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Katie Stone :How AI Is Changing Local SEO: Strategies That Still Work Today

About

In this episode of E-coffee with Experts, Katie Stone, SEO Lead at Leadhub, joins us to break down everything local businesses need to know about SEO in 2025. From Google’s latest spam update to how AI and zero-click searches are changing the game.

Katie shares real-world strategies that still work, especially for home service brands. She explains why reputation management and citation building are now more important than ever, and how her team is helping clients show up in AI search results (Answer Engine Optimization).

We dive into her concept of “Query Listening,” how it uncovers content ideas that drive traffic and leads, and why brand awareness is becoming just as crucial as rankings. She also shares her digital PR playbook for landing backlinks from major publications like The Spruce and Architectural Digest, and how that’s quickly boosting domain authority.

If you’re an SEO, agency, or small business owner trying to stay ahead of updates, AI trends, and local competition, this episode is packed with practical insights and honest advice from someone in the trenches. Don't miss it.

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In this episode, we discuss:

00:00 - 00:35: Introduction

00:35 - 02:00: Why Katie actually likes spam updates

02:00 - 03:50: How spam updates help good SEO

03:50 - 05:15: What Google is trying to stop

05:15 - 07:40: Using AI the right way for SEO

07:40 - 09:00: Will AI take over Google?

09:00 - 10:30: Clicks going down, what to do now

10:30 - 13:15: How to show up in AI search

13:15 - 15:00: What is “query listening” in SEO?