Helping brands get rankings and revenue from Google, LLMs, AI Overviews | CEO of Contact.so | Mentions.so | Kleo.so

I help tech companies turn attention into predictable revenue.I am the CEO and co-founder of: • Contact (Most innovative SEO + AEO Agency in the World) • Kleo (AI tool that helps you create content optimized to go viral, build an audience, and get you customers)• Mentions (Helps you track your visibility and rank in ChatGPT and other LLMs)Across these businesses, we’ve built and scaled multiple bootstrapped, profitable companies, while also helping dozens of teams grow through SEO, LinkedIn, and AI-driven distribution.Most teams have the same problem: they invest in content, rankings, or social, but none of it compounds into a reliable acquisition engineMy work focuses on building distribution systems that actually scale:• Programmatic SEO and AEO that compounds• Organic content and distribution designed to convert, not just get likes• Content that helps you rank and get recommended by ChatGPT and other LLMsI work with tech teams and founders who want predictable growth without hiring massive teams or chasing tactics that stop working in six months.Here on LinkedIn, I share what we’re learning while building and scaling these companies, so other founders can avoid the mistakes that slow growth and waste years.My goal is simple: be the most transparent founder in the world, share everything, and hide nothing (so you can steal all our tactics to grow your own business) If you’re building a real business and care about predictable demand, following me will be useful.☎️GETTING IN TOUCH IS EASY:📞 Schedule a 30-minute free brainstorm and jam session with me here: https://calendly.com/trykleo/30min (Zero pressure, and if you need to reschedule, go right ahead.)

SEO?
“Just add some keywords”
”Get green lights on Yoast”
”Let’s write a blog and rank #1?”
”Can’t we just buy some backlinks?”

But SEO in 2026 is a totally different beast.

Here’s what it actually involves:

- Total Addressable Search Market
- Google Search Console
- “Don’t change URLs”
- Quick win keywords
- Customer research
- Programmatic SEO
- Entity optimization
- LLM optimization
- Keyword Insights
- Topical authority
- Site architecture
- Schema markup
- Core Web Vitals
- Monthly reports
- Log file analysis
- Google updates
- Brand mentions
- Screaming Frog
- Technical audit
- Content decay
- Internal linking
- XML Sitemaps
- Topic clusters
- “llms.txt file?”
- Search intent
- Link building
- “It depends”
- Crawlability
- Canonicals
- Robots.txt
- Digital PR
- Mentions
- Semrush
- E-E-A-T

Just adding keywords or getting green lights on Yoast doesn't get SEO results.

True SEO and holistic marketing does.

PS. Want to see what SEO in 2026 looks like?

Join our first ever LIVE session later today. RSVP here (it’s free): https://lnkd.in/eiF7S-yM

Rob Hoffman

Daily tactics to grow revenue with organic content and AEO / SEO. | My businesses: Contact.so | Mentions.so | Kleo.so (all bootstrapped, all profitable, all growing)

"I don't know how to do SEO in 2026"

Start from level 1 in The New SEO Game:

SEO isn't just Google rankings anymore.

It's now "Search Everywhere Optimization".

Reframe your “New SEO” project as a game, and you'll become addicted to levelling up.

Level 1: Traditional SEO

- Fix technical problems killing your rankings
- Research keywords and target quick wins
- Optimize on-page elements (titles, content)
- Earn quality backlinks through outreach and PR

Level 2: AI Search Optimization

- Format content so AI can parse it easily
- Build pages that AI platforms want to cite
- Structure information for machine consumption
- Test how your brand appears in AI search results

Level 3: Paid Search Visibility

- Run Google Ads for high-intent keywords
- Target competitor terms with YouTube Search Ads
- Capture Bing traffic through Microsoft Ads
- Measure paid performance across every platform

Level 4: LLM Answer SEO

- Produce authoritative content LLMs trust
- Build a knowledge base for AI training data
- Position your brand as the definitive source
- Monitor brand mentions in LLMs with Mentions

Level 5: Brand Authority SEO

- Get unlinked brand mentions across the web
- Feature in industry roundups and expert lists
- Build brand recognition without traditional backlinks
- Track brand mention volume and sentiment

