The Edward Show

E1056: Most people think the solution to competitive SEO is simple: build more backlinks.
Authority matters. But if your page doesn't satisfy search intent quickly, backlinks will only help you rank temporarily. They won't help you stay there.
In this episode, I break down what really wins in competitive SERPs: user signals.
When Google is testing multiple pages targeting the same keyword, it looks at behavior. Click-through rate. Pogo-sticking. Whether searchers feel satisfied.
If your page makes people work too hard to understand what it offers, they leave. And when that happens consistently, rankings drop.
You'll learn:
- Why backlinks alone won't keep you ranking
- What actually happens when Google tests pages against each other
- How to reduce pogo-sticking without relying on more copy
- Why the image at the top of your page matters more than you think
- How to structure your page so people understand it without reading
- How to improve click-through rate in competitive SERPs
- A simple page title formula you can use immediately
- When and why adding "free" to your page title increases clicks
- The danger of mass AI content and how it hurts user signals
- How to combine authority and user satisfaction for lasting rankings
If you're targeting high-intent keywords and competing against optimized pages, you need more than keyword placement and authority.
You need pages that communicate value immediately.
The goal: someone lands on your page, instantly understands what you offer, and clicks the call to action without hesitation.
That's how you rank - and stay ranking.
⭐️ Most SEO Copywriting Is Killing Your Rankings (And Costing You Sales) - https://youtu.be/owYbNfATBhM
⭐️ How to Get Backlinks for a Brand New Website (Even With Zero Authority) - https://youtu.be/5TE2mXQxuTU
⭐️ The Era of 10 Blue Links Is Over (Google I/O Search + May 2026 Core Update) - https://youtu.be/eD6sNhLHM0I
💎 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 Competitive SERPs Setup
00:18 Pogo-Sticking Explained
01:03 Lazy Searchers Principle
01:27 Hero Image
02:45 User Signals Win Rankings
03:10 Competitor Gap Example
05:03 Image First SaaS Example
05:35 AI Content UX Risk
06:00 CTR Page Title Formula
06:36 Free In Page Titles Advantage
07:12 Authority Versus UX Signals
08:08 Key Takeaways Recap
10:20 Closing And Sign Off
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #seo #keywords #digitalmarketing

E1055: Most people lose sight of what SEO is actually capable of.
If you do it properly, SEO is not just about traffic. It is about building an asset that can consistently generate customers, users, and leads without depending on paid ads or luck.
In this episode, I break down what I call the promise of SEO - and why so many businesses quit right before it starts working.
The problem is not that SEO does not work. The problem is that most people abandon it during the foundation stage. They underestimate how long it takes, overestimate how much competition matters, or focus on the wrong things entirely.
This episode is about correcting that.
Here's what I cover:
- Why most new websites stay stuck in the "new site" phase
- The simple three-page strategy to start getting traction
- How to find high-intent keywords that actually lead to customers
- Why informational traffic alone is no longer enough
- What makes a backlink meaningful (and what does not)
- Why referral traffic and brand mentions matter more than vanity metrics
- How to build authority in a way that compounds over time
- The difference between real SEO and "SEO theater"
- Why most people give up during the link-building phase
- How ranking pages create more authority and make future rankings easier
- How to use SEO to strengthen every other marketing channel
- How I outranked major publishers by properly targeting search intent
- Why SEO is still powerful even in the age of AI
If you focus on:
- Targeting underserved, high-intent keywords
- Building links that bring real referral traffic
- Creating pages that satisfy search intent
- Building brand signals that generate branded searches
- Staying consistent long enough for authority to compound
You can build a business that generates leads every day without needing to go viral or be the biggest player in your space.
SEO is not about shortcuts. It is about building a real foundation and scaling on top of it.
Recorded in NYC ❤️
💎 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 The Promise of SEO
00:36 Why New Sites Quit
01:15 Three Easy Keyword Pages
01:51 Action Intent Keywords
02:38 Link Building That Matters
05:23 Satisfy Search Intent
06:14 Scale the Flywheel
08:16 Evergreen Authority Wins
10:59 Avoid Spammy Shortcuts
11:21 Showing The Manhattan Skyline
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #seo #digitalmarketing #marketing

