You Quit Social Media for SEO. Plot Twist: You Need Both.

You Quit Social Media for SEO. Plot Twist: You Need Both. You chose SEO because you were tired of social media. Now your SEO strategy is sending you back. Anyone else feeling personally attacked? 😂 In episode 215 of The Simple and Smart SEO Show, Crystal Waddell continues her conversation with Ryan Erwin, director of SEO and AEO at VaynerMedia, about connecting organic social, website content, and AI search visibility. Ryan shares how his team uses SEO and LLM insights to inform social content, how he approaches measuring success beyond clicks, and why he still believes in staying hands-on as AI tools become more capable. And yes, I admit that returning to social media feels a little bittersweet. If you’re a small business owner trying to figure out where to spend your limited marketing time, this conversation is for you. 🔎 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ✅ How Ryan keeps SEO, creative, and other teams communicating. ✅ Where citations, share of voice, and sentiment fit into AI visibility measurement. ✅ Why your business goals should guide your marketing metrics. ✅ How Ryan thinks about schema markup. ✅ How search insights can inform your social content. ✅ What we still don’t know about social engagement and LLM visibility. ✅ Why answering customer questions belongs in your content strategy. ✅ How Ryan approaches AI agents while keeping human judgment involved. ✅ Why confident AI-generated advice deserves scrutiny. ✅ How reviews, case studies, and honest responses to feedback can help build trust. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 Connecting organic social with SEO and AEO 00:26 Welcome to The Simple and Smart SEO Show 00:44 Getting teams to communicate and collaborate 01:57 Measuring success in AI search 03:46 Where schema markup fits 05:01 Using social content for LLM visibility 05:48 Results Ryan has seen from his team’s approach 08:33 Does social engagement influence LLM visibility? 09:42 I chose SEO to escape social media… 10:29 Answering questions and creating real value 12:44 Connecting your website and social strategy 13:33 AI agents and human oversight 15:10 Why Ryan stays hands-on 16:24 Coaching, mentorship, and sharing knowledge 17:27 Where to connect with Ryan 18:35 Bad AI advice and self-proclaimed experts 20:27 Improve your content and build trust 21:55 Final thoughts and thank you 💬 A QUOTE WORTH KEEPING “When you give an opinion, you say it's an opinion. And if you're not sure, you don't just make things up.” — Ryan Erwin 🙌🏽 YOUR NEXT STEP Choose one question your customers keep asking. 🔹 Check whether your website answers it clearly. 🔹 Create one helpful social post around that same question. 🔹 Give interested people a relevant next step. 🔹 Decide what success means for that content before you measure it. Use that as a manageable starting point for connecting your website and social content. 👇🏽 JOIN THE CONVERSATION Did you lean into SEO because you were burned out on social media, too? How are you feeling about bringing the two together? 🎧 CATCH UP ON PART 1 Episode 214: Everyone Wants AI Search Hacks. Nobody Wants to Fix Their Website:    • Everyone Wants AI Search Hacks; Nobody Wan...   Ryan and I cover website fundamentals, user experience, image optimization, and what he’s learned from 16 years of hearing “SEO is dead.” 📺 Find more episodes and subscribe:    / @simpleandsmartseo   🤝 CONNECT WITH RYAN Find Ryan Erwin on LinkedIn. He shares how to connect at 17:27 and talks about his commitment to helping others in the industry. 👩🏽‍💻 ABOUT CRYSTAL I’m Crystal Waddell, an SEO educator, Shopify seller, and visibility strategist for creative entrepreneurs. On The Simple and Smart SEO Show, I connect SEO strategy with real-world business questions so you can make more informed decisions about your marketing. 🌐 Explore Simple and Smart SEO: https://www.simpleandsmartseo.com/ 💛 Subscribe for more practical conversations about SEO, AI search, and helping the right people find your business. #AISearch #SocialMediaStrategy #SEO #SimpleAndSmartSEO