Level 6: Community SEO

- Provide value in relevant Reddit threads
- Share expertise on Quora in your space
- Engage in Slack communities and Discord servers
- Build reputation in industry forums and groups

Level 7: Parasite SEO

- Repurpose content on Medium and LinkedIn Pulse
- Publish beehiiv newsletters to rank in Google
- Guest post on high-authority platforms/websites
- Leverage existing domain authority for quick rankings

Level 8: Platform-Specific SEO

- Optimize for Amazon search if selling products
- Focus on YouTube SEO for video content
- Master TikTok's algorithm for short-form content
- Optimize App Store listings for apps/extensions

Level 9: Topic Domination

- Own conversations across ALL channels
- Create content ecosystems to reinforce each platform
- Become the go-to expert mentioned everywhere
- Monitor and maintain authority across all channels

Completed all levels?

SEO is constantly evolving in 2026.

Stay ahead or get left behind.

PS. Need help levelling up?

Join our first ever SaaS SEO in 2026 LIVE session tomorrow, March 4th. 
RSVP here (it’s free): https://lnkd.in/eiF7S-yM

Successful SEO looks like:

- 120 new blog post
- 60 high DR backlink
- 500 AI-created page
- 1,000% growth in traffic

But remember, it also looks like:

- Removing 3 cannibalizing pages
- Improving a cluster’s internal linking
- Tweaking 5 titles for better targeting
- Fixing internal links to canonical page
- Writing a featured snippet in 10 minutes
- No-indexing low-quality pages in Google
- Redirecting a 404 page with 30 backlinks
- Creating indexable URLs for 15 sales pages
- Adding a new section to an existing blog post

Don’t forget to consistently do the little things.

They can be just as impactful.

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Build long-term success with profitable content. Book your complimentary growth strategy at: https://bit.ly/growthstrategysession

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We analysed 1,000s of AI answers to find out how LinkedIn content can improve your AI visibility.

Semrush found that LinkedIn is the 2nd most cited website in AI answers (behind Reddit).

But their only other insight?

"LinkedIn: A steady rise across all AI platforms"

So we went much deeper with Mentions and analysed 4.8M AI answers and 13.4M citations.

Here are 7 key insights we found:

1. Almost half (42.5%) of all AI prompts we’re tracking cite LinkedIn at least once. Huge reach for a single platform.

2. AI citations of LinkedIn grew by 72% in just 6 months. AI tools are finding and using LinkedIn content more every month.

3. 85% of LinkedIn citations come from Google’s AI products (AI Mode and Overviews). Using LinkedIn for AI visibility is mostly playing a Google game.

4. LinkedIn Pulse articles get 8x more citations than regular LinkedIn posts. Long articles work way better than short posts for AI visibility.

5. LinkedIn Pulse articles are doing two things at once: They help content rank on Google and then get picked up by AI answers.

6. Company pages get cited more often than any other LinkedIn page type. If your company page ranks well, it is cited more consistently by AI.

7. AI loves LinkedIn most when people ask about people, companies, experience, and practical advice.

Here are the types of prompts where AI is most likely to pull from LinkedIn (from highest to lowest):

- Hiring and HR questions (69.17%)
- Real examples and case studies (65.12%)
- “Who is this person or company?” (58.89%)
- Learning and training topics (57.04%)
- Software and tools (56.10%)
- “Why” questions (54.76%)
- “How” questions (49.72%)
- “Best” or “top” lists (48.92%)
- Recommendations (48.59%)
- Reviews and opinions (48.21%)
- Comparisons (47.35%)
- “What” or “which” questions (45.14%)
- Everything else (33.34%)

We’re currently building an AI visibility strategy for beehiiv using these exact insights.

Worth sharing the process in real-time?

Companies: "Content is king"

But then:

- 1 marketer overseeing all channels
- Interns running their social platforms
- $10K/mo is too expensive for content
- Despite spending 6-figures on paid ads

Drop the performance marketing mindset where content needs to have a clear and instant ROI.

By properly investing in content, you'll attract an audience that will eventually buy from you.

Or you can carry on:

- Not building your brand
- Not growing your audience
- Not increasing inbound leads
- Not getting ahead of competitors

Most companies regret not properly investing resources into content sooner.

