Ranking in Google is no longer the final goal—it’s just the starting line. In this solo episode of Performance SEO Unpacked, host Ruchi Pardal reveals how the rise of AI agents like Gemini and ChatGPT is forcing a seismic shift in how enterprise teams approach SEO, UX, and UI. Traditional distinctions between crawling and navigation, keyword strategy and visual hierarchy, are collapsing fast.

Ruchi breaks down the mechanics of what it means to design for AI usability—where semantic clarity meets layout predictability. If your product or service pages can’t be parsed, summarized, and actioned by machine agents, they’ll never be recommended in zero-click AI environments. This episode explores exactly how to future-proof your SEO efforts by aligning modular UI patterns, schema, and trust signals with AI comprehension requirements.

• Why ranking in Google is now just the beginning of visibility
• How Gemini and ChatGPT evaluate site structure, not just content
• The convergence of SEO and UX in an AI-first world
• What “AI-usable design” looks like in practice
• Why modular design systems matter more than ever
• The role of semantic clarity and layout flow in AI comprehension
• What trust blocks and internal linking communicate to machines
• Questions every team should ask about their HTML structure and UI components

Resources:

ResultFirst: Visit for more SEO tips and strategies.

Connect with Ruchi Pardal on LinkedIn for a conversation about SEO.

If you enjoyed today's episode and found valuable insights for your business, be sure to subscribe to Performance SEO Unpacked for more expert discussions. Don't forget to leave a review and share this episode with your team or fellow marketers! Let's keep the conversation going—connect with us on LinkedIn and join the community of enterprise SEO enthusiasts.

On this episode of Performance SEO Unpacked, host Ruchi Pardal sits down with Rob Dougherty to explore a real-world blueprint for AI-driven content success. Rob leads content and SEO at Kiteworks—solo. He shares how he replaced a traditional agency model with a full AI-based production system, scaling from near-zero visibility to conversion-generating blog content. Rob walks through his personal content prompt framework, the editing processes he trusts, and the KPIs that drive his strategy: from impressions to clicks to demos. With a practical lens on regulated industries and EEAT, Rob’s story is a must-listen for SEOs serious about performance at scale.

👤 Guest Bio

Rob Dougherty leads SEO and content marketing at Kiteworks, a cybersecurity and regulatory compliance company. He transitioned from a full-service content specialist to a solo SEO practitioner, now running a one-person content operation powered almost entirely by AI.

Connect with Rob on LinkedIn

📌 What We Cover

• Why Rob moved directly to AI for full content production—skipping outlines and ideation
• The exact prompt framework used to generate high-quality, informative blog posts
• How Rob measures success: starting from impressions, moving to clicks, and now conversions
• Insights on handling hallucinations, editorial review, and on-brand messaging in regulated industries
• Why shorter, simpler prompts outperform overly complex ones in Rob’s workflow
• Key editing steps to ensure standalone, compelling H2s and section structure for zero-click environments
• How Rob incorporates Kiteworks’ brand messaging into AI-generated content
• Adding AI platform tracking to demo request forms to measure true SEO + AI influence

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Claude.ai (used for AI content generation)
• ChatGPT, Perplexity (referenced as alternative tools)
• Kiteworks: kiteworks.com
• Rob’s LinkedIn: Rob Dougherty

Prompt Shares By Rob:

"I would like you to write a blog post from the perspective of a German CISO or data privacy officer with MSSP experience.

Here are the topics I would like addressed:

1. Why data protection is needed for German manufacturers
2. Benefits of data protection for German manufacturers
3. Data protection challenges for German manufacturers
4. Data protection compliance regulations German manufacturers must abide by
5. Ten best practices for implementing a data protection program into a German manufacturing company.

The post should be authoritative in tone, follow SEO best practices, optimized for AEO systems, written in active voice and contain approximately 2,000 words. The long-tail keyword is data privacy best practices for German manufacturers.

Do you understand these instructions? If yes, please start by proposing an outline.

[iterate on the outline]

Proceed with writing. Please use active voice, avoid using gerunds in the title and all sub-titles. All titles and sub-titles should be engaging and informative rather than descriptive and plain, e.g., “Conclusion,” so if a reader were to just read the sub-titles, she or he would be able to get the gist of the blog post.

[review and iterate on the post]

Please propose 4-5 key takeaways for this post. The takeaways should be numbered, followed by a main idea, in bold, followed by a brief description or summary of the main idea not to exceed 50...

Big brands aren’t immune to SEO surprises—just ask Christina Clark from HubSpot. In this episode of Performance SEO Unpacked, host Ruchi Pardal explores the unexpected disappearance of HubSpot’s homepage from search results. Christina shares how her team uncovered a deeper issue with Google's understanding of their brand and why technical SEO demanded center stage in a content-driven company.

From digging into core web vitals to reshaping internal links, Christina takes us through a real-world SEO challenge that tested cross-functional collaboration and highlighted the need to prove technical SEO’s business impact. If you've ever faced resistance to technical fixes or struggled to align dev teams with SEO goals, this conversation brings valuable lessons from one of the most recognized names in the industry.

👤 Guest Bio

Christina Clark leads product SEO at HubSpot, where she focuses on aligning technical performance with brand strategy. Known for her curiosity and data-driven approach, Christina collaborates across teams to resolve complex SEO challenges in an ever-evolving search landscape. Connect with her on LinkedIn: Christina Clark

📌 What We Cover

• How HubSpot discovered its homepage was no longer ranking for branded search
• The role of curiosity and constant “why” in identifying SEO issues
• Comparing homepage vs. free CRM page: content, core vitals, and internal links
• Proving technical SEO’s value through KPIs, bounce rate, and page load speed
• Cross-functional collaboration with web strategy, creative, and development teams
• The evolving role of Google’s brand understanding and homepage relevance
• Key takeaways on mobile experience, internal linking, and core web vitals
• Why SEO success requires bringing dev teams into the strategy early

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Christina’s Technical SEO Checklist https://www.resultfirst.com/ebooks/technical-seo-checklist/
• ResultFirst: Visit for more SEO tips and strategies.
• Connect with Ruchi Pardal on LinkedIn for a conversation about SEO.

If you enjoyed today's episode and found valuable insights for your business, be sure to subscribe to Performance SEO Unpacked for more expert discussions. Don't forget to leave a review and share this episode with your team or fellow marketers! Let's keep the conversation going—connect with us on LinkedIn and join the community of enterprise SEO enthusiasts.