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. 1 day ago

    SEO Myths That Won't Die: Backlinks, GEO, Gemini & What Ranks in 2026

    E1079: David Quaid returns to the podcast to talk through SEO myths that refuse to die, and why a lot of the current advice around SEO, GEO, AI search, backlinks, content, and LLMs is either incomplete or flat-out misleading. We start with the SEO vs. GEO debate and why treating them like two separate worlds can lead to bad strategy. David argues that if your site cannot rank, cannot get crawled properly, and cannot build authority in search, you should not assume AI systems are going to magically find and trust you. From there, we get into the myths people keep repeating about content, backlinks, EEAT, Gemini, toxic links, parasite SEO, expired domains, HTML sitemaps, and what helps a site rank in 2026. Topics we cover: - Why "just build a good brand and AI will find you" is not a real SEO strategy - Why GEO does not let you bypass Google, backlinks, rankings, or authority - The problem with treating SEO and GEO as separate disciplines - Why "good content" alone is usually not enough to rank - Why overproducing content and landing pages can waste time and money - How Microsoft Clarity can show what users actually do on a landing page - Why people often misunderstand thin content, duplicate content, and information gain - The problem with surface-level EEAT advice like author bios, outbound links, and forced credibility signals - What David thinks people get wrong about the Google API leak - Why Google may have author-related and site-related variables without those variables meaning what SEOs assume they mean - Why backlinks still matter in 2026 - Why you do not need backlinks to every page - Why constantly buying more links may not help if you are losing or devaluing links at the same time - How to think about link quality beyond domain-level relevance - Why relationships, partner content, and real pages with traffic can still matter for authority - What David would do in the first 30 days of SEO for a new SaaS site - Why he recommends publishing low-difficulty pages early and seeing what gets indexed - Why he thinks an HTML sitemap matters more than most people realize - How an HTML sitemap can help both search engines and AI systems understand a site - Why toxic backlink reports are often more harmful than helpful - When disavowing links might make sense, and why that is rare for most sites - Why Moz spam score and similar third-party metrics can create unnecessary fear - How David thinks about expired domains and when they might be useful - Why expired domains are risky as a primary domain - How PBNs and link farms have changed as Google has changed how it handles link spam - Why "link echoes" may be explained by user signals and ranking history - Why a page can keep ranking after a backlink disappears - How relevance and authority work together in competitive search results - Why long-tail keywords can still work extremely well - Why the idea that "keywords do not matter anymore" usually comes from people who have worked on very high-authority sites - Why Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and other LLMs can give bad SEO advice - Why knowing what advice to ignore is the difference between an expert using AI and a beginner being misled by it - Why LLMs often repeat popular SEO myths because those myths rank on high-authority websites - Why technical SEO advice is often overstated for new sites - Why crawlability is usually more binary than people make it sound - Why XML sitemaps do not solve the authority problem for new websites - Why parasite SEO is not an automatic ranking shortcut - What people misunderstand about using Medium, Reddit, and other high-authority platforms - Why some SERPs are much harder to enter than others - How click history, backlinks, and relevance can make rankings harder to disrupt - Why "we know nothing about SEO" is also a myth - How reverse engineering search behavior can still teach SEOs a lot - What David changed his mind about after seeing how video content performed - The decline of WPBeginner and what its traffic graph may suggest about backlinks, content quality, and site direction This conversation is for SEOs, founders, content marketers, SaaS teams, and anyone trying to understand what still works in organic search while AI search changes how people discover information. ⭐️ David Quaid on 𝕏 - https://x.com/DavidGQuaid  ⭐️ David Quaid on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidquaid/  ⭐️ David Quaid on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@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 Legendary Guest Return 01:15 GEO vs SEO Risks 04:01 Bing AI Share Voice 06:55 Stop Content Overproduction 08:29 EEAT and Thin Content Myth 12:36 API Leak Explained 16:57 Backlinks Still Matter 20:27 New Site First 30 Days 28:16 Toxic Backlinks Myth 31:37 Expired Domains PBNs 34:59 Link Echoes User Signals 38:44 Relevance Beats Authority 40:06 Keywords Still Matter 41:26 Broad Match Rankings Fade 42:23 Myth LLMs Know SEO 44:10 Tech Stack Myth 46:30 Content EEAT Schema Myths 48:12 Parasite SEO Reality 49:48 Breaking Into Locked SERPs 51:56 Reddit Medium Parasite SEO Tactics 55:24 Myth We Know Nothing 58:00 Changing Minds On Content 01:02:22 WPBeginner Traffic Collapse 01:07:59 Google Infrastructure Moat 01:11:44 One Thing To Focus 01:14:15 Wrap Up and Next Debate The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/  #searchengineoptimization #seo #webdevelopment #digitalmarketing

    1hr 16min

  2. 1 day ago

    Brand Mentions Are Exploding in Value - But Do Backlinks Still Matter?

