Google's Leaked Internal Presentation: "Don't Talk About Clicks"

E1175: Most SEOs know how to rank websites. Far fewer know how to sell that skill. Blair Witkowski joins to break down how he sells SEO services without leading with the word "SEO." Instead, he talks about phone calls, missed leads, competitors showing up in ChatGPT, and money the business owner leaves on the table. Blair walks through his sales process from the first cold call to the signed client, including the exact research he does before calling, how he gets prospects to agree to a Loom audit, how he follows up, and what he sells once the prospect says yes. We cover: - Why Blair avoids talking about SEO during sales calls - How he sells "more phone calls" instead of rankings - How he uses ChatGPT and AI visibility as the opening problem - How he builds prospect lists by niche and location - What he checks on a website before making the call - Why he looks at the website footer before spending more time on a prospect - How he finds problems within seconds instead of spending 30 minutes researching every lead - How directories give him a reason to contact businesses - The cold-call opening he uses with local businesses - How he gets past gatekeepers without asking for the owner - Why he researches the business before calling - How he ties every technical problem back to lost revenue - The role Claude audits, GeoGrids, SplashDash, BBB listings, reviews, and competitor research play in his pitch - How he gets roughly one Loom audit from every 20-25 cold calls - What he shows inside the Loom without overwhelming the prospect - Why he sends the Loom almost immediately after the call - Why multiple Loom views signal serious interest - How he follows up without saying "just following up" - Why he keeps contacting prospects for months or even years - The prospect who saved one of his cold emails for almost a year before hiring him - Why Blair sends Starbucks cards, books, cookies, DoorDash, and other gifts during follow-up - Why he treats every prospect who agrees to an audit like a future client - How he reports a roughly 42% close rate after prospects agree to a Loom audit - How he uses simple spreadsheets to track prospects and follow-ups - What he charges for local SEO clients - Why $1,800-$3,500 per month represents his main pricing range - How some clients reach $6,500 per month - What he delivers at lower, middle, and higher monthly retainers - Why higher tiers include more websites, Google Business Profiles, links, sponsorships, content, and local assets - Why he sometimes pays for links and local sponsorships out of the monthly retainer - Why communication matters after the sale just as much as getting the result Blair also explains why business owners rarely care about SEO terminology. They care about missed calls, missed jobs, competitors taking business, and whether their marketing produces revenue. If you know how to rank websites but struggle to consistently get clients, this episode gives you a complete look at how one agency owner approaches prospecting, sales, follow-up, pricing, and fulfillment. ⭐️ 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 Sales Episode Kickoff 01:10 Why SEOs Stay Broke 02:50 Offer That Clicks 03:16 Directory Cold Call Hook 05:31 Cold Call Research Stack 07:12 Gatekeepers And Openers 09:18 Loom Audit Pitch 12:39 Sell AI Phone Calls 16:28 Prospecting And Follow Up 19:11 Directories Best Of Plays 21:22 Live Electrician Call Script 25:31 Pricing And Deliverables 32:52 Loom Audit Structure 37:09 What To Fix In Loom 40:04 Live Audit Proof Points 40:49 Loom Follow Up System 42:26 Tracking Views And CRM 44:08 Pricing And Service Tiers 48:50 Higher Tier Trust Signals 52:48 Global Selling With Accents 57:17 Handling SEO Company Objection 01:00:27 When To Stop Following Up 01:02:40 Lead Sources And Call Volume 01:06:11 Hiring Callers And Directories 01:09:48 Client Win Stories 01:15:07 Scaling Out Of Operations 01:17:21 No Small Talk Cold Calls 01:19:06 Charge More Final Advice The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/   #searchengineoptimization #generativeengineoptimization #seo #digitalmarketing

E1174: Google has told employees not to discuss how clicks are used in Search outside of a need-to-know basis. That comes directly from an internal Google presentation from around the end of 2018 that surfaced during discovery in Google's antitrust trial. The presentation gives a rare look at how Google talks internally about Search, SEOs, leaks, ranking information, clicks, and the risks of explaining too much about how the algorithm works. I break down the most important slides and what they mean for SEOs. I cover: - Google's warning to employees to "be careful in discussing Search" - Why Google says information about how Search works should remain on a need-to-know basis - The internal line: "Everything we leak will be used against us by SEOs" - Google's warning not to discuss the use of clicks in Search except with people who