The Edward Show

E969: How digital PR, brand mentions, and earned media are becoming some of the most important drivers of visibility across Google and AI search.
Chris Panteli of Linkifi returns to the show!
We go deep into how journalists actually source experts, why most HARO and expert quote pitches fail, and how real media coverage influences rankings, reputation, and LLM visibility - even when there is no backlink.
Chris also breaks down the systems his agency uses to build relationships with journalists, filter opportunities at scale, and turn a single media placement into long-term coverage across multiple publications.
This is a practical conversation focused on what is working right now - not recycled link building advice and not tactics that stopped working years ago.
Topics covered:
- Why brand mentions are becoming as powerful as backlinks for AI search visibility
- How Google, ChatGPT, and Perplexity build trust through consensus and coverage
- The difference between SEO digital PR and authority PR
- How expert quotes lead to podcast features, op-eds, and major media placements
- Mistakes that get HARO pitches ignored or journalists to blacklist sources
- Why fake AI personas are creating new verification challenges for journalists
- How to build journalist relationships instead of chasing one-off placements
- Using CRMs, alerts, and follow-ups to turn one mention into ongoing coverage
- Real examples of coverage leading to ChatGPT referrals and organic growth
- How agencies use AI to categorize journalist requests and filter opportunities
- Why smaller niche publications can be more valuable than high-DR general sites
- The role of reputation management in modern SEO and AI visibility
- How local businesses can earn press coverage through newsjacking and local expertise
- Practical ways to pitch local journalists even if you are not a PR professional
Chris also shares how his team uses custom systems to monitor journalist requests, manage outreach without spamming, and maintain quality while scaling expert quote placement.
For local businesses, consultants, and founders, the discussion around local media coverage and news-driven outreach offers one of the most overlooked opportunities to build authority, trust, and conversions.
If you are trying to understand how visibility works beyond traditional backlinks - especially inside AI systems - this episode provides a clear look at the mechanics behind earned media and authority building.
⭐️ Contact Christopher on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-panteli/
⭐️ Christopher Panteli on 𝕏: https://x.com/Linkifi_
⭐️ Christopher Panteli's agency: https://www.linkifi.io/
⭐️ Tier-one media coverage cheat sheet: https://go.linkifi.io/press-coverage-cheat-sheet-page
💎 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 Agency Growth Since HCU
01:06 What Makes Linkifi Different
02:15 Two Core Offerings
05:09 Brand Mentions And AI Visibility
10:26 Reputation Management Demand
13:01 Do Links Move Rankings
15:44 Case Studies And LLM Referrals
16:33 Best Platforms For Expert Quotes
17:32 Stop Using AI Spam Responses
20:57 Deplatforming To Direct Journalist Relationships
22:28 Systematizing Journalist Relationships
25:43 Team Size And Hiring For PR Talent
27:42 Gifting Journalists Ethics And Ideas
31:20 Biggest HARO Mistakes Authenticity
38:57 Read The Query And Match Bias
43:24 Custom GPTs For Client Compliance
44:17 Digital PR Versus Link Building
46:34 Landing Tier One Features Case Study
49:51 Follow Up Cadence And CRM
53:14 AI Filtering And Airtable Workflow
58:16 Reddit And Blacklists For Quality
01:03:52 Hyperlocal PR And Newsjacking
01:15:11 Press Releases And Pitch Quality
01:17:34 Wrap Up And Where To Find Chris
The Edward Show. The #1 search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #linkbuilding #backlinks #publicrelations

