Is Your Strategy a Pancake or Layer Cake? 🎂

Hello Reader,

👉 I will be promoting Summer of SEO over the next few weeks. If you do not wish to receive promotional information about this program, click here. Please note that I likely will be mentioning it in my Friday emails.

Most people treat their content strategy like a flat pancake.

They write one blog post, hope it ranks, craft a services page, hope it gets views, rinse and repeat.

The problem? This is not all that different that the social media Post and Hope approach—which is like running on a treadmill gone haywire.

In the Post-Keyword Era, pancakes on the griddle don’t rise. You need to craft a stable Layer Cake.

To build true Topical Authority, your site needs three distinct layers:

1. The Breadth: Covering the core details of your niche so Google knows you aren't a one-hit wonder. If you're worked with me, you've heard me talk about this as your "Sphere of Authority."
2. The Depth: Answering the “What if?” and "What next?" questions that a generic AI bot can't replicate. These are your Unique Insights that not only help you become visible and citable, it actually moves the needle on conversions.
3. The Interconnectedness: A "Hub and Spoke" internal linking structure that tells the algorithm exactly where your expertise lives. I've been teaching this method for years and years, and it's an approach you can truly build a brand with.

When you have a Layer Cake strategy, you aren't just ranking or being cited—you’re building a fortress around your brand.

This requires specific steps, elements stacked in specific ways, and connected together so the whole thing doesn’t collapse. It’s not complicated, but it is intentional.

I drew a very pretty and sophisticated diagram on the back of last week's to-do list to illustrate this system for you:

Want to build your brand's fortress this summer?

My Summer of SEO group program is where we spend three months architecting your specific Layer Cake together. This year, it’s going to be an even cozier group with limited spots so folks can get more personalized attention.

There are two awesome tracks starting June 3 at 10am Pacific in this year’s Summer of SEO:

Group Cohort Track: The core collective experience best for self-starters who thrive in a group environment and want the community energy of a 3-month intensive. This includes the full 3-month curriculum, group strategy sessions, and community support—please at least one year of access to all the materials and replays. This year’s cohort size will be limited.

Guided Track: All the goodness in the Group Cohort, plus a deep-dive partnershipThis is for “best-kept secret” experts ready to stop chasing algorithms and start leading the conversation. The Guided track includes the full 3-month curriculum, group strategy sessions, and community support—plus personalized 1:1 access to me, including three 90 minute 1:1s with me, a private channel with just the two of use inside the program, and priority access to feedback. This is currently the most accessible way to work with me for an extended time. Very limited spots available.

As with nearly everything I offer, both tracks have flexible payment plans to make participating more cashflow-friendly.

Have questions? Just hit reply!

Warmly,

Sarah