understand not to discuss the topic externally - Why this matters when compared with Google's historical public statements about click-through rate and dwell time - Rand Fishkin's old CTR experiments where hundreds of searchers clicking a result were followed by major ranking movements - Gary Illyes' statement that theories around dwell time and click-through rate were "generally made-up crap" - Why Google has strong incentives to avoid publicly explaining ranking systems that SEOs would immediately test and manipulate - How John Mueller and Danny Sullivan get information about Google Search - Danny Sullivan's explanation that Search representatives talk directly with the engineers building Google's systems - Why that still does not mean every detail of Google's ranking systems gets shared publicly - Google's internal list of Search quality factors, including relevance, page quality, popularity, freshness, localization, language, centrality, topical diversity, personalization, spam authority, privacy, and more - Google's basic Search control flow: crawling, indexing, query interpretation, candidate retrieval, scoring, and final adjustments - How query interpretation includes things like synonyms, spelling, intent interpretation, and query expansion - Why Google deliberately makes parts of Search difficult to reverse engineer - Google's rank-modifying spammer patent and the idea of introducing ranking behavior designed to prevent spammers from understanding the system The larger takeaway is not that SEO is unknowable. SEOs have spent decades testing ranking factors, comparing results, running experiments, and sharing what works. That gives us a strong practical understanding of Search even when Google does not explain every ranking signal publicly. The fundamentals remain straightforward: - Make the page highly relevant to the target query - Put the target keyword in important locations such as the title, URL, H1, and beginning of the first sentence - Satisfy search intent immediately - Build real backlinks from indexed pages - Earn links people actually click - Build foundational business profiles and citations - Stay active on social media - Drive branded searches - Test what works and pay attention to real ranking results ⭐️ The internal Google presentation - https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-09/416694.pdf  ⭐️ Rand Fishkin's experiments - https://seosherpa.com/seo-experiments/  ⭐️ Gary Illyes's comment - https://www.reddit.com/r/TechSEO/comments/ao3fmk/comment/efxzljs/?context=8&depth=9  ⭐️ Danny Sullivan's comment - https://www.seroundtable.com/communication-engineers-google-ranking-systems-37376.html  ⭐️ Google's API Leak - https://sparktoro.com/blog/an-anonymous-source-shared-thousands-of-leaked-google-search-api-documents-with-me-everyone-in-seo-should-see-them/  ⭐️ Ep 974 - Google's New AI Patent Could Replace Your Website - https://youtu.be/0kTEYwiRBbg  💎 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 Google Presentation Leaked 00:51 Why Search Secrecy Matters 01:57 Sensitive Topics and PR Risk 03:17 Clicks and CTR Controversy 05:34 Google Reps Info Source 06:52 SEO Community vs Black Box 08:05 How Search Actually Works 10:01 Simple Pareto SEO Playbook 12:18 Episode Wrap Up The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/   #searchengineoptimization #seo #digitalmarketing #generativeengineoptimization

E1173: Internal linking is one of the fastest SEO improvements you can make, and this episode breaks down a simple method for using topical authority you already have to rank new pages and push existing pages higher. The method starts with a Google search: [your website] "keyword you want to rank for" Google will show you which pages on your site it already sees as relevant to that keyword. From there, you take the most relevant text on those indexed pages and internally link it to the page you actually want ranking. I cover: - How to find pages Google already associates with your target keyword - How to use those pages to pass relevance and authority to your target page - How to decide whether an existing page actually satisfies search intent - When to use exact-match anchor text and when to use variations - Why natural anchor text matters for both users and Google - How to use section anchor links when the relevant content sits farther down a page - Why optimizing an entire page around a keyword is stronger than optimizing one section - When you should create a completely new page instead - The three questions to answer before writing new SEO content - Where to place your target keyword on a new page - Why the page title, URL slug, H1, and opening sentence matter - How to satisfy search intent immediately above the fold - Why internal links from pages already getting search traffic carry more value - Why internal links that people actually click matter even more - How too many internal links make content look spammy and reduce clicks on the links that matter - Why relevant anchor text