As the host of Unscripted SEO Podcast, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with many brilliant minds in the industry. Recently, I sat down with Melissa Popp (@poppupwriter), Content Strategy Director at Rickety Roo, for what turned into a fascinating discussion about the intersection of local SEO, content marketing, and multi-channel strategies. With our combined 38+ years in the industry (she’s at 20, I’m at 18), we had plenty to unpack.
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What Makes Melissa’s Approach Unique
What struck me most about my conversation with Melissa was her pragmatic approach to SEO, particularly for local businesses. While many specialists talk about SEO in isolation, Melissa views it as one component of a holistic marketing strategy.
Her background spans journalism, technical writing, SaaS, enterprise-level agency work, and now local SEO with Rickety Roo. This varied experience gives her a unique perspective on how different businesses should approach their online presence.
What I found particularly refreshing was her candor about budget realities for small businesses:
“I am a big believer… that I can work with $500. It doesn’t mean that we are going to have all the results we want in six months or a year. But I can move the needle with $500.”
This practical, results-driven mindset is something I’ve seen consistently deliver value for clients across different industries.
The Health & Wellness SEO Conundrum
During our conversation, I shared my experience working on health content during the infamous “medic update” era, where comprehensive, well-cited articles suddenly found themselves outranked by minimal content from established sites. This led to a fascinating discussion about the current state of health and wellness marketing.
Melissa pointed out something that many SEOs haven’t fully processed yet: the health and wellness space has largely migrated away from traditional organic search:
“Organic isn’t really where the health and nutrition and wellness space is being found anymore. You know, and you’re on Instagram, you’re on TikTok, you’re YouTube shorts.”
This observation aligns perfectly with what I’ve seen in my work with clients like Boojum Life in the CBD space, where regulatory challenges create additional complexity. As Melissa noted, the cannabis industry alone could warrant “a whole episode that could go like eight, 10 hours long.”
Zero-Click Searches and the Shrinking SERP
Both Melissa and I agree that Rand Fishkin’s warnings about zero-click searches have proven prescient. Melissa’s prediction that “within the next 18 months to two years that we’re gonna see even less organic space on page one of Google” is something all SEOs should be preparing for.
During our chat, I brought up examples of brands that effectively coordinate their social media presence with their e-commerce and SEO strategies. The key insight here is that while attribution remains difficult, the halo effect of multi-channel marketing drives branded searches that traditional SEO metrics might miss.
As Melissa rightly pointed out, this is why a broader marketing mindset is becoming essential:
“Our due diligence should be giving them what they need to succeed as a business as a whole. What we know is organic is one slice of that pie.”
The Branding Challenge for New Businesses
One of the most interesting segments of our conversation focused on how new brands sometimes struggle to appear in Google for their own branded terms. I shared examples of clients like Save Fry Oil and Lead Truffle, where even direct brand searches weren’t pulling up their websites.
Melissa outlined a comprehensive approach to building brand visibility:
- Start with social platforms to establish presence
- Secure your brand name across all relevant platforms
- Participate in relevant industry forums
- Gradually build out website content
- Implement strategic link building
Her insight that “you have to put the effort in a lot more for a smaller business with a smaller budget” resonated with my experience helping startups establish their online footprint.
Local SEO: Beyond the Basics
As someone who’s worked with numerous local businesses across different verticals, I appreciate Melissa’s critique of standard local SEO practices. Her observation about location pages being “some of the worst content that’s ever existed in search” hits the nail on the head.
Melissa advocates for a more balanced approach at Rickety Roo:
“The way we approach content at Rickety Roo very much is content first, SEO second in probably about 40 percent of the cases. 60 percent, I would say, is much more geared towards organic rankings.”
This philosophy of creating content that both ranks AND converts is something I’ve seen drive remarkable results for clients.
The #1 Action Item for Local Businesses
When I asked Melissa for the single most actionable step a local business should take immediately after listening to our conversation, her answer was unequivocal:
“Ignore everything else that anybody’s telling you. Go to your Google business profile and make sure it’s filled out completely.”
This focus on Google Business Profile optimization as the cornerstone of local visibility is something I consistently emphasize with my clients. As Melissa explained, proximity and relevance remain the dominant factors in local pack rankings, making GBP optimization non-negotiable.
Navigating Hybrid Business Models
One of the most practical segments of our discussion addressed businesses that operate with both physical locations and mobile service offerings, such as IV drip therapy providers.
Melissa’s recommendation to “lean into what the core of the business is” rather than trying to game the system with multiple listings is sound advice that can save businesses from potential Google penalties.
Her explanation of how to properly optimize for service areas through website content points to Rickety Roo’s guide on creating landing pages for every location, which provides a solid framework for businesses struggling with this challenge.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Local Search
My conversation with Melissa reinforced something I’ve been observing for years: successful SEO professionals need to think beyond traditional rankings. As organic real estate continues to shrink and user behavior evolves across multiple platforms, a comprehensive marketing mindset becomes essential.
The businesses that will thrive in this environment are those that can effectively coordinate their message across channels, build genuine brand recognition, and create content that not only ranks but meaningfully engages visitors.
There were so many rabbit holes we could have explored further – from cannabis SEO compliance to the changing landscape of real estate marketing in places like Lake Norman. I’m looking forward to bringing Melissa back for another deep dive soon.
In the meantime, I encourage anyone interested in content strategy and local SEO to follow Melissa Popp on Twitter/X and check out her excellent work with the team at Rickety Roo.
What aspects of multi-channel marketing and local SEO would you like us to explore in future episodes? Drop your suggestions in the comments below!
