The SEO Podcast with Fexingo: Search Engine Optimization, Google Rankings, and Organic Traffic

In Episode 57 of The SEO Podcast, Lucas and Luna break down Google's use of contextual embeddings—a shift from static keyword matching to dynamic meaning representation. They explain what embeddings are, how Google's BERT and MUM models apply them to understand search queries, and what this means for SEO practitioners. The hosts walk through a concrete example: how a search for 'best running shoes...

Lucas and Luna unpack Google's entity salience signal—how the algorithm determines which entities on a page are most important and weighs them accordingly. They examine a case study of a personal finance site that saw a 40 percent traffic drop after Google stopped recognizing its main entity, then rebuilt topical relevance by restructuring content around a single authoritative entity. The hosts di...

In this episode of The SEO Podcast, Lucas and Luna unpack Google's NavBoost system—the click-data layer that adjusts rankings based on real user behavior. They discuss how NavBoost differs from traditional ranking signals, why Google treats brand clicks differently, and what SEOs should watch for in their own click-through data. With concrete examples from the recent NavBoost patent filings and re...

In this episode of The SEO Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into how Google now uses URL structure as a ranking signal in 2026. They break down a case study from a mid-size e-commerce site that saw a 22% organic traffic increase after restructuring its URLs from dynamic parameters to clean, hierarchical paths. The hosts discuss why Google's shift to entity-based indexing makes clean URLs more critical...

In this episode of The SEO Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into the current state of Google's Core Web Vitals as a ranking signal in mid-2026. They discuss how the recent INP (Interaction to Next Paint) metric has reshaped performance scoring, the growing importance of real-world data from the Chrome User Experience Report over lab tests, and why a slow site can still rank if it offers unique content...

Episode 52 of The SEO Podcast digs into a controversial ranking factor: click-through rate from search results. Lucas and Luna explore Google's 2023 patent on user interaction signals, the difference between branded and non-branded CTR, and why a high CTR might actually hurt you if it triggers a 'false positive' penalty. They dissect a case study from a mid-size e-commerce site that saw a 40% orga...

In this episode of The SEO Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore how Google now incorporates review signals into local search rankings. They break down the shift from review count to review recency and diversity, using a specific case: a Denver coffee shop that lost rankings after a burst of five-star reviews from a single event. The hosts examine Google's 2025-2026 local search updates, including the r...

Episode 50 of The SEO Podcast with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna explore how Google increasingly uses user behavior signals—click-through rates, dwell time, pogo-sticking—to influence search rankings. They break down the concept of 'search satisfaction,' discuss real examples like how a long dwell time can boost a page's authority, and explain why a high bounce rate isn't always negative. The hosts also...

Episode 49 of The SEO Podcast dives into Query Deserves Freshness — Google's algorithm for detecting when a search topic demands the newest possible results. Lucas and Luna break down how QDF works, using the specific case of a breaking news event versus an evergreen topic like 'how to tie a tie.' They explain the difference between explicit freshness signals (publication date, update frequency) a...

Lucas and Luna unpack Google's evolving distinction between useful content and engagement-driven content. They look at the March 2026 Helpful Content Update, which refined how Google weighs signals like time on page, scroll depth, and return visits versus actual user satisfaction. The hosts discuss why a recipe blog with low time on page can still rank if users quickly get what they need, while a...

Episode 47 of The SEO Podcast. Lucas and Luna break down a ranking signal barely on most SEOs' radar: action entities. Google's Knowledge Graph now maps not just people, places, and things, but also actions — like 'buy', 'book', 'subscribe' — and associates them with specific websites. Using the example of a local bakery that outranked a national chain for 'order birthday cake online' by having st...

In this episode of The SEO Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore Google's passage indexing system, which allows the search engine to rank specific sections of a page rather than relying solely on the page as a whole. Using the example of a comprehensive guide to 'mediterranean diet benefits,' Lucas explains how Google can surface a single paragraph about heart health from a long article, even if the ove...

