The Edward Show

E906: I sit down with Shaun Anderson (Hobo Web), one of the most respected SEOs in the industry - someone who has been working in search since the early 2000s and has firsthand experience with every major Google shift, from early link-based ranking to AI-driven systems. We look at what the Google API Leak actually showed, what Google has been consistent about for years, and where SEO narratives have gone wrong. This is a technical, honest conversation focused on how Google really evaluates websites today. Topics covered: - Why Google wasn't lying about how rankings work - What the Google API Leak confirmed about ranking systems - How Google evaluates trust at the site level - Why trust can override traditional authority metrics - How links still matter and what they actually represent - How Google determines who owns and operates a website - Why responsibility and transparency matter for rankings - How E-E-A-T works in practice, not theory - Why monetization changes how a page is evaluated - When affiliate sites can rank successfully - Why some affiliate sites collapse while others grow - The difference between informational intent and commercial intent - What "helpful content" actually means to Google - Why some pages never get indexed - How site-wide quality issues block indexing - How to quickly identify technical vs content vs authority problems - Why publishing velocity can trigger ranking corrections - Why removing low-quality pages still works - Lessons from major updates like Google Penguin - What the Helpful Content Update changed long term - What "content effort" means and how it's evaluated - Why AI-generated content often fails - How AI should be used responsibly in SEO - What SEO tasks should never be handed fully to AI - Why SEO strategy still requires human judgment - Why entity SEO matters more than most people realize - The role of Google Business Profiles for trust - Why authorship, policies, and disclosures matter - How domain-wide signals are applied across pages Who this episode is for: - SEOs working on long-term, legitimate businesses - Founders who rely on organic search - Affiliate site owners navigating post-HCU SEO - Anyone confused by recent Google updates - Anyone whose "good content" isn't ranking This episode is not about tricks or shortcuts. It's about how Google actually evaluates websites based on trust, responsibility, and real-world experience. New episodes every day. Subscribe for more in-depth conversations on SEO, search, and growth. ⭐️ Shaun Anderson at Hobo SEO blog - https://www.hobo-web.co.uk/shaun-anderson/ ⭐️ Shaun Anderson on 𝕏 - https://x.com/hobo_web ⭐️ Shaun Anderson on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@hobo_web ⭐️ Shaun Anderson on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaun-anderson-hobo/ ⭐️ Shout out to Metehan Yesilyurt on 𝕏 - https://x.com/metehan777 ⭐️ Shout out to Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR on 𝕏 - https://x.com/KorayGubur 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Introduction and Guest Background 02:01 Journey into SEO: Early Days and Achievements 09:54 SEO Challenges and Overcoming Penalties 30:03 Understanding E-EA-T and Its Importance 58:00 AI in SEO: Tools and Techniques 01:03:57 SEO Tasks AI Shouldn't Handle 01:04:48 Creative Backlink Strategies 01:08:38 Controlling a Niche with Exact Match Domains 01:13:57 Diagnosing SEO Traffic Problems 01:18:35 Entity SEO and Google Business Profiles 01:37:07 More Insights from the Google API Leak 02:03:49 Final Thoughts and Reflections The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #eeatseo #seotips #googleapileak

E905: An auto repair shop paid $24,000 for SEO. In 11 months, they generated $2.8 million in revenue. This is exactly how that happened and why most local SEO campaigns never come close to results like this. The strategy comes from a real-world case study shared by Sarvesh Shrivastava, and it lines up perfectly with what actually works for local service businesses today. This is not theory. This is not generic "best practices." This is practical local SEO execution that leads to phone calls and booked jobs. We cover: - Why generic "services" pages don't convert - and what to build instead - How high-intent local pages (emergency, same-day, city-specific) drive revenue - The role of local blog content in rankings, trust, and topical authority - Why internal linking and site structure are some of the most ignored SEO levers - How fixing orphan pages and poor architecture can unlock fast growth - What actually moves the needle inside Google Business Profile optimization - Why real photos and accurate categories matter more than most people think - How Google crawls your entire site when GBP updates are made - The difference between traffic keywords and keywords that generate calls - Why going "fully local" beats chasing big national keywords every time - How real backlinks from relevant local and industry sites outperform cheap links You'll also hear references to insights from past conversations with: - Jake Hundley on information architecture and interlinking - Darren Shaw on Google Business Profile best practices - Real examples of technical issues uncovered using Screaming Frog By the end of this, you'll understand: - Why most local businesses struggle with SEO - What a revenue-focused local SEO strategy actually looks like - How small service businesses can compete without massive budgets - Why "ranking" is the wrong goal - and calls are the right one This is episode 905 of my daily digital marketing show. ⭐️ Sarvesh Shrivastava's thread - https://x.com/bloggersarvesh/status/2003488564651450520?s=46 ⭐️ Sarvesh Shrivastava's episode - E872 - How ANY Local Business Can Hit $100K/Month in 90 Days With SEO (BUT Most Get It Wrong) - https://youtu.be/SDYzINt4ezo ⭐️ Jake Hundley's episode - E900 - Most SEO Agencies Are Selling You Stuff That Doesn't Work (Here's What Actually Does) - https://youtu.be/R1cnAPoHCcI ⭐️ Darren Shaw's episode - E881 - Local SEO Masterclass: Darren Shaw on Ranking Factors, Reviews, and Google Business Hacks - https://youtu.be/1awWMG1e5kY 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Introduction: SEO Success Story 00:15 Guest Spotlight: Sarvesh Shrivastava 00:59 High-Intent Money Pages 02:04 Local Blog Content 02:47 Internal Linking 04:34 Google Business Profile Optimization 05:33 Building Real Backlinks 05:52 Focusing on Local Keywords 06:25 Conclusion: The Power of Local SEO 07:03 Final Thoughts and Farewell The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #localseo #searchengineoptimization #googlebusinessprofile #localmarketing