E968: What it actually looks like to get leads from ChatGPT and other AI platforms as a local business.
Blair Witkowski joins the show!
Blair has been doing SEO for nearly 20 years and runs multiple agencies focused on home services, including garage doors, gutters, and accessibility remodeling. In this conversation, he walks through the exact process his team is using to increase AI visibility, generate recommendations inside ChatGPT, and turn that visibility into real customers.
We go beyond theory and look at real examples, including before-and-after visibility improvements, how FAQ silos are being built, and the role local mentions and indexing play in getting discovered by AI systems.
This episode also explores the human side of agency work - communication, onboarding, outreach, and why hands-on relationship building still matters more than automation.
Topics covered:
- How local businesses are starting to receive leads directly from ChatGPT
- Turning AI prompt research into structured FAQ silo pages
- Using AI visibility tracking tools to identify gaps and opportunities
- Why indexing and AI platform submission may accelerate discovery
- The role of internal linking and topical authority in AI recommendations
- How FAQ content can strengthen service and location pages
- Building local mentions through real partnerships and content swaps
- The importance of press releases, citations, and entity signals
- Using micro-sites and exact-match domains in competitive markets
- Outreach strategies that still work, including cold email and phone calls
- How onboarding and communication impact client retention more than rankings
- Practical examples of AI prompts leading to business exposure and leads
If you work with local businesses, run an agency, or are trying to understand how AI is changing search and discovery, this conversation offers a grounded look at what is working right now.
⭐️ Blair Witkowski's Personal Site - https://blairwitkowski.com/
⭐️ Blair Witkowski's SEO Agency - https://coastalmarketingstrategies.com/
⭐️ Blair Witkowski on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@TheGarageDoorPodcast
⭐️ Blair Witkowski on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairwitkowski/
⭐️ Blair Witkowski on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/blairwitkowski/
💎 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 intro
00:33 Blair's SEO background
01:30 Why AI visibility matters
02:15 Splash Dash overview
04:21 Finding missed prompts
05:38 Turning prompts into FAQs
08:57 Silo and interlink setup
11:16 Indexing and LLM seeding
20:14 Links and press releases
21:35 Testing in Gemini
24:00 Live nonbranded example
25:08 Mini Golf Page proof
26:20 Testing Escape Room prompts
28:21 Perplexity Search Breakdown
29:51 FAQ Linking Strategy
30:46 Interlinking Without Overdoing
32:51 Microsites and Exact Match Domains
34:19 Niche Focus and Client Results
36:08 Onboarding and Client Empathy
38:29 Local Mentions via Realtors
41:02 Cold Outreach That Works
45:17 Phone Calls and Hand Raise Sales
47:12 Wrap Up and Where to Find
The Edward Show. The #1 search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #localseo #generativeengineoptimization #answerengineoptimization

E967: What 130,000 A/B tests reveal about why websites fail to convert - even when they look polished and professional.
Sahil Patel, CEO of Spiralyze, joins the show. We talk through the most common CRO mistakes companies make across SaaS, B2B, and service businesses, including why stock photos reduce conversions, how landing pages lose high-intent buyers, and what small teams can do immediately to improve results without expensive tools.
Sahil also explains practical testing frameworks, real case studies, and counterintuitive lessons from years of running experiments on high-traffic websites.
If you get traffic but struggle to turn that traffic into demos, leads, or revenue, this conversation focuses on the fundamentals that actually move the needle.
Topics covered:
- Why stock photos consistently lower conversion rates
- The "one-second test" to diagnose weak homepages
- Hook → mirror → ladder messaging and how it applies to SEO and ads
- Why video often cannibalizes conversions in the hero section
- How to design landing pages for high-intent visitors
- Email + CTA technique and commitment escalation psychology
- The mistake of optimizing for low-intent users
- CRO experiments that produced surprising results
- Why most companies run tests that are too small to matter
- Simple CRO improvements that don't require testing software
- Social proof strategies that actually increase trust
- Where animation hurts conversion and when it can help
- CRO tools startups can use to run experiments themselves
We also discuss how sales friction impacts conversion, why buyers don't want to be reminded they're entering a sales process, and how companies unintentionally create barriers for ready-to-buy customers.
⭐️ Sahil Patel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahilanamipatel/
⭐️ Sahil Patel's agency, Spiralyze: https://www.spiralyze.com/
⭐️ Sahil Patel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-M25FDI8NwI1pj_UxrYzHQ
⭐️ Playlist for CRO Crimes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhH2EfUApERQNovfcPen5zv9H299xthPU&si=nbdNXNrtPtwqViT0
💎 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 CRO Testing Credibility
00:15 Show the Product
01:24 Car Ad Stock Photo Analogy
03:24 Data on Stock Photos
04:30 SEO Landing Page Mistakes
06:38 One Second Test
09:53 Hook Mirror Ladder
14:05 Video Kills Conversions
18:13 VSL Placement Debate
25:54 Email Plus CTA Trick
28:45 Email First Demo CTA
29:34 Nurture Or Remarketing
30:28 Sales Led Vs Product Led
31:43 Stop Forcing Human Calls
34:10 Optimize For High Intent
40:05 Big Swing CRO Testing
44:40 Tools And Low Hanging Fruit
49:11 Service Fusion Case Study
51:45 Social Proof That Works
55:01 Wrap Up
The Edward Show. The #1 digital marketing podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#conversionrateoptimization #landingpageoptimization #growthmarketing #digitalmarketing

