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Interview

Music producer to SEO Specialist - interview with Rory Piecuch

Andrew Askins
#SEO#AI
A description of my image

Ever wonder how what the day-to-day looks like for other SEOs? We’re sitting down with professionals who are in the trenches daily, driving real traffic and revenue for their clients.

In this interview, we chat with Rory Piecuch, an SEO Specialist at Gravitate who turned a passion for music into a career optimizing content. From surprising ranking jumps to honest takes on AI hype, Rory shares the strategies and lessons learned from years of agency work.

Describe your current role. What type of SEO work do you do? How big is your company/team? What kind of clients do you work with?

I’m an SEO Specialist at Gravitate, a digital agency based in Vancouver, WA.

We’re a team of 15. I handle content, audits, technical fixes, and full-funnel SEO strategy.

Our clients span eCommerce, manufacturing, healthcare, EdTech, travel, and other industries.

How did you get into SEO? What drew you to this work originally?

I didn’t plan on SEO. It found me through a mix of music, content, and curiosity.

In 2011, I launched a music company with friends. I built our WordPress site and wrote production tutorials. That’s where I learned to create value online.

From 2014 to 2017, I wrote for a music production school called Dubspot. I picked up SEO basics and built WordPress sites on the side.

Then, I ran the blog for Icon Collective in LA from 2017 to 2020. That’s when everything leveled up. My writing sharpened, SEO advanced, and strategy clicked. One post I wrote on hip hop history has ranked #1 for eight years.

In 2020, I took my first official SEO role at a small agency. We later merged with Gravitate. Since then, I’ve been sharpening my skills, leading strategy, and driving results.

What’s your favorite SEO success story? Brag on yourself. 

One of my first agency campaigns stands out. It was a small law firm with no blog content or visibility.

I built a content cluster strategy with tight internal linking. Then, I created custom dashboards to organize topics, content briefs, and final drafts.

Traffic jumped from under 50 to over 23,000 monthly visits in 12 months. The wildest part? The site had a DR of 3. We outranked sites with DRs between 50 and 90.

What’s the most counterintuitive SEO success you’ve experienced?

Improving readability is minor. But this result proved otherwise.

I updated a blog post for a tech company that builds visitor analytics tools for physical spaces:

Three days later, traffic jumped 2,000%. One keyword shot from #87 to #1 and took the featured 

snippet.

The takeaway: Start with the basics. Small fixes can drive big wins.

How do you balance user experience with search optimization?

I focus on effort, intent, structure, readability, and value. Content must be helpful, easy to read, and SEO-ready.

I start with intent. What’s the user trying to solve? I provide a quick and direct answer to the main query within the first 100 words.

Then, I focus on readability. Short sentences between 2-17 words. 2-3 line paragraphs. Simple language at a 6th-8th-grade level. No fluff. No filler. If it doesn’t add value, it’s out.

Content must also follow a logical structure. I lead with the most helpful info. Then, break things up with lists, tables, bold highlights, and original visuals. Easy to scan. Easy to follow. Easy to find what matters.

I check the SEO as I edit. Keyword-rich headings, NLP terms, 3-5 internal links, 1-3 external links to back my claims, and click-worthy metadata.

Good content ranks high, holds attention, and drives action. That’s when I know it hits UX and SEO.

What SEO trend do you think is most overhyped right now?

Many teams think pumping out AI content in bulk will drive traffic. It won’t.

Most of that content lacks originality, value, or intent. It might rank fast, but it won’t last. One update, and traffic drops.

I get better results from human-edited content that shows effort and solves the query. Then, back it up with relevant internal linking and CRO.

I always say, “Ten great pages beat a hundred garbage ones.”

AI is a tool, not a shortcut. The hype misses that.

How much of your time is spent thinking about search engines other than Google? How do you adapt your strategies for different platforms?

Google gets most of my focus. But I don’t ignore other platforms.

I think about where else content can rank, earn shares, or get cited. That includes LinkedIn, Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Google’s AI Overviews.

I adapt by diversifying content. For AI platforms, I lead with direct answers and format content for easy extraction. On LinkedIn, I use bold hooks, quick takeaways, and shareable insights.

The goal is visibility beyond Google. You’re one update away from losing it all if you only optimize for a single platform.

How are you incorporating AI into your workflows?

AI powers almost every part of my workflow.

I use it for deep research, SERP analysis, coding, schema, automation, and various content tasks.

I’ve also built custom GPTs to handle audits, metadata, CTAs, outlines, and repetitive SEO tasks.

Next up is scaling advanced automation with n8n. I want to build workflows that research, scrape competitors, and create content outlines with one click.

AI does the heavy lifting. But I guide the strategy, structure, and final edits.

What’s a genuine fear you have about the future of SEO?

I fear AI-powered search stealing traffic without sending clicks.

Google’s AI Overviews and similar features give users direct answers on the results page. 

These zero-click searches solve queries without anyone visiting your site. Traffic drops. Visibility fades.

This shift breaks traditional SEO. Rankings won’t matter if no one clicks.

The businesses that survive will create content AI can’t extract or simplify. Original insights, real expertise, and value-driven content will be the edge.

What’s one thing you’re optimistic about?

Useful content still wins.

Even with AI search, Google still ranks content that answers questions and delivers unique value. That hasn’t changed.

There’s still an opportunity for SEOs who put in the work. Those who match intent, tackle specific problems, and offer depth AI can’t match will lead the way.

The bar is higher now. But, SEOs who show expertise are still climbing the ranks despite zero-click challenges.

Bonus: Anything you want to plug?

Ready to turn rankings into revenue? Gravitate offers a free discovery call. No pressure. You’ll leave with clear next steps.

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