SEO is not becoming less relevant because of AI. It is becoming more important. Instead of optimizing for a single search engine, marketers now have to think about visibility across Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, and other AI-powered discovery platforms.

In this episode of Straight to Voicemail, Adam Sockel hears from Darren Shaw, Founder of Whitespark, about why traditional SEO remains foundational in an AI search world. Darren explains how AI platforms rely on websites, traditional search results, and retrieval processes to generate answers, and why businesses still need strong technical SEO, content, Google Business Profiles, brand building, and digital PR if they want to show up when customers search.

You’ll learn:

• Why SEO is becoming more important as search expands across AI platforms
• Why ranking in traditional search can directly influence whether your business appears in AI-generated results
• How your website and Google Business Profile act as key sources of information for search and AI platforms
• Why brand building and digital PR are becoming even more important for visibility in an AI search world

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Why we wanted to hear from Darren Shaw

(01:21) Why SEO matters more than ever

(01:36) Optimizing across AI search platforms

(02:41) Your website remains the source

(03:02) How AI uses search results

(03:53) Google Business Profile and AI

(04:37) Brand building matters even more

(05:29) Why SEO is foundational for 2026

Straight to Voicemail is for CMOs, CEOs, and Heads of Marketing in B2B tech who want insights from the people who've been there. Each episode centers on one big question answered like a voicemail you'll want to play again.

Don't miss this conversation! Follow Straight to Voicemail and explore our big little wins newsletter for more B2B content strategy insights.

Marketing teams often jump to visible solutions: a new website, better messaging, more leads, or another campaign. But the biggest marketing challenges are rarely the ones companies think they have. The real issue is often hidden beneath the surface, whether it is a lack of customer understanding, poor sales alignment, or a product experience that is not meeting expectations.

In this episode of Straight to Voicemail, Adam Sockel hears from Maylee Jacob, a fractional marketer who helps teams identify the problems they actually need to solve. Maylee explains why companies need to question the initial marketing request before jumping into execution and how the right customer insights can reveal what is really holding growth back.

You’ll learn:

• Why the marketing problem companies identify is often not the actual problem they need to solve
• Why building better messaging, websites, or campaigns cannot fix deeper issues like trust, positioning, or customer alignment
• How customer conversations, sales calls, and support insights can uncover the real barriers to growth
• Why marketers need to get comfortable questioning the assignment before moving quickly in the wrong direction

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Why we wanted to hear from Maylee Jacob

(01:24) Why the obvious marketing problem is often wrong

(02:16) What marketing cannot fix

(02:50) Why positioning should start with the customer

(03:05) Why more leads may not solve growth

(03:45) How companies lose sight of customer reality

(04:07) How to find the real problem

(04:55) Why marketing is not always the fix

(05:18) Why marketers should question the assignment

Straight to Voicemail is for CMOs, CEOs, and Heads of Marketing in B2B tech who want insights from the people who've been there. Each episode centers on one big question answered like a voicemail you'll want to play again.

Don't miss this conversation! Follow Straight to Voicemail and explore our big little wins newsletter for more B2B content strategy insights.

In a world filled with AI-generated content, AI agents, and watermarking, buyers are moving faster than ever, yet trust remains the hardest piece of the puzzle to solve. While AI tools can generate shortlists in seconds, real human proof is what ultimately drives buying decisions. Without authentic verification, brand trust easily breaks down.

In this episode of Straight to Voicemail, Adam Sockel hears from Alex London, Chief Marketing Officer at G2. Alex breaks down why a watermark only tells you where content came from and not whether you should believe it. She also reveals how buyer behavior is shifting as AI agents take on more of the sales funnel.

You’ll learn:

• Why watermarks don't equal trust, and why verified human proof is what buyers actually demand
• Why 82% of sourced recommendations come from AI chatbots, yet real user reviews remain the top shortlist driver
• How AI speeds up early shortlist creation while making the final evaluation stage longer
• Why buyers comfortably use AI agents for research but refuse to hand over final purchasing power

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Why we wanted to hear from Alex London

(02:22) Why watermarks show origin, not credibility

(02:40) Unpacking the buyer behavior report: Chatbots vs. human reviews

(03:15) Why evaluation is taking longer in the AI era

(03:32) How buyers are actually using AI agents

(03:52) The power of verified buyers and true proof

Straight to Voicemail is for CMOs, CEOs, and Heads of Marketing in B2B tech who want insights from the people who've been there. Each episode centers on one big question answered like a voicemail you'll want to play again.

Don't miss this conversation! Follow Straight to Voicemail and explore our big little wins newsletter for more B2B content strategy insights.