E966: I sit down with James Owen, an SEO professional with nearly two decades of hands-on experience across some of the most competitive industries on the internet.
James shares how he went from learning SEO on online dating websites in the late 2000s to working in iGaming, travel, eCommerce, and eventually building and scaling his own agency. The conversation explores what has changed in SEO over the past 19 years, what tactics no longer work, and the strategies that continue to drive results today.
The discussion goes deep into content clustering, link acquisition, AI visibility, listicle strategies, and how agencies operate behind the scenes when managing campaigns in high-competition niches like CBD, casinos, and SaaS.
This episode is especially useful for founders, marketers, and SEOs who want a realistic view of modern search - including how AI overviews and large language models are reshaping strategy.
Topics covered:
- How James accidentally got into SEO and what early search engine optimization looked like in 2007
- Lessons from working in iGaming and other highly competitive verticals
- Why content clustering remains one of the most reliable SEO frameworks
- How to structure service pages, listicles, and long-form guides for topical authority
- The real role of link velocity in competitive niches
- Practical blogger outreach advice for people building links without an agency
- The decline of tactics like expired domain authority passing and aggressive paid linking
- Why self-promotional listicles work right now - and why they may not last
- How to increase brand visibility inside AI overviews and large language models
- The importance of being cited across listicles, review content, and external sources
- Internal navigation, crawl behavior, and insights from log file analysis
- What James would do if he had to grow a brand new SaaS from scratch with limited budget
James also explains how agencies systematize outreach, manage link quality at scale, and build internal tooling to track AI visibility gaps and competitive positioning.
If you are trying to understand what actually moves rankings today - beyond surface-level advice - this conversation offers practical insight from nearly two decades of real-world SEO experience.
⭐️ Click Intelligence UK Website: https://www.clickintelligence.co.uk/
⭐️ Click Insights Global Website: https://insights.clickintelligence.com/
⭐️ James Owen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesowenseo/
💎 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 SEO Origin Story
03:27 Building Click Intelligence Domains
06:08 Merging UK and US Sites
08:09 Winning Competitive Niches
13:15 Content Clustering Explained
16:36 New Pages vs Existing
20:15 Epic Guides and Conversions
22:32 Link Building Playbook
28:25 Blogger Outreach DIY
34:44 Agency Systems and Automation
39:27 Old Tactics That Died
50:38 Expired Domains Today
54:39 Self Promotional Listicles
57:12 Getting Cited by LLMs
01:01:51 SEO Basics and Navigation
01:08:33 Hotels.com SEO Lessons
01:10:46 Six Month SaaS Plan
01:15:41 Wrap Up
The Edward Show. The #1 search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #seo #digitalmarketing #searchmarketing

E965: If you can read the minds of your searchers, SEO becomes much simpler and much more profitable.
I break down what it actually means to understand keyword intent - and why most people get it wrong. When you misread intent, you create the wrong type of page, attract the wrong traffic, and wonder why nothing converts.
When you understand intent correctly, you:
- Create less content
- Rank more strategically
- Increase click-through rates
- Reduce pogo sticking
- Build brand trust
- Convert more visitors into customers
I walk through two real keyword examples and break down exactly how I would approach them.
Example 1: "voice notes for dentists" This keyword looks simple, but the intent is highly specific. I explain:
- Who is actually searching it
- Where they are in the funnel
- Why this should NOT be a blog post
- What kind of page converts best
- How to structure the page above the fold
- How SaaS companies, affiliates, and resource sites should approach it
Example 2: "best materials for coffee mugs" This keyword is very different. I explain:
- Why this is top of funnel
- What searchers are worried about
- Why this should be educational content
- How to structure the post with a strong TLDR
- Who should (and shouldn't) target it
- How to move readers into your funnel without forcing conversions
The goal of this episode is simple:
Stop spinning your wheels creating content that will never convert.
When you understand whether a keyword requires:
- A conversion-focused landing page
- A blog post
- A product page
- A video
- Or something else entirely
You save time, resources, and effort - and you make more money from the same traffic.
If you found this helpful, subscribe for daily SEO breakdowns.
💎 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 Why Intent Matters
01:04 Setup and Examples
01:39 Voice Notes for Dentists
03:18 Building the Right Page
05:34 Who Should Target It
07:10 Best Materials for Coffee Mugs
08:40 Content Strategy and Targeting
10:22 Wrap Up
The Edward Show. The #1 search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
Edward Sturm on Grokipedia - https://grokipedia.com/page/Edward_Sturm
#searchengineoptimization #seo #digitalmarketing #searchmarketing