Don't let that be you.

Daily growth tactics to grow revenue with organic LinkedIn content and AEO / SEO. | My businesses: Contact.so | Mentions.so | Kleo.so (all bootstrapped, all profitable, all growing)

We literally live and breathe this SEO framework.

5 years ago, we watched a SaaS company burn through 6 months of content budget. 60 blog posts on topics like "what is email marketing" and "benefits of newsletters."

Their traffic skyrocketed, but their revenue flatlined.

Their entire content game was backwards.

So that's when we built our "SEO Content Pyramid" to flip it completely and start at the top.

Here's how it works:

1. Convert (Top of Pyramid)

High-intent content for people ready to buy.

A. Competitor Comparisons
↳ "beehiiv vs Kit"
↳ "Kit alternatives"

B. Product Reviews
↳ "beehiiv reviews" (brand)
↳ "Kit review" (competitor)

C. Buyer Guides
↳ "Best newsletter platforms in 2026"
↳ "Best newsletter tools for beginners"

D. Product Pages
↳ "Email newsletter software"
↳ "Newsletter platform pricing"

2. Discover (Middle of Pyramid)

Solution content for people exploring options.

A. Solve Pain Points
↳ "How to start a newsletter"
↳ "Newsletter best practises"

B. Case Studies
↳ "Email marketing case studies"
↳ "How [Brand] grew to 100k subscribers"

C. Data Studies
↳ "Open rate benchmarks 2026"
↳ "Email marketing statistics"

D. Templates and Tools
↳ "Newsletter templates"
↳ "Email subject line generator"

3. Awareness (Bottom of Pyramid)

Educational content for people learning and exploring.

A. Definitions
↳ "What is open rate"
↳ "Email deliverability explained"

B. Educational Guides
↳ "How to increase email open rate"
↳ "How to write engaging emails"

C. Industry Trends and News
↳ "Gmail manage subscriptions feature"
↳ "Email marketing trends 2026"

D. Ideas
↳ "Newsletter content ideas"
↳ "Email campaign ideas for holidays"

Start at the top with Convert content. Only move to Discover once you've covered every competitor comparison, product review, and buyer guide. Then tackle Awareness last.

This framework will 10x your SEO results.

Our SEO Agency is trending on X News right now... last time this happened the CEO of Google himself weighed in.

If you haven't seen it yet, Jake Ward published a controversial article yesterday.

It breaks down his AI-powered SEO experiment that will likely redefine how founders think about organic content and SEO in 2026.

So far, the results are insane:

- +466% SEO traffic growth in 60 days
- 13,000+ pages published in just 3 hours
- 50% of those pages aren't even indexed yet

People think SEO is slow. But this proves it could be the fastest growth channel for startups in 2026.

The two biggest takeaways for founders looking to invest in this growth channel:

1. Content today is built like software, not written.
2. People want to interact with content, not read it.

I've talked to dozens of founders over the past weeks, and one thing is clear…

Most know this is a growth channel they can't miss out on, but have no idea where to start.

If that sounds like you, or you’re wondering whether this would work for your site, DM me or book a call (link in comments).

I called my shot last year, then spent 183 days making it happen:

Launched 2 businesses in 4 cities and hit $75k MRR.

I lived out of a suitcase, built in public, experienced setbacks, took massive risks…

But here’s what calling my shot has made painfully clear:

1. Define the shot before you take it

I asked myself: What would the best 6 months of my life look like?

I wrote down the answer. Then showed it to my co-founder, Jake:

"We’ll spend 6 months moving from city to city, meeting interesting people. Launch two businesses and grow them fast. Build in public, and get invited on all the podcasts we've been fans of for years."

And it all came true.

You can't call your shot if you don't have total clarity on what it is. Write it down. Make it specific. Then do it.

2. Go to where the interesting people are

Whatever shot you're calling, you will need people.

I spent 6 months moving from city to city, connecting with unique and talented people.

The people I met ended up becoming my co-founders, clients, and team members.

Moving cities is your competitive advantage because so few people are willing to do it.

3. Be the first to drink the Kool-Aid

People want to join a mission and get excited about something. So don't be afraid to sell it.