gives Google stronger context about the destination page - How this method pushes authority from existing indexed content toward new SEO pages - Why I mainly use this strategy with top-of-funnel informational content - Why I keep bottom-of-funnel SEO pages much more minimal - How excessive internal linking on conversion pages distracts people from your calls to action - How to use hub pages to build relevance for bottom-of-funnel keywords before the individual pages even exist - Why hub pages sometimes start ranking for keywords before you publish the page that satisfies the search The core idea is simple: Google already tells you which pages on your site it associates with a keyword. Use those pages. Find the relevant text, internally link it to the page you want ranking, and concentrate that existing topical authority instead of starting from zero. And if you do not already have a page that properly satisfies search intent, create one, optimize it around the keyword, give the searcher what they want immediately, and then turn the relevant content on your existing pages into internal links pointing to it. I also explain why I treat bottom-of-funnel pages differently. Those pages exist to convert. If someone lands on a page ready to buy, book, call, sign up, or become a lead, I do not want to distract them with unnecessary internal links. ⭐️ The written version of this episode: https://edwardsturm.com/articles/topical-authority-rank-faster/  ⭐️ Ep 1163 - The $50,000 Internal Linking Experiment: Links That Get Clicked Carry More Weight - https://youtu.be/biy8ILxTzqc  💎 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 Internal Linking Quick Win 00:20 Find Indexed Keyword Pages 00:56 Link to Intent Winners 01:49 Real World Anchor Examples 02:44 Avoid Exact Match Spam 03:07 Use Anchor Link Sections 04:29 Why This Works in Google 06:06 Create a New Target Page 07:53 Top vs Bottom Funnel Links 08:26 Hub Pages for Relevance 11:33 Wrap Up and Goodbye The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/   #seotips #searchengineoptimization #seo #digitalmarketing

E1172: Mike Martin ranks #1 in Google Maps for "business coaching" from 53 miles away from his Google Business Profile. In this episode, Mike breaks down the Google Business Profile strategy he uses across his own businesses, clients, and agencies. The core is what he calls the GBP Loop: profile completeness, pictures, posts, and praise, multiplied by consistency. Mike started in SEO after teaching himself to become a locksmith and building one of the largest independently owned locksmith companies in the UK. He used mass page websites, local lead generation, expired domains, and single-niche PBNs before shifting his focus almost entirely to Google Business Profiles. We go step by step through what he does now to expand Google Maps visibility. We cover: - How Mike ranks #1 for "business coaching" from 53 miles away - The GBP Loop: profile completeness, pictures, posts, praise, and consistency - Why Mike says consistency beats constantly chasing new local SEO tactics - How to make your Google Business Profile mirror your website - Why your business name, hours, categories, location, prices, and other details need to match - How incorrect citations around the web interfere with Google's understanding of a business - What Mike does during the first month of Google Business Profile optimization - Why he prefers a steady stream of reviews instead of getting hundreds at once - Why review responses matter and how his system uses AI while requiring human approval - What types of photos and videos local businesses should upload - Why Mike prefers real business photos over fully AI-generated images - What businesses should publish as Google Business Profile posts - Why Mike treats a Google Business Profile more like an active social profile than a static listing - How quickly he has taken profiles from weak visibility to #1 across larger geographic areas - When schema, CIDs, and service area pages enter his local SEO process - Why unique business data is more valuable than pumping out hundreds of generic AI articles - The individual practitioner profile opportunity for lawyers, doctors, dentists, insurance brokers, real estate professionals, and other public-facing professionals - How agencies use practitioner profiles to create additional recurring revenue from existing clients - Why a lawyer or doctor could build a Google Business Profile and review history tied specifically to themselves - The difference between a service area business, storefront business, and hybrid business - How Mike structures Google Business Profiles for businesses serving multiple cities - Why showing an address incorrectly creates verification and suspension problems - How people outside your company use "Suggest an edit" to propose changes to your phone number, hours, location, and other GBP information - Why businesses need to monitor the email attached to their Google Business Profile - Mike's old-school local