In this podcast, Danny Leibrandt, founder of Pest Control SEO, interviews Bradley Benner, a seasoned local SEO specialist and founder of several SEO-focused businesses, including Treecare HQ, Semantic Mastery, Semantic Links, and Local Fury. Bradley shares his journey into local SEO, which began when he was an electrical contractor looking to generate his own leads. Initially, he used traditional marketing methods before transitioning to digital marketing, learning to manipulate Google search results, and creating test sites in various industries. Bradley describes how he achieved early success with basic on-page optimization and directory listings, a far simpler process compared to today's complex SEO landscape. He also explains his evolution from building and leasing websites (rank-and-rent model) to running a full-scale SEO agency and then founding Semantic Mastery to teach others about local SEO. By 2019, Bradley decided to focus exclusively on tree service contractors, recognizing the benefits of niche specialization. He delves into the significant algorithm changes Google has undergone, particularly the shift from a keyword-based to an entity-based algorithm. This new approach allows pages optimized for broad topics or categories to rank for numerous related search queries, even if those specific keywords are not present on the page. Bradley emphasizes the importance of page structure, site architecture, and internal linking, stressing that proper optimization in these areas can dramatically improve search rankings with less content and fewer backlinks. Bradley also discusses the impact of Google's helpful content update, which applies a quality score multiplier to entire sites, highlighting the need for efficient and non-redundant content. He shares his method of simplifying SEO practices, focusing on conveying to Google who a business is, what they do, and where they do it through strategic use of headings and minimal but effective content. The podcast concludes with Bradley promoting Semantic Mastery's weekly Q&A webinar, Hump Day Hangouts, where listeners can learn more about local SEO and ask questions. Danny and Bradley wrap up by emphasizing the importance of helping Google understand business information clearly to achieve better search rankings. Bradley Benner, Founder of TreeCare HQ, Semantic Links, Semantic Mastery, and Local Fury: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleybenner/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC0z45rknEPLVwUN7BpEWRyQ Semantic Links: https://semanticlinks.io/ Semantic Mastery: https://semanticmastery.com/ Local Fury: https://www.localfury.com/ Danny Leibrandt, Founder of Pest Control SEO: Facebook: https://facebook.com/DannyLeibrandt LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dannyleibrandt/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DannyLeibrandt Website: https://dannyleibrandt.com Pest Control SEO Podcast Platforms: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PestControlSEO/podcasts Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1TCL0LhZbsJS6mzanqnnT1?si=7d918c77a6234ce2 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pest-control-seo-podcast/id1741176782 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0bb5254-5d6c-4940-8211-085157cc1239/pest-control-seo-podcast Audible: https://www.audible.com/podcast/Pest-Control-SEO-Podcast/B0D1FCN28S?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Background 09:59 Getting Started in Local SEO 13:11 Building Syndication Networks 26:42 Topic and Category-Based Optimization 34:50 Simplifying SEO Efforts 49:14 Optimizing Page and Site Structure Keywords: local SEO, journey, electrical contracting, leads, test sites, rental sites, agency, SEO algorithm, entity-based, topics, categories, redundant content, local SEO, topic-based optimization, category-based optimization, page structure, site structure, internal linking, content optimization, knowledge graph #localseo #agency #seo #localbusiness #backlinks