⚡£23M revenue from Organic Growth for SaaS with Content Marketing Sprints | Storytelling, SEO and Content Marketing ⚡️

Your AI content sucks.
Your competitors' AI content sucks.
Everyone's AI content sucks.

And you know what's worse? You're all paying through the nose for it.

While you're sitting there wrestling with prompts like a cat trying to open a doorknob, we've built something that actually works. Because unlike every other "revolutionary AI tool" (looking at you, [REDACTED]), we know it takes more than 10 prompts and a prayer to write content that doesn't sound like it was outsourced to a drunk toddler.

We use 450+ prompts. Overkill? Maybe. But at least our stuff doesn't read like it was written by an AI having an existential crisis.

Some receipts for the skeptics:
↳ Slapped 400 blogs on our site = 10x traffic in 3 months
↳ Halved content budgets while 5x-ing output (yeah, your Content Manager's been lying about costs)
↳ Helped tiny startups pimp-slap Fortune 500s right off page 1

After a decade watching the B2B content circus, I've seen every "game-changing" tool and "revolutionary" AI writer. Most of them belong in the same trash bin as your last strategic plan.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: Your investors aren't buying your "we're playing the long game" BS anymore. They want to see organic traction, and your three LinkedIn posts from 2023 aren't cutting it.

You need Penfriend.ai if:
✓ Your competitors are living rent-free at the top of Google while you're still "building awareness"
✓ VCs are ghosting you because your "organic presence" looks like a digital ghost town
✓ You're burning cash on content that reads like it was plagiarized from a terms of service agreement
✓ You're ready to stop being the industry's wallflower and start being its problem child

Sound familiar? Then you're exactly who we're looking for.

The hard truth? You suck at AI. But it's not your fault. You've been sold a lie by companies who think "AI writing" means letting GPT go wild after a two-prompt foreplay.

We fixed it. Because someone had to.

DM me "PAGE ONE" and I'll show you how we're helping companies terrorize their competition online.

P.S. If you're happy with generic, soulless AI content that sounds like everyone else's, this probably isn't for you. And that's okay. Someone has to keep the internet boring.

Tim Hanson

Connor Gillivan

Scaling my 4 B2B companies w/ SEO. Daily posts about the process. 7x Founder (Exit in 2019).

Hey hey! Thanks for stopping by my profile. Here's a quick tl;dr: 

I've been an entrepreneur since 2009. I've scaled multiple businesses to 6, 7, & 8 figures in ARR and I exited one, FreeUp, in 2019. Today, I run a portfolio of companies, teach SEO, and scale B2B and SaaS businesses with SEO.

A little bit more about me:

Over the last decade, I've built 5 businesses to 6, 7, & 8 figures in yearly revenue. 

In 2019, I exited one of them, FreeUp, to The HOTH after 4 years of growth to 40+ team members and $12M+ in ARR.

Today, I'm building a portfolio of 10+ B2B companies. 

→ TrioSEO: SEO growth services for B2B and SaaS businesses. 
→ Outsource School: Teaching business owners how to build affordable teams in the Philippines.
→ EcomBalance: Monthly bookkeeping for eCommerce companies.
→ AccountsBalance: Bookkeeping for agencies, SAAS, and service providers. 
→ ConnorGillivan.com: Teaching SEO & marketing strategies, processes, & know-how. 
→ HG Media: Social media growth agency for LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Youtube, and more.

My business partner is Nathan Hirsch. We met in college and have been working together ever since.

Our mission is to build businesses in areas where we struggled while growing our first companies and we wished there had been better solutions...hiring, outsourcing, bookkeeping, accounting, billing, legal, SEO, growth, etc. 

If you need help growing your business, I'd love to help. Here's how...

TRIOSEO

I'll work with you on keyword research, building an SEO content plan, writing SEO content, and publishing it on your website to drive more organic traffic, leads, and revenue. 