lead generation system that grew his locksmith operation - How his "fastest finger first" phone system rewarded salespeople for answering and converting calls - Why Mike moved away from black-hat lead generation when working with Google Business Profiles owned by real businesses Mike's main argument is simple: most businesses already have enough tactics. What they lack is consistent execution of the fundamentals. Profile completeness. Pictures. Posts. Praise. Then repeat. ⭐️ 20% of Mike Martin's platform - GBPly - https://gbply.net/edward  ⭐️ Mike Martin's personal site - https://mikemartin.uk  ⭐️ Mike Martin on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemartinuk/  💎 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 Local SEO Kickoff 00:37 Mike's Locksmith Origin 01:31 From Lead Gen to GBP 03:14 Fast Map Pack Wins 04:05 The GBP Loop Framework 07:37 Reviews and Consistency 10:40 Schema Boost Tactics 13:07 Step One Completeness 15:36 Fixing Citations Impact 20:28 Website Content vs Data 24:04 Practitioner Profiles Goldmine 28:45 Media Strategy and AI Images 36:10 Posts That Convert 38:20 Old School PBN Tactics 39:39 From Locksmithing to SaaS 40:35 Reviews That Rank Fast 41:19 Drip Review Requests 45:03 Avoiding Spam and Bad Reviews 46:09 Playing It Safe With Google 48:52 Leaving Black Hat Behind 51:27 Phone Answering Signals 53:23 Fastest Finger Lead Gen 57:24 Multi Town Service Areas 01:01:22 The GBP Loop and Book 01:03:59 Protecting Against Edits 01:08:49 Where to Find Mike The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/   #localseo #googlebusinessprofileoptimization #searchengineoptimization #seo

E1171: Query augmentation: how Google connects searches with related queries and why one page can end up ranking for hundreds or thousands of keywords that never even appear on the page. James Dooley returns to the show, bringing the goods. We get into the difference between lexical matching and query semantics, how Google interprets search intent, and why trusted sites with strong user and brand signals start ranking across much broader keyword buckets. James explains why a page targeting one keyword can eventually rank for entirely different phrases when Google decides those searches share the same intent. We cover: - What query augmentation is and how it relates to query fan-out - How synthetic queries expand a search into related terms - Why a page can rank for keywords that are nowhere in the content - The difference between dictionary semantics and query semantics - Why "cheap" and "best" can mean the same thing in one industry and completely different things in another - How branded search, social traffic, backlinks, user behavior, and site trust expand the queries a page ranks for - Why smaller sites need tighter relevance while trusted sites get more freedom - How to use Google Search Console to find queries Google already associates with a page - A simple Claude workflow for turning existing GSC rankings into new H2s and sections - How People Also Ask questions reveal additional topics worth targeting - James' Google Images trick for finding entities connected to a question through modifier chips - How query augmentation produces more impressions, clicks, leads, and sales - How James uses self-optimizing pages to identify low-CTR queries and rewrite sections - Why the text Google pulls into a search result matters for CTR - How to decide whether a query deserves its own page or belongs as an H2 - Why SERP overlap is one of the clearest ways to make that decision - Why 200 words is not automatically thin content - Why satisfying search intent matters more than hitting an arbitrary word count - Why James wants pages as short as possible and as long as necessary - How changing only the H2 hierarchy moved pages into different query buckets - How Claude-built websites often become too wordy - How James uses AI agents focused on semantics, sales copy, compliance, information gain, and concision - Why he uses multiple LLMs instead of relying on a single model - How LinkGap ranked for related backlink terms despite having almost no written content - How James says Koray's Audio To Text expanded into huge numbers of related searches as traffic, links, and usage grew - What the ongoing "King of AEO" competition is revealing about Google, Bing, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Grok, YouTube, and Google Images - How James is seeing press release effects fade after roughly four to six weeks - How LinkedIn posts are still competing with exact-match domains, guest posts, press releases, and other SEO tactics The central idea is simple: rank for the initial query, satisfy the searcher, build trust, study the additional queries Google starts showing your page for, and then expand the page around the terms Google already associates with it. ⭐️ James Dooley's website - https://jamesdooley.com/  ⭐️ James Dooley on 𝕏 - https://x.com/james_dooley  ⭐️ James Dooley on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameszdooley/  ⭐️ James Dooley on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jameszdooley/  ⭐️ James Dooley on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/james.dooley1/  ⭐️ James Dooley on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@JamesDooley  💎 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 Query Augmentation 00:30 Synthetic Queries Explained 03:02 Intent and Behavioral Signals 03:47 Cheap vs Best Semantics 08:03 PPC Match Types Analogy 11:09 When Smaller Sites Win 14:24 Expanding Buckets with GSC 18:15 Entity Chips in Images 20:18 Turning Rankings into Revenue 22:04 CTR Optimization with AI 27:23 People Also Ask Link Strategy 29:08 Case Studies LinkGap and AudioToText 34:00 SEO Compounding Wins 34:40 Link Gap Lead Magnet 35:04 H2 vs New Page 37:43 Testing the 50 50 Call 39:04 Thin Content Myth 40:44 Claude Sites Done Right 45:11 Concise SOP Mindset 47:06 Query Augmentation Mistakes 49:28 Self Healing SEO Tweaks 50:40 AI Harness Model Debates 53:21 King of AEO Showdown 56:39 Press Releases and Social 01:01:23 Wrap Up and Thanks The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/   #searchengineoptimization #seotips #seo #digitalmarketing

E1169: How are SEOs doing keyword research in 2026? I break down a viral thread from the SEO subreddit where SEOs shared their real processes, tools, shortcuts, and ways of deciding which keywords deserve attention. Some of the advice is strong. Some of it misses the point. The biggest mistake is treating keyword research like a spreadsheet exercise instead of looking at search intent, business value, and what is really ranking in Google. In this episode: - Why I ignore keyword difficulty scores from SEO tools - Why looking at the actual Google SERP gives you better information than staring at a difficulty metric - How to spot keywords competitors rank for but have not targeted properly - Why a supposedly "high-difficulty" keyword sometimes ranks with very little work - How to tell whether competitors have optimized a page for a keyword - Why page titles, URL slugs, H1s, and the beginning of the first sentence matter when evaluating competition - How to use competitor keyword research to build your initial keyword list - Why search intent matters more than raw search volume - How to identify high-intent searches that lead to customers, users, calls, and warm leads - The type of keyword I value most: the searcher knows what they want but has not decided which brand will provide it - How to use AI to group large keyword lists by topic and intent - Why you should not ask an LLM to estimate keyword difficulty without giving it live search data - How Google Search Console reveals keywords your site already has a chance of ranking higher for - Why keywords sitting around positions 5-20 often deserve attention before completely new topics - How to map keyword groups to individual pages - When an existing page deserves optimization versus when you need to create a new page - Why different searches require different page types, including product pages, service pages, landing pages, and blog posts - How Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends, ChatGPT, Semrush, and AlsoAsked fit into keyword research - Why informational "how to" and "what is" keywords often have far less business value than bottom-of-funnel searches - The four questions I start with when researching keywords: 1- Who are my competitors? 2- What are they ranking for but not targeting properly? 3- Which of those keywords will make me money? 4- Which SERPs are under-targeted? I also explain why I prioritize keywords that directly connect SEO traffic to revenue instead of publishing huge amounts of top-of-funnel content just because a keyword tool shows search volume. ⭐️ Reddit: How Do You Choose Keywords for SEO? - https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1wbmgx0/how_do_you_choose_keywords_for_seo/  ⭐️ Ep 1104 - The 1-Hour SEO Update That Makes Your Best Pages Rank for More Keywords - https://youtu.be/GmsAuotHGso  💎 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 Viral Keyword Question 02:04 Keyword Filtering 04:07 Intent and SERP Checks 05:19 Competitors and Priorities 08:27 Search Console Quick Wins 09:21 Free Tools and AlsoAsked 10:42 Keyword Grouping and Mapping 11:42 Wrap Up The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/   #keywordresearch #searchengineoptimization #seo #digitalmarketing

