Olivia Tapper
Key takeaways
- 00:57Thomas started his first online business at age 13 building miniature finger skateboards and has exited 16 different brands before launching the agency.
- 18:10They use a credit system allocating 20 credits per month for link building, content, and digital PR, with exclusivity agreements limiting to one client per niche to avoid scope creep.
- 21:22Some clients are earning several thousand dollars per month in revenue from SearchGPT referrals, demonstrating high conversion rates from AI-powered search engines.
- 12:15They avoid AI-generated content on websites entirely and have contractual clauses preventing clients from using AI blog articles, prioritizing skilled editors and user experience.
- 29:32Their biggest pain point is educating clients burned by unethical SEO agencies using PBN links and black-hat tactics, which they address through disavow work and transparency.
Questions Olivia Tapper answered
Thomas started building miniature finger skateboards at age 13 and has scaled multiple brands using SEO and content marketing, exiting 16 companies total. Olivia brings a corporate and engineering background with experience in tech management and leadership teams, which complements Thomas's entrepreneurial vision.
The SEO Agency Rollercoaster with Olivia Tapper and Thomas Phillips of DTC SEO Agency00:57 · with Thomas Phillips
The agency was born from consistent client requests over 18 years. After relocating to Austin, they decided to leverage their existing team and expertise to serve other direct-to-consumer brands, marking a mindset shift from seeing clients as bosses to partners.
The SEO Agency Rollercoaster with Olivia Tapper and Thomas Phillips of DTC SEO Agency03:13 · with Thomas Phillips
Extracting Thomas's extensive SEO knowledge into operationalized systems was a major challenge. On the Pet Portraits side, they faced learning curves with paid advertising after years of relying solely on SEO, experiencing the volatility of ad-dependent revenue.
The SEO Agency Rollercoaster with Olivia Tapper and Thomas Phillips of DTC SEO Agency05:00 · with Thomas Phillips
They take a conservative approach, using AI primarily for email research but avoiding it in client strategy and content. They refuse to work with clients using raw AI-generated content and include contractual clauses preventing this, prioritizing skilled human editors for quality and user experience.
The SEO Agency Rollercoaster with Olivia Tapper and Thomas Phillips of DTC SEO Agency11:50 · with Thomas Phillips
They use a credit system where clients get 20 credits monthly for link building, content, and digital PR. This prevents scope creep and allows flexibility in time allocation. They also maintain low client capacity with exclusivity agreements, taking only one client per niche to ensure quality buffer time.
The SEO Agency Rollercoaster with Olivia Tapper and Thomas Phillips of DTC SEO Agency17:51 · with Thomas Phillips