The Edward Show

E877: I break down the SEO and AI tactics that are likely to get penalized by Google and AI systems in 2026 - and the single strategy that will dominate results. I cover why mass AI-generated content, entity stuffing, and careless Reddit parasite plays are headed for major pushback, and why external topical relevance and reputation-driven branded content across multiple platforms will become essen...

E876: Gemini 3 just changed the game. Edward and Gagan Ghotra break down how Google's new Gemini 3 model is fundamentally transforming SEO, AI search behavior, and buyer journeys. From massive query fan-outs (12–15 deep) to dynamic AI-generated search interfaces, product listings inside Gemini, AI-driven image creation grounded in live Google data, and the potential death of schema as we know it -...

E875: Everyone says "just make good content" - but what does that actually mean? I break down the uncomfortable but insanely effective method for creating SEO content that gets clicked, consumed, and converts. The key: go back to content you created over four months ago and review it with fresh eyes. It's not easy, but it's one of the most reliable ways to find gaps, improve engagement, and outper...

E874: Nick Eubanks (Vice President of Owned Media at Semrush) joins the pod to break down what businesses need to do right now to win in AI search - and why most companies are still using outdated playbooks while AI-driven discovery is moving faster than ever. We cover: - How AI visibility differs from SEO, and why traditional ranking factors like backlinks don't always apply in LLM results - Evid...

E873: I break down the top link building strategies shared by professionals in a high-performing SEO subreddit thread. These are real-world approaches that marketers are using right now to acquire backlinks - ranging from guest posts and Source of Source to outreach to networking, sponsorships, press releases, and linkable assets. You'll learn: - Why broken link building still works (when done man...

E872: Most "experts" say SEO takes 12 months to work. Sarvesh Shrivastava, today's guest, shows that for local businesses, that's flat-out wrong. With the right structure, foundation, and targeting, you can realistically hit $100K/month in under 90 days using SEO - but almost everyone gets the strategy completely wrong. Here's what you'll learn: - Why 90% of local businesses focus on the wrong thi...

E871: SEO legend David Quaid is back with a high-value breakdown of the most powerful free SEO tools - including several hidden features inside Bing Webmaster Tools that most marketers completely overlook. Whether you're running your own site, starting SEO from scratch, or debating whether you need to invest in paid tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz - this episode shows you how to extract real re...

E870: I sit down with Kai Cromwell to break down one of the most effective Shopify SEO strategies in use today. Kai specializes exclusively in Shopify SEO and shares the exact long-tail collection page strategy that drives bottom-of-funnel traffic and revenue fast - without waiting 6-12 months to rank for competitive terms. We cover: - Why long-tail transactional pages outperform high-volume keywo...

E869: I break down a viral post from the SEO subreddit that perfectly explains how Google actually ranks pages. Forget the overcomplicated strategies, mystical topical maps, or black magic SEO tactics. Topical authority comes down to mechanical systems, user behavior, and relevance - nothing more. We cover: - Why every keyword puts you into a topical space - How every click you earn expands your t...

E868: We break down one of the most overlooked but essential drivers of search engine rankings: brand building. Modern SEO goes far beyond backlinks and keywords. Google, AI search, and LLMs reward strong brands with higher authority, better visibility, stronger trust signals, and noticeably improved rankings. If you want predictable organic traffic, high-quality backlinks, and long-term SEO resul...

E867: A common SEO mistake: placing every page directly off the root domain. You'll learn why proper subfolder structure matters for user experience, analytics, link building, topical authority, and long-term scalability. This walkthrough covers practical examples, how subfolders concentrate authority, and why they make it easier to grow and audit large sites. If you want to improve your informati...

E866: A simple but overlooked SEO tactic: using modifiers to turn low-volume keywords into very, veryyyy high-value buyers. By adding targeted modifiers like "for schools," "for government employees," or "for enterprise teams," you move deeper down the funnel and reach groups that represent larger purchase orders and higher-quality leads. You'll learn: - Why zero-volume keywords can be incredibly...