E1170: Nike has one of the strongest brands and domains on the internet, yet its blog gets an estimated 1,400 organic clicks per month. That is an absurd amount of wasted SEO authority. I sit down with David Quaid to break down why enormous companies like Nike, GoPro, and Chewy leave so much organic traffic on the table, despite having domains that smaller companies would kill to own. Nike has decades of authority, massive amounts of branded search, famous athletes, globally recognized product lines, and enormous links and mentions across the web. Yet Nike Stories (its blog) barely takes advantage of it. We break down what Nike would do differently if an aggressive SEO team took over its content strategy. Topics covered: - Why Nike's blog getting roughly 1,400 estimated organic clicks per month is so shocking - Why a site with Nike's authority belongs at the top of enormous sports-related searches - How Nike could build content around basketball, running, yoga, pickleball, athletes, shoes, training, and its individual product lines - Why Nike should publish pages around the athletes and creators already associated with the brand - How Red Bull uses athlete pages to capture search demand around the people it sponsors - Why Nike's existing authority creates an enormous head start over almost any new sports website - How major brands restrict themselves because they worry too much about staying "on brand" - Why brands sometimes treat SEO as beneath them even when search demand is sitting directly in front of them - The difference between building a brand and actually getting that brand discovered - Why GoPro fails to properly target "action camera" even though GoPro created the category - How companies miss high-intent commercial keywords because basic SEO elements never make it onto the page - Why Chewy repeating "dry dog food" dozens of times still does not make up for weak page targeting - How weak URLs, poor keyword selection, thin content, and limited internal linking waste existing authority - Why search volume gives companies direct evidence of what customers already want - How massive brands could turn informational traffic into remarketing audiences and product sales - Why smaller companies still have room to outrank businesses with vastly more authority - How SEO lets a company start from nothing, build rankings one page at a time, and eventually dominate an entire niche We also get into press releases and AI search. David explains how he approaches press release titles when the objective is ranking for a specific query, why he puts the primary keyword first, and why he sometimes leaves the brand name out of the headline entirely. We use the ongoing "King of AEO" competition as an example of how SEOs are testing Google AI Overviews, press releases, exact-match domains, entity associations, and supporting websites in real time. The bigger lesson is simple: Authority only matters if you use it. Nike already did the hardest part. It built one of the strongest brands in the world. The SEO opportunity sitting on top of that authority is enormous. Meanwhile, smaller companies are taking the searches that major brands leave open. ⭐️ 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 Nike Blog SEO Fail 00:40 Why Nike Underperforms 02:10 Thin Content Missing Links 04:06 Robots.txt Easter Egg 05:03 GoPro Action Camera Miss 07:44 Branding Versus SEO 08:59 Press Release SEO Tactics 13:13 King of AEO Title Strategy 18:42 How To Fix Nike Blog 23:20 Breaking Down Nike Posts 25:26 Why SEO Still Wins 27:41 Podcast Wrap Up The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/  #searchengineoptimization #enterpriseseo #seo #digitalmarketing

E1167: Claude-generated websites have a serious SEO problem: they use a lot of unnecessary words. Search intent is not only about covering the right topic. It is also about presenting the answer in a way that is fast and easy to consume. I break down three real AI-heavy websites and show how unnecessary copy, repeated headings, pointless "eyebrows," bloated introductions, and buried answers create a worse experience for searchers. I cover: - Why satisfying search intent includes how information is presented, not just whether the information exists - Why Claude-generated sites often add unnecessary words throughout the page - Three real examples of wordy AI pages - A Toronto SEO agency page that buries its H1 under repeated copy and targets the wrong search intent - Why the first few sentences of a landing page need to immediately explain why the business is the right choice - How multiple competing calls to action weaken the page - A Sprout Social alternatives page that makes readers dig through long explanations before reaching the comparison table - Why someone searching for an alternative already knows why they want an alternative - Why "how we evaluated these tools" sections are often unnecessary - Why a strong single-product alternative page beats another generic list of 10 tools - A "King of AEO" page that repeats its title, author, company name, and other information before getting to the actual point - Why AI pages frequently repeat information without adding anything useful - How excessive copy leads searchers to return to Google and choose another result - Why bad user behavior becomes far more dangerous when hundreds or thousands of AI pages are published quickly - How scaled AI content creates bad behavioral signals faster than a normal site - Why real photos and useful video make pages easier to consume - Why service businesses should use real images