The Edward Show

E1090: If I had to start over at 22 years old with no connections, very little experience, and no audience, this is the exact playbook I'd use to start paying NYC rent in 90 days.
This episode breaks down the credibility-first strategy I would use to get seen, get trusted, get referrals, and start charging more.
The core idea is simple: before people hire you, they Google/ChatGPT you.
So if you can make yourself look credible fast, you make every sales conversation easier.
I cover:
- How I would build credibility from zero
- Why podcasts are one of the fastest ways to look established
- How I used podcast guesting before I had a social media following
- Why podcast appearances help with Google, AI visibility, backlinks, brand mentions, and trust
- How a 20-year-old operator I'm working with got on 8 podcasts in his first month
- Why the real value of PR and podcasting is not always direct leads
- How public credibility makes leads easier to close
- Why your clients seeing you "everywhere" can reduce churn and increase referrals
- How to use LinkedIn to amplify every podcast appearance
- Why short-form video is optional, but powerful if you can do it consistently
Then I break down how I would actually get leads.
For in-person networking, I explain:
- How to find the types of people most likely to send you referrals
- How to use ChatGPT to find events, groups, lists, and newsletters in your city
- Why referrals convert better than cold outreach
- Why arriving early to events works so well
- Why you should focus on one person instead of trying to meet everyone
- How taking someone to a second location builds trust faster
- How to make people remember what you do without hard-selling them
For remote networking, I explain:
- How Mariah Magazine built her SEO business without in-person events
- Why paid communities are better than free communities for this strategy
- How to find communities filled with people likely to need your services
- Why you should focus on helping instead of selling
- How service swaps can create referrals, case studies, and credibility
- How one PR and SEO service swap helped both people grow their businesses
Finally, I talk about pricing.
I share the Patrick McKenzie story that changed how I think about consulting rates:
- Why hourly pricing can hold you back
- Why weekly pricing can completely change the business
- How he went from $4,000 per week to $8,000, $12,000, $20,000, and $30,000 per week
- Why credibility makes it easier to raise prices
- Why your rates should increase as your demand and proof increase
The full playbook is:
1. Build credibility with podcasts
2. Share every appearance on social media
3. Meet referral sources in person or inside paid communities
4. Help people before selling
5. Use the credibility to convert leads faster
6. Raise prices as your proof and demand grow
If I was starting over at 22, this is exactly what I would do.
⭐️ My article explaining all this (with more links) - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/if-i-started-over-at-22-credibility-first-playbook/ 
⭐️ Podcast guesting tool mentioned - https://aipodcastmatcher.com 
⭐️ My guide to getting on podcasts as a guest - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/get-on-podcasts-as-guest-2026/ 
⭐️ My Exact Social Media Posting Strategy - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/social-media-posting-strategy/ 
⭐️ Content Creation Ideas: How I Never Run Out of Things to Post - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/content-creation-ideas/ 
⭐️ Things I've Learned About Networking to Sell a Service - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/things-ive-learned-about-networking-to-sell-a-service/ 
💎 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 Start Over at 22
01:13 Podcast Credibility Engine
02:47 Social Proof on LinkedIn
05:27 Short Form Video Option
06:09 In Person Referral Network
08:42 Remote Community Strategy
10:19 Service Swaps for Growth
11:40 Raise Prices Over Time
14:39 Two Year Outcome Recap
15:28 Wrap Up
The Edward Show. The #1 search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ 
#onlinereputationmanagement #searchengineoptimization #entrepreneurship #personalbranding

E1091: Is GEO actually different from SEO, or is it just SEO with a new name?
We're joined by Callum Kennard from ClickSlice and David Quaid for another deep debate on GEO, AEO, AI search, and where traditional SEO fits into all of it.
This conversation gets into the practical side of the argument.
Callum explains how his agency approaches AI search visibility using tools like Profound, paid citations, Reddit, LinkedIn, listicles, external placements, sentiment, and prompt tracking.
David pushes back on the idea that GEO is a separate discipline, arguing that LLMs still rely heavily on query fan-outs, Google, Bing, and the same search infrastructure that SEOs already understand.
The result is a practical debate about what is actually new, what is just SEO repackaged, and what brands should be doing if they want to show up in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Copilot, and AI Overviews.
