SEO Visibility Key Findings
- 92% of marketers plan to maintain or increase SEO investment in 2025
- True SEO performance stems from trust signals: targeted content and a user-first experience
- Premature scaling and broad outreach waste resources that smart founders avoid by focusing on lean, high-impact visibility
Nearly every marketer is holding strong or doubling down on SEO for 2025.
According to MediaValet, 92% plan to maintain or increase their investment — but many still miss what drives real results.
The mistake? Focusing on traffic instead of building credibility.
In episode No. 92 of the DesignRush Podcast, we speak to:
- Chris Raulf, Founder and CEO of Boulder SEO Marketing
- Kenny Kelley, Founder and CEO of Silent Beacon
They explain why trust has to come before scale, an important lesson for any founder trying to turn visibility into real growth.
Listen to the full episode now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube to learn how trust-driven visibility powers growth.
Episode Chapter Summary
- 00:31 — Why Fit Beats the Hard Sell
- 01:42 – Discoverability over Outbound in 2025
- 06:51 – Real Talk: SEO, AI & Thought Leadership
- 09:22 – Using AI Without Losing Your Voice
- 28:29 – End Final Lessons on Trust, Relevance & Growth
3 Mistakes Founders Make That Undermine SEO and Trust
Too often, founders chase visibility without the clarity, systems, or trust signals to support it. Chris and Kenny share the most common missteps they see — and how to avoid them with smarter, leaner strategies.
Mistake 1: Founders Confuse Traffic With Trust
Most founders still treat SEO as a numbers game. But in 2025, it’s not about how many people land on your site. It’s about how many find value and return.
“Marketing must serve, not sell,” says Chris.
He no longer sees keyword volume as the main goal. Instead, effective SEO is about intent, trust signals, and user satisfaction.
Chris developed what he calls “micro SEO” to reflect this shift. It’s built on three principles:
Focus on intent. Target keyword groups that reflect what real customers are actually searching for.
Meet users where they are. Create content that aligns with how people live, search, and buy in specific locations.
Speak their language. Use multilingual content to build trust and reach people in their native terms.
These tactics don’t just grow traffic. They build authority.
“We optimize for the searcher, not the search term,” Chris explains. “You need to answer the question better than anyone else, in the language and format your audience prefers.”
Kenny takes a similar approach in a completely different space.
“We don’t want a yes-or-no visit,” he says. “We want to give users something they come back for.”
Silent Beacon’s site is structured as a resource center, rather than a product pitch.
That long-view approach builds trust. It turns SEO into a conversation starter, not just a traffic source.
This just goes to show: SEO is a trust-building system, not a side tactic.
If users don’t trust you, they won’t convert.
Mistake 2: Hiring Before Systems Are Scalable
Startups often assume that more people means more progress. But that impulse to scale prematurely can backfire.
Kenny Kelley learned this firsthand.
“I didn't need to bring on 20 salespeople. I needed to train the five I had to handle more,” he says.
Early in Silent Beacon’s growth, he focused on maximizing a small team. That meant process, cross-training, and clarity.
The result? A lean operation that stayed close to its customers.
“Adding headcount without solving operational issues just gives you more problems to manage,” he explains.
Chris Raulf sees this mistake often.
“If your systems aren't scalable, your team size won’t save you,” he says.
His advice? Build reusable frameworks. Automate where possible. Outsource when needed.
The smartest companies invest in systems before they invest in salaries. That’s how lean teams win.
Mistake 3: Underestimating the Role of AI in SEO
It's tempting to lean heavily on AI SEO tools and automation.
But founders who rely too much on tools lose the personal relevance that earns trust.
“Technology won't replace marketers,” says Chris, “but it will replace marketers who don’t know how to apply it.”
At Boulder SEO Marketing, Chris developed a system that uses structured prompts to generate deep content outlines.
But it doesn’t stop there.
“We interview the client, extract their expertise, and shape that into something meaningful,” Chris explains.
It’s the combination of system and subject matter that makes content both scalable and credible.
Kenny echoes that balance.
“Trust comes from the human side. You can’t automate care,” he says.
In personal safety tech, empathy matters just as much as engineering. Every content touchpoint, from product pages to educational guides, has to reflect that.
Tech tools are multipliers, not replacements. When used strategically, they reduce content production time and help surface insights — but the voice and intent still have to be human.
Who Is Chris Raulf?
Chris Raulf is a global SEO strategist known for pioneering the “micro SEO” methodology. He helps companies scale multilingual visibility through high-performance content systems and lean teams. Chris also integrates AI ethically to accelerate content production without sacrificing trust.
Who Is Kenny Kelley?
Kenny Kelley is a safety tech founder who turned personal adversity into purpose-driven innovation. As a former Hollywood stuntman, he brings clarity, grit, and user-first thinking to the world of emergency technology. His lean approach to SEO and growth has earned Silent Beacon a loyal, impact-driven customer base.
Why SEO-Driven Growth Starts With Trust
Getting seen is not enough. Founders who scale with integrity understand that visibility only works when it’s earned.
They don’t just ask “how can I rank?” They ask, “how can I help?”
Clarity, intent, and consistency turn casual searchers into loyal clients. That’s what trust-driven SEO looks like, and it’s what converts.
This episode is a must-listen for B2B founders, CMOs, and agency leaders who want to grow without sacrificing authenticity or burning resources on the wrong tactics.
Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Want help driving your search progress? Check out our list of the best SEO agencies to boost your performance:
-preview.jpg)
