AI, SEO, and Automation: How to start marketing a new product category? Interview with Joost de Valk

Launching a product is hard. Launching a category is harder. In this conversation, Joost de Valk explains why distribution beats hype, how AI shifts the content game, and what it really takes to keep a website healthy long after launch. Below is a practical summary of that conversation – how to earn attention in a saturated WordPress ecosystem and why “reasonably good” content no longer cuts it.

Joost is the founder of Yoast SEO and a long‑time WordPress and SEO practitioner. He grew Yoast by showing up where buyers already were – SEO and affiliate conferences, podcasts, and ecosystem partnerships – and he’s spent years connecting content, technical SEO, and product. Today he’s building Progress Planner, a WordPress‑first tool that coaches site owners to ship small, consistent improvements.

Cold Start: How to Launch a New Product Category in WordPress

Joost contrasts launching Yoast SEO 15 years ago with today. Back then, there were fewer plugins and users were more technical; “SEO plugin” matched a clear intent. Today the plugin directory is crowded and the quality signals are harder to read, especially for non‑technical site owners.

When you’re introducing something new, start from the pains people already recognize – slow pages, broken links, stale content – and show how small, repeatable fixes create momentum. It takes patience and clear storytelling rather than quick hacks.

Reasonably good content is no longer good enough. You actually have to stand out.

In short: launching a category starts with empathy for the problems people already feel and a cadence of small, visible wins. Set expectations that adoption takes time, keep the story simple, and measure progress in week‑over‑week improvements – not viral spikes. That mindset sets up the rest of Joost’s advice.

Distribution Strategy for WordPress Products: Go Where Buyers Decide

Joost is blunt: distribution and reach were always the lever. Yoast grew more from SEO and affiliate conferences (and early podcasting) than from only speaking at WordCamps. Today, social attention is fragmented across LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Bluesky, TikTok, and more, so you can’t rely on one network. Hosts and other ecosystem players can still open doors – think of them as “switching stations” for new users.

Practical takeaways from Joost:

• Don’t market only inside the WordPress bubble; most WordPress users never attend events.
• Show up where buyers already listen (SEO/marketing venues, partner channels).
• Treat LinkedIn as useful for relationships—but avoid spammy product pushes.

AI Changed the Content Game (and Raised the Bar)

AI makes it trivial to generate “okay‑looking” articles. That flood means “reasonably good” content is no longer good enough. To be referenced by search or AI overviews, you need brand, originality, and real value – clear answers to real questions at the right time. There are no cheap hacks; holistic marketing (content + brand + PR + technical foundation) matters more than tool‑driven tactics. At the same time, technical SEO still matters, especially for larger sites—someone has to diagnose crawling issues and errors.

Building a technically solid website is easier than ever, but many still fail at it.

AI accelerates shipping and even refactoring; it can help you build faster. But that makes expertise more valuable, not less. Products must combine automation plus judgment – knowledge layered over tasks – to deliver outcomes people will pay for. Chasing random niches with generic automation rarely works when real experts can now ship, too.

AI Limitations and the Future of WordPress Marketing

Joost expects AI to keep improving and take on more repetitive tasks, but he points to real‑world constraints: data‑center build‑outs and power delivery can become bottlenecks. He also notes that AI is excellent at recombining what already exists, not at sustained original thinking – human creativity still sets the brief and the standard.

As software work becomes more productive, Joost expects society to re‑value work that can’t be automated (he mentions carpenters and electricians). For teams working with WordPress, the takeaway is practical: use AI to accelerate the grunt work, while relying on expert judgment for strategy, messaging, and the trade‑offs that shape user experience.

What Is Progress Planner for WordPress?

Joost describes his new product, a Progress Planner as a WordPress‑first coach for ongoing website care. It provides light nudges, badges, and simple reminders that help site owners ship one or two small improvements each week. The aim is to prevent the slow decay that ends in an expensive rebuild a few years down the line. Most site owners aren’t developers; they benefit from a personal‑trainer style approach – small reps, steady gains – focused on practical tasks like keeping plugins up to date, refreshing About/Contact pages, removing sample content, and fixing broken links.

Progress Planner Use Cases: Weekly Maintenance Wins for Site Health

Joost makes a straightforward point: even experienced teams have dozens of broken links hiding on their sites, and fixing them immediately improves real user experience. Progress Planner’s first customer challenge zeroed in on this problem and the outcomes surprised seasoned SEO pros. It’s the kind of work people rarely brag about, yet it steadily prevents drift and confusion.

Make your site 1% better every day. People underestimate what consistent tiny improvements can do.

Beyond broken links, routine cleanup compounds into trust: prune stale pages that confuse visitors, remove sample content left live, and keep core pages accurate. Treat these as small, weekly improvements: clear, achievable tasks that keep the site healthy and usable. This maintenance rhythm also fits the broader theme of category creation discussed earlier: start from pains people already recognize and show visible wins week over week. By measuring progress in small, consistent steps, you build credibility and momentum without relying on one‑off stunts.

Do We Still Need Websites?

Yes – you still need a website. Joost’s point is to be clear on why it exists: if you’re a company, your site should be the best place to learn about your company. Some information also needs to be accurate on other surfaces. If you’re a bakery, keep your opening hours correct on Google Maps – nobody likes ending up in front of a locked door. Your website remains where people learn about you; maps and listings solve quick, practical lookups.

It’s a lot of work to build a good website. But if you’re not willing to put in that work, then why is the website there in the first place?

At the content level, quality beats volume. Joost would rather see a few good pieces that actually answer visitors’ questions than “a thousand pieces” that aren’t. Revisit older posts and how‑to articles so they stay correct when interfaces change, and check the basics regularly: forms should work, and contact details should be accurate – these things break over time and need maintenance.

Launching a new category isn’t about stunts; it’s about consistency, distribution, and credibility. Teach the problems people already feel, show steady improvements, and build where your buyers pay attention. In Joost’s words, the era of quick SEO tricks is over – you have to stand out by being useful, memorable, and technically sound.

Full episode with Joost de Valk

Want to hear the full conversation with Joost de Valk? Check out the latest 🎙️ Osom to Know podcast.

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