The most important metric in your SEO dashboard

Summary

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Voices of Search Podcast

Episode: The Most Important Metric in Your SEO Dashboard
Date: February 28, 2026
Host: Jordan Cooney
Guest: Thomas Payam, CEO & Co-Founder of Otterly AI

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Episode Overview

This episode tackles a critical and evolving topic in the world of content and search engine marketing: identifying the most important, often-overlooked metrics in SEO dashboards and understanding how AI models evaluate online content. Host Jordan Cooney and guest Thomas Payam discuss actionable insights into leveraging unique data signals, with a special focus on Wikipedia's impact, to boost organic visibility in an increasingly competitive landscape.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Understanding Underutilized SEO Signals

• AI and SEO: The episode opens with a provocative question about which signals sophisticated AI models now pick up on, but marketers often miss.
• Overlooked Metrics: Thomas Payam highlights Wikipedia as a significant but frequently neglected asset for brands striving for credibility and visibility.

2. The Power of Wikipedia for SEO

• Practical Example: Thomas shares Otterly AI’s journey in creating a Wikipedia page, emphasizing its tangible impact on their organic presence.
• Why Wikipedia Matters: The hosts underscore how a Wikipedia page serves as an authoritative reference point for both users and search engines, contributing to trust and improved brand rankings.

3. Actionable Takeaways for Marketers

• Optimizing for New Signals: Marketers should integrate Wikipedia into their SEO strategies, recognizing it as a key trust and authority signal for modern search algorithms.
• Addressing Gaps: Many brands still lack Wikipedia pages, potentially missing out on valuable search visibility and credibility boosts.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jordan Cooney (Host):
  [02:18] “What’s one signal that AI models pick up on but marketers are rarely optimizing for?”

• Thomas Payam (Guest):
  [02:28] “Wikipedia is still a hard nut to crack for many teams as well. So we saw a big impact. We didn’t have a Wikipedia page ourselves 12 months ago; we launched one… seven, eight months ago and we saw some good impact there. So I think marketers are not really utilizing the visibility that you could get through a Wikipedia presence, through a Wikipedia page.”

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:18] – Key question on hidden AI-observed SEO signals
• [02:28] – Thomas Payam discusses Wikipedia’s impact and missed opportunity
• [02:57] – Episode wrap-up and data-driven encouragement

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Episode Takeaways

• Main Theme:
  Search engines—and the AI models powering them—increasingly value signals beyond just link authority and keyword relevance. Wikipedia presence stands out as a metric with significant untapped potential for organic growth.
• Action Steps:
  Marketers should evaluate their brand's Wikipedia presence and reputation as part of a holistic SEO strategy, ensuring they're capitalizing on this authoritative, trust-building channel.

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“Remember, the answers are always in the data.”
— Jordan Cooney [02:57]

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Transcript

[A]

The Voices of Search Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com welcome to the Voices of Search Podcast. A member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network, ready to expedite your company's organic growth efforts. Sit back, relax and get ready for your daily dose of search engine optimization wisdom. Here's today's host of the Voices of Search Podcast, Jordan Cooney.

[B]

I'm Jordan Cooney and joining me to tackle these critical questions is Thomas Payam, CEO and co Founder of Otterly AI.

[C]

Time for a one minute break to hear from our sponsor, Pre Visible. So you're looking for SEO help and you got a couple of options. You could start replying to spam from agencies that claim they can get you to rank number one on Google. You can pay an hourly rate for a consultant who will inevitably nickel and dime you with hourly charges. Or you can work with a cookie cutter agency to quickly launch a strategy less project with low success rate. None of those sound very good now do they? Well, that's where Pre Visible's integrated consulting model comes in. Pre Visible draws From a collective 40 years of SEO and digital marketing experience to unlock your organic growth opportunities. They build custom solutions that combine strategy, technical expertise, content and reporting to effectively operationalize SEO for your business. Pre Visible's four stage approach ensures that your SEO programs thrive by starting off with a strategy first approach. Then they support you in your efforts to create quality content, help you identify technical issues, and most importantly, they'll work with your cross functional teams to integrate your SEO strategies to make sure that your SEO budget actually drives results, not just your agency's bottom line. So join brands like Yelp, eBay, Canva, Atlassian Square, all who rely on the SEO consultants at Pre Visible. For more information go to Previsible IO. That's Pre Visible. P R E V I S I B L E IO

[B]

what's one signal that AI models pick up on but marketers are rarely optimizing for?

[D]

That's a good one. Wikipedia is still a hard nut to crack for many teams as well. So we saw a big impact. So we didn't have a Wikipedia page ourselves for example, 12 months ago we launched one. We created one I think about seven, eight months ago and we saw some good impact there. So I think marketer is not really utilizing the the visibility that you could get through a Wikipedia presence through a Wikipedia page.

[B]

Okay, that's all for today. But until next time, remember, the answers are always in the data.