Episode 665 SEO Pluging I Am Building For WordPress With Joel Jenkins
Show Highlights
This podcast features Rob Cairns interviewing Joel Jenkins about his new WordPress tools.. Jenkins explains that he entered a competitive market to provide a privacy-focused alternative that stores data locally rather than relying on external platforms like Google Analytics. A key highlight of the software is the integration of AI agents, which allow users to interact with their site data using natural language queries. The discussion covers the importance of tracking competitors, the shift toward answer engine optimization, and upcoming features like agent-managed split testing. Ultimately, the sources emphasize providing small businesses with simplified, actionable insights without the complexity of enterprise-level tracking suites.
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Show Notes
Key Takeaways From This Episode
- The Power of Simple, Local Data: Most small businesses get overwhelmed by the sheer complexity of platforms like Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Keeping data self-contained in your WordPress database respects user privacy, bypasses aggressive browser tracking blocks (like iOS 17), and satisfies strict international privacy regulations (such as EU laws).
- Talking to Your Data: By combining local data storage with modern AI agents, site owners can query their analytics using natural language via the terminal or dashboard—asking specific questions like, “How many mobile users came from Google last Tuesday?”—instead of building complex enterprise reports.
- The Rise of AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): SEO isn’t dead; it’s evolving. Site owners must optimize their structured data and schema so that AI platforms (like Gemini and ChatGPT) can easily crawl, understand, and serve their content as direct answers.
- AI Consolidation vs. Search History: Just as the early search engine wars consolidated dozens of players down to a dominant few, the AI chatbot space is likely headed toward a heavy consolidation around a few major technical pillars.
- API Security & Site Health: As the WordPress ecosystem relies more heavily on external API connections (especially heading into WordPress 7), site security, two-factor authentication, and proactive database maintenance are more critical than ever.
Episode Timestamps
- [00:00] – Introduction and how Joel first got started in WordPress 15–20 years ago using the classic Kubrick theme.
- [04:12] – The origin story of Conton Analytics (named after the Japanese word for simple) and solving a tracking problem for a travel agency.
- [06:30] – Why enter a crowded market dominated by Yoast and RankMath? The local data value proposition.
- [08:50] – The frustration with GA4 and how conversational AI replaces confusing analytics dashboards.
- [11:15] – Is SEO still relevant? An introduction to Answer Engine Optimization (AEO).
- [13:45] – The consolidation of AI models and a look back at the original search engine wars.
- [16:20] – Why Bing and Microsoft Business Places cannot be ignored by local SEO professionals.
- [18:10] – Pulling Google Search Console history, competitor tracking, and automation features built directly into the WordPress dashboard.
- [21:40] – Looking ahead to Conton SEO 2.0: AI agent-managed split testing for context-specific dynamic content.
- [24:15] – Database performance management: How Conton offloads older data to side-loaded SQLite tables to keep hosting fast.
- [27:00] – WordPress 7, security landscapes, and protecting your API keys.
- [31:30] – Where to find the plugin, licensing details, and how to connect with Joel.
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