Google's March 2026 Core Update Is Brutal - What SEOs Are Seeing & How to Survive

E998: Google's March 2026 Core Update is rolling out, and early data shows significant volatility across search results. I break down what's happening, what people in the SEO community are reporting, and what you should actually do if you want to avoid losing traffic. We're still in the early phase of the rollout, which means most of what you're seeing right now is speculation mixed with early signals. That said, there are already clear patterns worth paying attention to. In this episode, I cover: - What Google officially said about the March 2026 Core Update - How this update connects to the March Spam Update and recent Google Discover changes - Volatility data from tools like Semrush, Mozcast, and Advanced Web Rankings - Reactions from the SEO community, including common complaints and concerns - Early examples of sites gaining and losing traffic - Why strong "entity definition" across your site is becoming more important - The risks of topical sprawl and trying to cover too many unrelated topics - How internal linking and contextual relevance play a role in rankings - Observations from competitive niches like iGaming - Why many sites still struggle to understand core updates until weeks later I also share practical takeaways you can apply right now: - Build content and links at the same time instead of treating them separately - Focus on acquiring backlinks that bring real traffic, not just superficial authority signals - Avoid publishing clusters of near-identical pages targeting slight keyword variations - Create varied content within your niche to reduce obvious SEO patterns - Start narrow, build authority, and only expand once you've established topical depth If you've been impacted by this update, or you're trying to stay ahead of future ones, this episode will give you a clear way to think about what's changing and how to respond. ⭐️ Google March 2026 Core Update Is Rolling Out - First Core Update Of Year - https://www.seroundtable.com/google-march-2026-core-update-41121.html ⭐️ Reddit: Here Comes the March 2026 Core Update - https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1s52o0a/here_comes_the_march_2026_core_update/ 🚀 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 March Update Madness 00:35 What Google Announced 01:05 Volatility Signals 01:43 Streets React 02:34 Winners and Losers 03:58 Entity Focus Theory 04:53 Topical Authority Playbook 06:15 iGaming Black Hat Theory 07:16 Avoid Getting Hit 08:06 Too Much SEO Patterns 09:57 The Smartest SEO 10:45 Final Thanks The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #googlecoreupdate #googlemarchupdate #seo

E997: Most people think "GEO" is replacing SEO, and that getting cited by tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity requires a totally different strategy. I break down why that narrative is wrong. Using a real discussion from the SEO subreddit, I walk through what's actually happening behind the scenes in AI search - and why, after six months of testing, even experienced "GEO" practitioners still can't figure out what's moving the needle. The answer is simpler than most people expect: AI search is not a new system. It is built on top of search. AI systems are performing live queries, expanding them, validating results, and selecting sources - just like a search engine would. Once you understand that, the confusion around GEO starts to disappear. Topics covered in this episode: - Why six months of GEO testing often leads to inconsistent and unmeasurable results - The concept of "query fanout" and how AI systems expand a single prompt into multiple searches - How grounding queries work and why brand mentions across the web matter - Why AI citations are not based on memory or training data in the way most marketers assume - The difference between being indexed, being ranked, and being selected during AI query expansion - Why third-party mentions and reputation signals still play a major role - The idea that much of the GEO industry is built on misunderstandings of how these systems operate - How tools can reveal what AI systems are actually searching behind the scenes I also cover new data from Promptwatch, based on 1 million citations, showing what types of pages are being cited by AI systems: - Landing pages: 15.2% of citations - Product pages: 14% of citations - Listicles, landing pages, and product pages dominate citation sources This reinforces a point I have been making for a long time: bottom-of-funnel pages that clearly match user intent are far more effective than generic top-of-funnel content. We also discuss: - Why traditional "awareness content" often fails to convert or get cited - How SEO landing pages and product pages align directly with what users are searching for - Why reputation management and entity signals are becoming more important, not less - How AI search is pushing SEO back toward fundamentals rather than replacing it If you've been trying to figure out GEO, AI citations, or how to get mentioned in AI systems, this episode explains what actually matters.  ⭐️ Updated Search Query and Reasoning Extractor Bookmarklets (ChatGPT + Claude) - https://theseopub.com/updated-search-query-and-reasoning-extractor-bookmarklets/ ⭐️ The Reddit Thread - https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1s45fli/comment/ocpdi29/?context=3 ⭐️ The Promptwatch Research - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/gijs-de-groot2021_seeing-a-lot-of-talk-about-listicles-losing-activity-7426618883454894080-5kL2/ 🚀 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 GEO Frustration Thread 00:54 WebLinkr Query Fan-Out 02:53 How To Find Fan-Out 03:54 Training Myth Exposed 04:59 GEO Disinfo Lobby 07:11 PromptWatch Citation Data 08:15 What ChatGPT Cites 09:09 Landing Pages Win 11:32 Episode Wrap Up The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #generativeengineoptimization #searchengineoptimization #answerengineoptimization #digitalmarketing

E996: Google's March 2026 spam update just dropped and it's one of the fastest rollouts we've ever seen. The update launched on March 24 and finished rolling out by March 25. Unlike previous updates that took weeks, this one was completed in just a couple of days, which suggests a more targeted and specific change rather than a broad algorithm shift. We go through what's been observed so far, what Google has officially said, and what SEOs across the industry are reporting. Key topics covered: - Timeline of the March 2026 spam update rollout - Why this may be the fastest Google update ever - Real-world impact: sites losing 50% of traffic vs others tripling - What Google says about spam updates and SpamBrain - What this update does NOT target (based on early reports) - Patterns SEOs are seeing across rankings and traffic - The role of AI-generated content in this update - Why "thin" and mass-produced content may be getting hit - Internal linking and site structure signals gaining importance - Ongoing volatility before and during the rollout - What to check in your Google Search Console right now We also discuss: - The difference between AI content and low-quality content - Why not all AI content is penalized - How Google likely detects scaled content patterns - The importance of combining content publishing with link building - What this update might signal for future algorithm changes At the time of recording, there is no single confirmed target, but the strongest signals point toward enforcement against low-value, scaled content rather than specific tactics like link spam or site reputation abuse. If you've seen ranking changes, now is the time to review your content quality, site structure, and overall SEO approach. ⭐️ How to Humanize ChatGPT Content - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/humanize-chatgpt-content/ ⭐️ Google March 2026 Spam Update Unleashed (& Finished) - https://www.seroundtable.com/google-march-2026-spam-update-41109.html ⭐️ Muhammad Younis on 𝕏 - https://x.com/Younis_0_/status/2037062619866259948 ⭐️ Charles Floate on 𝕏 - https://x.com/Charles_SEO/status/2036712081853182016 ⭐️ [Incoming] Google releases March 2026 spam update - What will G target? - https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1s2okw5/incoming_google_releases_march_2026_spam_update/ 🚀 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 Spam Update Shock 00:28 Rollout Details 00:50 Volatility Stories 01:11 SpamBrain Explained 02:29 What It Targets 03:35 Reddit Reactions 05:03 Short Rollout Theory 06:18 SEO Advice Now 07:47 AI Content Detection 10:06 Wrap Up The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #googlecoreupdate #googlemarchupdate #seo

