The Edward Show

Edward Sturm
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Daily SEO advice, hacks, and interviews with some of the top voices in search engine optimization, as well as sit-downs with many undiscovered talents.

  1. -6 H

    FAQ Schema Is Dead? The SEO Test That Shows It Doesn't Matter

    E1018: An SEO test removed FAQ schema from product listing pages - here's what happened next. For years, FAQ schema has been treated as a best practice in SEO. It helped pages stand out in search results, increased click-through rates, and was widely adopted across marketing pages. But after Google reduced the visibility of FAQ rich results in 2023, the question became: Does FAQ schema still matter at all? This episode covers a real-world test where FAQ schema was removed from e-commerce pages to measure the impact on organic traffic. The result: no statistically significant change. I walk through what this means, how it aligns with Google's own statements, and why this may be one of those SEO tactics that no longer moves the needle. I also cover how this connects to AI and LLMs, including a well-known test showing that structured data may not work the way many SEOs think it does. Topics covered: - What FAQ schema used to do in search results - Google's 2023 update and the removal of FAQ rich snippets - The SEO test: removing FAQ schema from product pages - Why the results showed no impact on organic traffic - Google's official stance on unused structured data - Whether FAQ schema helps rankings indirectly - The "Duck Test" and what it reveals about LLMs and schema - Why schema may just be treated as normal text by AI systems - What SEOs should focus on instead (relevance and authority) Key takeaway: FAQ schema is no longer a reliable lever for improving SEO performance. It doesn't appear to increase traffic, and in most cases, it isn't even surfaced in search results. Unless you're a highly authoritative site, consider removing it to simplify your workflows and QA. If you're trying to grow organic traffic, your time is better spent on things that directly impact rankings and conversions. ⭐️ The test - How does removing FAQ markup on pages with valid schema impact SEO? - https://www.searchpilot.com/resources/case-studies/removing-valid-faq-schema ⭐️ The rise and fall of FAQ schema - and what it means for SEO today - https://searchengineland.com/faq-schema-rise-fall-seo-today-463993 ⭐️ What Google says: https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2023/08/howto-faq-changes ⭐️ Do LLMs Actually Use Schema? The Duck Test That Broke SEO - Ep 956 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nTqaG3GKLk 🚀 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 FAQ Schema Hype 00:18 The FAQ Schema Removal Test 01:26 Test Results Explained 02:09 Search Engine Land Take 03:07 LLMs and the Duck Test 04:12 So Does It Matter? 04:43 Google's Official Guidance 05:23 Final SEO Takeaways 06:09 Wrapping The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #seo #technicalseo #searchmarketing

    7 min

  2. -2 J

    Google Discover's New Rules, March Core Update Fallout & AI Content Penalty Risks

    1017: Breaking down the latest changes in Google Search and what they mean for publishers, SEO teams, and content-driven businesses. We cover the first-ever Google Discover-specific update, the March 2026 core and spam updates, and what's really happening with AI-generated content in search. This is a practical discussion based on real observations. Edward is joined by Gagan Ghotra, Harpreet Singh, and David Quaid to analyze what's changing, what still works, and where most teams are getting it wrong. Topics covered: - What Google changed in the Discover update and why it matters - The shift toward more local content in Discover feeds - Google's attempt to reduce clickbait titles and images - Why many publishers haven't seen major changes from the update yet - How Google Discover works and why it can drive massive traffic - The feedback loop that determines whether content scales or gets suppressed - How to approach Google Discover without risking long-term penalties - Why staying within your topical authority is critical - How to expand into new topics without losing visibility - Using trending conversations without relying on low-effort content - Finding content gaps that large publishers ignore - The technical setup for Discover, including images, RSS feeds, and sitemaps - Why technical SEO alone does not guarantee Discover visibility - What happened in the March 2026 spam update - What happened in the March 2026 core update - Why sites using scaled AI content were hit the hardest - The difference between acceptable AI use and scaled content abuse - Patterns of deindexing seen across affected sites - Why publishing more content is not a reliable growth strategy - The gap between enterprise SEO advice and what works for smaller sites - Why authority matters more than content volume - How large, well-funded companies get away with aggressive strategies - The role of brand, PR, and overall marketing in SEO performance - How Google Discover traffic is monetized in practice - Why ads and affiliate revenue dominate Discover monetization - Why Discover traffic rarely converts well for e-commerce - The case for publishers building products or SaaS - Why relying only on ads and affiliates is risky long term - How companies are using multiple domains to expand search visibility - Early results from running secondary domain strategies - How AI search is changing content distribution - The risks of applying performance marketing thinking to SEO - Why executive pressure is leading to overuse of AI content - How misaligned KPIs create poor SEO decisions - Why SEO should be treated as a long-term investment - The risk of damaging a domain with short-term tactics - How to balance growth with protecting existing rankings If you're running SEO for a startup, SaaS company, or publisher, this episode is a clear look at what's working right now and what's likely to fail over the next 6 - 12 months. ⭐️ 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/ ⭐️ Harpreet Singh's Personal Site - https://harpsdigital.com ⭐️ Harpreet on X - https://x.com/harpreetchatha_ ⭐️ Harpreet's Newsletter - https://seoespresso.com ⭐️ Harpreet on LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/harpreetsingh8/ ⭐️ Harpreet on TikTok - https://tiktok.com/@seoharp ⭐️ Harpreet on YouTube - https://youtube.com/@harpsdigital 🚀 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 Top SEO Minds Reunite 00:25 Google Discover Update Breakdown 02:46 Why Google Discover Matters 03:59 Avoiding Google Discover Penalties 05:34 What Google Discover Is 09:45 Google Discover and Publisher Politics 11:17 Content Strategy That Wins 13:26 Technical Setup and Randomness 15:00 The Viral Feedback Loop 18:26 Monetization Reality Check 20:25 News Cycle Gap Hunting 22:53 Small Publisher Throttling 25:45 Publishers Should Build Products 31:19 Vertical Integration and Media Buys 33:13 Publishers Missed Window 34:25 GEO Hype Versus SEO 35:27 March Spam Core Updates 37:20 Scaled AI Content Abuse 38:27 Big Brands Get Away 42:25 Enterprise Advice Trap 44:47 Performance Marketer Mindset 49:13 Board Level SEO Metrics 55:06 Protect Revenue Rankings 57:20 Satellite Domains Strategy 01:01:36 Multi Handle Brand Growth 01:02:38 Wrap Up And Thanks The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #generativeengineoptimization #googlediscoverseo #seo