    E1078: Charles Floate joins the show to talk about where SEO is going as Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and other AI systems change how people find information. The main question: if brand mentions are becoming more important, do backlinks still matter? Charles argues that backlinks still have value, but mentions are becoming much more important because AI systems do not only look at links. They also look at where a brand is mentioned, which sources mention it, how often it appears near certain topics, and whether those sources are trusted in a specific niche. We also talk about why Charles stepped back from his day-to-day role at PressWhiz, what he thinks is happening to link building, why small teams may have an advantage right now, and how SEO work is changing as search becomes more personalized and answer-based. Topics covered: - Why brand mentions are becoming more valuable in SEO - How to acquire brand mentions - Whether backlinks still matter for AI Overviews, AI Mode, and ChatGPT - How AI systems may evaluate trust, authority, and source quality - Why different niches may have different ranking and citation signals - Why Reddit, YouTube, podcasts, reviews, PR, and community signals can matter - The difference between links, mentions, co-occurrence, and trusted sources - Why mass AI content can hurt a site long term - How small technical teams can compete with larger companies - Why Charles left the day-to-day work of a major link building marketplace - What he is building next - Why video is becoming more important for SEO - Why customer support and product quality can affect brand mentions - Why automating marketing before understanding it is usually a mistake - How AI may change SEO teams, agencies, and software companies We also discuss Google I/O, AI Mode, AI Overviews, multimodal search, query fanout, personalization, digital PR, Reddit manipulation, link building marketplaces, indie hackers, AI startups, and why SEO interest is higher than ever. ⭐️ Charles Floate on 𝕏 - https://x.com/Charles_SEO  ⭐️ Charles Floate on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesfloate/  ⭐️ Charles Floate on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@CharlesFloate  ⭐️ Charles Floate on Facebook - https://facebook.com/thecharlesfloate  ⭐️ Charles Floate Training - https://charlesfloatetraining.com/  ⭐️ Charles Floate's PressWhizz - https://presswhizz.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 Meet Charles Floate 00:13 Newlywed Europe Plans 01:09 Why Shift From PressWhizz 02:24 Google IO Fallout 04:14 Multimodal Search Future 06:09 Trust Signals And EEAT 08:04 Adult And iGaming SEO 12:08 AI Search Centralization 14:37 GEO Versus SEO Debate 18:37 Indie Hacker Beats Brands 22:25 Leaving PressWhizz Explained 26:13 Backlinks Versus Mentions 27:38 Getting Brand Mentions 29:30 Unbundling Tool Suites 31:12 Three Startups In Motion 33:53 Team And Marketing Setup 34:47 Hiring Video Editors 36:26 Why SEO Marketing Sucks 36:43 Avoiding Tough Niches 37:35 Hiring Editors With AI 39:21 SEO Interest Surging 41:55 Optimism About Grounded AI 45:07 Businesses Struggling With Change 49:48 What Not To Automate 54:16 Video Workflow And Descript 01:00:26 Email And Social Strategy 01:05:43 Best Next Step CRO 01:08:22 Closing And Wrap Up The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/  #backlinks #linkbuilding #searchengineoptimization #seo

    1hr 9min

  3. 3 days ago

    Do Lost Backlinks Still Help Your SEO? The "Link Echoes" Effect

    E1076: Do lost backlinks still help your SEO after they disappear? We look at the "link echo" effect: the idea that Google may continue to carry value from backlinks even after those links are removed. This came up again after a recent Google Search Console bug made many SEOs think they had lost a large number of backlinks. Some people saw link counts drop or even go to zero, which caused a lot of panic. But lost links do not always mean lost rankings. I break down an old Moz experiment, written up by SEO Sherpa, where pages gained rankings after backlinks were added, then kept most of those rankings even after the backlinks were removed. We cover: - What link echoes (or link ghosts) are - Why lost backlinks may not always hurt rankings - What happened in the Moz link echo experiment - Why rankings stayed high after the links were removed - Why SEOs often overreact to lost backlinks - The difference between losing a backlink and losing ranking value - Possible explanations for the link echo effect - Why click-through rate and user behavior may explain this - Why bad links, penalties, and link echoes are not the same thing - What this means for link reclamation - Why you should not panic every time a backlink disappears The main idea: if you lose a backlink, it does not automatically mean you lose all of the benefit from that backlink. The ranking gains may continue for weeks or months or years. For SEOs, founders, and marketers, this is a useful reminder: focus on building pages that deserve to rank and pay attention to what happens after a page gets visibility. ⭐️ Link Echoes (a.k.a. Link Ghosts): Why Rankings Remain Even After Links Disappear - https://moz.com/blog/link-echoes-ghosts-whiteboard-friday  ⭐️ 21 SEO Experiments That Will Change The Way You Think About SEO (Forever) - https://seosherpa.com/seo-experiments/  ⭐️ Google Search Console Links Report Is Broken - https://www.seroundtable.com/google-search-console-links-report-broke-41371.html  💎 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 Search Console Link Bug 00:44 What Are Link Echoes 01:39 Moz Link Echo Experiment 02:35 Results After Link Removal 03:13 Rand Fishkin Confirms 04:31 Key Takeaways for SEOs 05:35 Other Explanations 07:03 Link Echoes vs Penalties 07:37 Practical Advice and Wrap 09:01 Episode Closing The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #seo #linkbuilding #backlinks

