How to Build Your Brand and SEO with AI: Insights from Ali Awad’s Mastermind

SEO isn’t something you do, it’s the result of real relationships, authentic stories, and high-quality content.

Here’s what I’ve learned: successful people either make a million dollars or a million excuses, never both.

Ali J. Awad and his brother, Ibrahim J. Awad, founders of The Awad Law Firm, have mastered social media, earning Ali the title of “The Social Media Lawyer.” Their success reveals the true secret to SEO: it’s not about paying vendors but creating authentic, engaging content that resonates.

During Ali Awad’s Mastermind, I shared insights on leveraging AI tools to streamline content creation and drive results.

Four Stages of Content Factory

Creating content is essential for building your online presence and driving growth. As the law firm partner or owner, focus on the first stage of the content factory. A young adult, like a VA from the Philippines or Pakistan, can handle stages two, three, and four.

Start by creating videos for your business, like Ali Awad. That’s stage one, your job as the figurehead. Tools like Descript edit videos, break them into clips, turn them into podcasts, and post them on various platforms. This process, called repurposing, maximizes the value of one piece of content.

Google and other platforms want real, honest content, stories transformed into blog posts, images, and videos.

Create content once and let it work across all platforms. You don’t need to  create your content for each platform separately. Process, publish, and promote it, spend a Dollar-A- Day  to share it everywhere.

Google uses it to evaluate credibility and rankings. For instance, when evaluating Andrew Pickett, the first question is, “Is this site legit? Is this guy legit?” I’d start by searching Andrew Pickett using ChatGPT. It might respond, “I’m not sure yet, still catching up, but it could be this or that.”

Next, I’d search for Andrew Pickett. I see “Personal Injury Attorney” in purple because I’ve visited his site before. That data comes from Google’s knowledge graph, not live search results.

His GMB listing appears, along with social media accounts. Google analyzes overwhelming evidence, articles, posts, citations, and to determine credibility. These signals feed into the knowledge graph.

If done correctly, Google connects the dots and identifies you. That’s why citations matter. They don’t need to be on Crunchbase, but platforms like that build authority. When I search again using Google’s generative search, I might ask, “What makes Andrew Pickett different from his competitors?” or “What advice does Andrew Pickett give if I got bit by a dog?”

If Google doesn’t recognize you, it’s because you haven’t provided enough evidence. You don’t need to be famous, have a Wikipedia page, or a blue checkmark to build a strong online presence, you just need to give Google the right information.

If I were advising Ali Awad, an Atlanta personal injury attorney, I’d tell him to ensure Google receives clear and consistent signals about who he is. Like the guy at the airport who couldn’t upgrade to first class and asked, “Do you know who I am?” Many people don’t realize they lack online authority, and that’s the issue.

The solution is to use tools like ChatGPT or Bard to enhance your strategy. These tools won’t replace you but will amplify your efforts. Start by analyzing your existing content. For example, Rachel Howell’s site benefits from backlinks on high-authority domains like mine, which has a DR60. Every 10-point increase in domain rating is 10 times more powerful. If the CEO Lawyer moves from a DR27 to a DR37, that’s a significant boost in authority.

Quality Citations Over Spammy Links

Authority doesn’t come from random links or spammy blogs. It grows through quality citations, podcasts, authentic blogs, and high quality backlinks. These help you rank for valuable terms like “city name dog bite attorney” or “Melbourne boating accident lawyer.” Tools like Ahrefs reveal keywords, traffic, and growth opportunities that most SEO companies won’t share.

Citations and backlinks establish credibility, but using them properly is crucial. If Ali wants to dominate locally, he needs to identify keywords and improve rankings. SEO isn’t magic; it’s about data, content, and consistent signals.

Ali Awad shares stories from different angles, not to become a YouTuber but to showcase his expertise and build trust. His content extends his reputation and reviews. It’s not a trick to beat social media algorithms.

A “pedestrian accident lawyer” search moved from position 6 to position 1 yesterday. No magic, just data. Ali has a blog answering the question, “Can you die from a head injury years later?” That post ranks first for a keyword with 1,000 monthly searches, bringing in 365 visits a month, about a third of the total traffic. Why? Because it’s clear, relevant, and valuable.

When I analyze Ali’s 7,000 keywords, many are branded searches like “CEO Lawyer” and “Ali Awad.” That’s not SEO, it’s navigation. People search for him because of his reputation. These results come from real-world relationships and offline interactions, which Google recognizes and reflects in search results.

The Power of Video and Local Content

SEO is like weight loss. I lost 51 pounds with a coach’s guidance, but I still had to do the work, exercise, eat right, and sleep well. You can’t pay someone to lose weight for you. SEO works the same way. It’s your content, relationships, and effort.

If you don’t have entities like LinkedIn, podcasts, or videos linked to your name, Google won’t know who you are. It’s not about jumping on every new platform, like Threads, just because someone says it’ll replace Twitter. That’s noise. Instead, focus on creating high-quality video content that can be repurposed across channels.