Topics covered:
- Why some agencies see GEO and SEO as completely different disciplines
- Why David argues AI search still depends on SEO infrastructure
- How query fan-outs work in AI search
- Why ranking in Google or Bing can affect whether you appear in AI answers
- How Profound is used to track prompts, citations, and visibility
- Why AI search visibility scores can be useful but imperfect
- The role of paid citations in GEO strategy
- How brands are getting placed in listicles to influence AI answers
- Why Reddit is becoming important for AI search visibility
- When Reddit works well as a citation source and when it does not
- Why LinkedIn and other UGC platforms are being used for AI visibility
- How some agencies are approaching GEO like a new version of link building
- Whether paid citations are becoming the new backlinks
- Why brand sentiment matters in AI-generated answers
- Why appearing in an answer is not the same as getting traffic
- Whether GEO can exist without SEO
- Why large language models still need search engines for fresh and specific information
- What happens when AI systems cite brands without sending clicks
- Why some brands may need external citations more than on-site content
- How AI search changes the way people compare products, services, and companies
- Why the GEO debate is partly technical and partly semantic
This episode is not a basic explanation of GEO.
It is a debate about whether the GEO playbook is actually new, where the real tactical differences are, and whether SEOs should treat AI search as a separate discipline or as an extension of SEO.
If you work in SEO, content, digital PR, link building, AI search, or brand visibility, this conversation will help you understand the current argument around GEO and what is actually being done in the market right now.
⭐️ Callum Kennard on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/callum-kennard/ 
⭐️ Callum Kennard on 𝕏 - https://x.com/callumkennard_ 
⭐️ Callum Kennard's Agency, ClickSlice - https://www.clickslice.co.uk/ 
⭐️ David Quaid on 𝕏 - https://x.com/DavidGQuaid 
⭐️ David Quaid on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidquaid/ 
⭐️ David Quaid on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@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 GEO vs SEO Intro
00:05 Meet Callum Kennard
00:46 Why Search Is Changing
03:04 SEO vs AEO Explained
05:43 Challenging The Premise
07:30 What Really Makes It Different
10:11 Citations Sentiment And Funnel
16:34 Tools And Query Fanouts
22:52 Profound Workflow Debate
27:22 Non SEO Part And Strategy
33:44 Conversion Rates And Semantics
38:12 SEO vs AEO Debate
39:30 External Citation Strategy
40:34 Black Hat Knowledge Graph
41:57 Future of Search Costs
46:54 Citations and Reddit Power
48:05 Why Reddit Took Over
51:37 Buying Listicle Placements
55:22 Reddit Resources Hack
01:00:17 Measuring AEO Visibility
01:02:04 LLMs and Prompt Intent
01:07:00 Consensus Engine Limits
01:13:22 First Mover AEO Wins
01:17:02 Query Fanout Playbook
01:18:17 Wrap Up
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ 
#generativeengineoptimization #answerengineoptimization #searchengineoptimization #seo

E1089: Google's June 2026 spam update is done rolling out, and the SEO world is seeing major volatility.
I break down what happened, who appears to be losing, who is better positioned, and what this update says about where Google Search is going next.
The update started on June 24, 2026 and completed on June 26, 2026. Google called it a normal spam update, but many SEOs reported movement that felt bigger, earlier, and more widespread than a typical spam update.
This matters because it comes right after the May 2026 core update, more unconfirmed volatility in mid-June, and growing pressure from AI search. Google is not only policing traditional search rankings. Its spam policies now also mention attempts to manipulate generative AI responses in Google Search.
We cover:
- Why the June 2026 spam update matters
- What Google officially said about the update
- Why this update may have felt bigger than expected
- The types of sites most exposed right now
- Why scaled AI content is risky
- How fake authority and fake expertise can hurt SEO
- What e-commerce sites should watch
- Why thin product pages and fake review pages are vulnerable
- What finance sites need to be careful about
- Why SaaS comparison pages and AI-written alternatives posts may be exposed
- What local SEO sites should avoid
- Why fake location pages and doorway city pages are still dangerous
- What publishing and affiliate sites need to understand
- Why original reporting, data, expert commentary, and real experience matter more
- How to tell whether your traffic drop is from rankings, impressions, clicks, AI Overviews, ads, or SERP changes
- Why some sites are seeing huge volatility across multiple Google updates
- What "Mount AI" means
- Why fast AI content growth can turn into a major traffic crash
- What Glenn Gabe is seeing across spam-impacted sites
- Why gambling, coupons, health, medical, HR, B2B, and publishing sites are worth watching
- The SEO tactics that can get sites into trouble
- Why cloaking, link spam, keyword stuffing, and expired domain abuse are still risky
- Why reading your SEO content out loud can help catch unnatural writing
- How Google may be separating pages made for people from pages made only to rank
- Why recovery from a spam update may take time
- The top parasite SEO platforms being used in June 2026
- Why Reddit, YouTube, Trustpilot, Medium, GitHub, Notion, Substack, Quora, Yelp, Google Sites, and PDF sites are being used for parasite SEO
- How social media posts can rank in Google and get cited in AI Overviews
- Why user-generated content platforms are still so powerful in search
I also talk about a viral example where a LinkedIn post was used to influence a Google AI Overview, and why that shows how strange AI search visibility has become.
