What's the first question to ask when working with global brands?

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Voices of Search – "What's the first question to ask when working with global brands?"

Date: January 21, 2026
Host: Jordan Cooney
Guest: Eli Schwartz, Growth Advisor, SEO Consultant, Author of "Product Led SEO"

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Episode Overview

In this concise but insightful episode, Jordan Cooney dives into the key considerations SEO professionals need to address when working with major global brands. The central theme revolves around the vital first question any consultant should ask when starting an SEO partnership with a large-scale, international business. Special guest Eli Schwartz shares his deep expertise, illustrating his approach with real-world examples from his engagements with top brands.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Foundational Question for Global Brands

[00:43 – 01:30]

• Jordan Cooney asks Eli Schwartz:
  “What is the number one question that you start with when you work with one of these global brands?”
• Eli Schwartz highlights the necessity of clarifying objectives:
  • "What is it that you're trying to accomplish with SEO?"
  • Noting the complexity of multinational organizations, Eli emphasizes the importance of specificity—don’t just ask about wanting “more” (traffic, clicks, conversions), but press deeper on the type, location, and value of that “more.”
• Eli’s approach:
  • Use follow-up questions to define the target audience, market, and business outcomes.
  • Example from LinkedIn: Despite having a strong SEO foothold, even they wanted incremental gains, but the question became, “More who? More people in America, more people in Japan, more business people, more HR people?”
  • Insight: “There's always who. What are you trying to do with SEO? That's the first question I always dive into…” (Eli Schwartz, [01:15])

Notable Quote:

"What is it that you're trying to accomplish with SEO? ... There's always who. What are you trying to do with SEO? That's the first question I always dive into and that has the follow on questions."
—Eli Schwartz [00:58 - 01:30]

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2. Understanding Conversions & Business Value

[02:58 – 03:15]

• Eli cautions that an indiscriminate push for “more traffic” is not strategic:
  • "If you want more traffic, there are ways you can get more traffic. You can, you know, give out, you know, free spins on like whatever Temu has and you'll just get traffic."
  • The focus should be on meaningful conversions and what truly benefits the business:
    • "But you want to figure out what the conversion is. Where do you—what is beneficial to you and to the business. And that's where you should be focusing your SEO resources."
• This advice drives home that knowing the end goal is integral to a successful SEO strategy.

Notable Quote:

"But you want to figure out what the conversion is. Where do you—what is beneficial to you and to the business. And that's where you should be focusing your SEO resources."
—Eli Schwartz [03:08]

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Memorable Moments

• LinkedIn Example
  Eli’s anecdote about working with LinkedIn offers a relatable window into the challenges global brands face—even at enormous scale. It reinforces the idea that clarity of purpose trumps raw volume in SEO endeavors.

• Emphasis on “the Who”
  The episode repeatedly circles back to the importance of knowing exactly who the brand wants to reach, not just how to increase numbers.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:43 — Primary question for global brands: What do you want to accomplish with SEO?
• 01:15 — The importance of “who” in SEO targeting (with LinkedIn example)
• 02:58 — Addressing the “more traffic” fallacy and focusing on what is beneficial to the business

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Episode Tone & Style

• Direct, hands-on, and practical advice
• Emphasis on specificity, clarity, and challenging assumptions
• Encourages asking probing questions and tailoring SEO to business objectives

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For more from Eli Schwartz, visit productledSEO.com, or find his profile on LinkedIn. Listen to Voices of Search for more actionable SEO and content marketing insights.

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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]

Let's go on to our second topic here. You've helped some of the largest brands in the world with organic traffic and visibility. What is the number one question that you start with when you work with one of these global brands?

[C]

Talked about earlier but like what is it that you're trying to accomplish with SEO? And I really like to drill into it. So I had a chance to work with LinkedIn last year and LinkedIn has accomplished everything with SEO. They have a monopoly and they wanted more. Like everybody I've ever talked to, they wanted more traffic, more clicks, more whatever. More conversions. Like more who? More people in America, more people in Japan, more more. More business people, more HR people. There's always who. What are you trying to do with SEO? That's the first question I always dive into and that has the follow on questions.

[D]

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[C]

If you want more traffic, there are ways you can get more traffic. You can, you know, give out, you know, free spins on like whatever Temu has and you'll just get traffic. But you want to figure out what the conversion is. Where do you what is beneficial to you and to the business. And that's where you should be focusing your SEO resources.

[B]

Absolutely. And that wraps up this episode of the Voice of Search podcast. A huge thank you to Eli Schwartz, Growth advisor, SEO Consultant and author of Product Led SEO, for joining us. If you'd like to connect with Eli, you can find a link to his LinkedIn profile in our show notes or on the voicesofsearch.com you can also visit his personal website, productled SEO.com if you haven't subscribed yet and want a daily stream of SEO content marketing knowledge in your podcast feed, hit the subscribe button in your podcast app or on YouTube and we'll be back in your feed every week. Okay, that's all for today, but until next time, remember the answers are always in the data.