Paul's Agency Podcast

Greg Gifford is one of the most recognized voices in Local SEO and a longtime conference speaker known for practical, no-fluff advice.If you’re doing Local SEO for plumbers, lawyers, dentists, restaurants, dealerships (or any business that serves customers in a geographic area), this episode gives you a clear framework to align website + links + GBP + reviews into one cohesive strategy.In this episode, we cover:Chapter 1: Why Local SEO Matters (It’s a Different Algorithm)2:35 Local intent + why Google switches algorithms3:21 Local vs traditional ranking behavior4:59 Relevance, prominence, proximity explainedChapter 2: Local Content & City Pages6:21 The city-page mistake: “1,000 pages” + spam signals7:49 When city pages still work (and when proximity kills them)Chapter 3: Reviews as Strategy (Not a Checklist)9:14 The 4 local signal pillars (site, links, GBP, reviews)21:50 Using reviews to improve content + reduce expectation gapsChapter 4: Local Link Building (What Actually Moves the Needle)12:05 Why most teams avoid link building15:34 Why nofollow can still help in localChapter 5: Guest Posting, Entities, and AI Visibility16:08 “Entity-first” link building: why the linking site matters19:23 Why paid guest posts don’t workChapter 6: Review Velocity Systems + Handling Extortion26:36 How to get more reviews: ask + make it easy28:03 Build a /reviews hub page + offer multiple platforms31:11 Reporting review extortion.Chapter 7: Google Business Profile Setup Mistakes + Suspensions33:27 Category mistakes, keyword stuffing, “change everything at once”35:56 Why reading GBP guidelines first saves months of pain37:00 Why schools lost reviews/posts (rule change)Chapter 8: Agency Scaling, Time Tracking, and Profitability Metrics39:01 Balancing speaking + CEO responsibilities49:29 Tools: Toggl, ClickUp, Zoho52:23 SGA + labor efficiency rating (DLR/MLR) for hiring and margin controlChapter 9: Culture, Growth, and Exits1:01:13 Keeping culture as the team grows (especially remote)1:06:16 Acquisition mode vs exit mode1:07:01 Preparing to sell: valuation reality + due diligence readinessWhere to find Greg Gifford:LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/greggifford/About the Host:Paul Jebasingh Emmanuel is the Founder and CEO of GoX.ai and Two Minute Reports. Two Minute Reports helps agencies and marketers automate reporting workflows across 30+ platforms.Where to find Paul Jebasingh Emmanuel:LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauljebasingh/)Two Minute Reports: (https://twominutereports.com/)YouTube: (https://www.youtube.com/@gox-ai)

Jes Scholz is a technical SEO strategist and growth leader who rose to Group CMO at Ringier AG (a Swiss media group with nearly $1B in annual revenue), working across 100+ brands. She’s also an SEOktoberfest World Champion, a published contributor to Search Engine Land and Search Engine Journal, and a judge for search awards across the US, UK, EU, and APAC.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:Why “SEO is dead” is the wrong question (and what’s actually changing)Keywords vs entities: how Google’s Knowledge Graph understands brandsHow to check if your brand exists as an entity (and what Google knows about you)The step-by-step process to build brand salience through corroborationWhy Domain Authority is a vanity metric (and what to measure instead)How Share of Search connects to market share (and why execs care)How to use schema to connect your brand across the webQuick wins you can validate in weeks (Discover, partnerships, distribution)How AI assistants are reshaping discovery and repeat purchasesIn this episode, we cover:Chapter 1: Is SEO Dead? What’s Changing in Search0:00 SEO is transforming (not dying)3:05 Why organic traffic is declining3:50 AI as the new top-of-funnel discovery layer4:23 Why brand salience matters in AI resultsChapter 2: Entities, Knowledge Graph & Brand Salience4:43 Keywords vs entities (how Google “thinks”)5:52 How to check your Knowledge Graph entity6:44 What Google associates with a brand entity9:19 Where to start (homepage + About clarity)10:18 Corroboration: getting others to confirm your narrativeChapter 3: Small Business & SaaS Playbooks11:18 Local SEO as the fastest trust signal (Maps)12:53 SaaS without an office: directories + community mentions13:48 Why mentions matter (not just “follow” links)Chapter 4: Schema, and Multi-Surface Visibility14:31 Using schema to “draw the lines” for Google15:57 Why schema helps beyond Google (across indexes)17:16 Measuring brand presence in ChatGPT (what’s possible today)18:55 LLM visibility tools: how to use them without false certaintyChapter 5: Metrics That Matter (And What to Stop Doing)21:25 Why Domain Authority doesn’t matter23:06 Share of Search explained (market-aware measurement)25:17 Short-term wins vs long-term SEO reality26:01 Discover: how to test fast via partners41:04 Stop selling “X links per month” (outputs vs outcomes)Chapter 6: Content, AI, and the Future of Discovery + Purchase29:26 Writers: POV, expertise, and digital footprint32:00 Content enrichment for deeper, more contextual queries49:25 Transactional vs informational content in an API/MCP world52:56 Where discovery and purchasing is heading57:24 Books + closing adviceAbout the Host:Paul Jebasingh Emmanuel is the Founder and CEO of GoX.ai and Two Minute Reports. Two Minute Reports helps agencies and marketers automate reporting workflows across 30+ platforms.Listen to Paul’s Agency Podcast:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gox-aiSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5cyb0NKCaEq0V1x1vNtqj9?si=119f46b74f184143Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pauls-agency-podcast/id1877052450

