The Edward Show

E1010: Jabez Reuben joins the show to talk about what is working in SEO, especially as search changes with LLMs, AI overviews, and shifting Google results.
We get into why Chiang Mai has become such a strong place for SEO, how Jabez got started in the industry after moving there, and why the local community helped shape the way he works. From there, we go deep into his approach to SEO: keep it simple, avoid overcomplicating things, and focus on execution instead of getting stuck chasing the perfect strategy.
A big part of this conversation is about how off-page SEO is changing. Jabez explains why he is putting so much attention on unlinked brand coverage, off-page topical authority, and what he calls consensus. We talk about why links still matter for Google, but why mentions, supporting content, and repeated third-party coverage may matter even more when it comes to LLM visibility.
We also break down the listicle strategies he is testing, how he uses guest posts on mid-tier sites, why fresh articles often beat trying to get inserted into old ones, and how his team is thinking about exact match domains, Reddit, YouTube, and other surfaces that show up in search and AI-generated answers.
There is also a long section on practical SEO tactics, including image link building, testimonial outreach, guest posting criteria, content structure, keyword intent, brand building, and how to think about E-E-A-T in a simpler and more useful way.
Topics covered:
- Why Chiang Mai has such a strong SEO community
- How Jabez accidentally got into SEO after moving to Thailand
- Why newer SEOs often get stuck in perfectionism
- Why simple execution usually beats complicated planning
- How Jabez thinks about SEO using the 80/20 rule
- What he is currently testing for LLM rankings
- Why listicles are still working in both Google and AI-driven search
- How off-page topical authority works
- Why consensus may matter more than links in LLM SEO
- The difference between linked and unlinked brand coverage
- Why fresh guest posts can outperform old listicle insertions
- What Jabez looks for in sites before publishing guest content
- Why crawler access matters for AI visibility
- How he uses Ahrefs to evaluate publishing opportunities
- What he is testing with exact match domains
- Why even low-authority sites can influence LLM results
- How unlinked mentions can still affect rankings and visibility
- How supporting article networks are built around a brand
- Why Reddit and YouTube are becoming more important
- How social posts and syndicated content can influence search results
- Why brand building helps both SEO and LLM performance
- How Jabez defines E-E-A-T in practical terms
- How founder visibility and team coverage can strengthen a brand
- Why podcasts, speaking, and public content creation matter
- How to think about high-intent keywords in 2026
- Why LLM search intent is often longer and more detailed
- How to build content around narrow scenarios and subcategories
- Why bottom-of-funnel and scenario-based pages still matter
- How to start SEO from scratch in today's environment
- White-hat image link building tactics
- Testimonial outreach for homepage links
- Why some traditional link tactics still work
- What may change in SEO over the next few years
If you are interested in SEO, AI search, off-page strategy, link building, or brand visibility, this episode is packed with practical ideas and live-tested approaches.
⭐️ Jabez Reuben's agency https://theblueprints.co/
⭐️ Jabez Reuben on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jabezreuben/
⭐️ Jabez Reuben on 𝕏 - https://x.com/jabezreuben
🚀 Learn SEO for free - https://freeseoknowledge.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 Thailand SEO Community
00:30 How He Started SEO
01:19 Simple 80 20 SEO
02:00 Stop Perfectionism
04:53 LLM Listicle Strategy
11:22 Guest Posting Criteria
14:34 Testing Exact Match Domains
19:56 Reddit And Parasite SEO
22:00 YouTube Citations Hack
30:50 Consensus Over Links
35:26 Listicle Length And AI
38:55 Unlinked Coverage And Links
42:06 Creative Link Building Stories
43:22 Image Attribution Link Method
48:05 Testimonial Link Outreach
51:34 CRO Pricing Comparison Table
54:26 SEO Future With LLMs
01:01:00 Unlinked Brand Coverage
01:03:49 E-E-A-T Through Coverage
01:06:39 Brand Building Flywheel
01:14:35 LLM Keyword Intent Strategy
01:23:55 Image Outreach Link Building
01:31:43 Where To Follow And Wrap
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#generativeengineoptimization #answerengineoptimization searchengineoptimization #seo