    9 min

  4. 3 days ago

    Why SEO Gets Ignored Inside Big Companies (And How to Fix It) w/ Ash Nallawalla

    E1077: Ash Nallawalla has been doing SEO for more than 25 years, mostly inside or alongside large companies. In this episode, we talk about why SEO so often gets ignored inside big organizations, even when leadership says organic search matters. Ash explains his idea of visibility governance: the rules, documentation, ownership, approvals, and accountability needed to make sure SEO recommendations actually get implemented. We get into why enterprise SEO is not just about knowing what to do. It is about getting the work through product, engineering, marketing, legal, content, analytics, and leadership. Topics covered: - Why SEO gets deprioritized inside big companies - What agencies often miss about enterprise SEO - Why in-house SEOs understand internal politics better than outside consultants - How SEO recommendations die in Jira, meetings, and approval chains - Why documentation matters so much for SEO - What visibility governance means - How Ash's Visibility Governance Maturity Model works - The role of ownership, accountability, and single points of failure - Why companies need clear owners for robots.txt, structured data, Search Console access, redirects, site performance, and content workflows - What small businesses can learn from enterprise SEO governance - Why SEO keeps changing, but the need for brand visibility does not - How AI search, LLMs, Reddit, YouTube, TikTok, and other platforms fit into organic visibility - Why many AI visibility tools miss basic SEO fundamentals - What Ash would do in the first 90 days if a CEO asked him to improve organic visibility Ash also shares stories from working with major Australian companies, including how he helped one large bank double organic traffic in eight months and triple it over time by getting the organization aligned around SEO. ⭐️ Ash Nallawalla on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashnallawalla/ ⭐️ Ash Nallawalla on 𝕏 - https://x.com/ashnallawalla ⭐️ Ash Nallawalla's books - https://www.managingseobooks.com/ ⭐️ Ash Nallawalla's business - https://crm911.com ⭐️ Shelley Walsh on Ash's work (Search Engine Journal) - https://www.searchenginejournal.com/how-to-avoid-top-down-seo-systems-failures-with-the-visibility-governance-maturity-model/570509/ ⭐️ Ash Nallawalla on Search Engine Land - https://searchengineland.com/your-seo-maturity-score-doesnt-measure-what-you-think-it-does-471922 💎 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 Ash Nallawalla 00:28 SEO Origin Story 04:30 Defining Visibility Governance 08:46 VGMM Workshop Overview 13:23 Agency vs In-House Reality 15:20 Why SEO Gets Ignored 22:45 Inside the Workshop Scoring 30:23 Best Case Outcomes 35:58 SEO Myths Repeat 36:39 Complacent Agency Playbooks 38:50 Where To Learn SEO 41:51 WebmasterWorld Reality Check 45:08 Following AI Thinkers 46:40 Small Business SEO Governance 48:57 From SEO To Brand Visibility 54:14 Skepticism About New Tools 01:01:12 90 Day Visibility Plan 01:04:51 Where To Find Ash 01:05:57 Episode Wrap Up The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #enterpriseseo #agencyseo #searchengineoptimization #seo

