How to Automate SEO Without Getting Penalized (AI Secrets Revealed)

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

988: Jason Barnard, founder of Kalicube and one of the early voices behind Brand SERPs and entity SEO, joins the show! Jason has been working in search since 1998, has spent the last decade focused on how search engines and AI systems understand brands, people, and organizations - (and Jason is really smart). The conversation explores how SEO is changing as search moves toward AI-driven systems. Jason explains why brand understanding, entity clarity, and credibility signals now play an even larger role in how companies are discovered and recommended online. Jason shares his framework for building SEO from the bottom of the funnel upward, starting with branded searches and brand reputation before expanding to broader topics. The discussion also covers how large language models evaluate authority, why mentions can matter more than backlinks, and how brands can structure their online presence so AI systems confidently recommend them. This episode is useful for marketers, founders, SEOs, and anyone trying to understand how visibility works in a world where AI systems increasingly act as intermediaries between users and businesses. Topics discussed: - Why Jason believes brand SEO produces clearer revenue impact than traditional keyword strategies - How AI systems decide which companies to recommend to users - The difference between search engine optimization, answer engine optimization, and assistive engine optimization - Why branded searches represent the bottom of the funnel - How to structure a website so search engines and AI systems understand your brand - The role of entity understanding in modern SEO - Why mentions and context are often more important than backlinks - How to frame authority signals so machines can confidently recommend you - The concept of the "algorithmic trinity": search engines, knowledge graphs, and large language models - Why consistency across your digital footprint matters - How to manage reputation issues and name confusion online - Why personal brands often move faster than corporate brands in search visibility - The importance of confidence signals for AI recommendations - How AI agents may eventually make purchasing decisions without human input - Why choosing a unique brand name can simplify SEO and AI discovery Jason also shares practical examples from his own career, including how he transformed his search results from being known as a cartoon voice actor into being recognized as a digital marketing authority. ⭐️ Kalicube - Your Brand is what Google and AI say it is - https://kalicube.com ⭐️ Free AI Audit: https://kalicube.com/ai-audit ⭐️ Jason Barnard's Free Guides - https://kalicube.com/guides/ ⭐️ Jason Barnard's personal website: https://jasonbarnard.com/about-jason-barnard/ ⭐️ Jason Barnard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmbarnard/ ⭐️ Jason Barnard on 𝕏: https://x.com/jasonmbarnard 🚀 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 Welcome and Introductions 00:13 From England to Paris 02:33 Getting Into SEO Early 02:40 Why Branded SEO Wins 04:34 UpToTen Brand Success 07:54 Bottom of Funnel Strategy 10:14 Comparison Pages Done Right 14:48 Claim Frame Proof Method 18:15 Perfect Click in AI Search 19:36 Client Onboarding and Entities 23:38 Entity Home and Past Proof 28:07 Personal Brand Assets 31:19 Entity SEO Explained Simply 40:52 Branded to Non Branded Growth 43:48 Algorithmic Trinity Framework 46:56 Why Personal Brands Win 48:30 Finding Hidden Credibility 50:18 Ambient Research Threat 52:05 SEO to Agent Optimization 55:47 Pillar Pages for Proof 57:40 Proactive Reputation Playbook 01:03:04 Wikidata Done Right 01:05:36 PR Outreach and Citations 01:12:35 Confidence Beats Content 01:15:36 Mentions Over Backlinks 01:16:48 Reputation Turnarounds 01:19:43 Namesake Disambiguation 01:27:19 Starting SEO in 2026 01:28:55 Building a New Entity Fast 01:31:53 Wrap Up and Thanks The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #generativeengineoptimization #entityseo #searchengineoptimization #answerengineoptimization