→ Get an SEO Audit here: https://trioseo.com/audit

THE SEO SYSTEM

In this 4 hour video course, I'll teach you the 4 Pillars of SEO and give you my exact SOPs that I've used to scale multiple companies to millions in ARR with SEO. Packed with value and loved by hundreds. 

→ Purchase Access: https://connorgillivan.com/seo

BOOKKEEPING & OUTSOURCING

Need help with your bookkeeping? Or hiring a virtual assistant? I've got you covered. Get a Pricing Quote for our monthly bookkeeping services. And check out the exact Hiring System we've used to build remote teams for our companies.  

→ Go here: https://ecombalance.com and here: https://outsourceschool.com

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading. 

I'm committed every day to making SEO & marketing simpler for millions. 

See you out there!

Best,
Connor

Email: Connor@ConnorGillivan.com

Founder and Owner

ConnorGillivan.com is the home to my personal brand where I make SEO simpler for millions. It hosts my weekly newsletter, The Savvy SEO, and my SEO course, The SEO System. Come learn SEO from my 10+ years of experience scaling my own companies to 6, 7, and 8 figures with an exit in 2019.

My 10 Favorite SEO Tools for 2026:

After running SEO for 50+ B2B and SaaS companies, I’ve tested everything.

Here are the 10 tools I keep coming back to 👇

1. Semrush & Ahrefs – For keyword research, backlink tracking, and competitive analysis.
→ Best for: SEOs who want the full data picture in one dashboard.

2. Google Search Console – Your direct line to how Google sees your site.
→ Best for: Tracking rankings, clicks, and crawl errors.

3. Surfer – For on-page optimization and content scoring.
→ Best for: Writers and editors creating SEO-optimized blogs.

4. KeywordInsights AI – For clustering and intent mapping.
→ Best for: Building topic clusters and planning content calendars.

5. ChatGPT – For brainstorming titles, outlines, and keyword variations.
→ Best for: Speeding up ideation without sacrificing quality.

6. SEOwind – For building detailed SEO outlines.
→ Best for: Teams producing a lot of content at scale.

7. Screaming Frog – For technical audits and site crawls.
→ Best for: Finding broken links, redirects, and on-site issues.

8. ClearScope AI – For content quality and keyword density.
→ Best for: Ensuring your content matches top-ranking competitors.

9. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) – For tracking conversions from organic traffic.
→ Best for: Marketers who care about results, not vanity metrics.

10. Notion or Airtable – For managing SEO systems and team workflows.
→ Best for: Agencies and teams scaling content and backlink operations.

---

Tools don’t make you great at SEO...systems do.

But the right tools make those systems 10x more efficient.

And if you want to win in SEO, you need both. 

How do I know? Bc I've been IN it for 10+ years. 

Trust me, you need both. 

---

Find this useful?

Repost ♻️ to help others build their SEO tech stack.

P.S. Steal my 50+ SEO & Marketing Processes: https://lnkd.in/gETbvXjq

Connor  Gillivan

I scale companies w/ SEO & content. Book a call & let's talk SEO. 7x Founder (Exit in 2019).

My SEO + AI Tools Cheat Sheet:

When you look at the landscape of SEO, AI tools are already available and embedded.

I'm constantly studying the AI tools out there so you can save time and simply use the best ones.

1/ Keyword Research

- Semrush
- MarketMuse
- Ahrefs

2/ SERP Analysis

- Frase
- SEO(.)ai
- Surfer SEO

3/ Content Outlines

- Surfer SEO
- Koala AI
- Frase(.)io

4/ Editing and Optimizing

- Germi
- SEMrush SEO Writing Assistant
- HubSpot’s AI Tools

5/ Backlinks

- Ahrefs
- Outranking
- Indexly

6/ Analytics

- Google Analytics 4 + AI
- SEMrush Position Tracking
- HubSpot AI Analytics

7/ Technical

- AllinAI
- SE Ranking
- Screaming Frog AI

As you can see, AI tools follow the SEO journey.

And it's only going to grow from here.

Jump on the train and get used to it.

Tools evolve faster than your comfort zone.

