In this episode of E-coffee with Experts, our host Austin Willman talks with Marko Arsic, Head of SEO at Digital Spice, who shares how enterprise and franchise brands can scale SEO without relying on traditional link building. With over a decade of experience working with 120+ websites, Marko explains why large franchise businesses don’t need aggressive backlink campaigns — and what they should focus on instead.
We talk about:
- Why franchise locations compete against each other in search
- The metro-level SEO structure most brands miss
- How to create fair ranking opportunities for every franchisee
- Why impressions are becoming more important than clicks
- How zero-click searches are reshaping SEO KPIs
- How AI traffic converts — and why it’s plateauing
- Using maps and data layering to uncover SEO growth opportunities
- Why novelty and real authorship matter more than ever
Marko also shares practical insights on schema markup, entity clarity, localized content, and how brands can leverage real growth data to increase AI visibility.
If you’re a founder, CMO, marketing leader, or agency working with multi-location or franchise businesses, this episode is packed with actionable SEO strategy you won’t hear elsewhere.
Takeaways:
- SEO strategies have evolved from black hat to white hat practices.
- Franchise businesses face unique SEO challenges due to competition among locations.
- A well-structured website is crucial for effective SEO in franchises.
- Content differentiation is key to ranking well in search engines.
- Communication with franchisees provides valuable insights for local SEO.
- AI is changing the landscape of SEO, requiring more unique content.
- Video content is becoming increasingly important for engagement.
- Understanding user intent is essential for effective SEO strategies.
- Metrics like impressions and conversions are critical for measuring success.
- Franchises should share growth data to enhance visibility and credibility.