    1 h 3 min

  3. -2 J

    Deindexed Overnight: The SEO Nightmare That Wasn't What It Seemed

    E1016: A real-world SEO case study where a website was completely removed from Google's index overnight. No rankings. No pages. Gone. At first glance, it looked like a classic case of AI content abuse or a penalty tied to scaled content. The site operated in a YMYL niche, had tens of thousands of URLs, and included some AI-assisted content - so the initial assumption seemed obvious. But that wasn't the cause. This episode walks through the full investigation, what actually triggered the deindexing, how it was diagnosed using Google Search Console, and how the site recovered faster than expected. If you manage websites, work in SEO, or rely on organic traffic, this is a case you should understand. Topics covered: - What it looks like when a site is fully deindexed from Google - Why initial assumptions (AI content, programmatic SEO) can be misleading - How to investigate sudden traffic drops and indexing issues - Using different Google Search Console properties to find hidden problems - The role of domain properties vs URL prefix properties - How a hacked subdomain led to a sitewide manual action - How Google labeled the issue as "pure spam" across the entire site - The delay between impact and manual action notifications - Doing a reconsideration request - How quickly recovery can happen after fixing the root issue - The DNS and infrastructure mistake that created the vulnerability - Why you must monitor both www and non-www versions of your site - Practical steps to prevent similar issues from happening This case highlights how a single overlooked configuration can escalate into a full site removal from search results, even when the main site appears unaffected. It also reinforces the importance of technical SEO, site monitoring, and not jumping to conclusions when diagnosing ranking losses. If you're working on SEO or running a site that depends on Google traffic, this is the kind of scenario you need to be prepared for. ⭐️ Source Material - Deindexed, Delayed, and Down: Investigating A Site's Removal From Google Before A Delayed Manual Action Arrived [Case Study] - https://www.gsqi.com/marketing-blog/deindexed-and-delayed-manual-action-case-study/ 🚀 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 Site Vanishes Overnight 00:51 YMYL And AI Concerns 04:02 Confirming Deindexing 05:12 Search Console Clues 06:43 WWW Hack Revealed 08:48 Manual Action Hits 10:05 Reconsideration And Recovery 11:04 The DNS Security Hole 13:09 Prevention Checklist 15:37 Wrap Up And Outro The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #seo #technicalseo #googlesearchconsole

    17 min

  4. -3 J

    Why Niching Down Makes SEO 10x Easier (And More Profitable)