Start today or lose rankings forever.

---

Which tools are you already using?

What tool will you test today?

♻️ REPOST and help out others.

P.S. I run SEO w/ AI for 30+ clients at TrioSEO. Check us out!

My Monthly SEO Analytics Strategy:

Every month, I run a full SEO analytics review for my companies and clients.

Here’s the exact system I use — and the 7 metrics that matter most.

1/ Organic Traffic Growth

- Check total sessions and users from Google.
- Segment by page type (blog, service, homepage).
- WHY: It’s your top-level indicator that SEO is actually driving results.

2/ Keyword Rankings

- Track top 50–100 target keywords in Ahrefs or GA4 Search Console.
- Look for upward movement month-to-month.
- WHY: Rankings reflect visibility growth before traffic follows.

3/ Click-Through Rate (CTR)

- Pull from Google Search Console.
- Improve titles & meta descriptions for low CTR pages.
- WHY: A small CTR lift = huge traffic gain without new content.

4/ Backlinks & Referring Domains

- Review new links via Ahrefs.
- Filter by authority and relevance.
- WHY: High-quality links = authority, which fuels long-term rankings.

5/ Top Landing Pages

- Identify which pages bring in the most organic users.
- Double down on the content type and topics that win.
- WHY: This tells you what the market values most from your site.

6/ Conversion Rate from Organic

- Track leads, calls, or purchases coming from organic traffic.
- WHY: SEO isn’t just visibility—it’s sales and customer growth.

7/ Technical SEO Health

- Audit page speed, mobile usability, and crawl errors.
- WHY: Technical issues quietly destroy ranking potential.

---

SEO analytics aren’t about vanity metrics.

They’re about direction, consistency, and compounding results.

I’ve scaled multiple businesses by obsessing over these numbers.

When you know the story behind your data, SEO becomes predictable.

---

Find this useful?

Repost ♻️ to help others master SEO reporting.

P.S. Steal my 50+ SEO & Marketing Processes: https://lnkd.in/gETbvXjq

Steal my SEO Keyword Research + ChatGPT Cheat Sheet:

How I target 10+ keywords w/ 1 piece of SEO content: 

(Bonus: This can help you rank for 10+ GEO prompts too)

Most people write one article per keyword. That's old school. 

Today, the smartest SEOs rank for 10+ keywords and multiple ChatGPT prompts with a single, well-structured article.

Here’s the exact process I use: 

1/ Find your primary keyword.

- Use Semrush, Ahrefs, or Keyword Planner
- Pick one w/ Volume 100+, clear intent, & low KD < 40. 
- A keyword that you'll be pumped to rank Top 10 on.

2/ Research complementary keywords.

- Search your primary keyword in Semrush or Ahrefs.
- Find 5–10 long-tail or related terms that share the same search intent.
- Ex: "seo strategy" -> "seo and content strategy", "seo keyword strategy", etc.

3/ Build a keyword cluster.

- Group those keywords & place into your content outline.
- Note their search volume, difficulty, and intent.
- Make it easy to tap into them while writing. 

4/ Create one comprehensive article.

- Use the main keyword for your title, H1, and intro.
- Put 2ndary keywords into H2s, FAQs, & sections.
- Don't force it. Make it natural within the content. 

5/ Optimize for GEO (ChatGPT/LLMs).

- Research on ChatGPT what people are searching. 
- Add concise definitions, frameworks, and examples.
- AI tools love structured, expert-style content. Do that.

---

Keyword clustering saves time, boosts rankings, and builds authority faster.

One strategic piece of content can dominate an entire topic.

Think of ranking for 50+ keywords with 1 piece of content. 

It's 100% possible and it happens every day. 

Wrap your SEO head around that 😎 

---

Do you agree with me? 

Repost ♻️+ Follow me to make SEO simpler for millions.

P.S. Join 7,000+ SEOs, Marketers, & Founders on my Savvy SEO newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gs3iPKMA

My SEO Keyword Optimization Strategy (BOFU --> MOFU --> TOFU):

SEO is a funnel...