E987: Lily Ray joins the show to discuss how search is evolving in the age of AI. We cover the latest Google Core Updates, the rise of generative engine optimization (GEO), and how AI search tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and AI Overviews are changing the way websites earn visibility. Lily shares insights from years of analyzing Google updates and explains why many SEO strategies that work today eventually stop working. The conversation also explores how brands can build sustainable authority rather than relying on short-term tactics that risk penalties or traffic loss. We look closely at what actually drives long-term success in search, from EEAT and brand signals to the growing role of human expertise in a world flooded with AI-generated content. Topics covered: - Patterns across recent Google core updates - What "too much SEO" means and why Google targets it - The risks of programmatic SEO and scaled content - Why many GEO tactics are likely to stop working - Self-promotional listicles and how LLMs detect manipulation - How AI search tools decide which brands to cite - The role of EEAT in modern SEO - How Google evaluates expertise and authority - The relationship between branding, marketing, and SEO - Strategies for earning links without risky link building - Why internal linking and site quality still matter - How Google Discover traffic works and why it can disappear quickly - Lessons from the Helpful Content Update - What separates sites that survive updates from those that collapse - How to recover from major traffic losses - Whether affiliate websites can still succeed in search - How AI tools like Claude are changing SEO workflows - What SEO beginners should focus on in 2026 - How to launch and grow a new website today Lily also explains why sustainable SEO increasingly looks less like "SEO tricks" and more like building real expertise, publishing original ideas, and developing a recognizable brand presence across the web. If you work in SEO, run a website, or want to understand how search is changing in the AI era, this conversation offers a practical look at where the industry is heading. ⭐️ Lily Ray's Personal Site - https://lilyray.nyc/ ⭐️ Lily Ray's Agency - https://www.amsive.com/ ⭐️ Lily Ray on 𝕏 - https://x.com/lilyraynyc ⭐️ Lily Ray on Threads - https://www.threads.com/@lilyraynyc ⭐️ Lily Ray on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-ray-44755615/ ⭐️ Lily Ray on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@lilyray 🚀 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 Google Core Update Patterns 01:06 What "Too Much SEO" Means 02:20 Programmatic SEO Versus Spam 04:18 GEO Tactics And Disasters 07:00 Self-Promotional Listicles Backfire 09:36 Whitelists And Site Searches 12:17 EEAT For LLM Visibility 14:33 How Google Judges EEAT 21:11 Link Building The Safe Way 25:26 Offensive SEO After Fundamentals 27:24 Google Discover Manipulation 29:55 Balancing SEO And Humans 32:28 Helpful Content Update Lessons 35:10 TLDRs And SEO 35:56 Tables Of Contents 37:35 Why Sites Survive Updates 40:26 Diagnosing Traffic Drops 43:28 Recovery Playbooks 45:58 Google Communication Shift 47:21 AI Mode And Ads 49:26 Using Claude For SEO 50:48 What To Automate 53:21 Recovery Timelines 54:59 When to Cut Bloat 57:14 Affiliate SEO Sites Future 58:49 Common Sense In SEO 01:01:40 Starting SEO In 2026 01:02:48 Launching A New Site 01:04:54 Final Thanks And Outro The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #helpfulcontentupdate #eeat #seo

E896: Google has been recommending outbound links for years, yet many SEOs still avoid them. We go through Google's own documentation about linking out, an SEO experiment that tested whether outbound links help rankings, and Matt Cutts' guidance on when to use the nofollow attribute. The core idea is simple: linking to relevant, trustworthy sources can improve the usefulness of your content. It helps readers explore related topics, shows that you've done research, and connects your work to the wider web. We also look at why many SEOs became skeptical of outbound links in the first place. A long-standing belief in the industry is that linking out "leaks PageRank" and weakens your site. But when you compare that idea to Google's documentation and real experiments, the story looks very different. We break down: - Google's official advice on outbound links from the Search Central blog - Why linking out can improve credibility and reader trust - The difference between normal links, nofollow, sponsored, and UGC attributes - Why Google warns against unmonitored or spammy outbound links - The experiment by Reboot that tested outbound links across multiple websites - Why the sites with outbound links ranked higher in that test - Matt Cutts' explanation of PageRank sculpting and why he avoided using nofollow internally - When it actually makes sense to use nofollow - Why trying to "hoard PageRank" is usually a mistake We also talk about how outbound links fit into a broader philosophy of building useful pages: cite sources, connect readers to good resources, and focus on making pages genuinely helpful rather than trying to control every technical detail. If you create content for search, this is a topic worth revisiting. Outbound links are part of how the web works. And according to Google, they should be used when they