Today we’re speaking with Joe Yakuel, the founder and CEO of WITHIN. Since he founded the company in 2015, Joe has been a strong advocate for aligning every channel — paid, organic, content, and creative — around one clear goal. In a world where marketing teams often operate in silos, WITHIN’s approach has made it possible for brands to build trust with their audiences while driving measurable results.
Known as a leading digital marketing agency for retail and consumer brands, WITHIN has partnered with companies like Foot Locker, The North Face and Timberland to rethink how they grow by uniting brand storytelling with performance marketing.
That’s where channels like SEO come in. Much like First Page Sage, WITHIN sees organic search as a long-term growth engine: a way to meet customers early, create valuable content, and turn that trust into lasting performance.
First Page Sage: WITHIN was one of the pioneers of Performance Branding. How did that concept become central to your business strategy?
Joe Yakuel: Early on, I saw a massive disconnect in how companies approached growth. You had brand teams optimizing for awareness and creative, and performance teams optimizing for immediate conversions, with little regard for each other. The problem is that neither side was looking at the business as a whole.
Our focus on Performance Branding grew out of that frustration. We built an approach that forces those disciplines to work together around a single North Star. Every investment, whether it’s content, paid search or SEO, is evaluated not in isolation but by how it contributes to the overall growth of the business.
First Page Sage: And that’s where organic channels like search tie into the bigger picture?
Yakuel: Absolutely. Search is often the first touchpoint a brand has with a customer. Someone might not be ready to buy, but they are ready to learn. That makes SEO and thought leadership incredibly powerful. When your content shows up in those moments, you’re not just ranking; you’re shaping the relationship from the very first impression.
We apply the same philosophy in paid channels. Whether organic or paid, you have to meet people where they are, with the right message, at the right time.
First Page Sage: What role do you see SEO playing in a brand’s overall growth strategy today?
Yakuel: It’s foundational, because it compounds. Unlike a single campaign that stops the moment the budget does, strong SEO and content builds equity. For us, SEO is not just a marketing lever; it’s an engine that consistently creates value. We think about it the same way we think about a great creative library, it builds equity over time.
First Page Sage: How do you think about measurement for channels like SEO where results compound over a long period?
Yakuel: You have to look at it in two layers. Early on, look at engagement and relevance: Are we reaching the right audience and holding their attention? Over time, layer in LTV metrics: Are those organic leads turning into repeat customers? It’s the same with Performance Branding: we measure incrementality, not just volume, so we know if the channel is adding true value.
First Page Sage: What advice would you give to companies looking to integrate SEO into a broader, measurable marketing program?
Yakuel: Treat SEO like a relationship, not a campaign. Don’t just create content to rank, create content that earns trust. Know what your audience is asking, what they’re worried about, and then be the one who answers it better than anyone else.
