with John Thomas, SEO Strategist at Mad Fish Digital, to break down what actually matters in modern SEO.
John shares how he audits a website in the first minutes, why title tags and meta descriptions reveal a company’s entire SEO history, and how to spot whether an SEO has truly worked on a site before. They also dive into why so many businesses are skeptical of SEO, how unrealistic promises damage trust, and why SEO should be treated as a long-term growth engine—not a quick fix.
The conversation goes deep into AI, LLMs, and generative search. John explains how ChatGPT is already driving visibility, why AI traffic behaves differently from Google search, and how brands should optimize content for both humans and machines without sacrificing trust or clarity. He also discusses Google Autofill, People Also Ask, FAQs, prompt tracking, and why AI is more about awareness than immediate lead generation.
If you’re a founder, marketer, or leader trying to understand where SEO, AI, and content strategy are heading next, this episode will give you a clear, grounded framework—without the hype.
Takeaways:
- Checking meta tags and titles helps spot where a site’s SEO has been and where it stands now.
- Trust with clients comes from honest expectations, SEO is a long-term team effort, not quick wins.
- SEO works best when it’s tightly connected with content that’s made for both Google and real people.
- AI is useful in SEO, but it still needs a human in the loop to keep quality high.
- John’s strength is understanding different viewpoints and shaping strategies around them.
- Being able to switch how you communicate — from technical CEOs to creative teams — really matters.
- Keyword research is changing with AI, so it’s about blending old-school tactics with new tools.
- The goal is always human-first content that still checks the technical SEO boxes.
- AI should support human creativity, not replace it.