Build Authentic Business Relationships

In this post I feature a podcast episode where I meet Kelly Rayduta, marketing and SEO expert who shares her experiences on building effective marketing strategies, developing capabilities in your teams and establishing lasting working relationships.

In the podcast, Kelly discusses her journey from educator to agency founder, highlighting how her teaching background enabled her to develop her team to be ahead of the game, and empower her clients for success.

She emphasizes the value of authentic relationship-building and clear communication, noting that understanding and listening to clients’ needs is key to delivering impactful solutions.

Kelly also shares her approach to navigating conversations about business goals, and the importance of aligning strategies to engage successfully with your ideal customers.

You’ll find a few take aways in this post and you can watch or listen to the podcast for the full picture.

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• Journey to Agency Leadership

  Kelly’s path began with a passion for design and a fallback career in teaching, which ultimately shaped her approach to business and team development.

• Education as a Core Value
  Her teaching background remains central, enabling her to demystify SEO and Google Ads for clients and team members through clear, transparent education.

• Data-Driven
  Kelly emphasizes that effective digital marketing is rooted in data, not magic. She highlights the importance of understanding Google’s focus on delivering the best answers to user queries.

• People and Communication as a Product
  Beyond technical skills, Kelly sees her agency’s ability to communicate and build relationships as a key differentiator and a “product” in its own right.

• Adapting to Change:
  She stresses the importance of ongoing learning and adaptability, especially in response to unpredictable changes like Google algorithm updates.

Develop Game-Changing Client/User Relationships

• Teaching Mindset Fuels Success:
  Educating clients and team members builds trust and empowers everyone to grow together.

• Transparent Communication is Key:
  Open, clear communication—internally and externally—is the foundation of business success.

• Growth with Purpose:
  Aligning business ambitions with values such as sustainability and employee well-being creates a positive impact for all stakeholders.

• Relationships Drive Results:
  Building authentic relationships and understanding client needs leads to better outcomes and long-term success.

Personalize Outreach:

• Go the extra mile with customized engagement, such as creating video reviews of a prospect’s website to highlight opportunities for improvement.

• Show authentic care by identifying and pursuing “dream clients” with tailored solutions.

Prioritize Communication:

• Schedule monthly client check-ins to align strategies with evolving business goals and maintain transparency.

• Keep conversations focused on the client’s needs, not just deliverables, to reinforce partnership over transaction.

Nurture Beyond Transactions:

• Stay connected after networking events by checking in regularly, sharing relevant insights, or connecting clients to opportunities.

• Send thoughtful messages (e.g., “I saw this and thought of you”) to show you value the relationship beyond immediate projects.

Serve Before you Sell

Kelly emphasizes that authentic relationships are built by prioritizing client needs over immediate profits:

• Free Value Upfront: Offering no-obligation SEO/Google Ads audits and actionable tips demonstrates expertise without pressure.

• Proactive Outreach: Sending personalized video audits to “dream clients” shows genuine care and effort, setting the stage for trust.

• No “Sales” Language: Focus on solving problems, not pitching services. As Kelly says, “It’s about helping clients win—when they win, we win.”

The Human Touch in a Digital Age

• Consistency Over Speed: Monthly check-ins, thoughtful messages (“I saw this and thought of you”), and post-networking follow-ups keep relationships alive.

• Adaptability: Align strategies with evolving client goals. “Communication isn’t a one-time thing—it’s a commitment,” Kelly notes.

Unappreciated SEO Opportunities

• Video Content: Often overlooked, video boosts engagement and SEO. Optimize titles, descriptions, and transcripts with keywords to rank on YouTube and Google.

• Domain Authority Building: Target low-competition keywords first, then scale to competitive terms as authority grows.

• Beyond Keywords: Focus on user intent. A blog answering “How to fix X” might attract leads better than a generic product page.

SEO Strategies

• Educate, Don’t Assume: Clients may not know what they need. Use audits to reveal gaps (e.g., “Your site lacks video—here’s why it matters”).

• Data-Driven Flexibility: Adjust strategies based on real-time results. If ads outperform SEO, reallocate budgets transparently.

• Transparency Builds Trust: Explain why a strategy works (“Video builds trust because…”), not just what to do.

After the Click

Driving traffic is only half the battle. If users land on your website and don’t convert—don’t buy, don’t contact you, or simply bounce—then something is broken.

Some reasons this might happen:

• Poor user experience or confusing navigation.

• Lack of clear calls-to-action.

• No incentives to stay, engage, or return.

One simple solution? Create lead magnets—like free downloadable eGuides—that are relevant to the content that’s drawing traffic in the first place. These tools allow you to collect emails, build trust, and nurture long-term relationships.

AI: Friend or Foe?

AI is already changing the SEO landscape in several ways:

• Faster content generation through tools like ChatGPT.

• Enhanced keyword research and planning.

• Ability to build AI assistants trained on your personal or business knowledge.

But AI isn’t a full replacement for human insight. Great SEO still relies on:

• Strategy (What content should exist? Why?)

• Voice and authenticity (What do you uniquely offer?)

• Aligning with E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).

Training AI to “think like you” is becoming more accessible, but feeding it the right inputs remains important.

AI has already started streamlining processes in marketing, especially in areas like content generation, keyword research, and ad targeting. But while anyone can now access powerful tools, knowing how to use them strategically is what determines success.

“AI is like a power drill”, anyone can buy one, but not everyone knows how to use it properly or creatively.

Use AI to amplify your efforts, but don’t rely on it to define your strategy. That’s still a human job. Even the best AI needs clear inputs and contextual understanding. Human experts still lead the way in:

• Defining brand voice.

• Vetting content for accuracy and nuance.

• Building integrated strategies across platforms like Google Ads and SEO.

Leading Teams in a Fast Moving Industry

In industries such as digital marketing, where platforms and algorithms evolve constantly, ongoing learning is non-negotiable. Kelly’s tips on developing her people

• Weekly 1:1 check-ins to address individual wins, challenges, and personal goals.

• Ideal week templates to protect time for training, client work, and collaboration.

• Space for learning about transferable skills (like marketing psychology) to fuel creativity and growth.

Know your Numbers:

Understand your metrics before investing in digital advertising

• What’s your customer acquisition cost?

• What’s your conversion rate?

• What’s the lifetime value of a customer?

Before spending on ads, calculate what success looks like—and whether your current strategy is set up to achieve it.