E1009: Sarvesh Shrivastava joins the show once again to break down how a garage door company went from struggling for leads to generating $1.7M in revenue - using Sarvesh's focused local SEO strategy.
This is a real case study with exact steps, decisions, and systems that were implemented over 11 months.
We cover what moved the needle, what most business owners get wrong, and how to approach local SEO if your goal is to generate real revenue - not just traffic.
What you'll learn:
- Why your Google Business Profile matters more than your website (especially at the start)
- How to audit competitors and identify what's actually working in your market
- The role of review velocity (not just total reviews) in ranking locally
- A simple system to consistently generate customer reviews using your team
- What most businesses get wrong with categories, services, and profile setup
- Why real photos outperform stock images - and how to use them properly
Website strategy that drives revenue:
- Why generic service pages don't work
- How to build high-converting "service + location" pages
- What makes a page actually rank and bring in calls
- How to structure pages when you serve multiple locations
- Why templated pages fail - and what to do instead
- How many pages to publish (and why going too fast can hurt you)
Content and authority:
- How local blog content supports your main service pages
- Why blog traffic is not the main goal - and what is
- How to build topical authority in your niche
- Using internal linking to improve rankings and indexing
- How local content can lead to backlinks from news sites
Link building that works (and what to avoid):
- Why cheap links and directories don't move rankings
- What to look for in a high-quality backlink
- How to approach guest posting the right way
- The difference between link farms and real sites
- How to build relationships for local links and mentions
- Why a few strong links outperform dozens of weak ones
Local SEO fundamentals most people miss:
- Why "near me" keywords don't need to be forced into your pages
- The importance of focusing on local, high-intent searches
- Why ranking nationally is usually a waste for local businesses
- How to prioritize pages based on revenue potential
If you run a local business or work with clients in local markets, this episode breaks down what works - step by step.
⭐️ Sarvesh Shrivastava's Claude Cowork prompts - https://x.com/bloggersarvesh/status/2036068241936896421
⭐️ Sarvesh Shrivastava's Claude Cowork episode - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e13R_Z1pFwk
⭐️ Sarvesh Shrivastava on 𝕏 - https://x.com/bloggersarvesh
⭐️ Sarvesh Shrivastava on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarvesh-shrivastava-blogger/
⭐️ Sarvesh Shrivastava on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/seowithsarvesh/
⭐️ Sarvesh Shrivastava on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@bloggersarvesh
⭐️ Sarvesh Shrivastava's agency, Alventra Marketing - https://alventramarketing.com/
🚀 Edward's SEO Articles - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/search-engine-optimization/
💎 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 Case Study Kickoff
01:01 Google Business Profile First
01:45 Auditing Review Acquisition Strategy
05:36 Incentivize Reviews
10:37 Categories Done Right
13:45 Service Area Money Pages
18:42 Publishing Velocity for SEO
24:21 Local Blogs Build Authority
27:24 Earning Local News Links
29:27 Hyperlocal PR Outreach
30:26 Follow Up With Journalists
31:05 Internal Linking Silo Fix
35:38 Multi Location URL Structure
37:37 Quality Backlinks Strategy
39:01 Avoid Link Farms
41:55 Paying For Links Wisely
43:41 Pitching Local News
49:55 Local Business Link Swaps
52:21 Local Keywords Only
55:24 Near Me Keyword Myth
56:15 Results And Farewell
The Edward Show. The #1 search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#localseo #localmarketing #searchengineoptimization #digitalmarketing

E1008: break down what we're seeing so far from Google's March Core Update - and how to interpret the data correctly.
This update is still rolling out, but several patterns are already becoming clear.
There was a reporting issue in Semrush between April 2nd and April 4th that showed large traffic spikes across many sites. 
These spikes are not reflected in Google Search Console. I walk through what this means, how to verify performance using first-party data, and why it's important to be cautious when reacting to third-party tools during active updates.
Beyond that, there are two clear developments from this update so far:
- YouTube is gaining more visibility across both search and AI-driven results
- A new form of SEO manipulation is emerging, and it is already working
I cover a growing trend where creators are being paid to produce "review" content that ranks for brand queries without actually using the product. These videos are being cited in search results and AI systems, shaping how brands are perceived.
In this episode, I cover:
- What we're seeing so far from the March Core Update
- The discrepancy between Semrush data and Google Search Console
- How to evaluate performance accurately during an active update
- Why YouTube continues to gain ground in search and AI citations
- How "review-style" YouTube videos are being used to influence rankings
- Why this tactic is currently effective
- Ways to defend your brand against this type of content
- How LLMs interpret and reinforce brand narratives
If you rely on organic search, this is something to pay attention to. This isn't just about rankings - it's about how your brand appears across search, video, and AI systems.
⭐️ Charles Floate's post: https://x.com/Charles_SEO/status/2041097041179279796
🚀 Edward's SEO Articles - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/search-engine-optimization/
💎 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 March Update Reality Check
01:07 Semrush Spikes Explained
01:41 YouTube Surge Is Real
02:25 Fake Review Video Scam
04:27 Defending Your Brand
05:29 Core Update Winners Losers
07:40 Scaled AI Content Risks
10:37 Wrap Up And Rerecord
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #googlecoreupdate #googlemarchupdate #seo