    E1015: Why niching down is one of the most effective ways to make SEO easier and more profitable. Most people approach SEO by trying to target everything at once. They go after broad categories, spread their content too thin, and end up competing with bigger players without any real advantage. Instead, the better strategy is to focus on a narrow niche, dominate it completely, and then expand outward. I recorded this with the Lower Manhattan skyline behind me, and the idea came from how different NYC neighborhoods operate like their own ecosystems. Even a small area can support a full business if you own it. SEO works the same way. Once you understand this, everything gets simpler: keyword research, content strategy, link building, and conversions. In this episode, I cover: - Why targeting a small niche is more profitable than going broad - How niching down makes ranking for competitive keywords easier - What happened to large sites like HubSpot when they spread too far outside their core topics - How topical authority compounds over time - Why branded searches and recognition matter more than most people think - How niching down improves click-through rates and trust - Why you naturally attract backlinks when you dominate a niche - How staying focused improves your copy and conversions - The role of testimonials and reviews in building authority - When and how to expand into adjacent niches after you've established dominance If you're starting out, your niche already has more than enough opportunity. The goal is not to reach everyone. The goal is to become the obvious choice for a specific group of people. Once you've done that, growth becomes a lot easier. 🚀 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 Niches Win 00:22 Manhattan Neighborhood Analogy 00:51 HubSpot Topical Authority Lesson 02:04 Own One Category First 02:48 Top of Mind SEO Flywheel 03:36 Natural Links From Being Known 04:26 More Niche Down Benefits 05:46 Expand Into Adjacent Niches 07:33 Final Thanks and Sign Off The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #seo #marketingstrategy #searchmarketing

    8 min

  5. -4 J

    The #1 SEO Productivity Mistake That's Killing Your Results

    E1014: The single biggest productivity mistake that quietly destroys SEO results: not taking structured breaks. This is not about working less. It's about working in a way that actually produces better pages, better strategy, and better outcomes. If you are writing SEO landing pages, doing keyword research, auditing sites, or building out a content strategy, this directly impacts your results. When you don't step away, you waste time on things that don't move the needle, miss obvious improvements, and end up with lower-quality work. I learned this the hard way while building bottom-of-funnel SEO landing pages during lockdowns. The difference between working straight through and working in structured intervals was not small. It changed the quality of the pages, the speed of execution, and the results those pages produced. This episode explains exactly what changed and how to apply it. What you'll learn: - The productivity mistake that leads to wasted hours and poor SEO output - Why "grinding" leads to worse keyword targeting and weaker pages - How taking short breaks prevents rabbit holes and unnecessary work - The exact system I use (25-minute sessions + short breaks + longer resets) - Why breaks improve conversion-focused SEO, not just productivity - How this applies to writing, editing, keyword research, and strategy - Real examples from SEO work, podcast editing, and managing operators - How stepping away helps you identify what actually moves the needle Key idea: 
If you don't step away from your work, you lose perspective. When you lose perspective, you make worse decisions. In SEO, that shows up as weaker pages, missed opportunities, and time spent on things that don't contribute to rankings or conversions. This is a simple change, but the impact compounds across everything you do. 🚀 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 Breaks Matter 00:46 Lockdown SEO Lesson 02:37 Pomodoro Setup 03:53 Breaks Boost Ideas 04:52 Step Away Rules 05:27 Editor Case Study 08:02 New Venture Rabbit Holes 09:49 Big Takeaways 11:18 Closing Thanks The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #seo #copywriting #productivity

    12 min

  6. 11 AVR.

    How IBM Took Over "AI" Keywords on Google (And What You Can Steal)

    E1012: How IBM managed to rank at the top of Google for some of the most competitive keywords in the world, including "AI," "AI agent," and "what is AI." We go through a real case study of IBM's content strategy, based on analysis from Lars Lofgren, and look at what they're doing right, what they're getting away with, and what you can apply to your own SEO strategy. This is one of the clearest examples of what Google currently rewards in B2B content. What you'll learn in this episode: - How IBM structures top-of-funnel content to rank for extremely competitive keywords - Why answering the search query immediately (above the fold) matters more than ever - How internal linking is used to pass authority across an entire content ecosystem - The role of media (images and video) in keeping users engaged and improving rankings - Why "perfectly optimized" content often feels bland - and why that's working - How IBM removes obvious AI-writing signals on high-value pages - Where IBM is over-optimizing (keyword stuffing) and why they still get away with it - The risk of expanding too far beyond your core topics (and what happened to HubSpot) - Why most companies fail when they try to scale content too aggressively - How legacy authority plays a role - and how to adapt these tactics if you don't have it I also share how I approach SEO differently, focusing first on bottom-of-funnel, high purchase intent keywords before expanding into top-of-funnel content like this. If you're trying to understand what it actually takes to rank for highly competitive terms today, this episode gives you a clear, practical breakdown. ⭐️ Lars Lofgren's breakdown - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/larslofgren_this-might-be-the-most-successful-b2b-seo-activity-7447692784615981057-qG8u/ 🚀 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 IBM Dominates AI Keywords 01:05 Lars Lofgren Breakdown 01:56 HubSpot Greed Warning 03:09 Inside IBM What is AI Page 04:29 Internal Linking Flywheel 06:39 AI Agent Page Wins 07:06 Keyword Stuffing Critique 09:18 Podcast Outro The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #seo #digitalmarketing #performancemarketing

    10 min

  7. 11 AVR.