instead of generic AI-generated visuals - Why bottom-of-funnel keywords deserve most of your content effort - Why buyers do not need a 2,000-word essay explaining why they need the thing they are already searching to buy - Why 400 to 500 words is often enough for a strong SEO landing page - How some pages need fewer than 200 words - The questions I answer before writing: Who is searching this keyword? What do they want? What are they trying to achieve? - Why I write the outline first and use AI as a writing assistant instead of letting AI decide what the page needs - Why spending more time on one strong bottom-of-funnel page produces better long-term results than mass-producing disposable AI content - How a well-built page keeps ranking and generating revenue for years without constant rewrites The goal is not to hit a word count. The goal is to give the searcher exactly what they came for with as little friction as possible. ⭐️ Ep 1164 - How $72 in Press Releases Made Google Call This Man the King of AEO - https://youtu.be/DhmQ7cZhHFw  ⭐️ Ep 1166 - Google Can Lose Faith In Your Website (Here's How To Get It Back) - https://youtu.be/Q4cB34UticI  💎 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 Wordy Pages Fail 01:08 Claude Site Example One 02:14 Above the Fold Fluff 05:31 Claude Site Example Two 07:48 Cut the Ultimate Guide 08:36 Claude Site Example Three 12:36 Pogo Sticking Consequences 13:36 What to Do Instead 14:18 Short Pages That Convert 17:22 Wrap Up The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/   #searchengineoptimization #seo #claudeseo

E1168: SaaS link building gets expensive fast. In this episode, Kristiyan Yankov breaks down why a single placement in the right listicle can be worth $1,000+, how he decides which backlinks are worth paying for, and the link-building methods his team uses across more than 60 SaaS companies. We go deep into the actual process behind SaaS link building, from finding competitor backlink gaps to pitching publishers, negotiating paid placements, building relationships on LinkedIn, getting links from major publications, and using third-party mentions to increase visibility in both Google and AI search. We also get into what separates a valuable backlink from one that Google may effectively ignore. What we cover: - Why some SaaS companies will pay $1,000+ for a single listicle placement - What separates a $300 backlink opportunity from a $1,000+ opportunity - How to identify the listicles and roundups dominating your industry - How Kristiyan reverse-engineers competitors' backlink profiles in Ahrefs - Why multiple competitors appearing on the same site signals a strong outreach opportunity - Why existing articles are often better targets than creating brand-new guest posts - How to check whether a listicle actually ranks, gets traffic, or feeds AI search results - Why LinkedIn often beats cold email for link-building outreach - What an actual paid-placement outreach message looks like - When to mention payment in the first message and when not to - Why you should not name your price first when negotiating a backlink - Why smaller, highly targeted outreach lists outperform mass outreach - How incentives such as free product access, payment, content creation, and link swaps improve response rates - How to maintain consistent brand positioning across dozens of third-party listicles - Why inconsistent descriptions of your company across the web create problems for AI search - How to split backlinks between your homepage, commercial pages, comparison pages, and informational content - How expert quote outreach gets links and mentions from sites such as BBC, HubSpot, Zapier, and Wix - Why expert quote platforms remain one of the strongest low-budget link-building methods - Foundational backlinks every new SaaS company should build - Why directories such as Crunchbase, BetaList, and Product Hunt still matter - How a Product Hunt launch caused a major organic traffic spike for one of my projects - How to use link swaps without making the links look artificial - Why adjacent industries are strong targets for link exchanges - How link-building outreach itself can generate customers and partnerships - How podcasts, industry meetups, and personal relationships create backlinks competitors struggle to copy - Why thanking tools you use publicly can turn into case studies and backlinks - How to build your own Rolodex of marketers and site owners for recurring link opportunities - The biggest mistake people make when judging backlinks by DR and traffic alone - Why a smaller, highly relevant site can be more valuable than a much larger generic site - When guest posting is worth the effort and when it is a waste of time - How third-party brand mentions influence ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI search systems - Why getting included in the sources AI systems already retrieve is one of the fastest off-page opportunities - Which link-building strategies compound over time instead