- Top of funnel (TOFU)
- Middle of funnel (MOFU)
- Bottom of funnel (BOFU)

Each type serves its own purpose:

- TOFU drives awareness.
- MOFU helps research.
- BOFU guides decisions. 

---

When strategizing your SEO content,

Go from the bottom up ⬆️

Hit BOFU first & capture paying customers. 

Then MOFU for customers in the research phase. 

Finally, TOFU to build subject matter expertise.

This will drive customer first (which is most important). 

Then you can focus on adding more people to the funnel.

I've been doing it for 10+ yrs and it truly works. 

---

What's your take? 

♻️ REPOST if you agree with me. 

P.S. Want to turn your website into an SEO traffic machine? Hire me and my team at TrioSEO. Book a discovery call here: https://lnkd.in/gYccSVY8

Most people treat SEO like one thing.

It isn’t.

E-commerce SEO and local SEO play by different rules.

Using the same strategy for both is why growth stalls.

Here’s the real split.

E-commerce SEO is about scale.

Local SEO is about immediacy.

One wins by showing up everywhere.

The other wins by being trusted right now.

That difference changes everything.

Links.
Pages.
Content.

E-commerce SEO needs authority signals.

Industry mentions.
Topical relevance.
Context at scale.

Local SEO needs trust signals.

Regional sites.
Community publishers.
Places people recognize.

This is where link strategy usually breaks.

It’s also why I’ve been paying more attention to how links are sourced.

Platforms like Collaborator.pro — PR Distribution Marketplace make this distinction easier to execute.

You can choose placements by niche or geography.

Not guess.
Not spray links.

Two SEO strategies.
Two very different outcomes.

If you’re clear on which game you’re playing, execution gets simpler.

♻️ Repost this and help others understand SEO better.

Thanks to Collaborator(.)pro for partnering on this post.

P.S. Follow me for more practical tips on SEO and Marketing.

My Ultimate ChatGPT Guide for SEO Content Upgrades:

1/ Finding content upgrade opportunities
2/ Analyzing content for upgrades
3/ Content upgrade strategy
4/ Making the strategy
5/ Improving CRO & UX
6/ Measuring upgrade effectiveness

---

I don't believe in using AI to write content. 
I just don't think the quality is there yet. 

But I DO believe in using it to improve processes. 
It's an amazing sparring partner for ideas. 

Content upgrades are on area I love tapping into it. 
For ideas, to get the ball rolling, and to speed me up. 

It's Humans + AI where the real MAGIC is. 

---

What do you think?

Repost ♻️ + Slap my 🔔 for daily SEO & content marketing posts. 

P.S. Want these prompts in a PDF? Repost and Comment “Prompts”

AI articles need structure.

Not more prompts.
Not better phrasing.

Most teams rush to generate drafts.

Then fix SEO later.
Then adjust tone.
Then rewrite metadata.

That’s output.

Not a system.

The shift that makes AI content usable is simple:

Build the article inside constraints.

From the first click.

Here’s the exact step by step process to create and refine 
An article using the AI Article Generator inside Semrush:

Step 1: Launch AI Article Generator
→ Open it directly from the Content Toolkit
→ Start with a topic or select one from Topic Finder

Step 2: Fill out article setup
→ Choose location, title, keywords, word count, voice, and tone
→ Enable SEO Boost to guide structure using SERP-level data

Step 3: Review the first draft
→ Let the tool generate a complete article
→ Decide whether to edit, regenerate, or move forward

Step 4: Refine the article
→ Edit content, meta title, and meta description
→ Use built-in AI chat, images, and optimization tools

Step 5: Publish or export
→ Publish directly to WordPress or export to Google Docs
→ Share or reuse the article wherever needed

This is what AI content looks like when it’s operational.

Less patching.
More flow.

If AI is part of your content stack, the workflow matters more than the output.

Semrush's AI Article Generator keeps everything in one system.