E1054: Breaking down Google's May 2026 Broad Core Update and what I'm seeing across the SEO community as the rollout begins.
Google announced a two-week rollout starting May 21, after several days of volatility that had people reporting major ranking swings and traffic changes. I cover what's likely driving the turbulence, what looks like noise, and what appears to be a real directional shift.
What I'm seeing so far:
- A stronger crackdown on scaled AI content and hyperscaled "AI blog" subfolders
- Local SEO turbulence, with directory/aggregator sites losing ground on "near me" terms
- A Google Search Console issue causing link reports to show major drops or even zero links
- Wide community chatter ranging from panic to relief depending on site type and intent
Scaled AI content: possible enforcement getting sharper - a notable example circulating in the community involves a large AI-generated blog subfolder that appears to have been hit hard right as the update landed. The site's English blog presence effectively disappeared from search results while the broader domain still shows, which lines up with either enforcement actions or an algorithmic demotion aimed at low-value scaled content.
I explain what made this type of content vulnerable:
- Dense, repetitive AI text with low usefulness and poor readability
- Little to no original media or supporting assets
- Broad topic sprawl with no clear expertise or focus
- Pages that look designed for search volume capture rather than users
Local SEO: directories losing "near me" visibility - early reports suggest directory sites that previously dominated local-intent queries are dropping from top positions for a wide set of "near me" searches. I walk through why this may be happening and what it signals about how Google is evaluating local results during this update.
Key idea discussed:
- Google may be favoring the provider over the middleman when the intent is explicitly local and service-based
Why that would make sense in practice:
- Google already has Maps and Business Profiles to satisfy local intent quickly
- Business Profiles include reviews, photos, hours, and direct contact details
- Directory pages often add little beyond a list of providers and generic text
What this could mean depending on what you run…
- If you operate a local service business: you may see improved visibility as directories slide
- If you run a directory/aggregator: you may need clearer differentiation, better information, and a reason to exist beyond collecting listings
- If you do both: your strategy may need to split between brand-level authority and high-intent, provider-specific pages
Google Search Console: links report glitch - at the same time as the rollout, many SEOs are reporting Google Search Console's links report behaving erratically, including:
- Links dropping sharply in reported totals
- Link counts showing as zero in some cases
- Sudden, extreme fluctuations that don't match reality
Important note from the episode:
- This appears to be a reporting problem in Search Console, not proof that your backlinks disappeared
How I'm thinking about this update - I share how I approach core update volatility and what I've consistently seen hold up through major changes:
- Bottom-of-funnel pages built around clear intent tend to be more stable
- Informational/top-of-funnel content tends to swing more during core updates
- Targeting under-contested, high-intent queries can reduce volatility because fewer competitors are actively pushing into the same terms
⭐️ Google's Announcement - https://status.search.google.com/incidents/wdAXJk6LRRihEjpzEeWE
⭐️ ALM's blog collapse - https://x.com/gaganghotra_/status/2057451034969248223a
⭐️ May Update Digital Marketing Subreddit Discussion - https://www.reddit.com/r/digital_marketing/comments/1tkcttv/google_core_update_may_2026/
⭐️ May Update Local SEO Subreddit Discussion - https://www.reddit.com/r/localseo/comments/1tjvgbf/google_core_update_for_may_started_rolling_out/
⭐️ Google Search Console Links Report Is Broken - https://www.seroundtable.com/google-search-console-links-report-broke-41371.html
⭐️ Google May 2026 Core Update Is Rolling Out - https://www.seroundtable.com/google-may-2026-core-update-41367.html
💎 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 May Core Update Chaos
00:39 Rollout Timeline Explained
01:13 Scaled AI Spam Crackdown
03:42 Local SEO Shakeup
07:19 Search Console Link Glitch
08:31 Community Reactions
10:00 What Stayed Stable
10:32 Bottom of Funnel SEO Strategy
13:03 Wrap Up and Thanks
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #seo #googlecoreupdate #digitalmarketingnews

