https://page2pod.com - In this episode of the Page 2 Podcast, we site down with Michelle Morgan, co-founder of Paid Media Pros and one of the most respected voices in PPC, to talk about how paid media actually works for B2B.

Michelle dives deep into the evolving landscape of Google Ads, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and more, sharing practical strategies for marketers navigating automation, AI, and ad fatigue.

From performance-max campaigns to CRM integrations, she shares how to build scalable, conversion-focused funnels that move beyond "just check the AI box" and instead focus on clarity, intent, and control. Whether you're in eCommerce or B2B SaaS, this is your playbook for paid media that delivers.

📊 In This Episode

• How Michelle grew Paid Media Pros into a 45K+ subscriber YouTube channel
• Why YouTube ads do work for B2B—and how to sequence them effectively
• Tactical retargeting strategies across platforms
• The truth about automation and why “just checking the AI box” isn’t enough
• Using CRM data to train ad algorithms for better lead quality
• Why most B2B landing pages still fail—Michelle's no-BS advice
• When to use Performance Max (and how to avoid spam leads)
• LinkedIn’s ad ecosystem: document ads, conversation ads, and CEO thought leadership
• Microsoft Ads vs. Google Ads: where’s the real value?
• Facebook Ads fragility—how to scale spend without tanking performance
• Michelle’s take on TikTok vs YouTube Shorts for discovery
• The one thing she’d tell her younger PPC self (and a hilarious golf question to close)

🎧 This episode is your crash course in smart, no-fluff paid media that scales.

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💬 Comment below: What’s your biggest challenge with paid media right now?

🔗 Links and Resources

• Michelle Morgan on Linkedin
• Paid Media Pros YouTube Channel
• Paid Media Pros Official Site

Sponsored by Moving Traffic Media

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https://page2pod.com - In this powerhouse episode of the Page 2 Podcast, Luigi Ferguson, who leads holistic search at Intuit (QuickBooks), joins Jon and Joe to break down the future of search. It’s no longer SEO or SEM—it’s all about playing on the same battlefield. Luigi explains why collaboration between paid and organic teams is no longer optional and how AI is reshaping the rules.

From AI Max and automation to fighting click fraud, affiliate strategy, and rethinking content for AI Overviews, Luigi shares hard-earned wisdom from his time at McAfee, Yahoo, Critio, and now Intuit. If you’re in search marketing or performance strategy, this is a must-listen.

📊 Whether you're struggling with attribution, planning content for LLMs, or optimizing shopping feeds, this episode gives you tools and perspectives that apply today—and tomorrow.

📌 In This Episode (🔍)
• The “one battlefield” mindset: paid vs organic is an illusion
• How to align SEO & SEM teams—and why you must
• AI Max, automation & the death of granular control
• Fighting fraud and low-quality leads in PMax campaigns
• How to rethink ROI in a post-click world
• Planning content for AI Overviews and impression-heavy SERPs
• Using call center data to power high-impact content
• Why knowing your _non_-customer matters too
• Strategies for affiliate monitoring and brand term protection
• Optimizing shopping feeds with real search behavior in mind
• Tentpole marketing: balancing long-term planning with war room agility
• Predictions on the future of Google’s SERP with AI front and center

This episode is packed with insights to level up your marketing strategy and prep for the fast-evolving world of search. Whether you're scaling B2B or battling click fraud, this convo will reshape how you think about search.

🎧 Don’t miss it!

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💬 What’s your take on the AI vs human content debate? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

🔗 Links and Resources
• Luigi Ferguson on Linkedin
• Impact of Google Map Pack ads
• ChatGPT disrupting Chegg

Sponsored by Moving Traffic Media

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https://page2pod.com - What happens when the gatekeepers of search stop sending traffic, but still take the content? In this milestone Episode 90, Marshall Simmonds (Defined Media Group) joins us to trace SEO’s journey from white-text-on-white-backgrounds to log-file analysis, AIO, and LLM.txt—plus what publishers must do right now. He even shares the wild story of spinning up a mirror test server so Google (and others) could pound on About.com to refine their crawlers.

We dig into why watching server logs matters more than ever, how “dark traffic” is back, and why author authority and structured content still win—despite shifting consumption and murky attribution in AI-assisted search.

Marshall also takes us behind the scenes on unlocking The New York Times archive (and why it crushed for traffic and revenue), plus a pragmatic take on AIO monetization, blocking AI training vs. real-time access, and the early but evolving role of LLM.txt.

🧠 In This Episode:
• The About.com “test server” era: letting engines crawl a mirror site to improve their bots—what Marshall learned by “watching the watchers.”
• Why log files are mission-critical again as dark traffic surges and LLM crawlers multiply.
• Enterprise-grade log tooling & options: Sitebulb, Screaming Frog, Splunk—what to use when.
• Crawl budget signals hiding in plain sight: the Search Console “Crawl stats” report.
• NYT archive strategy: opening history for scale, membership, and revenue (and why it worked).
• E-E-A-T before the acronym: building human authority into content and authorship.
• LLM.txt today: yes, it’s crawled; no, standards aren’t settled; how teams are exposing it.
• AIO reality check: impressions up, clicks down; what’s converting (and why patience pays).
• Blocking AI training vs. real-time use: robots.txt limits, legal gray zones, and first-line defenses.
• Holistic marketing > channel silos: brand, email, social, search, Discover—working together.

If you've ever wondered where SEO has been and where it's headed, this conversation with Marshall Simmonds is essential listening.

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💬 Comment below: How are you adapting your SEO strategy in the age of AI and dark traffic?

🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned
• Marshall Simmonds LinkedIn
• Defined Media Official Site
• Page 2 Podcast Noah Learner episode

Sponsored by Moving Traffic Media

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