help readers. ⭐️ Linking out: Often it's just applying common sense - https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2008/10/linking-out-often-its-just-applying ⭐️ Outbound Link Experiment - Number 9 - https://seosherpa.com/seo-experiments/ ⭐️ PageRank sculpting - https://www.mattcutts.com/blog/pagerank-sculpting/ ⭐️ E980: Unicorn Clicks, NavBoost & Google's Real Ranking Signals - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqvAaLahNTQ 🚀 Edward's SEO Articles - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/search-engine-optimization/ 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Why Link Out 01:08 Google's Outbound Link Advice 02:18 Linking Best Practices 03:39 Outbound Link Q&A 05:38 Do Outbound Links Help SEO 06:32 Reboot Experiment Results 07:44 Matt Cutts on Nofollow 08:34 When to Use Nofollow 09:31 Wrap Up The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #seo #backlinks #digitalmarketing

E985: A lot of people say exact match domains stopped working years ago. In this episode, we take a closer look at whether that's actually true. SEO veteran David Quaid joins the show to break down how exact match domains (EMDs) still play a role in modern search strategies. We discuss when they work, when they don't, and why many companies underestimate the value of owning keyword-focused domains. The conversation covers real-world use cases, practical tactics, and some of the risks involved. We also explore how EMDs fit into a broader SEO strategy that includes branded domains, satellite sites, and reputation management. We also go beyond EMDs and talk about several current debates in search, including automated content, generative engine optimization (GEO), and how AI systems choose which sources to cite. Topics covered: - Whether exact match domains still provide a ranking advantage in modern SEO - Why Google reduced the power of EMDs but didn't eliminate it - How companies use satellite domains to control more results on page one - The difference between building a brand domain and using keyword-focused domains - When exact match domains outperform branded domains - How SEOs use EMDs to compete against large companies with stronger authority - Why controlling multiple search results can matter for reputation management - Strategies for linking between a main site and satellite domains - The role of topical authority and anchor text when ranking EMDs - When exact match domains start to look spammy - The cost and effort required to maintain multiple domains - How automated SEO systems are being used to build and maintain satellite sites - Whether machine-scale content is actually detectable by search engines - Why some companies run EMD projects anonymously - The relationship between SEO and generative engine optimization (GEO) - Why many claims about GEO being completely different from SEO are misleading - How AI systems decide which sources to cite - Why self-promotional listicles may be losing effectiveness - A technical discussion about Cloudflare, AI crawlers, and visibility in LLM citations David also shares examples from past projects, including competing against major companies in highly competitive search markets and using EMDs to gain visibility where a branded domain could not. If you're interested in practical SEO strategies, search experimentation, and the evolving relationship between search engines and AI systems, this episode covers a lot of ground. ⭐️ 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 Do EMDs Still Matter? 02:36 Why Google Ignores Brands 03:55 Branded vs EMD Strategy 05:24 Owning Page One 07:42 Automating EMD Sites 11:38 Machine Scaled Content Debate 13:07 Trust and Brand Pushback 14:29 Ranking Signals and Linking 15:46 Anonymous Satellite Domains 16:53 EMDs as Marketing Assets 19:49 When EMDs Get Spammy 21:24 Managing Cost and CMS 22:39 301 Redirect Domain Hack 27:05 Buying the Right EMD 28:03 Brand Mentions Win 28:31 EMD vs Brand SEO 29:07 Outranking Giants Story 32:28 Budget Pick EMD 33:23 Is GEO Really New 34:09 Listicle Consensus Chaos 38:15 Cloudflare Blocks LLMs 45:01 Self Promo Backfires 50:12 Ranking Tricks for GEO 53:27 Wrap Up The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #exactmatchdomains #searchengineoptimization #seo #digitalmarketing

