Executive ConversationsEpisode 22 ·
Why SEO needs a seat at the exec table with Malte Landwehr @ Idealo.
In this episode, Maeva Cifuentes speaks with Malte Landwehr, VP of SEO at Idealo.
Malte Landwehr
VP of SEO, Idealo
Maeva Cifuentes
Host, Founder and CEO of Flying Cat
VP of SEO, Idealo
Maeva CifuentesHost, Founder and CEO of Flying Cat
In this episode, Maeva Cifuentes speaks with Malte Landwehr, VP of SEO at Idealo. Malte shares how SEO isn’t just a channel, it’s the foundation of Idealo’s business model and what it actually means to lead SEO at executive level. He walks through how he filters out 75% of ideas using prioritization frameworks, how he scopes influence across five departments without direct authority, and how he handles being the first call when traffic drops. Malte also shares how he’s thinking ahead to generative search, what’s working for brand visibility in LLMs today, and why B2B leaders should be watching that space more closely than they are.
“If SEO needs to be baked into your product, then SEO needs to be in the room from the beginning.”Malte Landwehr, VP of SEO at Idealo
What leaders can take from Malte
- 1SEO as a business model: Malte explains why SEO isn’t just a traffic channel at Idealo—it’s the foundation of the entire business model.
- 2Prioritizing at scale: He shares how to ruthlessly filter SEO ideas using ICE or RICE and a unique complexity formula based on team involvement.
- 3Driving cross-functional alignment: Strategies for influencing product, engineering, and content teams without formal authority.
- 4Building long-term visibility: Why tracking LLM citations and mentions matters now—even if the revenue impact is small today.
- 5Structuring SEO leadership: What it actually means to operate at VP level in SEO and why title alone isn’t enough without execution power.
Cross-functional marketing alignmentEnterprise SEO strategySEO leadershipSEO prioritization frameworksGenerative Engine Optimization (GEO)