    The First Rule of Internal Linking (That Most SEOs Ignore)

    E1013: Breaking down a simple but widely misunderstood idea in SEO: internal links are not "set and forget." Most people treat internal linking as something you do once when you publish a page. David argues the opposite. If you are not revisiting and adjusting your internal links regularly, you are likely wasting authority and slowing down your ability to rank new pages. The core idea is straightforward: internal links only matter when they come from pages that actually have authority. And the only reliable way to get that authority is by ranking and getting clicks. That means your internal linking strategy should evolve as your pages start to perform. This conversation covers how to think about internal links as an investment, how to use ranking pages to lift other pages, and why adding more links is often the wrong move. What we cover: - Why internal links are not "free authority" - The real role of ranking pages in passing value to other pages - Why blog posts that don't rank don't help your money pages - How to use internal links to move pages from "almost ranking" to page one - When to remove or reduce internal links without hurting rankings - Why automated internal linking tools can cause more harm than good - How to identify pages that are close to ranking using Search Console - The concept of topical authority and how it develops across a group of pages - How to think about internal links like an expense account, not an unlimited resource - Why too many links on a page can dilute impact instead of helping Key takeaway: This internal linking hack is not about linking everything together. It is about directing authority from pages that are already working to pages that are close to working. That requires ongoing adjustments, not a one-time setup. If you treat your site like a system, where pages earn authority and then pass it on strategically, you can rank new content faster without relying entirely on backlinks. ⭐️ 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 Monthly Internal Linking Rule 00:35 Crawl Pools Explained 01:44 Links Are Investments 05:48 Traffic Creates Authority 09:51 When To Adjust Links 11:23 Measure Topical Authority 14:24 Orphans And Link Limits 16:40 Striking Distance Hack 18:54 Why SEO Still Works 21:09 Loving SEO Long Term 26:07 Wrap Up And Thanks The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #internallinking #seo #webdevelopment

    27 min

  8. 11 AVR.

    AI Is Flooding SEO… And That's Why It's About to Get Easier

    E1011: Why the rise of AI-built ("vibe coded") websites is going to make SEO easier, despite the slight increase in websites properly targeting keywords. Most people think AI will increase competition because it makes it faster to create pages targeting keywords. That part is true. But they're missing the more important point: most AI-generated pages are not built to convert, and that creates an opportunity. I walk through a real example from a company I'm funding, where we used AI to build a site from scratch and then had to rethink the entire approach. The result led to a clear strategy for using AI the right way in SEO. We cover: - Why AI-generated pages will rank but often fail to convert - How anchoring affects the way you build pages with AI - The difference between letting AI create everything versus using it as an assistant - Why outlining your pages yourself leads to better engagement and conversions - How better structure improves link building, branding, and outreach - Why engagement signals like click-through rate, bounce rate, and time on page matter more - How to think about search intent beyond what AI generates - The process we use to build higher-converting pages - Writing page structure manually before using AI - Using AI to refine and improve clarity instead of generating from scratch - Reviewing pages for benefits, completeness, and positioning - Adding elements like FAQs, testimonials, and strong calls to action - Why topical authority improves when pages are planned intentionally - How to align SEO pages with link building, outreach, and overall marketing The main idea is simple: AI is a powerful assistant, but a poor architect. If you rely on it to generate entire pages, you'll likely end up with content that ranks but doesn't perform. If you guide it with clear structure and intent, you can outperform fully AI-generated competitors. If you're doing SEO right now, this change in thinking is worth paying attention to. 🚀 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 Vibe Coding Changes SEO 00:50 Real Project Case Study 01:41 Why AI Pages Convert Worse 02:11 Anchoring Explained 05:30 Better Workflow With AI 05:50 Outline to Publish Process 07:33 Rankings vs Conversions 08:08 Beating Vibe Coded Brands 09:27 Wrap Up The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #aiseo #digitalmarketing #seo

    10 min
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Daily SEO advice, hacks, and interviews with some of the top voices in search engine optimization, as well as sit-downs with many undiscovered talents.

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  • Création
    Edward Sturm
  • Années d’activité
    2023 - 2026
  • Épisodes
    1 k
  • Classification
    Tous publics
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Site web de l’émission
    The Edward Show

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