In this episode of The SEO Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore how Google's evolving algorithm now prioritizes topical authority over individual page optimization. They break down the shift from keyword-focused strategies to entity-based ranking signals, using the example of a niche health website that saw a 40% traffic drop after relying on thin, topically scattered content. Lucas explains how Google...

Episode 44 of The SEO Podcast digs into a major shift in Google's ranking system: the rise of author entity pages as a direct ranking signal. Lucas and Luna explore how Google now constructs an 'author entity' by linking a byline to a verified Knowledge Panel or personal website, and how that entity can boost article authority independently of domain trust. They use the case of a freelance health...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into Google's recent shift toward prioritizing video content in search results. They explore a specific case study: how a mid-sized recipe blog saw a 40% traffic drop after Google started surfacing more short-form video clips from platforms like YouTube and TikTok in text-based queries. The hosts break down the data, discuss the impact of Google's 'Video First'...

In this episode of The SEO Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore how Google's approach to content freshness has evolved beyond simple publication dates. They discuss the 2026 'freshness score' system that assesses when a page was last meaningfully updated, with a concrete case study of a financial advice site that lost rankings because its annual 'refreshed' tax guides didn't add new insights. The hosts...

In episode 41 of The SEO Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore how Google now evaluates author authority as a distinct ranking signal. They break down the shift from domain-level E-E-A-T to individual author-level credibility, using concrete examples like a health writer who outranks WebMD and a finance blogger who beats institutional sites. Lucas explains how Google's Knowledge Vault connects author na...

In episode 40 of The SEO Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore how Google's Knowledge Graph acts as a ranking signal beyond simple keyword matching. They break down a real example from 2025 where a niche history site jumped from page 6 to page 1 after Google recognized its content's entity relationships. The hosts explain how to audit your own content for entity depth, why co-occurring entities matter m...

In this episode of The SEO Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore how Google's semantic relatedness algorithm connects conceptually similar pages — even when they don't share keywords. They break down a real example: how a recipe blog that links to a knife sharpener gets a ranking boost for 'kitchen tools' queries, while a hardware store that does the same doesn't. They explain why Google's Knowledge Gra...

In this episode of the SEO Podcast with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how Google has refined its understanding of search intent by grouping queries into intent clusters. Rather than ranking the best single page for a keyword, Google now evaluates entire clusters of related searches to determine which page best satisfies a user's underlying need. Using a concrete example from the travel vertical,...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Google's latest shift in ranking signals: original research now carries significantly more weight than aggregated or curated content. They break down a 2025 Google patent that defines 'original research' as first-party data collection or novel analysis, and walk through a case study of a mid-sized SaaS company—Viable Analytics—that saw a 40% increase in orga...

In this episode of The SEO Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into Google's use of link velocity — the rate at which new backlinks accumulate — as a ranking signal for fresh content. They break down how Google's 2026 algorithm treats a sudden spike in links differently from steady organic growth, using the example of a small e-commerce brand that saw a traffic surge after a product launch. Lucas explain...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how Google increasingly uses branded search behavior — specifically, whether users click your branded result after a non-branded query — as a proxy for brand strength and content quality. They break down a 2025 internal Google patent update that formalizes this signal, and discuss what it means for SEOs who have focused primarily on keyword rankings. Lucas a...

In this episode of The SEO Podcast with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dive into one of Google's most powerful yet underappreciated ranking signals: original data. They explore why pages that publish proprietary statistics, unique survey results, or original research consistently outrank generic blog posts—even when those posts have stronger backlink profiles. The hosts discuss a landmark case from 2024...

Episode 33 of The SEO Podcast with Fexingo unpacks Google's March 2026 'Experience' update, which now prioritizes content from creators with direct, firsthand experience over polished but generic articles. Lucas and Luna examine the case of a home-renovation site that lost 30% of its traffic overnight after Google started demoting content written by freelance writers who had never actually remodel...