E865: A new and growing issue in digital marketing is emerging: black hat AI SEO and the use of fake, AI-generated negative review articles to manipulate how large language models describe a brand. A Reddit post describes a case where a competitor allegedly purchased a black hat AI SEO service that published false review content across multiple low-quality websites. As a result, ChatGPT, Claude, P...

E864: I break down the European Commission's new antitrust investigation into Google's enforcement of its site reputation abuse and anti-parasite SEO policies. The investigation focuses on whether Google is demoting news publishers and media companies that host third-party commercial content. I walk through what parasite SEO is, why publishers like Forbes were hit by Google's policy changes, how G...

E683: LinkedIn is exploding - and few people are talking about it. I break down why LinkedIn is quietly becoming the biggest growth opportunity on the internet, how creators with "dead" accounts are getting tens of thousands of impressions in days, and the posting strategy that took my own LinkedIn reach from 250K to 300K impressions in a day. We get into: - Why daily posting on LinkedIn is being...

E862: Mordy Oberstein - former Head of Communications at Semrush and Former SEO Brand Advisor at Wix - joins Edward to talk about why brand is becoming the most important SEO signal heading into 2026 and why AI won't replace great marketing anytime soon. Mordy and Edward go deep on: - Why branded searches, authority, and trust influence keywords, backlinks, and AI visibility - How AI overviews and...

E861: Google just expanded Opal, its no-code automation tool, to 160+ countries, and the SEO world is not happy. Opal is being promoted as a tool to generate scalable content… despite Google having a highly-cited Scaled Content Abuse policy. We break down the contradiction, the backlash, and how real creators are being impacted. We also talk about Chrisy | Homemade Hooplah's story - a blogger who...

E860: Julian Goldie joins the pod! This episode is the rise, setback, and rebound of one of the most talked-about SEO operators in the space. From rapid AI content experiments to the Google penalty that hit an entire group of creators on the same day, to rebuilding and growing bigger than before, this is a full breakdown of what happens when scale meets search engines. We get into practical strate...

E859: David Quaid returns to explain how large language models surface webpages and how you can measure and influence your visibility in tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini. We walk through query fan-outs, drift, search console interpretation, Looker Studio reporting, and practical steps for testing what LLMs return and why. Topics covered: - How LLMs retrieve information in real ti...

E858: Google has officially removed support for several structured data types, confirming a trend that has been developing over the last several years. We look at what this means for SEO professionals, agencies, and business owners who have invested time and resources into schema markup. I explain why niche or specialty schema implementations often don't deliver meaningful results, how Google deci...

E857: How to prepare your website for Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025 using search engine optimization. Even though the holiday shopping season is close, there are still several high-impact SEO actions you can take to improve visibility, attract qualified traffic, and capture conversions before the sales period starts. Topics covered: - How to create brand and product "Black Friday 2025" pages...

E856: Klass Foppen of Promptwatch and Gagan Ghotra join the show! We discuss the analysis that triggered headlines across the tech industry - a report suggesting a sharp decline in Reddit's visibility in AI-powered search engines, which was followed by a 10% drop in Reddit's stock price. We examine what actually happened: how Promptwatch tracked Reddit's exposure across AI tools like ChatGPT, Perp...

E855: New data reveals that 57% of all Google searches are zero-click. SVP of Marketing at Datos, Belinda Conde, joins the show to reveal that more than half of users now get the information they need directly from Google - whether through AI Overviews, featured snippets, or other Google-owned properties - instead of clicking through to a website. We explore what this means for SEO, AI search, and...

E854: The God of SEO himself - Charles Floate - joins the show to reveal how AI, automation, and black hat SEO tactics are reshaping Google and the entire search industry. Charles breaks down how he uses AI agents, vector databases, and custom LLMs to scale SEO operations, automate outreach, and even build a $10M+ link marketplace. This episode goes deep into AI SEO, parasite SEO, PBNs, site reput...

E853: We break down one of the most important factors in SEO - pogo sticking. You'll learn what it is, why it matters, how Google measures it, and the exact steps to prevent it from destroying your rankings. What you'll learn: - What pogo sticking means in SEO and why it's so dangerous - How Google uses "short clicks" and "long clicks" to evaluate user satisfaction - Insights from Google's leaked...