The Edward Show

E897: Barry Schwartz (Search Engine Roundtable, Search Engine Land) and David Quaid join the show! We break down what SEO is turning into as we head toward 2026. We zero in on how Google search is changing with AI Mode and AI Overviews, why Reddit became such a dominant surface in the SERPs, what's happening with links and updates, and which fundamentals still hold up when attribution and visibility are getting harder to measure. This is a practical discussion about what's actually shifting, what's mostly noise, and what SEOs should stop chasing. Topics we cover - SEO in 2026 and how the job is changing - Google updates and why fewer are being confirmed - How updates are evaluated today versus earlier algorithm eras - Link spam in 2026 and how Google handles it now - Manual actions versus links simply not being counted - Why buying links can feel "safe" until it isn't - Why Reddit rose so quickly in search results - How parasite SEO cycles repeat across platforms - Whether Reddit can remain an SEO powerhouse through 2026 - The impact of low-moderation communities and automation - Writing for people versus writing for AI systems - When AI-friendly formatting conflicts with conversion - GEO versus SEO and where the confusion is coming from - Why SEO may remain the umbrella category - Measurement problems in AI-driven search - Why prompt data is unlikely to be fully visible - How reporting changes when clicks no longer match visibility - Whether AI Mode becomes the default Google experience - What this all means for small and new websites - Why bottom-of-funnel queries matter more than ever - HubSpot's traffic decline and the role of topical authority - Whether topical authority still matters in 2026 - Skills SEOs should focus on to stay relevant - Why critical thinking matters more than tactics - How to communicate SEO value with weaker attribution Key takeaways - Short-term SEO tactics tied to platform advantages repeat in cycles and eventually break. - Most "AI optimization" still depends on traditional search discovery and ranking. - Links may matter differently, but there is still no durable replacement signal. - The hardest part of SEO in 2026 may be measurement and explanation, not ranking. Guests - Barry Schwartz, Search Engine Roundtable and Search Engine Land - David Quaid, Primary Position ⭐️ Read Search Engine Roundtable: https://www.seroundtable.com/ ⭐️ Barry Schwartz on 𝕏: https://x.com/rustybrick ⭐️ Barry Schwartz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rustybrick/ ⭐️ Barry Schwartz on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rustybrick ⭐️ Barry Schwartz's agency: https://www.rustybrick.com/ ⭐️ 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/ 💎 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 Introduction to the Guests 00:40 Barry Schwartz on Google Updates 02:24 David Quaid's Insights on SEO Trends 10:51 Reddit's Role in SEO 20:15 Writing for AI vs. Humans 32:21 Improving Video Production 32:38 Challenges with YouTube Growth 33:11 SEO Strategies and Video Content 36:26 AI's Impact on SEO 52:03 HubSpot's Organic Traffic Decline 54:34 Skills for Future SEOs 56:52 Predictions for 2026 01:02:13 Conclusion and Farewell The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #digitalmarketing #linkbuilding #generativeengineoptimization

E896: I break down five practical moves that will make you a better marketer. These are things I personally do and use across my own sites, emails, and social channels. No theory. No motivation talk. Just tactics that actually move the needle. This is especially useful if you work in SEO, digital marketing, ecommerce, or content, but everything here applies broadly to anyone trying to grow traffic, trust, and conversions. What you'll learn: 🔥 The informational regex: ^(who|what|where|when|why|how|was|did|do|is|are|aren't|won't|does|if)[" "] 🔥 The ecommerce regex: ^(buy|order|purchase|get|best price|cheap|discount|deal|promo|offer|sale|where to buy|how much|cost of|price of)[" "] - How to use Google Search Console to find informational keywords your site is already showing up for - How to identify keywords ranking in positions 4 - 20 and turn them into traffic with simple on-page changes - When to expand an existing page vs creating a brand new page for a keyword - How adding a phone number to your site increases trust and conversions - How to add a phone number without exposing your real number or dealing with spam - Where to place a phone number on your site depending on your business model - How to find ecommerce and buyer-intent keywords using the same Google Search Console method - How to spot purchase-focused searches your site is already ranking for - How to improve Gmail open rates with a simple profile change almost no one is using - How to use a moving profile image or animated logo in Gmail - Why posting consistently on LinkedIn is one of the highest leverage marketing habits right now - How LinkedIn posts can rank on Google and drive compounding visibility - Why cross-posting the same content to LinkedIn, 𝕏, Facebook, and Threads works - Real examples of how fast impressions grow with consistent posting This is episode 896 of my daily digital marketing podcast. I've published an episode every single day for over two years, and everything I share here comes directly from what I'm testing and using in real time. 💎 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 Introduction: 5 Tips to Become a Better Marketer 00:03 Tip 1: Google Search Console for Informational Keywords 02:18 Tip 2: Using Phone Numbers to Boost Customer Trust and Engagement 05:32 Tip 3: Finding and Targeting E-commerce Keywords 06:35 Tip 4: Increasing Gmail Open Rates with Animated Icons 09:21 Tip 5: Growing Your Presence on LinkedIn 12:01 Conclusion and Bonus Tip Number 6 The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #digitalmarketing #ecommerce #marketingtactics

