Thomas Phillips
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 Thomas Phillips 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 Olivia Tapper
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 Olivia Tapper
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 Olivia Tapper
While core SEO principles are similar, the key difference is attribution and integration—B2B requires linking into CRM systems like GoHighLevel, while D2C integrates with e-commerce platforms like Shopify. They build a 365-day plan for each client showing exact keywords, link targets, and digital PR strategy before onboarding.
The SEO Agency Rollercoaster with Olivia Tapper and Thomas Phillips of DTC SEO Agency10:07
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 Olivia Tapper
In Thomas Phillips's words
“I started my first online company when I was 13, building little miniature finger skateboards in my dad's garage to 39 different countries in the first year.”
The SEO Agency Rollercoaster with Olivia Tapper and Thomas Phillips of DTC SEO Agency01:00
“We had so many people just saying 'Hey, can you do SEO for us?' and I was like 'No, I am not interested.' We only do our own brands. And then it just got to the point where we're like this actually makes total sense.”
The SEO Agency Rollercoaster with Olivia Tapper and Thomas Phillips of DTC SEO Agency04:05
“We have a stern talk with clients if they admit to us they've just output ChatGPT content straight onto the website. We just can't take the risk. It's not worth it at all.”
The SEO Agency Rollercoaster with Olivia Tapper and Thomas Phillips of DTC SEO Agency12:15
“Some of our clients are earning pretty decent amounts—a few grand a month off ChatGPT. The conversion rate as well is just through the roof.”
The SEO Agency Rollercoaster with Olivia Tapper and Thomas Phillips of DTC SEO Agency21:22
“Removing the snakes. I'm just shocked every time I come across them. We've had two clients from other agencies and both we've had to do massive disavows.”
The SEO Agency Rollercoaster with Olivia Tapper and Thomas Phillips of DTC SEO Agency29:32