of producing one-off results Kristiyan and I also share some of the stranger link-building tactics we've used ourselves, including podcasts built partly around relationship building, industry networking, creative link exchanges, expert contributions, and other methods that go far beyond sending thousands of generic outreach emails. ⭐️ Kristiyan Yankov's agency, Above Apex - https://aboveapex.com/  ⭐️ Kristiyan Yankov on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristyan-yankov/  💎 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 SaaS Link Building Intro 00:12 Kristiyan SEO Journey 01:50 Top Link Building Plays 03:43 Link Gap Analysis Steps 07:01 Proving Competitor Links Work 09:12 Outreach and LinkedIn First 10:12 Incentives for Listicles 13:13 Outreach Message Templates 14:43 When to Lead With Money 17:01 Finding Dominant Listicles 17:58 Existing Posts and Indexing 22:23 Small Batch Outreach Strategy 28:18 Follow Ups and Timing 30:13 Listicle Pricing and Value 34:11 Positioning and Keywords 37:24 Deep Links Beyond Homepage 39:09 Expert Quote Outreach Setup 40:02 Best Quote Platforms 41:31 Low Budget Link Tactics 43:10 Directory Links That Work 45:37 Clicks From Backlinks 46:40 Adjacent Industry Link Swaps 51:42 Relationship Driven Links 56:50 Common Link Building Mistakes 01:00:28 Guest Posts Done Right 01:05:37 Brand Mentions For AI Search 01:10:52 Linkable Assets And Virality 01:15:05 Natural Backlink Profiles 01:17:41 Where To Find Christian 01:17:56 Bulgaria Rose Valley Chat 01:21:34 Podcast Wrap Up The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/   #searchengineoptimization #linkbuilding #saasmarketing #seo

E1166: Google can lose faith in your website. That is the language Google's John Mueller used when discussing sites filled with large amounts of programmatic SEO content, low-quality pages, and generated content that fails to give users enough value. I break down what that means, why bad old pages continue to hurt a site, and what actual SEO recoveries look like. I cover: - John Mueller's warning that Google's systems can lose faith in a site based on its old pages - Why publishing hundreds or thousands of weak pages creates a sitewide problem - The danger of scaled AI content and programmatic SEO - Why producing more content does not fix a site that already has a quality problem - The "Boy Who Cried Wolf" effect in SEO - How repeatedly disappointing searchers damages the reputation of a site - Why click-through rate and pogo-sticking matter when thinking about user satisfaction - How weak pages create bad behavioral signals at scale - Why programmatic SEO makes the problem worse by publishing bad pages far faster than a human could - What happens when Google becomes more cautious about showing content from a site - How fixing the problem takes significant work and time I also break down a real recovery example where a company deleted around 200 thin AI-written pages and later saw Google traffic grow from roughly 1,000 to nearly 4,000 monthly visitors. Their new approach included: - Deleting thin AI pages first - Keeping only pages worth maintaining - Using real search data instead of having AI invent the content - Researching SERPs, search volumes, Reddit, Hacker News, and X - Using the actual language customers use - Writing bottom-of-funnel pages buyers actively search for - Publishing competitor lists with current pricing - Creating alternative pages for products people are leaving - Publishing original customer stories - Reviewing and editing every piece of content before publishing I also cover another recovery shared by Lily Ray. The site was hit by the December 2025 spam update, started making fixes, and finally began recovering roughly five months later. The takeaway is simple: If you flood your site with content that repeatedly disappoints searchers, cleaning it up is not instant. Delete the weak pages, improve the pages worth keeping, publish content people actually want, and give Google's systems enough time to see the change. Google does not forget a large history of bad content overnight. ⭐️ John Mueller's statements - https://bsky.app/profile/johnmu.com/post/3muwiaq3mws22  ⭐️ Charlotte Schmitt on 𝕏 - https://x.com/LottiSchmitt/status/2096967274343047324  ⭐️ Lily Ray on 𝕏 (recovery post) - https://x.com/lilyraynyc/status/2069739309075161234  ⭐️ Ep 989 - Google's Helpful Content Update DESTROYED the Internet (What Actually Happened) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YLUFjYrIEA  💎 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 Can Google Lose Trust 00:25 John Mueller on Programmatic SEO 01:53 Behavior Signals Explained 02:42 Boy Who Cried Wolf SEO 04:24 How Sites Recover 05:13 Pruning Playbook Steps 06:06 Bottom of Funnel Content Wins 06:37 Customer Stories Strategy 07:45 Recovery Timelines and Updates 08:51 Learn SEO the Right Way 10:40 Final Wrap Up The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/   #searchengineoptimization #seo #seorecovery #programmaticseo