E1053: Breaking down Google's latest Search changes announced at Google I/O and what they mean in practice for SEO, businesses, agencies, publishers, and affiliates. I also cover the May 2026 core update announcement from Google Search Central, what people were noticing leading up to it, and early signals worth paying attention to.
Google is reframing the search box into something closer to a prompt interface: longer queries, prompt prediction, image input, interactive experiences you can return to, and agent-like behavior that can track details and alert you over time. A lot of people are asking whether this is finally the moment "SEO is dead."
My take: for businesses that sell their own products and services, the fundamentals still hold. The pain is concentrated elsewhere, especially for publishers and affiliates.
What we cover:
- What Google announced at Google I/O and why it's a major shift in how Google wants people to search
- The "prompt-like" search box: longer queries, expansion, and predicted follow-up text
- Interactive experiences inside Search, including tools and visualizations you can revisit
- Agent-style features: tracking prices, stock status, local deals, and ongoing monitoring based on your preferences
- Why most people still prefer short searches, and why that limits how fast behavior changes
- Why "build it for me" still requires clarity most users won't provide
- Why SEO isn't "dead" for businesses selling their own products and services
- What continues to work for SEO in an AI-first search environment
- Bottom-of-funnel pages targeting scenarios, use cases, and services you actually offer
- Documentation that clearly explains what your product or service does
- Online reputation management and buyer due diligence
- Comparison and "alternative" pages (competitor + alternative)
- Who gets hit hardest by these changes
- Publishers losing clicks to AI answers, even when they still rank
- Affiliates losing commissions when the path to the product gets shortened
- Why owning the product is the most durable play if you can rank
- The May 2026 core update announcement and the stated rollout window
- What people noticed before the update
- Volatility chatter across SEO communities
- Reports of sites getting deranked, especially those relying heavily on AI content
- Reports of backlink counts dropping in Google Search Console
⭐️ Google Search as you know it is over - https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/19/google-search-as-you-know-it-is-over/
⭐️ Google May Core Update announcement - https://x.com/googlesearchc/status/2057487931250499886
⭐️ Google May 2026 Core Update Is Rolling Out - You Felt It - https://www.seroundtable.com/google-may-2026-core-update-41367.html
⭐️ ethanjlim - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JcOKmfUX-ko
💎 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 AI Search Overhaul
00:50 New Search Box Features
02:16 Will SEO Die
02:44 Why Prompts Stay Short
04:43 SEO Tactics Still Win
06:40 Publishers And Affiliates Hit
08:39 May Core Update Buzz
09:59 Closing
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #seo #searchmarketing #digitalmarketing

E1052: We break down how to migrate a website without losing SEO traffic.
Whether you are switching from WordPress to Squarespace or Webflow, changing to another CMS, restructuring your URLs, or moving to a new domain entirely, this conversation covers what actually happens inside Google during a migration - and how to minimize risk.
We discuss real-world scenarios, including accidental migrations, domain changes, slug updates, and situations where rankings unexpectedly dropped. The goal is simple: protect your traffic and avoid unnecessary volatility.
What we cover:
- What happens when you change CMS but keep URLs and content the same
- Why HTML structure changes can still trigger re-indexing
- How low-authority pages can suddenly impact rankings during a migration
- The difference between crawl, refresh, and discovery modes
- How cannibalization can appear after a migration
- Why you should freeze structural changes before migrating
- When to noindex pages before changing slugs
- How to properly handle 301 redirects for slug updates
- What to expect when changing root domains
- How to use Google Search Console's domain migration tool
- Why XML sitemaps do not "force" indexing
- Why HTML sitemaps can be more effective
- The risks of changing site architecture during a migration
- How to warm up a new domain before moving
- How to smooth traffic volatility with strategic content republishing
We also answer a listener question about whether submitting a new sitemap after changing site architecture can cause traffic drops - and what to do instead.
If you are planning a website migration, CMS switch, URL restructure, or domain move, this episode walks through the technical considerations that can make the difference between a smooth transition and a traffic decline.
If you have questions about SEO, migrations, indexing, or site structure, send them in and we may cover them in a future episode.
⭐️ 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 Migration SEO Basics
00:30 Chad's CMS Switch Scenario
02:02 Pre-Migration Freeze Checklist
03:11 Protect Top Traffic Pages
04:19 Prune And Republish Old Posts
05:46 Press And Email Crawl Boost
07:17 Same Domain Vs New Domain
08:59 HTML Changes Trigger Reindexing
11:15 Discovery Vs Refresh Crawls
12:23 Health Checks And Cannibalization
12:55 Staged Migration Case Study
14:32 Will Traffic Really Stay Flat
18:05 Domain Move Pitfalls And GSC Tool
18:57 Subdomain Cannibalization
20:00 Slug Changes and Noindex
22:43 Timing the 301 Redirect
26:56 Smooth Domain Migration Prep
29:39 Architecture Changes Risk
31:30 Sitemaps Dont Force Indexing
34:07 HTML Sitemaps and Authority
35:27 Wrap Up and Next Steps
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #sitemigration #technicalseo #seo