E904: New data shows a massive decline in Google Search traffic to news publishers. Here's what this means for anyone relying on organic traffic to survive. According to recent analysis, Google Search traffic to news sites has dropped from 51% to 27% over the past two years. At the same time, publishers have become increasingly dependent on Google Discover, a traffic source that is volatile, unpredictable, and difficult to control. I walk through the data, reactions from the SEO and publishing community, and then share my honest take on whether traditional news publishing is still a viable standalone business model - and what publishers should be doing instead. What this covers: - The exact numbers behind Google's traffic shift to news publishers - Why Google Discover now drives the majority of publisher traffic - Why Discover is risky as a primary traffic source - How recent core updates have accelerated the decline - How news consumption habits have changed beyond Google - The role AI and LLMs are playing in reducing search clicks - Why pure news publishing is an increasingly fragile business model What I recommend for publishers: - Why abandoning your website is the wrong move - How to use existing domain and topical authority as a real asset - Why publishers are uniquely positioned to launch niche web apps - How bottom-of-funnel SEO pages can drive purchase intent traffic - Why products and tools create more durable revenue than ads - How feedback from search traffic can guide product development I also share examples of how simple SaaS products can be built, monetized, and iterated on using SEO insights - and why this approach is far more resilient than depending solely on news traffic. This episode is for: - News publishers seeing declining search traffic - SEOs working with media sites - Founders thinking about diversification - Anyone trying to build a more stable, search-driven business This is episode 904 of the podcast - 904 days in a row. ⭐️ Source - https://www.seroundtable.com/google-search-traffic-drops-news-publishers-40645.html ⭐️ Episode with Shaun Savvy - 901 - "He Updated a Blog Post to the Future - Google Ranked It" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb9SDSSA6FQ 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Introduction: Shocking Drop in Google Search Traffic 00:43 The Shift to Google Discover 02:08 Community Reactions and Comments 04:05 Diversifying Beyond Traditional News Publishing 05:14 SEO Strategies for Web Publishers 10:05 Conclusion and Final Thoughts The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #seo #newspublishers #searchtraffic