E1007: The exact local SEO strategy that helped a garage door company turn $18,000 into $1.7 million in just 11 months.
This is based on a real case study from Sarvesh Shrivastava, who will be joining the podcast once again soon.
I go through Sarvesh's full written breakdown and add my own insights on what worked, why it worked, and how you can apply the same approach.
These are practical SEO actions that drove real revenue for a local business.
What we cover:
- When your Google Business Profile matters more than your website
- Properly optimizing your profile with real photos, accurate categories, and fast review generation
- The concept of "money pages" and how to build pages that target high-intent searches
- Why generic service pages don't convert and what to replace them with
- How local blog content builds trust, rankings, and even backlinks
- Examples of content that can attract attention from local publishers and news sites
- Internal linking and information architecture: how to structure your site so Google understands it
- How to connect service pages, blog content, and your homepage effectively
- The right way to build backlinks for local SEO (and what to avoid)
- Why guest posts only work if the site has real authority and relevance
- How to build local partnerships that lead to valuable links and referrals
- Why focusing on local keywords drives actual revenue, not vanity traffic
- The shift from trying to rank nationally to dominating your local market
This episode is a full breakdown of what local SEO looks like when it's done correctly, with a focus on conversions, not just rankings.
⭐️ Sarvesh's full thread - https://x.com/bloggersarvesh/status/2036829952885272593
🚀 Edward's SEO Articles - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/search-engine-optimization/
💎 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 Local SEO Case Study
00:40 Google Business Profile
01:43 High Intent Service Pages
02:44 Local Blog Content
03:38 Fixing Internal Links
05:13 Quality Backlinks Only
07:20 Go Local Not National
07:44 Results And Wrap Up
09:27 Final Outro
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#localseo #searchengineoptimization #googlebusinessprofileoptimization #seo

E1006: Mr. David Quaid joins the podcast for a deep, practical discussion about what is really working in SaaS SEO right now.
Edward and David start with audience questions on link building and break down the real risk-to-reward tradeoffs behind different approaches. David explains why relying too heavily on domain authority misses the bigger picture, why page-level context matters more than most people think, and why some of the best link opportunities still come from real business relationships, partner networks, local communities, clients, and integration ecosystems.
The conversation then moves into topical authority, People Also Ask pages, internal linking, and what happens when pages rise, fall, and get rotated out of search. Edward and David talk through how they test SEO ideas in the real world, how they think about authority decay, and why some pages rank with very little content while others stall even when they seem fully optimized.
They also spend time on guest posting, programmatic SEO, thin content, exact match anchors, keyword cannibalization, SaaS competitor pages, attribution, and the tension between SEO teams and brand teams. Later in the episode, they get into the current GEO discussion, why so much of the advice around it is misleading, and why most of the fundamentals still come back to search intent, rankings, page relevance, and user behavior.
Topics covered include:
- Different link building methods and how to think about risk versus reward
- Why domain authority can be misleading when evaluating link opportunities
- The difference between site-wide relevance, page relevance, and topical authority
- Using real-world relationships, integrations, and local business networks for links
- Press releases, broken link building, Wikipedia links, and government site outreach
- When guest posting still works and when it does not
- How PAA pages can help grow authority and support more valuable pages
- Why low-competition pages can outperform long-form content
- The difference between thin content and weak content
- Programmatic SEO for SaaS and why scale without authority often fails
- Internal linking, PageRank decay, and common over-optimization mistakes
- Keyword cannibalization and how similar pages can block each other
- Slugs, titles, headings, and how much on-page SEO is actually necessary
- Measuring SEO impact in SaaS when attribution is messy
- The role of product-led growth versus content-driven lead generation
- Why many GEO claims are recycled SEO myths under a new label
- What SaaS teams should focus on instead of chasing the latest narrative
If you work in SaaS SEO, B2B SEO, or content strategy, this episode is a useful deep dive into how experienced practitioners think through rankings, testing, authority, and growth.
⭐️ 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/
🚀 Edward's SEO Articles - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/search-engine-optimization/
💎 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 and Agenda
00:43 Link Building Beyond Domain Authority
02:27 Network Based Link Building
03:22 Backlink Lists as Keyword Intel
05:16 Satellite Sites and PAA Hack
10:25 Traffic Links vs High DA
13:52 Relevance and Topical Authority
16:19 YMYL Links and Broken Links
18:18 Wikipedia and Gov Link Tactics
21:05 Guest Posts and Author Bios
26:25 Networking for SEO Referrals
31:25 SEO Subreddit and GEO Hype
43:30 Programmatic SEO vs Authority
47:35 Internal Links Need Authority
48:21 AI FAQs and Page Strategy
50:22 Testing Rankings and Pulling Pages
51:13 Rotation Out and Rehoming URLs
53:45 SEO Takes Time Myth
55:48 Sitewide Quality and Hockey Sticks
01:00:36 Low Volume High Intent SaaS Keywords
01:04:00 Too Much SEO and Internal Linking
01:09:28 Over Optimization and Minimal SEO
01:15:19 Measuring Content vs Product Led Growth
01:25:17 Brand Rules and Keyword Placement
01:28:58 Episode Wrap and Thanks
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #startups #growthhacking #growthmarketing