SEO for Small Businesses: Google Rankings, AI Search, and Getting Found Online with Matt Diamante

Quick Summary Matt Diamante — founder of the Hey Tony Agency — joins host Kelsey for a candid conversation about his winding path from process server to band member to SEO expert. Matt breaks down the foundational steps any small business owner can take to rank on Google, explains how AI search is changing content strategy, and shares the simple daily habit that transformed his referral-only agency into a content-driven machine. In This Episode How Matt accidentally fell into marketing while trying to promote his band The unusual jobs (process server, film crew) that shaped how he runs his agency Growing an alternative lifestyle blog from zero to 4 million monthly visitors — and what it taught him about hooks The origin story behind the name "Hey Tony" The three SEO fundamentals every small business needs: Google Business Profile, a multi-page website, and topical authority Why most SEO vendors are scamming small businesses — and how to protect yourself The AI prompt Matt uses to write unique, expert-driven blog posts in one hour How SEO is evolving in the age of ChatGPT and AI search engines What two books pushed Matt to post on social media every single day in 2023 Why he doesn't batch content — and why he thinks you shouldn't either Key Takeaways Every page on your website is a door. Service-based businesses should have a dedicated page for every service they offer. If Google doesn't see it, it doesn't know you offer it. Use AI to extract your expertise, not replace it. Instead of asking ChatGPT to "write a blog post," prompt it to interview you with 10 questions and answer in voice mode. The result is genuinely unique content that reflects your experience. Get to the point faster. In the age of AI search, content that buries the answer under a long preamble will lose. Lead with the answer, then go deeper. Reviews require a system, not willpower. Build a consistent ask into every completed transaction. You can incentivize leaving a review — just not a five-star one specifically. Consistency beats perfection. Matt went from 4 hours per video to 5–10 minutes by posting every single day. The skill builds. The ideas flow. Just start. Memorable Quotes "I believe the world is built on small businesses. If I can help good people grow through SEO, they can hire more staff, create jobs, send their kids to college. If I want to make the world a better place, I can do that one small business at a time." — Matt Diamante "SEO is just solving somebody's problem. How do I fix this myself? That's a blog post. How do I hire someone? That's a service page." — Matt Diamante "That's basically how you run a business. You set up a printer in your car and you figure out how to do this more efficiently." — Matt Diamante Resources Mentioned Kelsey’s Website: KelseyReidl.com Kelsey’s Instagram: @KelseyReidl Instagram: @heytony.agency Get Found by Matt Diamante — Matt's plain-English SEO book for small business owners The One Thing by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk AnswerThePublic.com — tool for finding customer questions to write blog posts around ChatGPT / Claude — recommended AI tools for blog post creation Hey Tony Inside — Matt's community for small business owners doing their own SEO Google Business Profile — free local SEO tool for any brick-and-mortar or service-area business About the Host Matt Diamante is the founder of Hey Tony Agency, a Canadian digital marketing agency specializing in SEO for small businesses. After growing an alternative lifestyle publication to 4 million monthly visitors, Matt channelled those hard-won content lessons into building an agency, a community, and a book — all aimed at helping small business owners get found online without getting scammed. He has posted on social media every single day since January 2023.SEO for Small Businesses: Google Rankings, AI Search, and Getting Found Online with Matt Diamante