E995: Nathan Gotch joins the show to talk about what it takes to build and grow an SEO SaaS in the AI era. Nathan shares what's happening behind the scenes at Rankability, including how they made 7,000 product changes in 90 days, why they eliminated free trials entirely, and how AI is changing execution without changing SEO fundamentals. We also get into real workflows, tools, and strategies that are working right now across Google, AI platforms, and beyond. If you care about SEO, SaaS, or building systems with AI, this episode is packed with practical insights. What we cover: - Why AI increases output but also increases workload - The discipline required to avoid shiny object syndrome - How to build a product without constantly chasing new features - Why most successful apps iterate slowly (and when to move fast) - Behind the scenes of making 7,000 product updates in 90 days - The reality of AI coding, including bugs, security, and technical debt - How to safely build with AI using backups, testing layers, and audits - The difference between Claude, OpenAI tools, and other AI systems in real workflows - Automating SEO tasks with APIs instead of browser-based AI - Using AI for CRO audits and identifying low-hanging improvements - When to let AI execute tasks vs when to stay hands-on SEO strategy and growth: - Why SEO fundamentals have not changed despite AI - What "search everywhere optimization" actually means - How Google, AI platforms, and YouTube differ as search channels - Why your website is not your most important asset anymore - The growing importance of brand signals and off-site mentions - How to use AI citations as a link building strategy - Modern link building approaches that still work - The "merger technique" for acquiring authority through domain acquisitions - Why personal branding is one of the strongest SEO advantages Product and business lessons: - Why Nathan stopped offering free trials and what happened next - The problem with free users vs paid users in SaaS - How to attract higher-quality customers - Why product-market fit reduces the need for aggressive marketing - When to focus on product vs when to focus on marketing - How to collect and use customer feedback effectively - Building systems that remove you from operations - Why most marketing channels are distractions if you don't commit fully Content and distribution: - Why Nathan posts less content but still grows faster - The difference between high-intent and low-intent channels - Why SEO, YouTube, and email remain the strongest channels - How consistency compares to depth when creating content - Why technical content often underperforms on social platforms ⭐️ Nathan Gotch's Search OS - https://os.nathangotch.com/ ⭐️ Nathan Gotch's Rankability - https://www.rankability.com/ ⭐️ Nathan Gotch on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@nathangotch ⭐️ Nathan Gotch - https://nathangotch.com/ ⭐️ Nathan Gotch on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathangotch/ ⭐️ Nathan Gotch on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nathan.gotch/ ⭐️ Nathan Gotch on 𝕏 - https://x.com/nathangotch 🚀 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 Chasing Big Opportunity 00:34 Shiny Object Syndrome 01:18 AI Leverage vs Burnout 04:19 7000 Changes in 90 Days 06:49 Balancing Work and Family 08:16 API First Automation Stack 09:58 Claude vs OpenAI Agents 12:27 Automating Podcast Workflow 13:48 When Agents Go Rogue 15:23 Vibe Coding Safety Nets 20:23 Security and Tech Debt 24:57 Rebuilding Rankability v2 26:49 No Free Trials Strategy 30:18 Niche Down to Agencies 31:12 Descript API and Risks 34:46 AI Standards vs Humans 36:48 Live CRO Prompt Demo 37:20 Claude Browser CRO Audit 39:06 One Page SEO Case Study 40:33 AI CRO Audits Fast 41:18 Agents Making Changes 43:44 Voice Content Workflow 44:40 Daily Posting Streaks 49:11 Product Over Marketing 51:19 User Feedback Systems 56:28 Search Everywhere Optimization 59:58 AI Reputation Signals 01:02:45 Modern Link Building 01:06:10 Merger Redirect Strategy 01:13:33 Beating SEO Giants 01:17:36 Content Cluster Strategy 01:18:31 Wrap Up And Thanks The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #aiseo #vibecoding #seo

E994: I sit down with Yas Haque, former Head of SEO at Omnicom, to break down what actually separates the world's largest SEO agencies from smaller shops. This is how enterprise SEO works in practice - how big agencies win clients, structure work, get buy-in from massive organizations, and where they waste time and money. We cover what smaller agencies can immediately adopt, what they should ignore, and how to compete against companies with far more resources. If you run an SEO agency, work in-house, or are trying to get better results from SEO, this episode will give you a clearer picture of how the highest level of the industry operates. Topics covered: - The single most important thing small SEO agencies should improve immediately (packaging) - Why presentation and storytelling matter as much as technical SEO - How enterprise teams think about SEO as both an art and a system - How to structure SEO work so non-SEOs understand and act on it - The role of storytelling in getting buy-in and driving implementation - How large agencies analyze competitors