E984: Two stories that highlight a broader problem on the modern internet: systems that are easily manipulated once incentives are introduced. First, Microsoft has published research describing what it calls AI recommendation poisoning. Companies are embedding hidden instructions inside "Summarize with AI" buttons and AI prompt links. When users click these links, they can inject instructions into an AI assistant's memory telling it to treat a specific company as a trusted or preferred source. The goal is simple: influence future AI responses and recommendations without the user realizing it happened. We walk through how these attacks work, why they are easy to deploy, and why they could become a short-term tactic in marketing before AI systems and search engines adapt. The second story is the shutdown and reset of Digg. The company announced it is downsizing its team after being overwhelmed by bots, automated accounts, and large amounts of low-quality SEO content. The Digg CEO cited "SEO spammers" as a major reason the platform struggled to maintain trust in its voting and engagement systems. We look at why SEO itself was not necessarily the problem, and what platforms like Digg could do differently if they want to build sustainable communities in an internet environment filled with automation and AI-generated content. Topics covered include: - Microsoft's report on AI Recommendation Poisoning - How hidden prompts can manipulate AI memory - Why "Summarize with AI" buttons can be used to plant persistent instructions - Real-world risks of biased AI recommendations in finance, news, and product decisions - Why these tactics may only work temporarily before platforms detect and block them - Digg's shutdown announcement and the return of founder Kevin Rose - The role bots, automation, and AI content played in Digg's early problems - Why lazy AI content is often worse than promotional or SEO-driven posts - Practical ideas for how social platforms could filter spam and low-quality automation - Why manipulation tends to appear anywhere online visibility and incentives exist We also reflect on the broader theme of the episode: why it is difficult to maintain healthy online systems when there are strong incentives to game them. ⭐️ Manipulating AI memory for profit: The rise of AI Recommendation Poisoning - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2026/02/10/ai-recommendation-poisoning/ 💰 Edward's SEO Articles - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/search-engine-optimization/ 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Why We Can't Have Nice Things 00:35 AI Recommendation Poisoning 03:17 How the Attack Works 04:27 AI Summarize Buttons and Memory 06:13 Real World Harm Scenarios 07:30 Can Platforms Stop It? 08:37 Digg Shuts Down and Resets 09:38 Digg Explains the SEO Bot Crisis 11:46 What Digg Plans Next 12:32 My Take on Digg SEO vs Spam 13:01 How to Rebuild Trust Slowly 15:46 Closing Thoughts The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #generativeengineoptimization #parasiteseo #searchengineoptimization #digitalmarketing

E983: Amazon is one of the largest search engines in the world, but most sellers misunderstand how products actually rank. In this episode, Edward sits down with Amazon operator and agency founder Nik Hall to break down how the Amazon ranking system works in 2026. Nik has built and scaled multiple seven-figure brands, taken products from zero to tens of thousands of retail locations, and helped dozens of companies grow on Amazon. In this conversation, he explains the mechanics behind Amazon SEO, how the A9 algorithm works, and why conversion rate and sales velocity matter more than most sellers realize. They walk through the full process of getting a product to rank on Amazon - from keyword research and listing optimization to paid ads, reviews, product development, and the role of AI in Amazon search. They also covers common mistakes sellers make, risky tactics that can get accounts banned, and how serious brands approach product testing and growth. Topics covered include: - How Amazon's A9 algorithm ranks products - Why conversion rate and sales velocity drive rankings - How organic rankings and paid ads work together - How to choose keywords and structure an Amazon listing - Why keyword stuffing no longer works - How to identify high-opportunity niches with low competition - The tools serious Amazon sellers use (Helium 10, Data Dive, and others) - What makes a high-converting Amazon product page - The importance of product-market fit and reviews - How to structure Amazon ad campaigns for better data - Why many Amazon sellers fail before they ever rank - What Amazon is doing to combat fake reviews and manipulation - How Chinese sellers compete on the platform - The role of AI, Rufus, and Amazon's evolving search experience - Why TikTok and external traffic are becoming more important - How top Amazon brands test, iterate, and improve products over time If you sell products online or are thinking about launching a brand on Amazon, this episode explains how the platform actually works and what it takes to compete today. ⭐️ Nik Hall on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhall/ ⭐️ Nik Hall's Amazon agency - https://revivemarketingpartners.