Jason Swenk is the founder of Agency Mastery and host of the Smart Agency Masterclass podcast. He built and sold a 100+ person agency, worked with brands like AT&T, Coca-Cola, and Porsche, and has helped 20,000+ agency owners across 42 countries scale with better systems, better hires, and better profit.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:Why chasing 7-figure revenue can actually hurt your agencyThe 6 stages every agency goes through (and how to identify yours)How to hire based on your weaknesses so you get time backThe 1-3-1 framework to stop being the team bottleneckHow to structure your first sales hires (closer vs AM vs lead gen)Why profit and freedom matter more than top-line vanity metricsHow AI will change agency roles and where founders should adaptIn this episode, we cover:Chapter 1: Founder Mindset, Leadership & Hiring0:00 Revenue growth vs profit growth (the hard truth)1:14 Jason Swenk intro and background3:22 Start of interview5:35 Traits of successful agency founders9:02 Hire for your weaknesses, not your strengths11:22 First sales hire: what role do you really need?13:08 Every hire should give you time back14:05 The 1-3-1 framework for problem-solving15:53 The two “Who” questions every founder must answerChapter 2: The 6 Stages of Agency Growth16:23 Where agencies get stuck most16:58 Stage 1 and Stage 2 breakdown17:58 Stage 3: owner-led sales bottleneck18:38 Stage 4: owner-led delivery bottleneck19:02 Stage 5: transition from owner to CEO19:47 Stage 6: the false summit20:27 Agency Intelligence tool (find your stage)21:20 Revenue does not define your stage21:58 Why some programs require a minimum stageChapter 3: Profit, Scale & Agency Performance23:43 Effort, results, and doubling EBITDA25:06 Who succeeds inside communities27:16 Why most founders fixate on the wrong revenue milestone28:21 Time freedom as the ultimate metric30:05 If sales, delivery, and leadership are all broken, fix this firstChapter 4: AI, Books & Closing Advice31:30 Future of agencies in the AI era33:10 How Jason uses AI in his business34:12 Book recommendations35:19 Final framework: F.O.C.U.S.Where to find Jason Swenk:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonswenk/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JasonswenkAbout the Host:Paul Jebasingh Emmanuel is the Founder and CEO of GoX.ai and Two Minute Reports. Two Minute Reports helps agencies and marketers automate reporting workflows across 30+ platforms.Where to find Paul Jebasingh Emmanuel:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauljebasingh/Automate Marketing Reporting: https://twominutereports.com/Listen to Paul’s Agency Podcast:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gox-aiSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5cyb0NKCaEq0V1x1vNtqj9?si=119f46b74f184143Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pauls-agency-podcast/id1877052450

Gavin Hewitson is the founder of In-box, an email marketing agency, and the creator of the world's #1 email marketing community on Skool.What You'll Learn in This Episode:1) How to structure signup forms to boost on site conversions2) Why percentage of discounts outperform every other offer3) What you should actually be testing in your email campaigns and flows4) How to fix an email welcome series and multiply revenue5) How to build automations that take every customer as an individual6) Why pop up forms are not for list growth, but for capturing zero party data7) How his background in stand-up comedy helped build an agency with 0% churnIf you run or manage an e-commerce brand trying to build out your email and SMS strategy, this episode will change how you approach flows, campaigns, and capturing zero party data.In this episode, we cover:Chapter 1: Email Marketing Strategy for E-Commerce0:00 Testing the wrong things in email campaigns1:01 Standup comedian to #1 email marketing community3:03 DTC email and SMS agency approach5:57 Why newsletter lists are so valuable7:38 From standup comedy to Klaviyo agency10:06 Building a YouTube channel for agency growth12:12 Email marketing makes paid ads 20% betterChapter 2: Email List Building & Signup Form Strategy15:17 Building a high quality email list18:17 Percentage off discounts vs dollar off23:37 Essential e-commerce email automations25:48 Test offers, not subject lines28:48 Copywriting tip: lead with the numberChapter 3: Popup Forms, Zero Party Data & Segmentation33:24 Signup form audit: common red flags36:41 Popup forms for conversions, not list growth42:40 Zero party data matched to purchase behavior46:43 Scaling an email marketing agencyChapter 4: Agency Growth, Personal Brand & Mindset51:51 Standup comedy and building confidence on camera54:55 Goal setting: five year plan to daily tasks58:18 Book recommendations for entrepreneurs1:01:22 Ego and self-worth as a business owner1:04:24 How to hold your agency accountable1:07:04 Six months of consistency changes everythingWhere to find Gavin Hewitson:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavin-hewitson-bb561685/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GavinhewitsonsemailAbout the Host:Paul Jebasingh Emmanuel is the Founder and CEO of GoX.ai and Two Minute Reports. Two Minute Reports is used by 4,000+ agencies and marketers to automate their reporting workflows across 30+ platforms.Where to find Paul Jebasingh Emmanuel :LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauljeba/pauljebasingh/Automate Marketing Reporting : TwoMinuteReports.comListen to Paul’s Agency Podcast:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gox-aiSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5cyb0NKCaEq0V1x1vNtqj9Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pauls-agency-podcast/id1877052450

Diandra Escobar is the Co-Founder of Distinctiva, a content marketing agency that has worked with more than 50 heavyweight brands including SEMrush, Backlinko, and Heyreach.What You’ll Learn in This Episode: How to turn personal adversity into business momentum  The Dunning-Kruger Effect and why beginners often grow faster  How to build a balanced content funnel (Growth, Authority, Conversion, Personal)  LinkedIn SEO strategies that work in 2026  “Search Everywhere Optimization” and how AI models (Claude, Gemini) are reshaping     search. Why YouTube is becoming the highest-converting channel for B2B agencies How to stop “slot machine content” and iterate scientificallyIf you’re a founder, agency owner, or B2B marketer trying to build authority and generate demand through content this episode will change how you think about strategy.Where to find Diandra Escobar:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diandraescobar/About the Host:Paul Jebasingh Emmanuel is the Founder and CEO of GoX.ai and Two Minute Reports. With a deep background in marketing analytics, Paul and Two Minute Reports help 10,000+ agencies and marketers automate their reporting workflows across 30+ platforms.Where to find Paul Jebasingh Emmanuel :LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauljebasingh/Automate Marketing Reporting : TwoMinuteReports.comListen to Paul’s Agency Podcast:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gox-aiSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5cyb0NKCaEq0V1x1vNtqj9Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pauls-agency-podcast/id1877052450In this episode, we cover:Chapter 1: Heartbreak made her start0:00 Finding your voice as founder3:00 From SDR to content strategist6:53 Heartbreak made her start8:17 Ghostwriting for LinkedIn influencers9:36 Content as a demand engine10:51 Beginners have an unfair advantageChapter 2: Finding your voice and consistency 14:39 Finding your voice again17:10 Content market fit explained18:21 Viral posts are a fallacy20:27 Four types of content25:37 Adjusting your content mixChapter 3: LinkedIn SEO and revenue 28:11 How different founders post differently36:05 Millions of impressions, no money40:26 700 likes, zero revenue42:59 LinkedIn as a search engine46:58 Ranking #1 with LinkedIn newslettersChapter 4: Systems over motivation 48:05 Is YouTube worth it?52:48 Systems over motivation for content55:41 Book and tool recommendations59:43 The ability to respond

This is the first episode of the Paul's Agency Podcast featuring Diandra Escobar, founder of Distinctiva.io.In this episode, we talk about building content machines, creating scalable organic content, and turning strategy into consistent output that drives real growth.Hosted by Paul Jebasingh Emmanuel, founder of Two Minute Report, this trailer gives a quick preview of the key insights from the full conversation.Full episode dropping soon.