Marketing Spotlight: SEO in the Age of AI Search (with Kirsten, Intertwined SEO)

Host: Alison Ver Halen (AV Writing Services) Guest: Kirsten, SEO strategist and founder of Intertwined Digital Marketing (aka Intertwined SEO)

Episode Overview

In this episode of Marketing Spotlight, Alison sits down with fellow SEO strategist Kirsten to talk shop on everything from how she stumbled into SEO to how AI-powered search is reshaping the industry. The conversation is candid and often funny, covering the realities of running an SEO business for small and local clients in 2025.

Key Topics Discussed

How Kirsten got into SEO Kirsten started as a generalist marketer in the nonprofit world, handling email, social, video, and photo work before ever touching SEO. She got hooked after being baffled by agency reports full of jargon, eventually landing an SEO role that included a month of hands-on training. She traces her fascination back to a simple mystery: why the meta description she saw in a Google result was never actually on the page.

Meta descriptions and search behavior Both hosts share a laugh over how often Google rewrites meta descriptions anyway, regardless of what's written on the page — a common frustration for anyone doing on-page SEO.

Zero-click results and featured snippets Kirsten and Alison discuss the tension between optimizing for featured snippets (which can reduce click-through) and still driving traffic. Kirsten's approach: lean into formatting Google rewards — lists, numbered steps, straightforward structure — while using search intent to decide when a quick answer is enough versus when deeper content will pull in visitors who might convert.

ChatGPT, SearchGPT, and AI overviews A major theme: how generative AI is changing search behavior. Kirsten notes there's no "20-year expert" in this new landscape yet — everyone's still figuring out what works, with early signs pointing to digital PR and clean, JavaScript-light websites as helpful factors. Both hosts swap stories about AI overviews confidently serving wrong or misattributed answers (including the infamous "glue on pizza" incident), and how few everyday searchers realize they're reading an AI-generated summary rather than a verified featured snippet.

Local SEO tips Asked for her top tips, Kirsten emphasizes the basics that are frequently skipped:

• Actually state your location/service area on your website (not buried in a footer)
• Fully build out your Google Business Profile (categories, bio, photos, hours)
• Get listed across other relevant directories
• Create genuinely unique (not copy-pasted) location pages for each area served

Keywords: past, present, and future Kirsten and Alison close out the SEO talk by noting how keyword strategy has shifted from single-keyword targeting toward topical relevance and clusters of related terms — while still needing to manage client expectations around what metrics actually matter (traffic and conversions, not obsessing over one keyword's rank).

What she loves about the work Kirsten's favorite part of SEO is the data: watching analytics show tangible proof that strategy work is paying off, especially with small businesses starting from nothing, where early wins are easy to point to and clients are quick to feel the impact.

Where to Find Kirsten

• Business: Intertwined Digital Marketing
• Handle across platforms: Intertwined SEO
• Monthly live SEO Office Hours on YouTube

Where to Find the Host

• Alison Verhalen, Content Marketer
• YouTube: @alisonverhalencontentmarketer
• Website: AVWritingServices.com

About Kirsten

Based in Northeastern PA, Kirsten Vine Gollier is the owner and expert SEO of Intertwined, a new digital marketing agency that provides affordable and ethical SEO solutions to small businesses. She has over 10 years of experience working at numerous SEO agencies and nonprofits across the country, and is passionate about helping small businesses succeed. She loves talking about films, Bravo TV, and cats. Her hobbies include reading, doing Pilates, cooking, and attending renaissance festivals with her husband.