About Steven J. Wilson

Approach and Impact

I build systems. When I see a problem that gets solved the same manual way quarter after quarter, I build the thing that eliminates it permanently.

I’ve designed and project-managed the development of AI content production systems (leading prompt architecture and working alongside developers on LLM API integration) that replaced six-figure vendor relationships while improving output quality and turnaround time. I’ve built AI agent workflows that replaced the equivalent output of multiple team members within 90 days of deployment, delivering 25x annualized ROI. And I’ve developed AI-powered topic clustering systems that cut strategic content planning time by roughly 87%, compressing what used to take a full quarter into a process that delivers a full year of output in a fraction of the time.

The work doesn’t stop at visibility. I’ve run conversion testing programs using Optimizely that achieved roughly 13% conversion rates against 7% industry averages, because organic traffic only matters if it converts. Every initiative I touch ties back to qualified leads, revenue, and measurable business outcomes, not rankings or traffic graphs that look good in a slide deck.

None of that happened by accident. Each project followed the same discipline: wireframe for stakeholder alignment first, prototype with GPT and Claude for rapid team testing, then move to a developer build using LLM APIs once the concept was proven. ROI justification at every gate.

Multi-Surface Search Optimization (AEO + GEO)

Traditional SEO treats Google as the only game in town. That hasn’t been true for a while now. I use a multi-surface optimization approach to drive simultaneous visibility across Google organic results, AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Reddit. The premise is straightforward: your audience is fragmenting across search surfaces, and your content strategy needs to meet them in all of those places at once. This approach has shown 3-5x organic reach multipliers compared to Google-only strategies.

This isn’t theoretical. I actively monitor AI answer engines as search surfaces, tracking where client content appears (or doesn’t) across ChatGPT and Perplexity responses, and adjusting content architecture, structured data, and authority signals to improve discoverability in those environments.

Full-Funnel Growth

SEO is my foundation, but growth doesn’t live in one channel. I’ve managed full website platforms across multi-brand, multi-location portfolios, owning everything from site architecture and page speed to UX, content governance, and structured data implementation. I’ve run paid media programs across Google Ads and local service ads, built and optimized email marketing workflows tied to lead nurture and re-engagement, and managed local SEO programs including Google Business Profile optimization, citation management, and review velocity strategy across hundreds of locations. On the analytics side, I work in GA4, Google Search Console, and CallRail daily, building reporting frameworks that connect channel performance to pipeline and revenue rather than traffic and impressions, because none of it matters if the traffic doesn’t convert.

Leadership and Hands-On Work

I’ve led teams and managed cross-functional execution across content, development, and analytics. I’ve also managed multi-location SEO programs, vendor accountability, budget oversight, and reporting cadences tied to revenue outcomes rather than vanity metrics. I regularly present strategy, performance insights, and growth recommendations to executive stakeholders, translating complex data into clear decisions. But I’m not someone who delegates everything and reviews dashboards. I still get into the technical SEO audits, the schema markup, the prompt architecture, the GA4 and GSC data. I believe the best leaders stay close enough to the work to know when something is off before a report tells them.

Before entering the SEO and AI space, I spent six years as a Branch Manager, where I led cross-functional teams across operations, client services, and business development with full P&L accountability. That experience taught me how to align stakeholders around shared goals, manage budgets and vendor performance against KPIs, and drive organizational alignment at every level. Those foundational skills carry through everything I do today.

Tools I Work With

SEMrush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, Google Search Console, Google Analytics (GA4), BrightLocal, WhiteSpark, Looker Studio, Google Trends, HubSpot, Optimizely, CallRail, and JSON-LD schema markup. On the AI side, I build with ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and n8n to name a few. AI tools are changing often so I’m constantly exploring options and features and will not get married to any one just yet, although I’m just about ready to propose to Claude ha!

Why This Work

I’ve been in the growth space for over a decade, and what drives me hasn’t changed. I like finding the problem no one has solved yet, building the system that fixes it, and measuring whether it actually worked. The shift happening right now in search, where AI platforms are becoming primary discovery channels alongside Google, is the most significant change I’ve seen in my career. The companies and practitioners who build for it now will define the next era of organic acquisition. That’s the work I want to be doing.

When I’m not working, I regularly volunteer at the Branch Food Bank in Antioch, providing groceries for families needing assistance. Nothing compares to helping others in need.