The big takeaway:
Google is getting more aggressive about pages that exist mainly to manipulate rankings or AI answers.
The sites in the strongest position are the ones with real usefulness, original information, clear proof, current data, customer evidence, expert input, and pages that actually help searchers make decisions.
The sites in the weakest position are the ones relying on thin AI content, scraped articles, fake expertise, doorway pages, expired domains, low-quality affiliate content, fake reviews, and pages built around loopholes.
If your SEO strategy depends on tricking the system, this update is a warning.
If your SEO strategy is built around serving real searchers with pages that match what they are already looking for, this is the kind of update you want to be ready for.
Watch this episode to understand what changed, what to avoid, and what to build next.
⭐️ Search Engine Roundtable - https://www.seroundtable.com/google-june-2026-spam-update-done-41580.html 
⭐️ Glenn Gabe - https://x.com/glenngabe/status/2070123327478222969 - https://x.com/glenngabe/status/2070483549132615946  
⭐️ Reddit Discussion - https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1ueq3o4/google_june_2026_spam_update_has_been_released/ 
⭐️ Alex Groberman - https://x.com/alexgroberman/status/2070164948911829069 
⭐️ Luckforest - https://x.com/lubinho_k/status/2070098713339445334 
⭐️ Charles Floate's Parasite Picks - https://x.com/Charles_SEO/status/2070474785113673733
💎 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 June Spam Update Hits
00:25 Timeline and Scope
01:55 AI Search Manipulation
02:16 Winners and Losers
02:47 Industry Breakdown
05:59 Community Reactions
07:50 Case Studies and Volatility
10:26 Spam Tactics to Avoid
13:32 Parasite SEO Platforms
15:01 AI Overview Exploit Example
16:22 Wrap Up
The Edward Show. The #1 search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ 
#googlealgorithmupdate #searchengineoptimization #seo #digitalmarketing

E1088: Most SEO conversations focus on rankings, backlinks, and AI search.
But one of Google's largest traffic sources is still overlooked.
I sit down with Google Discover specialist Guilhem Chauvin, who has spent years working with more than 120 publishers across 30 countries and has helped generate over 1 billion Google Discover clicks.
We break down how Google Discover works, why it's fundamentally different from traditional SEO, and what publishers are doing to generate millions of daily visits from Discover.
We also discuss why Google Discover behaves more like TikTok than Google Search, how audience signals influence visibility, and the mistakes that prevent most sites from gaining traction.
We cover:
- What Google Discover is and how it differs from Google Search
- The minimum requirements for getting into Google Discover
- Why publishing frequency matters more than most people think
- How to choose topics that Discover is more likely to promote
- The role of audience signals, branded searches, newsletters, and social traffic
- Why Google Discover rewards a different writing style than traditional SEO
- How headlines should be written for Discover
- Why images often matter as much as the headline
- The relationship between Google Discover and core updates
- Why content pruning can hurt Discover performance
- Whether affiliate sites, SaaS companies, ecommerce brands, and niche blogs can benefit from Discover
- How Google Analytics audience data can help shape your content strategy
- Why traffic from Discover can strengthen other parts of your SEO strategy
- Common mistakes publishers make when trying to grow Discover traffic
- How to think about Discover as an editorial channel instead of a search channel
If you're a publisher, affiliate marketer, content marketer, SEO, or anyone building an audience through written content, this episode offers a practical look at one of Google's most important traffic sources.