E903: Is SEO actually dying, or is the industry just rebranding the same fundamentals under new names like GEO, AEO, and AI SEO? In this long-form holiday roundtable, we break down what really changed in search over the past year, what didn't, and why so much confusion is spreading across marketing teams, LinkedIn, Reddit, and conference stages. This episode covers real-world observations from 2025, not theory or tool demos. We talk candidly about AI search, Google's direction, backlinks, topical authority, video, PR, exact match domains, and the growing disconnect between what's being sold and what actually works. Top 10 SEO Predictions for 2026: 1. CMOs will continue to be duped by GEO misinformation campaigns. Results in GEO will come from SEO, more than ever. 2. Google will remain the primary source of truth for AI search, directly or indirectly influencing most large language model results. 3. Video content, especially YouTube and Instagram, will play a larger role in rankings, AI Overviews, and AI-generated answers. 4. Traditional text-based listicles will decline in effectiveness, particularly those without firsthand experience or original insight. 5. Backlinks will function more as a defensive ranking signal, helping sites withstand core updates rather than just drive growth. 6. Topical authority will become more granular, with trust evaluated at topic and subtopic levels instead of entire domains. 7. AI Overviews will continue to reduce informational clicks while increasing brand visibility, mentions, and indirect conversions. 8. Exact match and keyword-aligned domains will quietly regain value as relevance and attribution signals. 9. SEO and digital PR will fully converge, making citations, mentions, and reputation critical ranking inputs. 10. Claims that SEO is dead will persist, but organic search will remain central to discovery, competition, and revenue. Topics covered: - Why SEO and "GEO" are not separate disciplines - How AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity actually rely on search engines - The rise of AI SEO tools and why many are just content scaling platforms - How misinformation around AI search is targeting CMOs and executives - Why backlinks still matter more than most people admit - What the Helpful Content Update really changed (and what it didn't) - Why some sites recovered from HCU and most did not - The problem with listicles, reviews, and fake product testing - Why authority is still largely domain-based and where it may change - How Google's AI Overviews are affecting clicks, impressions, and attribution - Why video and YouTube citations are increasing in AI search results - The role of PR, brand mentions, and reputation in AI visibility - Exact match domains, multi-domain strategies, and when they make sense - Why most "SEO is dead" claims ignore ad revenue and user behavior - What a realistic SEO strategy looks like going into 2026 Platforms and ecosystems discussed: - Google search, AI Overviews, and AI Mode - Reddit and the current spam problem - Quora and declining result quality - HubSpot as a case study in topical drift - YouTube, short-form video, and user-generated content in search Who this episode is for: - SEOs working in-house or agency-side - CMOs and marketing leaders evaluating AI search strategies - Founders and operators relying on organic search for growth - Anyone trying to separate real search changes from marketing noise This is not an episode about shortcuts or trends. It's a grounded discussion about how search actually works today, why Google still matters, and how to avoid strategies that damage long-term visibility. Thanks for listening and watching, and happy holidays. ⭐️ David Quaid on 𝕏 - https://x.com/DavidGQuaid ⭐️ David Quaid on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidquaid/ ⭐️ David Quaid's agency - https://primaryposition.com/ ⭐️ Gagan Ghotra on 𝕏 - https://x.com/gaganghotra_ ⭐️ Gagan Ghotra on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gagan-ghotra/ ⭐️ Gagan Ghotra's website - https://gaganghotra.com/ ⭐️ Harpreet Singh's Personal Site - https://harpsdigital.com ⭐️ Harpreet on X - https://x.com/harpreetchatha_ ⭐️ Harpreet's Newsletter - https://seoespresso.com ⭐️ Harpreet on LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/harpreetsingh8/ ⭐️ Harpreet on TikTok - https://tiktok.com/@seoharp ⭐️ Harpreet on YouTube - https://youtube.com/@harpsdigital 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Introduction and Excitement 00:13 SEO and Digital Marketing Surprises of 2025 00:30 Disinformation Campaigns in SEO 01:53 Generative Engine Optimization vs. Traditional SEO 02:27 Spam and AI Content Detection 03:12 Partnership Requests and AI SEO Tools 04:00 Confusion and Disinformation in SEO 08:43 Impact of AI on SEO Strategies 24:28 Authority and Topical Relevance in SEO 39:50 Video Content and SEO 42:51 SEO Predictions for 2026 43:16 Contextually Relevant Content for Small Businesses 44:22 The Debate on Dwell Time and Content Length 45:30 The Skyscraper Technique and Content Efficiency 46:25 Google's Preference for Long-Form Content 46:51 The Role of Short-Form Content in SEO 47:44 Google's Content Agnosticism and Ranking Factors 53:00 The Impact of AI and LLMs on SEO 01:09:41 The Future of Web Design and User Interaction 01:18:48 The Role of Agents and Memory in AI 01:23:49 AI and SEO: The Changing Landscape 01:24:22 SEO Strategies for 2025 and Beyond 01:25:26 The Role of Marketing Teams in SEO 01:26:55 Exact Match Domains: Pros and Cons 01:36:35 The Importance of Backlinks in Modern SEO 01:43:10 The Impact of Google's Helpful Content Update 01:54:49 Future Predictions for SEO 01:59:24 Concluding Thoughts and Holiday Wishes The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #digitalmarketing #generativeengineoptimization #answerengineoptimization

E902: A simple 5-minute SEO hack that can completely change how you build topical authority. David Quaid returns to the show to reveal how to use Google's "People Also Ask" feature to create high-relevance FAQ content - without paid tools, complex keyword research, or unnecessary schema. We also dig into: - How Google actually decides topical authority - Why search demand matters more than schema - When FAQ pages should be standalone vs accordions - How knowledge panels are triggered (and why most people misunderstand them) - A fast, repeatable process for turning PAA questions into ranking pages If you're struggling with keyword research, building authority in a niche, or figuring out what content Google actually wants - this episode gives you a practical shortcut you can use today. ⭐️ David Quaid on 𝕏 - https://x.com/DavidGQuaid ⭐️ David Quaid on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidquaid/ ⭐️ David Quaid's agency - https://primaryposition.com/ 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Welcome Back, David Quaid! 00:22 SEO Hack: Building Topical Authority 01:18 David's Knowledge Panel Journey 06:51 People Also Ask Hack: A Step-by-Step Guide 11:06 Schema and SEO: Myths and Realities 13:52 Structuring Your FAQ Content for SEO 15:22 Wrapping Up and What's Next The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #seohacks #topicalauthorityseo #linkbuilding