EDGE of the Web - The Best SEO Podcast for Today's Digital Marketer

This week's EDGE of the Web dives into the seismic shifts rocking the digital marketing landscape, from Adobe's blockbuster SEMrush acquisition to Google's long-awaited rollout of Search Console Annotations (well, not so seismic). The future of AI in SEO and the rising tide of data privacy laws set the tone for a fast-changing industry.

Erin Sparks, Crystal Carter, and Jacob Mann break down what Adobe's $1.9 billion move means for marketers and explore how WIX is upping its AI tools, accessibility, and agentic web readiness. The crew also spotlights ChatGPT's rumored ad features, Google's continued experimental AI Mode ads, and the EU's Digital Omnibus, raising stakes for marketers everywhere.

A side story on the dangers of AI SEO spam highlights how black hat tactics are evolving, bringing back old-school manipulation in a new LLM-driven context. The panel ponders whether brands and platforms are ready for the next frontier of search and content integrity.

News from the EDGE:

• [00:07:55] Official: Adobe is acquiring Semrush for $1.9 billion
• [00:16:49] GSC has Annotations! Hoorah! Finally!
• [00:21:16] EU's Digital Omnibus and cookie consent - what you need to know

AI / SEO News Segment:

Cut the Crap!

Here's a special episode with Wil Reynolds from Seer Interactive when we were at BrightonSEO 2025 in San Diego this year. We HAD to grab Wil after his keynote and unpack his thoughts on where we are with AI and SEO.

No more excuses: Wil Reynolds lays out bold strategies, from open-source testing to hands-on experimentation, empowering pros at every level to innovate, even without buy-in from the top.

Hustle, determination, and optimizing for humans crushes the status quo and delivers real results.

Ready to drop lazy listicles and lead with guts? Hit play for this straight-talking, actionable episode and stay sharp at the EDGE of the Web.

Follow Our Guest

KPIs, Disrupted

Is it time to rethink the key performance indicators driving digital marketing and SEO? This episode brings Wil Reynolds onto EDGE of the Web to challenge the old playbook and reveal how AI and changing online behavior are redefining success for marketers everywhere.

Rankings and traffic volumes are fading as top priorities, replaced by strategies that value authenticity, human-centric connections, and theme-driven positioning. Erin Sparks and Wil Reynolds discuss the pitfalls of chasing vanity metrics, the impact of AI-powered search experiences, and how SEOs must rebalance their approach to focus on conversions, brand trust, and recommendation-driven marketing. The conversation tackles how agencies can communicate real value to clients in an era where genuine, meaningful engagement trumps sheer numbers.

Prepare to learn about evolving KPIs and marketing metrics, and discover why the future belongs to agencies that champion purpose, value, and real connection in a rapidly shifting digital ecosystem.

Key Segments:

Is ChatGPT's new Atlas browser a Google killer?

Greg Finn joins the roundtable to unpack shifting search results in Atlas, debate its reliability, and explore where Google, Bing, and browser innovation collide. The team tackles the impact of major AWS outages on Fortnite, Alexa, and the broader web, then pivots to Meta's fresh scam alerts targeting older users. Plus, get up to speed on breaking paid ad news: new Google Ads text guidelines, canceled account data deletion, shopping ad subscriptions, and the latest reporting tools aimed at advertisers.

Greg brings a reality check on ad controls, while strong opinions surface on Meta's anti-scam efforts and the future of paid search amid rapidly changing platforms.

Don't miss the wrap-up as the hosts share practical advice, highlight upcoming releases, and tease next week's episode. Tune in for sharp analysis and timely commentary on the hottest news shaping digital marketing, right here on EDGE of the Web!

News from the EDGE:

[00:02:41] OpenAI introduces ChatGPT Atlas, a built-in web browser

[00:10:25] Massive AWS outage disrupts Fortnite, Alexa, Snapchat, and other major apps

AI Eats Your Content

Is your website feeding the AI overlords? Or hiding all the good stuff under napkins and toggles? On this week's EDGE of the Web, Erin Sparks sits down with Carolyn Shelby, Principal SEO at Yoast, to reveal why your site's juiciest content may be lost to the bots (and your users, too).

We dig into Carolyn's strategies for structuring content that's not only valuable to users, but also perfectly plated for LLMs like GPT and Google's AI Overview. From the new LLMs.txt "treasure map" for your website to deep dives on why schema isn't your silver bullet, Carolyn delivers expert guidance (complete with sheet cake metaphors and cafeteria tray analogies) to help you chunk, serve, and show off your best ideas for the AI appetite.

And, for those still determined to hide FAQs behind fancy sliders… watch out. Carolyn shares why conversion flow isn't where you think it is, and why making peace with longer, openly structured info pages might just save your SEO bacon (and your server bills).

We wrap with practical tips to build up your content strategy for AI, advice on speaking your users' language, and a side of wit. Press play for your weekly dose of SEO smarts, AI survival tactics, and enough food metaphors to power your next content audit!

[00:04:51] Content Strategy for AI Search Visibility

[00:08:33] Visual Analogy: "Cake & Frosting" Content Model