The Edward Show

E1014: The single biggest productivity mistake that quietly destroys SEO results: not taking structured breaks.
This is not about working less. It's about working in a way that actually produces better pages, better strategy, and better outcomes.
If you are writing SEO landing pages, doing keyword research, auditing sites, or building out a content strategy, this directly impacts your results. When you don't step away, you waste time on things that don't move the needle, miss obvious improvements, and end up with lower-quality work.
I learned this the hard way while building bottom-of-funnel SEO landing pages during lockdowns. The difference between working straight through and working in structured intervals was not small. It changed the quality of the pages, the speed of execution, and the results those pages produced.
This episode explains exactly what changed and how to apply it.
What you'll learn:
- The productivity mistake that leads to wasted hours and poor SEO output
- Why "grinding" leads to worse keyword targeting and weaker pages
- How taking short breaks prevents rabbit holes and unnecessary work
- The exact system I use (25-minute sessions + short breaks + longer resets)
- Why breaks improve conversion-focused SEO, not just productivity
- How this applies to writing, editing, keyword research, and strategy
- Real examples from SEO work, podcast editing, and managing operators
- How stepping away helps you identify what actually moves the needle
Key idea:

If you don't step away from your work, you lose perspective. When you lose perspective, you make worse decisions. In SEO, that shows up as weaker pages, missed opportunities, and time spent on things that don't contribute to rankings or conversions.
This is a simple change, but the impact compounds across everything you do.
🚀 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 Why Breaks Matter
00:46 Lockdown SEO Lesson
02:37 Pomodoro Setup
03:53 Breaks Boost Ideas
04:52 Step Away Rules
05:27 Editor Case Study
08:02 New Venture Rabbit Holes
09:49 Big Takeaways
11:18 Closing Thanks
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #seo #copywriting #productivity

E1012: How IBM managed to rank at the top of Google for some of the most competitive keywords in the world, including "AI," "AI agent," and "what is AI."
We go through a real case study of IBM's content strategy, based on analysis from Lars Lofgren, and look at what they're doing right, what they're getting away with, and what you can apply to your own SEO strategy.
This is one of the clearest examples of what Google currently rewards in B2B content.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- How IBM structures top-of-funnel content to rank for extremely competitive keywords
- Why answering the search query immediately (above the fold) matters more than ever
- How internal linking is used to pass authority across an entire content ecosystem
- The role of media (images and video) in keeping users engaged and improving rankings
- Why "perfectly optimized" content often feels bland - and why that's working
- How IBM removes obvious AI-writing signals on high-value pages
- Where IBM is over-optimizing (keyword stuffing) and why they still get away with it
- The risk of expanding too far beyond your core topics (and what happened to HubSpot)
- Why most companies fail when they try to scale content too aggressively
- How legacy authority plays a role - and how to adapt these tactics if you don't have it
I also share how I approach SEO differently, focusing first on bottom-of-funnel, high purchase intent keywords before expanding into top-of-funnel content like this.
If you're trying to understand what it actually takes to rank for highly competitive terms today, this episode gives you a clear, practical breakdown.
⭐️ Lars Lofgren's breakdown - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/larslofgren_this-might-be-the-most-successful-b2b-seo-activity-7447692784615981057-qG8u/
🚀 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 IBM Dominates AI Keywords
01:05 Lars Lofgren Breakdown
01:56 HubSpot Greed Warning
03:09 Inside IBM What is AI Page
04:29 Internal Linking Flywheel
06:39 AI Agent Page Wins
07:06 Keyword Stuffing Critique
09:18 Podcast Outro
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #seo #digitalmarketing #performancemarketing

E1013: Breaking down a simple but widely misunderstood idea in SEO: internal links are not "set and forget."
Most people treat internal linking as something you do once when you publish a page. David argues the opposite. If you are not revisiting and adjusting your internal links regularly, you are likely wasting authority and slowing down your ability to rank new pages.
The core idea is straightforward: internal links only matter when they come from pages that actually have authority. And the only reliable way to get that authority is by ranking and getting clicks. That means your internal linking strategy should evolve as your pages start to perform.
This conversation covers how to think about internal links as an investment, how to use ranking pages to lift other pages, and why adding more links is often the wrong move.
What we cover:
- Why internal links are not "free authority"
- The real role of ranking pages in passing value to other pages
- Why blog posts that don't rank don't help your money pages
- How to use internal links to move pages from "almost ranking" to page one
- When to remove or reduce internal links without hurting rankings
- Why automated internal linking tools can cause more harm than good
- How to identify pages that are close to ranking using Search Console
- The concept of topical authority and how it develops across a group of pages
- How to think about internal links like an expense account, not an unlimited resource
- Why too many links on a page can dilute impact instead of helping
Key takeaway:
This internal linking hack is not about linking everything together. It is about directing authority from pages that are already working to pages that are close to working. That requires ongoing adjustments, not a one-time setup.
If you treat your site like a system, where pages earn authority and then pass it on strategically, you can rank new content faster without relying entirely on backlinks.
⭐️ 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 Monthly Internal Linking Rule
00:35 Crawl Pools Explained
01:44 Links Are Investments
05:48 Traffic Creates Authority
09:51 When To Adjust Links
11:23 Measure Topical Authority
14:24 Orphans And Link Limits
16:40 Striking Distance Hack
18:54 Why SEO Still Works
21:09 Loving SEO Long Term
26:07 Wrap Up And Thanks
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #internallinking #seo #webdevelopment

E1011: Why the rise of AI-built ("vibe coded") websites is going to make SEO easier, despite the slight increase in websites properly targeting keywords.
Most people think AI will increase competition because it makes it faster to create pages targeting keywords. That part is true. But they're missing the more important point: most AI-generated pages are not built to convert, and that creates an opportunity.
I walk through a real example from a company I'm funding, where we used AI to build a site from scratch and then had to rethink the entire approach. The result led to a clear strategy for using AI the right way in SEO.
We cover:
- Why AI-generated pages will rank but often fail to convert
- How anchoring affects the way you build pages with AI
- The difference between letting AI create everything versus using it as an assistant
- Why outlining your pages yourself leads to better engagement and conversions
- How better structure improves link building, branding, and outreach
- Why engagement signals like click-through rate, bounce rate, and time on page matter more
- How to think about search intent beyond what AI generates
- The process we use to build higher-converting pages
- Writing page structure manually before using AI
- Using AI to refine and improve clarity instead of generating from scratch
- Reviewing pages for benefits, completeness, and positioning
- Adding elements like FAQs, testimonials, and strong calls to action
- Why topical authority improves when pages are planned intentionally
- How to align SEO pages with link building, outreach, and overall marketing
The main idea is simple: AI is a powerful assistant, but a poor architect.
If you rely on it to generate entire pages, you'll likely end up with content that ranks but doesn't perform. If you guide it with clear structure and intent, you can outperform fully AI-generated competitors.
If you're doing SEO right now, this change in thinking is worth paying attention to.
🚀 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 Vibe Coding Changes SEO
00:50 Real Project Case Study
01:41 Why AI Pages Convert Worse
02:11 Anchoring Explained
05:30 Better Workflow With AI
05:50 Outline to Publish Process
07:33 Rankings vs Conversions
08:08 Beating Vibe Coded Brands
09:27 Wrap Up
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #aiseo #digitalmarketing #seo

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