Interview: Barbara Slade Jagodić – SEO isn't dead, but we're clicking on Google results less and less
Barbara Slade Jagodić is an expert in SEO, digital marketing, and branding with over 20 years of experience in media and online communication. Today, she runs her own marketing agency. Slade. For years, they have worked with tourist boards, hoteliers, and agencies to improve their online visibility and content that drives conversions.
We spoke with her about trends, artificial intelligence, and the differences and importance of SEO and GEO, and other topics important for marketing in tourism
- Barbara, your career spans more than two decades. How did it all begin and what “pulled you” into the world of SEO, and what into the world of tourism?
I've been involved in digital since 1998, when I started working on the first internet portals in the country. I only got a taste of marketing with the arrival of Facebook, when as a community manager, I managed a lot of profiles (in the beginning, there were no pages) which drove a lot of traffic to websites. Then I started being active on all social networks as they appeared one after another. And I got a job in a corporation that was looking for a social media manager, but due to my writing skills, I actually worked on content marketing. I found out about SEO back when a meaningless website within the then EPH was drawing an incredible amount of traffic from Google, while Jutarnji relied on direct visits and social networks. At that time, so-called black hat SEO was very popular, with websites stuffed with keywords that didn't necessarily make much sense together, so I didn't like it. It wasn't until 2013, when Google cleaned up its search engine of those terrible pages and started featuring good ones, that I saw that this SEO thing could bring in a lot of visitors. Namely, I looked at the analytics of our content marketing project and saw that two articles consistently had the most visits, even though they were relatively old. People were finding them on Google. That's when I started learning SEO, and in 2017, I had the opportunity to work with a travel agency on SEO content. Specifically, I was doing their social media marketing and suggested that we try SEO content. In a year, we achieved such fantastic results that we surpassed all competition. And that's when I truly fell in love with SEO.
- I recently attended your lecture and I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by the number of practical tips I received. How important is it to you that the audience leaves your lectures with concrete tools they can apply immediately?
I don't like theory and philosophers. I'm a practical woman and I like it when people around me are direct and show you things, not just talk about something. I get bored at a lot of conferences. But when someone with examples comes on stage, they have my attention. I take out my phone, absorb everything, write it down. I wanted to be that kind of person on stage. Practical, not a philosopher. Thank you for saying I am.
- You often talk about the difference between SEO and GEO optimisation. Can you clarify what that actually means and why knowing the differences is important?
Actually, GEO (or AEO) is SEO, a new term has just been introduced to highlight the distinction between ranking in classic Google search results and appearing as an answer in AI search engines. I would say it's much easier to manipulate them, so the situation reminds me a bit of things we've seen before with classic SEO. However, the basics of both are actually the same, it's just that on Google, you could more easily get visible positions in some categories without paying. ChatGPT really likes to cite review platforms, and doesn't even look at paid positions. So you have situations where it offers companies as top answers that have paid to be at the top of those review platforms, which is really pointless because the user doesn't see that someone ended up there because they paid for advertising. On Google, you see sponsored results above organic ones, which is fairer.
- What advice would you give to travel agencies and tourist clients looking to improve their digital presence?
It is worth focusing on technical SEO, highly targeted content, optimised categories, but also generally on getting them mentioned everywhere. Specific tips and advice on what to do and how to do it are offered through my educational workshops, ...after which many people get in touch and thank me – because they start getting results when they apply it!
- Branding is often a topic for you – how much more important is a strong brand today than keywords themselves?
Everyone likes brands. People first, and algorithms learn from them, so algorithms like them too. Branded searches and the number of brand mentions greatly influence whether, for example, Google AI Overviews will include you in its answers.
We're entering an era where clicks are becoming fewer and fewer. CTR and web traffic have dropped significantly since the emergence of AI platforms, and Google's AI approach will further weaken clicks. That's why we need to focus on branding, so people specifically search for you.
- AI tools are changing how content is created. How can you stay authentic when everyone is using the same tools?
Tools should always just be tools. Never a replacement for people and brains. On tourist websites, there's a particular instance of mass copying and publishing identical content. Because everyone asks ChatGPT to write them a generic post about the top 10 things to see somewhere or a title that invites you to „embark on this journey“. All the texts are almost identical, the use of ChatGPT is particularly prominent in tourism. If all the texts are the same, why would any tool suggest it as an answer to you? That content is already everywhere. Use AI tools as assistance, but include your own examples, research, opinions, data…don't be an online parrot.
- What is the biggest mistake you see on tourist websites?
That's what I'm talking about in my earlier answer. Plus, website design is often put before functionality. And users hate flying elements and artistic descriptions. Don't make people waste time trying to figure out what you offer.
- Can a small destination or a smaller agency really compete with the “big players” with a good SEO strategy?
Absolutely. Large companies often „sleep“ when it comes to developing their digital presence, so it's an opportunity for new ones to „eat them up“.
- When you look at the domestic tourism scene – who do you think is doing a “smart” digital job?
I mustn't single anyone out because I work with so many different business entities (but never with competitors at the same time) that I would surely offend someone. I can only say that I haven't yet seen a well-constructed growth strategy like Booking.com, or Uber and Bolt had when they started conquering markets.
- I see you are quite active with lectures in Croatia and the region; what are your plans for the next period?
September, October, and November were very busy for me with lectures and training sessions. I'm now writing this reply from a hotel room in Tirana, where I gave a lecture on online branding yesterday. In December, I'm taking a month-long break, just as I don't work for two months in the summer, and then I'll slowly start putting together my schedule. I've been invited to Bulgaria for a large international conference, but perhaps I prefer a domestic audience, who are my target group. However, there will be many potential partners in Bulgaria who are also expanding their business here.
- And finally – what's your personal trick for creativity when you need to write content that both Google and people love?
I start with clients' problems and the questions I receive in my LinkedIn inbox. I write about what has troubled them or is troubling them, and sometimes about something that frustrates me greatly. The most concrete texts arise from concrete problems.