You may never arrive at the original destination, but here's a secret: nobody cares.

Most people just want an excuse to go on an epic adventure.

Dream big, define your vision, then build a team around it.

4. The biggest mistake is moving so slow you don’t make any

Our first CTO quit. And we didn't let it slow us down.

In less than 24 hours we:

Met with a new candidate
Made a handshake deal for equity and comp
Flew him across the world to sleep on our couch

If you make mistakes, good. That means you're moving fast enough.

You can't steer a stationary ship.

5. Be loud and unapologetic

I’ve documented everything we built on platforms like LinkedIn and X.

People told me not to share our numbers and growth strategies publicly. But I did it anyway.

I used Kleo to turn my ideas and stories into posts (like this one) that got attention.

That attention turned into:

- 2 dream podcast appearances
- Incredible talent asking to work with us
- lead flow for all three of our businesses

The most powerful lesson in all this (for business and life)?

When you call your shot…Call it loud.

Life is short. So tell the world exactly what you want, then go get it.

Helping founders make predictable revenue from organic content and rankings on LinkedIn, Google, and LLMs | CEO of Contact.so | Mentions.so | Kleo.so

Before: 300+ blog posts, 1K/mo (declining) traffic.

After: 0 new blog posts, 120K/mo traffic.

How? Content optimization.

Here's the background:

The client had published 300+ posts over 2 years, but only hit ~1K/mo traffic (and it was falling). They’d invested 6-figures and wanted more out of what they already had.

Here's what we did:

1. Content audit

We analyzed all 300+ posts and identified:

- Nearly-ranking posts (low-hanging fruit)
- Overlapping posts that could be merged
- Posts with potential but poorly optimized
- Content offering little/no value to users or Google
- Posts targeting multiple intents that should be split

We prioritized what could move the needle fastest.

2. Content optimization

We optimized content with the most potential (~20%).

For each, we improved:

- Introduction
- Internal linking
- SERP snippets
- Topic coverage
- Matching intent
- Term frequency
- Content structure

We completed this over a 90-day sprint.

And hit 120K+/mo in 180 days.

Publishing more isn’t always the answer.

Optimizing what you already have can drive bigger wins.

In just 2 days, we’re doing something entirely new.

(And you can join for free)

Our first ever LIVE SEO session. Just me and Jake Ward sharing what's actually working in SaaS SEO in 2026.

We've been sitting on this strategy for months and it feels wrong to keep it locked away...

Why? Because 90% of SaaS SEO strategies are completely broken right now.

Companies are still chasing traffic when the real goal is pipeline and revenue. And in 2026, AI is reshaping how people search, evaluate, and buy software.

The decade-old playbook is being rewritten in real time.

And we want to help 100 SaaS companies fix their SEO strategies LIVE on this webinar.

Jake will be breaking down the best SaaS SEO strategy and playbook in 2026, built from:

1. 8 years of SEO work with SaaS companies, from high-growth startups like beehiiv to billion-dollar platforms like Kajabi.

2. Launching multiple SEO products like Byword (2 weeks before ChatGPT) to scale SEO programmatically, and Mentions to win AI visibility.

3. Running high-profile experiments like the world's largest AI SEO case study, SEO speedruns, and the infamous SEO heist.

4. Leading product and SEO innovation at Contact across 25+ active clients and a 20-person SEO and content team.

This isn't theory. It's what's driving pipeline and revenue for SaaS companies in as little as 90 days.

And everyone who joins live gets exclusive bonuses and giveaways not available anywhere else.

RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/eiF7S-yM

We built an "SEO pyramid" for our smallest SaaS client.

Result: $600K+ in attributed revenue in 12 months.

Here's how the inverted funnel works.

Most SEO strategies target the high volume keywords first, but we do the opposite.

Step 1: Own the bottom first

We started with 4 high-intent articles per month targeting decision-makers:

-Product comparison pages
-Software buying guides
-Decision frameworks for their ICP

These pages converted immediately because we targeted people ready to buy.

Step 2: Scale with AI

Once we dominated bottom-of-funnel search, we deployed our in-house AI-powered programmatic tool.