E895: Most people do blog SEO wrong. I walk you through the exact process I use doing traditional blog SEO with ChatGPT - step by step - and why you have to be careful if you don't want to damage your brand, your voice, or your credibility. I also explain why I personally focus on bottom-of-funnel SEO instead, and when blog SEO actually makes sense. What I cover in this: - How to reverse-engineer the top 3 ranking posts - A real example keyword for blog SEO - How to build a better outline using H2s and H3s - How to write a page title that stands out in search results - Where your keyword should appear (title, URL, H1, first sentence) - How to use ChatGPT to fill in the outline without publishing generic content - How to humanize AI writing and remove common AI tells - Why real photos matter and why AI images hurt trust - How to add your own experience so your content feels authentic - Why I don't run AI blog SEO on my own site - When blog SEO is fine and when it's a waste of time - Why bottom-of-funnel SEO is usually a better strategy 💎 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 Introduction to Blog SEO 00:16 Choosing and Researching Keywords 00:37 Creating an Effective Outline 02:06 Humanizing AI-Generated Content 02:34 Editing and Finalizing Your Blog Post 03:49 Internal Linking Strategies 04:14 What I Focus On Instead 05:35 Wrapping The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #digitalmarketing #backlinks #contentmarketing

E894: Click-through rate is now widely understood to be a ranking factor, but most people still underestimate how much it influences search results and how it actually works in practice. I break down real CTR experiments from Rand Fishkin, explain what they revealed about Google's ranking systems, and share why titles, branding, and user behavior matter far more than most SEOs are willing to admit. This is not theory. These are documented experiments, real outcomes, and practical takeaways you can apply to your own SEO efforts. What this covers: - Why Google measures and uses anything that improves search quality - Rand Fishkin's click-through rate experiments and what actually happened - How fast rankings can change when click behavior changes - Why Google publicly downplayed CTR for years - The role of page titles in competing for clicks in the SERPs - How brand familiarity increases trust and click probability - Why viral moments and brand searches can influence rankings - The risks of relying on shortcuts Google says "don't matter" - How thinking like Google makes you better at SEO Key takeaways: - Click-through rate is not optional if you want to compete in search - Titles are one of the highest-leverage SEO actions you control - Brand awareness directly impacts organic performance - User behavior data is too valuable for Google to ignore ⭐️ 21 SEO Experiments That Will Change The Way You Think About SEO (Forever) - https://seosherpa.com/seo-experiments/ ⭐️ My Exact Social Media Posting Strategy - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/social-media-posting-strategy/ 💎 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 Introduction to Click-Through Rate Experiments 00:30 Google's Stance on Click-Through Rate 01:54 Rand Fishkin's First Experiment 04:19 Rand Fishkin's Second Experiment 05:34 Key Takeaways 06:41 Wrapping The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #digitalmarketing #backlinks #performancemarketing

E893: How do search engines actually work - and what role do LLMs really play? David Quaid joins the show to break open the search engine black box, explaining how Google, Bing, and AI-powered tools retrieve and rank content, why pages fail to get indexed, and which SEO "rules" are myths versus reality. We explore the Query Fan-Out, PageRank, CTR testing, indexing behavior, and why most advice about freshness, dwell time, and AI search is misleading. If you've been confused by LLM search results, indexing issues, or sudden ranking changes, this conversation will recalibrate how you think about SEO. Topics Covered - What Query Fan-Out is and how LLMs retrieve web results - Why pages aren't getting indexed (Google & Bing) - PageRank: why it still matters and can't be replaced - CTR vs dwell time: what Google actually tests - Freshness myths (2025 / 2026 queries explained) - Ranking in AI search tools like ChatGPT, Grok, and Perplexity - When to create a new page vs update existing content - Indexing APIs, backlinks, and why manual indexing is a red flag - SEO strategies for SaaS founders and solopreneurs ⭐️ 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/ 💎 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 Introduction 00:24 Understanding Query Fan-Out 03:39 SEO Strategies for Bing 09:31 OpenAI and the Future of Search Indexes 17:01 The Evolution and Impact of PageRank 32:57 How to Index a Link Instantly 41:36 Ranking in Grok 44:11 The Role of Freshness in LLMs and SEO Rankings 46:17 Insights from Glen Allsopp's Study on Best Lists 48:39 Debating the Importance of Freshness in SEO 52:03 Challenges of SEO for AI-Generated Content 59:30 Strategies for Creating and Updating SEO Pages 01:05:47 AI-Generated Content and SEO 01:07:09 Challenges with AI-Generated Sites 01:14:23 SEO Tips for SaaS and Tool Founders 01:20:24 Concluding Thoughts and Future Discussions The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #linkbuilding #backlinks #digitalmarketing