Book Review: Vertical Growth - Michael Bunting (About Continual Learning)

// this is an AI-supported review of a book to determine how much I'd like to buy it based on how Bard thinks its of relevance to SEOs - primarily those in a leadership position. My comments or additions are always in italics. Part of this series is because I want to learn more about the book, the other is because I want to learn more about the genAI process with regards to 'content'.

Screenshot of the Audible cover of Vertical Growth

Michael Bunting's "Vertical Growth" offers a powerful framework for cultivating self-awareness and driving personal and professional transformation. But what if I told you its principles hold hidden gems for boosting your SEO efforts too? // this is very much a Bard-style bit of hype. People say you can't detect AI-generated content, but if you know a blog author's style, its easy to pick up.

The Pillars of Vertical Growth and their SEO Relevance:

Before diving into tactics, let's solidify the foundation:

• Self-Awareness: Recognising your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that hinder your SEO efforts is crucial. Identifying perfectionism, resistance to change, or fear of failure allows you to address them and optimise your approach. // this is spot on for me. I used to have a desire to be deliver 'perfect work', I wasn't often capable of reaching those self-prescribed standards and then would suffer as a result. It was only form learning more about Product Management and the concept of "perfection is the enemy of perfection" that made me 'relax' more. From that I got better focus and, perversely, delivered better performance as a result.

• Conscious Choice: Move beyond autopilot and consciously choose actions that align with your SEO goals. Deliberately decide on content strategies, outreach tactics, or technical adjustments to fuel sustainable growth. // the challenge with SEO leaders is that we have to cover so many different facets of SEO, content and tech SEO can be distant cousins, but content and link acquisition less so. It's easy to jump from one thing to another without being purposeful. My advice would be to find mechanisms to focus and have deliberate action.

• Emotional Regulation: Manage emotions like frustration or anxiety that can stall your SEO progress. Techniques like mindfulness or journaling can help you stay focused and resilient in the face of challenges. // having a great support network with colleagues and family is key - they should help you self-regulate, as well reading a lot of the books I've mentioned in these webpages.

• Mindful Action: Don't just react to algorithm updates or competitor moves; take purposeful action informed by data and a clear understanding of your audience and niche. // forming a clear strategy is your friend here. Be focused on-solving underlying causes of the issues that you have identified, don't just paper over the cracks.

Scaling SEO Heights with Vertical Growth Strategies:

Now, let's translate these principles into actionable SEO strategies:

1. Conquering Foundation Regrets (Keyword Blindness):

• Self-Awareness: Acknowledge if you're stuck in a "keyword trap," obsessing over specific terms but neglecting user intent and broader search trends. // a bit detailed for my liking, but knowing when to move on from a problem where the time you would sink into the problem doesn't relate into the scale of the opportunity. Be ruthless with your time.

• Conscious Choice: Deliberately explore long-tail keywords, user-generated queries, and related topic clusters to expand your reach beyond single keywords. // Bard is really shoe-horning this in here. But your strategy should clearly define if your realisable opportunity lies in the head, torso or tail of keywords - and even that the various types of intent.

• Emotional Regulation: Don't be discouraged by temporary ranking shifts due to algorithm updates. Stay calm, analyze data, and adapt your strategy with a clear head. // SEO is full of ups and downs, wins and losses. You've got to be easy on yourself when things don't go well and be quick to identify resolutions.

• Mindful Action: Revamp your keyword research with tools that analyse user intent, sentiment, and search trends. Develop content that addresses user needs beyond specific keywords. // for me this would be don't have a strategy of just throwing stuff out there. Be consistent with your approach after you've been through that testing phase and be willing to redo tests

Continually learn!

2. Embracing Boldness Regrets (Overplaying Safety):

• Self-Awareness: Recognise if you're sticking to safe content formats or outreach strategies out of fear of failure. // it's easy to move down well-trodden paths and not cause too much self-focus. But be brave and try new things.

• Conscious Choice: Experiment with innovative storytelling techniques, interactive content formats, or unconventional link-building approaches. //as above

• Emotional Regulation: Manage the fear of criticism or negative feedback when trying new things. Remind yourself that calculated risks are key to SEO growth.//as above

• Mindful Action: Research successful content experiments in your niche, test small-scale innovations, and track results to inform future approaches.//as above

3. Mending Connection Regrets (Ignoring the Human Side):

• Self-Awareness: Reflect on whether you're too focused on technical SEO or algorithms, neglecting the human element of audience engagement. // if you ever suffer from Imposter Syndrome (must review a book on that topic) then perhaps you over-index on 'self awareness', but for everybody else, its essential that you aware that what you do has consequences for your team. So really consider how you present yourself in the organisation.

• Conscious Choice: Prioritise creating content that resonates with your audience on an emotional level, addressing their concerns and sparking meaningful conversations.

• Emotional Regulation: Cultivate empathy and actively listen to user feedback, comments, and reviews to understand their needs and frustrations. // take a look at the Emotional Capitalists and Emotional Agility books for more on this.

Beyond Techniques: Cultivating an SEO Growth Mindset:

"Vertical Growth" isn't just about SEO tactics; it's about an internal transformation that fuels consistent organic growth. Remember:

• Embrace Lifelong Learning: Stay updated on SEO trends, tools, and algorithms. Treat every challenge as a learning opportunity to refine your skills and knowledge. // read more on this in the book Right Kind of Wrong.

• Prioritise User Value: Don't chase rankings blindly. Create content that genuinely provides value, information, and solutions to your target audience.

• Nurture Sustainable Growth: Focus on building long-term SEO strategies rooted in ethical practices, meaningful connections, and a deep understanding of your audience.

In overall I didn't find that the Bard-generated summary of this book sold it too me so much. Reading between the lines there could be some good mileage, but I'm not sold on it from what I've read. I'd give it a 4/10 as a book I'd be open to buying. But people on Amazon (aff) have given it a 4.5/5 so what does Bard know?