100 articles per month. All targeting the upper funnel:

-Reddit-inspired user questions
-How-to guides for specific scenarios
-Broad questions about the niche

Step 3: Let Google connect the dots

The programmatic content drove 2.5M impressions, which signaled to Google that our client is an authority.

We linked from TOFU content back to BOFU pages.

Google rewarded us by ranking our competitive bottom-of-funnel keywords higher.

The result: an avalanche of qualified traffic that converted.

The inverted funnel works because you build conversion infrastructure first, then flood it with authority-driven traffic.

We're going deeper into this strategy (and much more) on our March 4th webinar.

For the first time ever, we're revealing the full SaaS SEO playbook we're using in 2026…

The same strategy we used to grow this client, a SaaS unicorn, and our own SaaS that just hit $1M ARR in under 5 months.

Register for our LIVE insider session now (while there are spots available): https://lnkd.in/eGRiQX-k

I run 3 businesses. $400K MRR (total). All growing fast.

Is there some "secret sauce?"

Kind of:

It's called a constraints analysis.

This is the highest leverage skill any Founder can develop.

Before I show you how I do it, remember:

Like any other skill, you build this one through repetition.

Repeat this system every month.

Keep honing your craft.

Hope this helps someone level up their business in 2026.

Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/eSjVPsgj

90 days ago we built our "SEO Innovation" team.

6 cool things we've shipped since then:

1. Spotify Wrapped for SEO
2. Crazy SEO Experiments
3. AI Visibility Report
4. Total Addressable Search Market
5. Useful Data Studies
6. Live SEO Sessions

(Swipe below to see what each one does)

I’m now convinced that SEO agencies today without an innovation department won't exist in 3 years.

The game is changing too fast.

PS. Shoutout to Ojash for leading the charge. From Strategist to Head of Innovation for Contact in Dec.

SEO Innovation At Contact

Our bootstrapped SaaS just outranked our 6 VC-backed competitors in under 48 hours. Even ChatGPT now tells people to use us over them.

Here's exactly how we did it:

1. Pick your targets

We identified the 6 tools we wanted to rank against.

The tools users already compare us to.

2. Actually try the products

We signed up for every single one.

We tested each tool firsthand so the reviews weren't fluff. We used real insights, screenshots, and comparisons.

If you're faking this part, readers notice. So do the AI overviews.

3. Pull external reviews

We researched G2, Capterra, Reddit, and Product Hunt for what real users were saying about each tool.

This gave us the language people actually use when searching.

4. Build two pages per competitor

For each of the 6 tools we built:

- A standalone review page (e.g. "AuthoredUp Review 2026")
- A comparison page (e.g. "Kleo vs AuthoredUp")

5. Optimize for AEO

Every page was structured to answer specific questions that AI overviews pull from.

Headers, tables, and comparison grids make it easy for LLMs to cite you directly.

We're now showing up in AI overviews for most of these searches (and being recommended over our competitors).

6. Add graphics and tables

We added feature comparison tables and visual breakdowns on every page.

This improves time on page, reduces bounce, and gives scrapers something structured to reference.

The result:

- Ranking 1st, 2nd, or 3rd for all 6 competitor terms
- Kleo is the recommended tool in AI overviews
- ChatGPT also recommends us over our competitors

Shout out to Lisa Steingold our incredible Strategist behind these rankings.

Kleo

Brand visibility therapist | SEO strategist | Scaling is my favorite game 💎 | Wrote a novel on Amazon | 🏍 lover 🇿🇦 🇪🇸

pSEO is by far the quickest way to get SEO traffic.

Jake went from 971 → 5,500 traffic/wk in 60 days.

And it only took 3 hours too…

Crazy what AI can do for SEO in 2026.

Rank #1 in ChatGPT and AI Search: My next LIVE SEO session on 8th April. Co-Founder at Contact (and 3x SaaS companies).

I built 13,000+ pages with AI in 3 hours and grew my SEO traffic by +466% 60 days later.

- No template spam
- No city-name swaps
- No thin AI content

Instead, I built a system where content isn’t written page by page...

It’s built like software.

13,000+ useful pages generated in under 3 hours.

Weekly organic clicks went from 971 to 5,500 (~50% of pages aren't even indexed yet).

And the curve is still going up.

Read my LinkedIn article below:

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