Business
In this episode of E-Coffee with Experts, Mike Forgie, Owner at Next Step Connect, shares how local SEO is evolving beyond backlinks toward brand mentions, authority signals, sentiment, and community-driven visibility.
Mike explains why traditional ranking tactics like PBNs are fading, and what founders, marketers, and agencies should focus on instead to stay discoverable in Google AI Overviews and LLM-powered search.
You’ll learn how to make your business citable instead of just rankable, how local authority influences AI recommendations, and why structured content depth now beats shallow keyword targeting.
He also shares practical insights on:
- Local SEO strategies that influence AI search results
- Whether backlinks still matter in 2026
- Authority signals that impact citation visibility
- Using voice-search-style content for discoverability
- The rise of AI agents inside marketing workflows
- Why community signals outperform national brand noise
- Claude vs ChatGPT for SEO execution workflows
If you're a founder, marketing leader, or SEO strategist preparing for the next shift in search, this episode gives a practical roadmap for staying visible in an AI-first ecosystem.
Get Your Exclusive AIO Growth Plan - We’ll kick off with a Live AIO Audit to see how shoppers find you, followed by Competitor Research to steal their spotlight: https://lunacal.ai/team/dws/dws-meetings
In this episode, we discuss:
00:00 - 00:42: Introduction to Mike Forgie
00:42 - 02:05: How Mike Started in Marketing
02:05 - 03:35: Starting Next Step Connect Agency
03:35 - 05:10: Early Challenges as a Founder
05:10 - 06:55: Why SEO Moved Away From PBNs
06:55 - 08:40: Do Backlinks Still Matter Today?
08:40 - 10:20: Brand Mentions vs Backlinks in AI Search
10:20 - 12:05: Local SEO Signals That Influence AI
12:05 - 13:30: How One Page Helped AI Rankings
13:30 - 15:05: Best AI Tools for Daily SEO Work
15:05 - 16:40: How to Make Your Brand Citable
16:40 - 18:05: Voice Search and Natural Content Tips
18:05 - 20:05: Future of SEO by 2026
20:05 - 21:15: AI Agents and Marketing Automation
21:15 - 22:25: Lessons From Mike’s Career Journey
22:25 - 23:07: Closing Thoughts
Connect with Mike Forgie
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelforgie/
https://nextstepconnect.com/digital-marketing/
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Website: https://www.digitalwebsolutions.com/
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dws_global
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-web-solutions./