Start today: https://bit.ly/4sMv2Np

Repost ♻️+ Follow me to make SEO simpler for millions.

#SemrushPartner

AI Article Generator inside Semrush.

THE 5 P'S OF MARKETING:

(Full credit to Chase Dimond on this one. Saw it and had to share!)

PRODUCT 
This is the core offering of your business.

PRICE 
Setting the right price is crucial for profitability and market positioning.

PROMOTION 
This encompasses all the strategies you use to communicate and market your product.

PLACE
This refers to the distribution channels through which customers access your product.

PEOPLE 
Your employees and customer service play a crucial role in the success of your marketing efforts.


HOW TO USE THEM:

PRODUCT
Know your audience's needs and preferences.
Keep innovating to stay ahead.
Deliver quality and reliability to earn trust.

PRICE
Research the market to find the best pricing.
Balance perceived value with competitive rates.
Adjust prices based on demand and market shifts.

PROMOTION
Create a marketing plan with ads, PR, and social media.
Customize promotions to connect with your audience.
Track campaign results and refine as needed.

PLACE
Choose the right distribution channels.
Streamline your supply chain for efficiency and satisfaction.
Make your product accessible when and where customers need it.

PEOPLE
Train employees to embody your brand.
Deliver exceptional customer service to foster loyalty.
Gather and act on feedback for continuous improvement.

My Idea to Post Workflow That Got Me to 120K followers on LinkedIn

The main goal of this workflow is to not break the cycle.

Content breaks before posting.

Not during writing.

Before it even becomes a post.

Ideas sit everywhere.

Docs. Notes. DMs.

Ownership gets fuzzy.

Momentum dies quietly.

The shift that fixes this is simple:

Ideas need a system before content.

Not after drafting.

Before execution.

Here’s the exact way I’d manage content ideas using the Ideas feature inside Publer.

Step 1: Capture ideas in one place
→ Add ideas to a dedicated Ideas tab
→ Stop letting ideas live across random tools

Step 2: Move ideas through clear stages
→ Use a Kanban-style board with columns
→ Customize stages like To do, In progress, Review, Done

Step 3: Assign ownership early
→ Assign ideas or posts to team members
→ Make responsibility visible from the start

Step 4: Build the idea properly
→ Add text, images, titles, and structure
→ Treat each idea like a lightweight workspace

Step 5: Turn ideas into posts
→ Open Publer AI from the finalized idea
→ Refine the post before publishing

This is what content systems look like when they work.

Less chasing.

More flow.

If content matters, ideas shouldn’t live in chaos.

Publer’s Ideas feature gives ideas a home before they become posts.

♻️ Repost this and help others build content consistency.

#PublerPartner

How I Manage Ideas and Turn them into Posts

Search visibility used to mean ranking.

Now it means being referenced inside AI answers.

That shift is already happening.

Semrush just released the AI Visibility Awards.

Not based on opinions.
Not based on panels.

Based on how AI systems actually respond to real prompts.

Thousands of real prompts.

Across AI models like ChatGPT and Google AI experiences.

Here’s what stood out:

Some brands consistently show up as answers.

Category leaders include:

Google (Business and Professional Services)
→ Embedded across everyday workflows (Ads, Workspace, Maps).
→ Treated by AI as core infrastructure, not just a brand.

Samsung (Consumer Electronics)
→ Leads through massive, multi-product category coverage.
→ Wins high-intent review and comparison searches.

Microsoft (Digital Technology and Software)
→ Owns AI visibility via deep enterprise product breadth.
→ Appears alongside Google in most AI prompts.

Patagonia (Fashion and Apparel)
→ Default AI answer for ethical fashion brands.
→ Wins by fully owning a subcategory.

They reflect how AI systems interpret authority, relevance, and trust.

Then there are growth engines.

Brands increasing AI visibility faster than others.

Intuit.
Logitech.
Freshworks.
UNIQLO.

And challengers.

Newer or less obvious brands breaking through AI discovery.