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 Amazon SEO Playbook 00:17 Nik Hall's Amazon Journey 01:54 How Amazon Ranks 03:02 Keywords and AI Search 04:19 Rufus and Cosmo 05:22 Organic Launch Basics 07:30 Amazon Listing SEO and Images 09:28 Keyword Research 17:51 Tools for Ranking Data 19:27 High Converting Listings 22:52 Common SEO Mistakes 25:22 Backlinks and Velocity 29:55 Paid Ads Structure 31:15 Reviews and Rule Breaking 35:17 Dirty Tactics and Defense 45:05 Winning Products and Niches 47:40 Big Seller Strategies 50:54 External Brand Building 52:51 Wrap Up The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #amazonseo #amazonmarketing #searchengineoptimization #cpgdigitalmarketing

E982: I talk with Bas de Goei (Head of Marketing at Orb) about the SEO strategy that helped Orb rank #1 on Google for competitive keywords like "usage-based billing" - without relying on a large backlink profile. Orb competes against companies like Stripe and other well-funded SaaS platforms. Despite this, their marketing team built strong organic traffic by focusing on topical authority, structured content clusters, and a highly iterative marketing approach. Bas explains how Orb built an SEO system around cornerstone topics, how they identify high-value keywords before competitors do, and how SEO fits into a broader marketing engine that includes brand, paid acquisition, and data-driven customer journey analysis. This conversation also explores how modern marketing teams are combining SEO with automation, AI agents, and signal-based marketing to identify buyers and move them through the funnel. Topics covered: - How Orb built SEO traffic after starting with almost no marketing infrastructure - The cornerstone strategy used to build topical authority in a niche SaaS category - Why many companies focus too much on backlinks instead of content depth - How Orb identifies new keywords by listening to customers and watching market trends - The role of "pricing content" in driving unexpected organic conversions - Why informational traffic can still lead to high-value sales opportunities - How multi-touch attribution reveals the real path customers take before converting - How brand investments (billboards, PR, media appearances) influence organic rankings - The strategy behind launching an exact-match domain to capture additional search traffic - How Orb built a signal-based marketing engine using tools like Clay and Dreamdata - Why Bas believes marketers should test aggressively and iterate quickly - What the first 90-180 days of marketing would look like for a new startup today Bas also discusses how the rise of AI pricing models is changing the SaaS industry and why pricing strategy is becoming one of the most important areas for software companies to invest in. This episode is useful for: - Founders building early SEO traction - Marketing leaders responsible for growth and demand generation - SaaS companies operating in competitive niches - Anyone interested in topical authority and modern SEO strategy Orb builds infrastructure for usage-based billing and pricing for modern software companies. ⭐️ Orb - https://www.withorb.com/ ⭐️ Bas de Goei on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bastiaandegoei/ 💰 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 SEO Killer Intro 00:06 From Strategy to InsureTech 02:39 Joining Orb and SEO Spike 06:20 What Orb Does 09:41 Cornerstone SEO Basics 11:46 Clusters and AI Pricing 24:15 Exact Match Domain Play 27:24 Intent and Funnel Scoring 32:28 Pricing Pages That Convert 36:52 Common Marketing Mistakes 41:41 Brand Drives Rankings 45:53 X Ray Pricing Easter Egg 48:31 Measuring Pricing Experiments 55:17 Automation With Clay and Claude 01:01:45 First 90 Days Marketing Plan 01:05:18 Email Domains and Link Building 01:09:33 2026 Marketing Bets 01:14:12 Dream Data Explained 01:16:24 Wrap Up and Where to Find The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #growthmarketing #chiefmarketingofficer #growthhacking

