Interview – Peter Bender
Amanda: Welcome to Female Fractionals, the biweekly podcast for successful female fractional executives and those ready to take the leap. In each episode, I bring you actionable lessons and inspiration through interviews with thriving fractional leaders and experts. Let’s dive in.
Hi everyone, and welcome to today’s episode. I’m Amanda Nizzere, your host. On today’s episode, we have a digital strategist named Peter Bender, founder of SiteLogic. Peter is a cross-functional digital strategist who helps marketers gain visibility while also making their brands more visible online. He primarily works in website optimization and organic search, but he always values a balanced focus on the needs of the business, the brand, and the user.
Peter founded SiteLogic in 2018, and the company has been on a steady growth trajectory ever since. I really hope you enjoy this conversation. So without further ado, let’s jump in.
Hi Peter, welcome to Female Fractionals! It's so great to see you. Thanks for coming on.
Peter: Hi Amanda. Thanks for having me.
Amanda: Of course. Before we dive in, I want to share a little bit about how we know each other. It feels like we’ve known each other forever, but we actually met pre-COVID—shortly after you started SiteLogic in 2019. You were helping the company where I was CMO, and you turned a very complicated and challenging search landscape into something digestible and impactful. You educated my team and leadership on the importance of organic search and helped us use it as a strategic weapon. That effort contributed to millions in marketing-attributed revenue.
So, I wanted to have you on today to talk about two things: one, how search impacts us as fractional executives running our own businesses and client websites, and two, what fractional marketers, CROs, and CGOs need to know about how the search landscape is changing—and how to keep up.
Let’s start with your background. What brought you into this field, and why did you decide to focus on organic search?
Peter: It goes back to around 2009. I was still in school and got a side gig as a content writer—five bucks per blog post for a SaaS company. It was fun, but I started to notice that the content I was writing was pushing sites to the top of Google search results. I didn’t understand why it worked, but I was curious.
That curiosity led me to build websites for friends and family. After graduating, I assumed I needed a “real” job—I didn’t even know full-time SEO roles existed—so I started in project management at a small-to-midsize agency. From there, I moved into account management because I enjoyed client interaction and learning about the business side. Eventually, I shifted into strategy.
Since it was a smaller agency, everyone wore a lot of hats, so I brought in my experience in SEO and analytics and helped build out those areas. I also had a stint in big agency world—worked on some major brand projects, like advertising on the AOL homepage and for streaming platforms.
In 2018, I started SiteLogic to bring all of that together. My goal was to offer a pragmatic, practical approach to optimizing websites and broader digital strategies—focusing on balancing business goals, brand strategy, and user experience.
Amanda: That’s great. From your perspective, what’s changed in the search landscape since the days of AOL homepage takeovers?
Peter: So much. First off, organic search is something everyone interacts with constantly—as a consumer, as a business owner, as a marketer. We’re always searching, and that behavior hasn’t changed.
But what’s changed is the structure of search results. It’s no longer just 10 blue links. We now have ads, maps, snippets, shopping results, and increasingly, AI-generated overviews. These changes impact how visible your brand is.
The one constant? Your website. It’s the one digital asset you actually own. If social algorithms change or a platform disappears, you still have your website. That makes content—and especially focused, intentional content—so important.
From a strategy standpoint, it all comes back to positioning and understanding your niche. SEO today isn’t about chasing big, generic keywords. It’s about finding specific terms that align with your unique value and what your audience is actually searching for. That’s the essence of long-tail keywords.
So instead of trying to rank for something broad like “fractional CMO,” you might rank for “fractional CMO for professional services” or “SaaS growth strategy fractional CMO.”
Amanda: That’s so helpful, especially for fractionals who tend to start broad and then niche down. Are there tools you recommend to help people understand what they can actually rank for, especially those just getting started?
Peter: Definitely. My favorite starting point is Google itself. Start typing into the search bar and see what autocomplete suggests—it gives insight into related searches. Also, look at the “People also ask” section and related searches at the bottom of the page.
Google Trends is another great tool to understand how interest in a topic has changed over time. You can see if something is gaining momentum or declining.
If you want more robust data, tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz offer limited free versions. SimilarWeb is another good one for traffic analysis. And Google’s Keyword Planner—part of the Ads platform—can help estimate search volume, though it’s more designed for paid campaigns.
Amanda: Great list. I know clients are constantly asking me what the latest Google algorithm updates mean and how to “rank in LLMs.” Which leads to my next question: what’s your take on where this is all headed with LLMs and AI-driven search?
Peter: I’ll start with the past to help explain the future. Search engines used to return basic blue links. Then we got featured snippets, map results, and “zero-click” content where users get answers without leaving the search page.
That trend has only accelerated with AI overviews. These pull information from multiple sources and synthesize it instantly, so users may never click on your site at all.
That shifts what “success” looks like. It might not be a website visit—it might be exposure, brand recognition, or even influence you don’t immediately see. So, I encourage people to track the right metrics and not panic over every traffic drop.
As for LLMs—no one fully understands how they decide what content to surface. Even the engineers building them admit it’s still a black box. So don’t try to game the system. Focus instead on consistency, owning your content, and optimizing for long-term brand visibility.
Amanda: Yes, the importance of brand has never felt more critical. Especially when we don’t know what LLMs will surface, we want our brand and messaging to be consistent and visible across every channel.
Peter: Exactly. The more consistent your brand is across your site, LinkedIn, podcasts, and other content, the more likely LLMs will interpret and replicate your voice accurately. And your competitors can do fast, AI-powered competitive research on you too—so clear, compelling brand positioning is key.
Amanda: Let’s talk measurement. What do you consider the most important metrics for fractional leaders to track?
Peter: The classic answer: it depends. But for most, you’re looking for qualified leads—whether through a contact form, discovery call, or download.
From there, it depends on your site structure. If you have a content-rich site, look at how users move through the pages. Are they reading case studies? Visiting your About page? For smaller sites, total page views might be less meaningful.
Time on site is nuanced. Longer sessions can signal engagement—or it might mean you’re not getting to the point. So evaluate metrics in context.
Also think about how people are finding you—referrals, LinkedIn clicks, or branded search terms. Look at behavior patterns, not just volume.
Amanda: Yes, and when working with clients, make sure leadership is aligned on which metrics matter so you can show impact. Okay, ready for our rapid-fire round?
Peter: Let’s do it.
Amanda: Most unusual place you’ve taken a client call?
Peter: A bathroom in Tokyo.
Amanda: First job that taught you something valuable?
Peter: Zipline tour guide in Colorado.
Amanda: Early bird or night owl?
Peter: Early bird—I can get two hours of work done before anyone wakes up.
Amanda: Three apps you can’t live without?
Peter: Google Calendar, DoorDash, and Podcasts.
Amanda: Mentor you’d like to shout out?
Peter: My former boss and now collaborator, Larry Bach from Elevate Studios.
Amanda: Most used emoji in professional texts?
Peter: 😐 — the straight mouth face.
Amanda: Go-to comfort food?
Peter: Ramen.
Amanda: Peter, thank you so much for joining. I appreciate your insight, your partnership, and your continued thought leadership. For everyone listening, check out Peter’s site, and his YouTube channel. He walks through everything from launching new services to keyword research tools.
Peter: Thanks again for having me, Amanda.
Amanda: And to our listeners—don’t forget to like, follow, and share. And visit femalefractionals.com. Thanks for listening!
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