Rippling.
Nothing Technology.
Anthropic.
Nuuly.

What this signals is simple.

AI visibility is now a measurable performance metric.

It’s not about ranking alone.

It’s about being cited when AI answers questions.

That’s what the AI Visibility Index from Semrush is measuring.

If discovery is moving into AI answers,
brands need to understand how they show up there.

Because the brands shaping answers
are shaping decisions.

Check out the full Awards list and AI Visibility Index Report here: https://bit.ly/4sQL1dm

♻️ Repost this if your favorite brand made the list.

P.S. Thanks to Semrush for partnering on this post.

Building a mobile app used to be a career choice.

Now it’s a decision you make with just a prompt.

That’s not hype.

That’s the shift that actually matters.

For years, mobile apps came with invisible gates:

Frameworks you had to learn.
Build pipelines you had to manage.
Submission processes you were afraid to touch.

Most good ideas died before they even became prototypes.

Here’s the reframe that finally clicked for me:

The hard part of mobile apps was never the idea.

It was everything around the idea.

Replit’s mobile app flow removes that friction.

You describe the app in plain language.
Replit builds it.

You preview it on your actual phone.
And when it’s ready, you publish it.

No mobile dev background required.
No native tooling maze.
No “I’ll figure this out later” energy.

This is what shipping a mobile app looks like now:

1. Start from a prompt
→ Open Replit and describe the app you want
→ Focus on behavior, not technical details
    
2. Watch it build live
→ See the UI and logic come together in real time
→ Iterate by sending another message
    
3. Preview on your phone
→ Scan the QR code with Expo Go
→ Use the app on a real device instantly
    
4. Refine by conversation
→ Adjust layout, flows, or features in chat
→ Keep momentum without switching contexts
    
5. Publish when ready
→ Connect Expo and your Apple account
→ Replit handles the entire submission flow
    

This used to take months.

Now it takes clarity and follow-through.

If you’ve ever said “I wish this app existed,”

you’re closer than you think.

Build your dream app with Replit today!

♻️ Repost this to help others create mobile apps.

#ReplitPartner

How I build and ship mobile apps in mins

Big news!!

Nathan and I are incredibly excited to announce that Hirsch Gillivan LLC has acquired minority ownership in Ecommerce Accounting LLC, an income tax filing and planning firm.

This is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time.

Our bookkeeping and CFO clients have been asking for tax support.
And we didn’t want to bolt something on just to check a box.

So partnering with CPA Cindy Smith and her son Jimmy Smith feels like the perfect fit. We could not be more excited to welcome them to the Hirsch Gillivan LLC family.

Here’s what’s happening next:

Everything will be operating under the EcomBalance and AccountsBalance brands in the near future.

Which means this is now official:

EcomBalance and AccountsBalance offer:

• Monthly bookkeeping
• Income tax filing
• Income tax planning

All under one roof.

If you’re a current EcomBalance client:

• You’ll receive a discount on tax services
• Nothing changes with your monthly bookkeeping
• Adding tax services is completely optional

If you’re a current Ecommerce Accounting LLC client:

• We’ll be reaching out directly
• Outside of a brand name update, very little will change
• Cindy remains your awesome CPA and continues to lead the tax business
• The team is staying put and is a huge part of what we’re building

If you’re a bookkeeping client, you might see a few new EcomBalance faces around, but your service stays exactly the same!

We worked hard to get this deal done before tax season.

And since tax season is officially here, we want to do what we always do after a new deal and take care of early clients.

• First 10 new US tax clients get 20% off 2025 income tax services
• EcomBalance clients get 25% off

Reach out to me or your EcomBalance bookkeeper for more info.

If you’ve followed Nathan and me for a while, you know this is our playbook.
When we expand, we make it better for the people who supported us early.

More updates coming soon on the transition and our new partners.

But for now, we’re pumped to officially bring income tax services into the EcomBalance and AccountsBalance ecosystem!

taplio

The Battle

Tim Hanson

Connor Gillivan

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The Battle

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