E981: Growth strategist Cody Schneider joins the show to discuss how AI agents are changing the way marketing, SEO, and product growth work. Cody explains how he builds automated workflows that analyze Search Console data, refresh content, generate new articles, run marketing experiments, and even manage advertising campaigns. The conversation covers practical systems for scaling SEO, building internal data infrastructure, and using AI to automate repetitive work while maintaining high-quality output. The episode also explores how content strategies are evolving in 2026, how to avoid common mistakes with AI-generated content, and why many marketers are focusing on the wrong tools instead of building repeatable systems. Topics covered: - Cody Schneider's SEO workflow using Search Console data as a feedback loop - How to find easy keywords by analyzing page two and page three rankings - Using AI agents to refresh content and increase organic traffic - Why updating content can produce quick ranking improvements - Building internal linking strategies that help pages rank faster - Using AI to generate outlines and write content section-by-section - The role of personal experience and transcripts in improving AI-generated content - Why relevance to your product matters more than raw traffic - Lessons from large sites like HubSpot that expanded content too broadly - How to structure blog pages with TLDR sections and strong calls to action - Tracking conversions from blog content using Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics - Building dashboards to monitor organic growth and user behavior - Why branded search is a key signal for sustainable SEO growth - How Cody publishes large volumes of content while maintaining performance - Experiments with publishing thousands of articles and managing them over time - Strategies for avoiding common AI SEO pitfalls such as "mount AI" traffic spikes - Why maintaining content and refreshing pages is critical for long-term rankings - A practical link-building method using low-cost advertising and link exchanges - The growing importance of citations for AI search results and answer engines - How AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude choose sources for citations - Why getting mentioned in authoritative sources can dramatically increase visibility in AI results - Using newsjacking to capture search demand around emerging topics - Examples of using trending news to drive traffic and awareness - Why combining SEO, social distribution, and PR strategies creates stronger growth loops The discussion also explores AI infrastructure and the systems Cody uses behind the scenes: - Building data pipelines that combine Search Console, analytics, and advertising data - Using data warehouses and semantic layers to organize marketing data - Creating conversational analytics systems that allow AI to analyze performance data - Using AI to categorize traffic, identify patterns, and generate reports - Building agents that can run marketing workflows automatically Cody also explains his philosophy around automation and AI agents: - Why most people focus on tools instead of outcomes - How to design agents that run marketing loops such as testing, measuring, and iterating - The difference between general-purpose AI tools and custom automation systems - Why many AI tools create unnecessary complexity - How building small, focused agents can produce better results The episode closes with a discussion about the future of marketing workflows and how AI agents may replace many repetitive roles in growth teams. Cody shares examples of agents that can manage email triage, generate marketing content, schedule posts, analyze campaigns, and run advertising experiments with minimal human input. ⭐️ Cody Schneider on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/codyxschneider/ ⭐️ Cody Schneider on 𝕏 - https://x.com/codyschneiderxx ⭐️ Cody Schneider on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@codyschneiderx ⭐️ Cody Schneider's company, Graphed - https://www.graphed.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 Intro 00:20 Google Search Console Refresh Loop 02:24 Automating With Data Pipelines 04:02 Relevance Over Volume 07:12 AI Article Production System 08:20 CTAs And Conversion Tracking 10:38 TLDR Above The Fold 11:36 Free Assets And Engagement Signals 15:32 Prompting For Quality Output 20:26 Agent Harnesses And Model Clones 25:18 Wins, Link Exchanges, And Case Study 29:43 Newsjacking For Fast Traffic 35:21 AEO Citation Strategy 38:49 Publishing Velocity On New Sites 41:38 Batch Publish Then Rewrite 43:21 Avoiding Mount AI Penalties 44:53 Keyword Selection At Scale 47:47 Brand Signals And Trust 49:51 Landing Pages Beat Blog Posts 52:42 Warehouse Ontology For Agents 59:10 Model Changes And Retooling 01:00:28 OpenClaw Hype Versus Outcomes 01:05:58 Build Personal Agents With Code 01:14:45 Reducing Hallucinations With Context 01:18:57 Cricut SVG Business 01:19:45 AI Speeding Up Sites 01:21:05 Long Cut SEO Wins 01:24:13 Safe SEO Experiments 01:26:09 Marketing Mix Stability 01:27:45 Social Algorithms And Slop 01:31:38 Short Form Versus Long 01:37:15 LinkedIn Video Playbook 01:39:52 From Idaho To Growth 01:45:32 Cloud Code Workflow Alpha 01:50:52 Agents And The Future 01:51:50 Where To Find Cody The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #growthhacking #searchengineoptimization #growthmarketing #digitalmarketing