⭐️ Guilhem Chauvin on 𝕏 - https://x.com/GuilhemChauvin 
⭐️ Guilhem Chauvin on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/guilhem-chauvin-5779675b/ 
⭐️ Guilhem Chauvin's agency - https://wetrend.media/ 
💎 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 Meet Guilhem Chauvin
01:02 Cracking Discover Origins
03:59 What Is Google Discover
07:33 Eligibility Basics
08:56 Audience Persona Research
12:58 Trust Signals And UX
14:49 Brand New Sites Reality
17:02 Discover In Search Console
18:47 SEO Versus Discover
20:21 Publishing Frequency
22:25 Discover History And News
24:16 Brands SaaS Ecommerce Fit
25:29 Write Like TikTok
27:23 Avoid Content Pruning
29:33 Formats Evergreen Newsjacking
32:27 Titles And Story Structure
35:08 X Posts In Discover
37:28 Headline Promise Formula
39:44 Noncommodity Content Debate
41:49 Clickbait Media Anecdote
44:02 Clickbait Versus Promise
45:07 Why Clickbait Fails
46:14 Discover Got Nerfed
48:26 Images That Trigger Clicks
50:10 Authenticity Over Polish
52:45 Getting Initial Traction
54:54 Traffic Mix Signals
56:49 Publishing Volume Tradeoffs
59:32 Core Updates Turnover
01:02:45 Sniper Strategy Explained
01:03:58 Metrics That Matter
01:06:40 Staying Stable Long Term
01:10:35 Markets And Languages
01:14:21 Timing And Testing Window
01:15:58 Diagnosing Traffic Drops
01:17:30 Action Steps This Week
01:19:25 Case Studies And Revenue
01:25:01 Wrap Up And Where To Follow
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ 
#googlediscoveroptimization #searchengineoptimization #blogging #seo

E1087: For the past year, one question has dominated conversations around AI search:
Is GEO actually different from SEO?
Some marketers argue that Generative Engine Optimization is an entirely new discipline. Others believe it's simply good SEO applied to a new interface.
In this episode, I sit down with David Quaid and Vlad Pivnev for a detailed debate on what has changed, what hasn't, and whether businesses should rethink how they approach search in the age of ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity.
Rather than repeating popular opinions, we challenge assumptions, compare evidence, and explore where traditional SEO ends and AI visibility begins.
Topics we cover include:
- Is GEO a genuinely new marketing discipline?
- Why AI search engines produce different answers from Google
- How ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini retrieve information
- Whether ranking #1 in Google guarantees visibility in AI search
- The role of brand authority, reviews, PR, Reddit, and citations
- Query fan-out, retrieval, and how LLMs build answers
- Whether AI search relies primarily on Google, Bing, or its own crawling
- Can brands become visible in AI search without traditional rankings?
- Measuring AI visibility versus traditional SEO performance
- Practical approaches businesses can use today
Whether you're an SEO professional, agency owner, marketer, founder, or simply trying to understand how AI is changing search, this conversation offers a detailed look at one of the biggest debates happening in the industry today.
If you enjoy long-form discussions about SEO, AI search, Google updates, and digital marketing, consider subscribing for future episodes.
🔥 The previous SEO vs GEO debate - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FFMFdFAVLs 
⭐️ Vlad Pivnev on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pivnevvladislav/ 
⭐️ Vlad Pivnev on 𝕏 - https://x.com/p_vlad 
⭐️ Vlad Pivnev's Agency, Stive - https://stive.ai/ 
⭐️ David Quaid on 𝕏 - https://x.com/DavidGQuaid 
⭐️ David Quaid on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidquaid/ 
⭐️ David Quaid on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@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 GEO vs SEO Intro
01:08 Why Search Behavior Is Shifting
03:33 Shopping Mall vs Sales Rep Analogy
06:45 What GEO Requires Beyond SEO
10:08 Debating Definitions of SEO
17:20 Query Fan Out and RAG Explained
34:48 Testing Perplexity Results Live
38:40 Do AI Bots Crawl Your Site
43:29 Memory Math and Web Scale
45:10 Web Scale Reality Check
47:51 Why LLMs Need Search
48:40 Query Fanout Explained
54:33 GEO Versus SEO Debate
01:01:48 AI Visibility Audit Workflow
01:04:09 Measuring Citations and Clicks
01:10:49 Is GEO Just Modern SEO
01:14:27 Web Search Toggle Confusion
01:16:51 Funfluencer Case Study
01:17:35 Search vs Web Memory
01:19:12 LLM Crawlers Explained
01:22:00 Bing Citations Mystery
01:27:23 Crypto Agency Case Study
01:31:23 Brand Rankings Debate
01:44:14 Reddit Lists Gaming
01:48:33 Press Release Manipulation
01:52:22 Top Two Recommendations
01:54:25 Closing and Where to Find
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ 
#generativeengineoptimization #answerengineoptimization #searchengineoptimization #seo