and find gaps at scale - Why granular keyword segmentation creates real competitive advantages - How quick wins (like featured snippets and AI results) can drive outsized impact - How SEO influences other channels like paid search and direct traffic Inside enterprise SEO: - What it's actually like working at companies like Omnicom and Dentsu - The types of tools and resources large agencies have access to - How big agencies support teams with data, tooling, and internal resources - Why implementation is the hardest part of enterprise SEO - How to get changes deployed inside large organizations - Real examples of solving technical challenges across complex systems What might surprise you: - Why most clients don't use the dashboards they pay for - Where large agencies spend time that doesn't drive real results - How packaging and communication often matter more than the work itself - Why many enterprise SEO problems are organizational, not technical Tactical insights: - How to evaluate a site quickly before going deep - How to create urgency during pitches and client conversations - How to win clients by showing competitor weaknesses - How to simplify complex SEO ideas so decision-makers act on them - Why understanding CMSs and technical limitations is critical Advice for newer SEOs: - Why building your own site is still the fastest way to learn - What skills matter beyond SEO (like design and UX tools) - How to think about SEO as "search experience optimization" - Why giving real value to users should guide everything you do We also discuss how SEO is evolving with AI, where it's overhyped, and why the core principles still hold. This episode is especially useful if you want to: - Improve how you present SEO work - Close more clients - Get better implementation rates - Compete against larger agencies - Understand how enterprise SEO actually functions ⭐️ Yas Haque on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/yashaque/ ⭐️ Yas Haque on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yhawke/ 🔎 Search Experience Optimization - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/search-experience-optimization/ 🚀 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 Meet the SEO King 01:49 Why This Episode Matters 02:38 Packaging That Wins Clients 07:50 Storytelling and Attribution 09:11 Keyword Buckets and Topical Gaps 11:19 Featured Snippets to AI Overviews 14:53 Big Agency Resources and Tools 16:45 The 22 Second SEO Audit 19:29 Getting Enterprise Changes Shipped 21:43 Reverse Proxies Over Subdomains 25:07 AI Panic and Search Experience 29:17 Voice Search Hype 29:39 Execs Aren't Consumers 30:21 Agency Waste Exposed 30:54 Dashboards vs Impact 31:38 Page Speed Debate 35:20 Bespoke Packages Win 37:04 How to Win Pitches 39:06 Creating Urgency Fast 42:49 SEO Career Advice 45:27 New Business With Wife 46:39 Celebrity Reputation SEO 48:42 Vibe Coded SaaS Play 51:38 Restaurant SaaS SEO Gap 52:58 Compact Keywords Strategy 55:54 Wrap Up and Thanks The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #agencyseo #performancemarketing #marketingagencies

E993: I break down a real SEO case study from Charles Floate, who generated $53,000 in 45 days through organic search while operating under heavy scrutiny. Because of his reputation in black hat SEO, this campaign had to be strictly within the rules. That makes this a useful example of what actually works when you cannot take risks. We go step by step through the exact strategy, including how the campaign was structured, what changed over time, and why the results compounded. What we cover: - The full timeline: from relaunch to traffic spikes to revenue growth - How 10,628 organic visits translated into $53,000 in revenue - Why scrutiny changes how you approach SEO - The role of backlinks even in a "white hat" campaign - How entity stacking (citations, profiles, mentions) builds early momentum - A simple Google search operator to find competitor backlinks and directories - When sameAs schema matters and when it likely doesn't - The difference between "content that exists" and content that satisfies search intent - What went wrong (migration issues, thin pages, indexing problems) and how it was fixed - Why the second content push led to the biggest growth spike - The importance of trust signals and how they affect rankings through user behavior - How pogo-sticking can quietly kill your SEO performance - Why depth of content outperforms volume - The compounding effect of links, content, and entity signals over time Key takeaway - this was not one tactic; the results came from stacking multiple signals in the right order: 1. Establish the entity 2. Build trust 3. Publish deep, useful content 4. Keep improving everything Over time, each layer strengthens the next. If you want to replicate this, focus less on shortcuts and more on building something that both users and search engines recognize as legitimate. ⭐️ Charles Floate's post - https://x.com/Charles_SEO/status/2033788234153791739 ⭐️ Charles Floate's company, PressWhizz - https://presswhizz.com/ ⭐️ E991 - Stop Pogo-Sticking: 5 UX Principles That Skyrocket SEO & Conversions - https://youtu.be/teyQl4_A8kA ⭐️ E988 - Why Brand SEO Beats Traditional SEO in the Age of AI - Jason Barnard Explains - https://youtu.be/Zsn2jTXNOWg 🚀 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 $53K SEO Win Overview 00:59 Why Scrutiny Matters 02:17 White Hat Link Strategy 02:41 Entity Stacking Basics 04:17 Content Campaigns And Relaunch 05:10 Traffic Growth Timeline 06:40 Staged SEO Framework 07:12 Trust Signals And UX 08:02 Content Depth Example 08:45 Compounding Results 09:27 Brand SEO Takeaways 11:18 Final Thanks And Outro The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #seo #linkbuilding #buildinpublic

E992: Reddit SEO is going crazy. Ann Smarty and David Quaid, both experts in Reddit marketing, join the show to explain what's happening and how to get results. Reddit has become one of the most influential platforms in search. It ranks at the top of Google, shows up heavily in AI answers, and can directly impact brand perception and revenue. But at the same time, it is being flooded with spam, automation, and low-quality marketing tactics. We talk about what's working, what's failing, and what businesses need to understand before trying to use Reddit as a growth channel. This is a practical, unfiltered discussion with people who have real experience building, moderating, and marketing on Reddit. Topics covered: - Why Reddit has become one of the most important platforms for SEO - How Reddit content ranks in Google and influences AI systems - What "parasite SEO" on Reddit actually looks like in practice - The rise of spam, automation, and paid Reddit manipulation - Why most Reddit marketing tactics today are short-term and risky - How moderators detect and deal with spam accounts - What happens when brands try to game Reddit - Why fake reviews and bought comments can make things worse - How negative Reddit threads can damage a brand long-term - What to do when a Reddit thread about your brand is ranking - The difference between authentic feedback and competitor attacks - Why building a branded subreddit can be effective (and when it isn't) - How long it actually takes to see results from Reddit SEO - What a sustainable Reddit strategy looks like - How to create a Reddit account without getting banned - Common mistakes new accounts make immediately - Why VPNs, bought accounts, and automation tools are risky - How moderators think and why they remove content - When (and if) you should contact moderators - Whether legal action against Reddit users ever works - Real examples of brands succeeding and failing on Reddit - The future of Reddit and whether it can survive the current spam wave Key takeaways: - If you are not on Reddit, your brand is still being discussed there - Reddit rewards expertise, not promotion - Most shortcuts (buying posts, comments, accounts) lead to long-term damage - Old Reddit threads can rank for years and shape brand perception - Trust on Reddit comes from participation, not visibility If you work in SEO, marketing, or run a business that depends on search, this episode will give you a clearer picture of what Reddit can and cannot do for you. ⭐️ Ann Smarty's SEO for AI Subreddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO_for_AI/ ⭐️ Ann Smarty on 𝕏 - https://x.com/seosmarty ⭐️ Ann Smarty on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/annsmarty/ ⭐️ 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 Reddit Marketing Chaos 00:29 Guest Backgrounds 02:45 Why Reddit Matters 03:17 Spam Makes It Harder 06:24 The Right Way To Market on Reddit 15:07 Parasite SEO Explained 16:21 Branded Subreddits Strategy 19:44 Anonymity And Trust 21:47 Bot Farms Threat to Reddit 25:36 Handling Fake Reviews 34:15 Working With Moderators 38:08 Buying Comments Risks 40:58 Moderator Rules Reality 45:24 When Lawyers Help 48:24 Moderator Conflict Context 50:32 Reddit SEO Wins 54:31 Mod Tools And Spam Signals 01:00:17 New Account Best Practices 01:04:06 Avoid Buying Accounts 01:09:15 Stop Tool Spam Promotion 01:11:20 Will Reddit Survive AI 01:20:08 Why Digg Failed 01:26:27 Viral Times Square Story 01:30:12 Wrap Up The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #redditseo #redditmarketing #searchengineoptimization #socialmediamarketing

E991: Five user experience (UX) principles that directly improve your SEO performance and help you convert more visitors into customers, users, or leads. If people are landing on your page and leaving immediately, that sends a strong negative signal. Search engines pick up on this behavior. It affects your rankings, your site-wide performance, and ultimately your ability to grow through search. This episode explains how to fix that. You will learn how to reduce pogo-sticking, keep users on your pages longer, and guide them toward taking action. We go from the least important principle to the most important, but all five matter if you want results from SEO. What you'll learn: - How to build trust within seconds of someone landing on your page - Why reducing friction leads to higher conversions (and how to do it) - How people actually read online and how to format your content for scanning - What to include above the fold to keep users from leaving - How to match search intent immediately so visitors know they're in the right place Key ideas covered: - Why trust reduces anxiety and keeps users from going back to search results - Where to place calls to action so they are easy to find and act on - How to write shorter paragraphs and use structure to guide attention - Why most users scan instead of read and how to adapt your content - The three questions every page must answer within seconds - How matching search intent early improves both rankings and conversions This episode is practical. You can take these principles and apply them directly to your pages, whether you are working on blog content, landing pages, or product pages. 🚀 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 UX Meets SEO 00:39 Build Trust Fast 02:03 Reduce Friction 02:49 Write for Scanning 04:59 Win Above the Fold 06:24 Match Search Intent 07:48 Recap and Next Steps 08:23 Wrapping The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #uiux #seo #digitalmarketing

E990: Nicolas Gorroño from AI Ranking shares his screen and breaks down how to automate SEO using AI without getting penalized. There's a lot of noise right now around AI SEO. People are publishing hundreds or thousands of pages, seeing short-term gains, and then watching everything disappear. In this demonstration, we focus on what is actually working long-term. Nico walks through how he builds websites, generates content, and automates workflows using tools like Claude Code, while still following core SEO fundamentals that search engines reward. We also get into how to structure sites, create content that gets indexed, and avoid the common mistakes that cause traffic drops. What we cover: - How to automate website builds using modern frameworks like Astro - Why most AI-generated sites fail from an SEO perspective - The right way to scale content without triggering penalties - How to control publishing velocity and why it matters - What makes AI content "safe" vs. spammy - How to create content that gets indexed - The role of unique angles and original data in ranking - How to use internal linking and sourcing to build trust - The "content capsule" technique for structuring AI content - Why updating old content is just as important as publishing new content - How Nico builds automated systems that write, publish, and improve content over time - Turning YouTube videos into blog posts and social content automatically - Where AI content fits into a real business strategy - Why service pages matter more than blog posts for conversions - How to structure high-converting SEO landing pages - Programmatic SEO done correctly (and what most people get wrong) - How to differentiate pages so they actually rank - Using location data, reviews, and schema to improve performance - Why relying only on blog content is a mistake - How to think about SEO as part of a larger system, not just content We also talk about: - The future of tools like WordPress vs newer frameworks - Why flexibility matters more than using the "latest" tool - How to avoid wasting time chasing every new AI tool - Building systems that compound instead of constantly restarting If you're trying to use AI for SEO and want results that last, this episode will give you a practical framework to follow. ⭐️ Join the AI Ranking Skool Community - https://www.skool.com/ai-ranking ⭐️ AI Ranking Skool Website - https://www.airankingskool.com/ ⭐️ Nicolas Gorroño's Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Nico_AIRanking ⭐️ Nicolas Gorroño's Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nico-gorrono/ ⭐️ AI Search Starter Kit - https://www.airankingskool.com/you-came-here-from-socials ⭐️ Terminal For Claude Code - cmux - https://cmux.com/ ⭐️ Build an SEO Ready site with Astro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78-A8UvGxI8 🚀 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 Automating SEO Intro 00:53 Fast SEO Site Builds 02:13 Astro vs WordPress 04:08 Real Estate Scraper Demo 08:24 Unique Content Angle 10:29 Reviewing AI Output 12:27 Astro Build Walkthrough 12:54 Claude Code Workflow Tips 20:19 Long Term Platform Choice 25:08 Designing Non-Generic Sites 28:27 Avoiding Google Penalties 35:03 Repurposing YouTube Content 36:39 LinkedIn AI Post Example 37:55 SEO Acronym Rant 38:54 Cron Jobs Automation 41:11 Checking Rankings Results 42:00 Repurposing Content Strategy 46:02 Local SEO With AI 48:29 Service Pages That Convert 50:14 Claude Tool Focus 53:38 Location Pages Differentiation 58:11 The AI-Made Website is Ready 01:01:47 Avoiding AI Content Traps 01:04:27 Publishing Workflow Demo 01:06:42 Autonomous Work Life Balance 01:08:39 Wrap Up The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #aiseo #searchengineoptimization #automatedseo #digitalmarketing

E989: We break down Google's Helpful Content Update (HCU) - one of the most disruptive changes to search ever - and what it actually did to the internet. Entire websites lost 70-90% of their traffic overnight. Some never recovered. Others quietly adapted. And a few avoided the damage altogether. This is not a surface-level recap. This is a real conversation between people who were directly impacted, worked on affected sites, and spent months analyzing what changed. We cover what the HCU is, how it evolved, and why it continues to affect sites long after the initial rollout. We also challenge a lot of the common narratives around "helpful content," E-E-A-T, and what Google claims to reward. Topics discussed: - What the Helpful Content Update actually is and how it changed over time - The timeline: early signals in 2022, major impact in September 2023, and the follow-up hits in 2024 - Why some sites lost nearly all their traffic overnight - Patterns across sites that were hit vs. those that survived - The role of large-scale SEO content and where the line gets crossed - Why "good content" was not enough to avoid penalties - Whether recovery is possible - and what strategies people are testing - The idea of site-wide quality vs. page-level evaluation - Why moving content to a different domain can sometimes restore rankings - The relationship between brand, entity signals, and search performance - How Google actually evaluates content (and where it likely falls short) - The growing role of Reddit and user-generated content in search results - Whether affiliate sites and niche publishers still have a future - Why relying on SEO alone is becoming increasingly risky - What experienced operators are doing differently now This episode is based on real experience - sites that were hit, sites that were analyzed, and strategies that were tested in the aftermath. ⭐️ Lars Lofgren's website and newsletter: https://larslofgren.com/ ⭐️ Lars Lofgren on LinkedIn (tell him you came from this podcast and he'll accept your connection): https://www.linkedin.com/in/larslofgren/ ⭐️ Lars Lofgren on 𝕏: https://x.com/larslofgren ⭐️ 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/ ⭐️ Gagan Ghotra on 𝕏 - https://x.com/gaganghotra_ ⭐️ Gagan Ghotra on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gagan-ghotra/ ⭐️ Gagan Ghotra's website - https://gaganghotra.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 HCU Fallout Overview 00:48 Timeline and Mechanics 02:22 Surviving and Recovery Tactics 03:25 Real World Hit Stories 08:12 Why Google Rolled It Out 10:17 Collateral Damage Debate 16:59 Reddit Boost and Domain Signals 19:48 E-E-A-T Skepticism 26:59 What Google Should Have Done 31:18 Affiliate SEO Future 41:03 Aggregator SEO Trap 42:28 Why Big Brands Survive 44:12 Entity Building Beats Topical Authority 48:00 Domain Authority Reality Check 50:11 PageRank Still Rules 52:16 Does Google Understand Content 01:01:36 Topical Authority Gets Weird 01:06:43 Pruning to Stop Decline 01:15:26 Turnaround Timelines 01:19:45 Crawling vs Indexing Explained 01:23:58 Debating Content Pruning 01:25:40 When to Go Nuclear 01:27:22 Pruning Wins Then Fades 01:29:12 SEO Is Not Checklists 01:33:20 HCU Triage Playbook 01:37:03 AI Scaling Trap 01:44:44 SEO Lag And Risk 01:47:34 Real Recovery Examples 01:50:10 Why They Still Love SEO 01:53:15 Multi-Channel Over SEO 01:58:39 Single Vs Multi Domain 02:11:39 Final Wrap Up The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #helpfulcontentupdate #searchengineoptimization #googlecoreupdate #seo