    1hr 7min

  5. 4 days ago

    Google's May Core Update Isn't Done: What June SERP Volatility Means for SEO

    E1075: Google's May Core Update may be officially over, but many SEOs and site owners are still seeing major ranking volatility in June. We break down what people are reporting across the search results, why the update may still feel active, and what types of sites and pages appear to be gaining or losing visibility. We cover the ongoing chatter around traffic drops, sudden ranking swings, e-commerce changes, YMYL volatility, and the broader shift away from generic or aggregated content. Topics covered in this episode: - Why SEOs are still seeing volatility after the May Core Update - What site owners are reporting about June ranking changes - Why aggregated and derivative content may be losing visibility - How firsthand experience and original references are being rewarded - Why some forums and Q&A sites may be seeing pullbacks - What is happening with local domains in markets like the UK - Why YMYL niches such as gambling, finance, and health often see sharper movement - How Google may be refining intent for high-risk queries - Why unique media and custom images can help pages better satisfy search intent - Why templated SEO content can become a risk - What to focus on during volatility instead of guessing The main takeaway: if you are creating searcher-first content, adding original information, building real authority, and making pages that directly satisfy intent, you are much more likely to stay stable through algorithm updates. Through the volatility, keep focusing on: - Original content - Firsthand experience - Strong topical relevance - Better search intent matching - Useful media - Brand mentions - Natural backlinks - Branded searches - Pages that are genuinely worth referencing ⭐️ Google Search Ranking Volatility This Week: June 8-12 - https://www.seroundtable.com/google-search-ranking-volatility-mid-june-41496.html ⭐️ Aleyda Solis's breakdown - https://www.aleydasolis.com/en/ai-search/google-may-2026-core-update-analysis-intent-market-fit-and-source-type-drove-the-biggest-visibility-shifts/ ⭐️ Google Search Central Non-Commodity Content - https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide ⭐️ Gagan Ghotra's post - https://x.com/gaganghotra_/status/2060942457039458439 ⭐️ Glenn Gabe's post - https://x.com/glenngabe/status/2061031181034905610 💎 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 May Update Still Shaking 00:23 Volatility Reports Roundup 01:49 Why This Update Feels Huge 02:24 Deprioritized Content Patterns 03:26 Forums And Aggregators Shift 04:42 Local Domains Winning 05:15 YMYL Intent Volatility 06:20 Search Intent Checklist 06:47 What Google Rewards Now 07:15 Unique Media And UX Signals 08:02 Avoid Templated SEO Pages 08:38 Stay Calm and Build Authority 09:41 Sign Off The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #seo #googlealgorithmupdate #searchmarketing

    10 min

  6. 5 days ago

    Blogging Isn't Dead: How Niche Blogs Still Make Money With SEO

    E1074: Blogging is not dead. Bad blogging is. I break down how people are still making money from blogs in 2026, why so many "SEO is dead" takes are coming from people who never won with SEO in the first place, and what works now if you want to build a niche site that gets traffic and makes money. I start with a Reddit post from someone who ignored the usual advice that blogging is dead, kept going, and eventually started earning from an affiliate site. From there, I go into the bigger picture of what separates blogs that fail from blogs that keep growing. A lot of sites were hit hard by Google's helpful content update. Some deserved it. Some had thin content, obvious keyword patterns, weak branding, poor user signals, and unnatural backlink profiles. But some sites came back stronger by building more like real brands. I talk about HouseFresh as an example of a site that was crushed by the update, then rebuilt its Google traffic far beyond where it was before. I also cover why AdSense is usually a weak way to monetize a blog, why affiliate SEO can be much better, and why creating your own product for your niche can be even stronger than affiliate income. Topics covered: - Why blogging still works when you treat it seriously - Why many "SEO is dead" takes are not worth listening to - How long it can take to make money from a new affiliate blog - Affiliate income vs. Google AdSense - Why niche selection matters for SEO - Examples of niches that can work for affiliate SEO - What happened to many blogs after Google's helpful content update - Why HouseFresh recovered after losing almost all of its Google traffic - How brand mentions, branded searches, and natural backlinks help - Why templated content and repeated keyword patterns are risky - How to build topical authority in a tight niche - Why search intent matters more than word count - How internal links from ranking pages can help other pages rank - Why you should avoid relying only on "best X for Y" listicles - What non-commodity content is and why Google wants more of it - How to use People Also Ask questions for top-of-funnel SEO - Why affiliate blogs should eventually think about their own products - How high-intent SEO landing pages can turn searchers into customers - Why long-term consistency matters more than chasing shortcuts The main idea is simple: a blog can still work, but it has to be useful, focused, and built with patience. You need to pick a tight niche, answer real search intent, create pages people trust, build authority naturally, and eventually move beyond just publishing informational posts. ⭐️ The Reddit Post - https://www.reddit.com/r/Blogging/comments/1txebhp/i_started_making_money_blogging_when_i_stopped/ ⭐️ Pieter Levels' take on AdSense - https://x.com/levelsio/status/2035912856445624668 ⭐️ People Also Asked trick breakdown - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/people-also-ask-seo-traffic-authority-sales/ ⭐️ Ep 832 - From 1,000 to 200,000 Clicks: The INSANE SEO Comeback of HouseFresh.com - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QewNJ2AgQxM ⭐️ Ep 989 - Google's Helpful Content Update DESTROYED the Internet (What Actually Happened) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YLUFjYrIEA ⭐️ Ep 1028 - Google's New SEO Reality: Why 'Non-Commodity' Content Is Taking Over - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L6aNSpm59U ