Twenty years later, and too many marketing folks are still trying to game search engine, and now AI, algorithms, always chasing the shiny penny when those algorithms shift. Tactical pivots are important, but if that’s your strategy you’re doing it wrong, because two decades later and the foundational rules still apply.
Back in 2005, when I was launching my own virtual brand marketing, PR, and creative shop, I approached digital Yoda Edward Schipul for counsel on how to ensure my website would rank and stand out among the top traditional agencies. Ed generously shared some basic SEO strategies, but then stressed that search engines were fickle and constantly recalibrating around the margins. He advised me not to be driven or distracted by shiny objects, and that if I really wanted to find success, I should base my website strategies on a few immutable guidelines:
– Share content key audiences care about
– Publish relevant content consistently
– Create a mix of evergreen and temporal content
– Seek to become a trusted source that others point to
– Engage regularly with, and be responsive to, your community
This was before the social media boom. His counsel has been a guiding light ever since, when I was on my own, when I led brand marketing, communications, and digital strategy for Make-A-Wish America, and then at both Raise Your Hand Texas and the Charles Butt Foundation.
While reports abound regarding brands seeing up to 70% decreases in organic traffic due to the rising influence of zero-click AI search results, the Charles Butt Foundation has seen a 21% year-over-year increase in organic traffic, a 63% increase in direct traffic, and a 15% increase in active users.
While our team keeps an eye on, and discusses, changes in the digital landscape and what they mean for us, our strategy remains as intact as the day we launched the site. I thought I’d see what AI says about why we’ve seen continued success and audience growth, and it largely outlined our playbook:
1. Original, timely, and localized research content
2. Authority and depth in education issues
3. Consistent publication and content updates
4. Targeted search niches and keyword alignment
5. Trusted, nonprofit domain with strong external engagement
6. Multi-stakeholder appeal
“Bottom line: Their strategy aligns with what modern SEO rewards—credibility, relevance, freshness, and authority in a well-defined content niche.”
I would just add that the mix of our content — research, data visualizations, thought leadership and analysis, narrative and multimedia storytelling, evergreen content, and more — helps present a comprehensive picture of our work, impacts, stakeholders and partners, and resources to engage with us and the work. That content portfolio helps us show up in search results, gives AI plenty to tease, and provides people with a reason to click through for more.