Publish everywhere to send a clear signal of who you are, especially with geo-modified categories like “Atlanta rideshare lawyer” or “Melbourne car accident attorney.” Start with video, break it into smaller pieces, and organize everything in a content library. A VA can handle most of this work.

A content expert can oversee the process, but 99% of it can be done by people who understand your brand. They don’t need to be experts. The strategist runs the system; the workers are your in-house team, not an agency juggling multiple clients. They must work full-time for you.

Think Tesla factory, not McDonald’s. Precision, quality, and consistency drive results. That’s what signals Google. Rankings come from relationships, reviews, and quality content distributed effectively.

Businesses ranking on 22,000 keywords with strong domain ratings got there through consistent effort.

Last week, I spoke at the National Funeral Directors Association. Funeral homes, from small shops to major chains, follow a simple content strategy, create, optimize, distribute. Now they rank #1 for “natural burial cremation New Jersey.” It works.

I’ve been to Kuala Lumpur, where I met the queen. Everything was gold, even the plates. At a fancy dinner, my friend Anaco and I tried durian. We were at the KL Tower, next to the Petronas Towers.

I’m scrolling through my photos, and there’s me photobombing the queen. The event was steeped in protocol, but the queen was chill, nothing too formal. All of this was automatically tagged on Google Photos, including locations and people.

AI effortlessly pulls metadata like this, whether it’s fishing in the Amazon or searching “Melbourne Boating Accident Lawyer.” But here’s the kicker: the page for “boating accidents” has no traffic, no keywords, and no links. SEO? It’s dead on arrival.

To fix this, start with content creation. No more cookie-cutter fluff from an SEO company. If Andrew Pickett, a personal injury attorney, spent just one minute filming a quick, insightful video on boating accidents in Melbourne, it would dominate. Add real stories, local landmarks, and photos. That’s how you rank and build trust.

No agency can replace high quality content. SEO results come from real effort, relationships, and trust. Produce quality content, and the rankings will follow.

I told the funeral homes to pick a random set, from tiny mom-and-pop shops to big chains with dozens of locations, and run them through our checklist.

Funeral homes are usually multi-generational. Take Julia Prout, a fourth-generation funeral home director. Her dad’s dad’s dad built that legacy. These young adults may not dream of entering the funeral industry because it’s not “cool,” but they know tech.

The goal was to follow the four stages: produce, process, publish, and promote. And guess what? They ranked #1 for “natural burial cremation New Jersey” and several other key terms. These funeral directors know nothing about SEO, yet it worked. Why? Because the system works. A week ago, thousands watched as funeral directors and young adults collaborated.

It’s not about hiring an expert. Your kids can do this. If they can, why can’t you? This model isn’t complicated. No agency or consultant can deliver results without you owning stage one, creating the content. Google’s EEAT authentic signals, not synthetic fluff.

If we look at Andrew Pickett’s site . He has location service pages and practice areas. Let’s dive into personal injury. There’s a video, a chatbot, and subtopics like wrongful death or boating accidents. Why does it rank? Not because of SEO tricks, but because of clear, valuable content tied to real expertise. That’s the strategy. Produce authentic, engaging content, and the results follow.

Now, let’s break down “boating accidents in Melbourne, Florida, a low-competition term with huge potential. The page has a URL rating of one, no backlinks, no referring domains, and ranks for zero keywords. No search traffic. Yet, the site itself has 4,300 indexed terms with a DR16.

Here’s the problem: the content is bland and generic. The H1 says, “Melbourne Boating Accident Lawyer,” followed by walls of fluff. It’s cookie-cutter SEO garbage. Some company slapped together a page, threw in random blog posts at the bottom, and called it a day. Don’t fall for this.

Andrew Pickett, a personal injury attorney in Melbourne, needs a proper location service page for boating accidents. Why? To attract leads and rank for related terms. I asked AI tools like ChatGPT and Bard to analyze Andrew Pickett. They returned decent summaries: “He’s represented numerous clients in Brevard County, familiar with Florida laws, and offers free consultations.” Solid, but not enough.

So, how do we level up? Add a one-minute video. Andrew could explain the nuances of boating accidents in Melbourne, what makes them unique, common pitfalls, and who’s at fault. Include real stories, personal insights, and visuals like local coffee shops, landmarks, or anything relatable.

Google’s EEAT framework demands authenticity. AI tools can assist, but they’re only as good as the input. A simple, well-produced video paired with localized content signals experience and expertise. That’s how you dominate a low-competition keyword and build trust. Don’t outsource this; own it.

Use AI tools and a competent team to process, publish, and promote. Tools will evolve, but the framework stays the same. AI lets you refine real content into countless variations. But it all starts with genuine material.

I knew years ago that capturing everything on my phone would pay off. Today, AI turns those moments into stories, posts, and campaigns. Like that shot of pizza from Dallas? Tagged automatically.

This is why you need an in-house team. Fancy videographers are optional; raw authenticity is non-negotiable. The AI is already working for you, you just need to use it effectively.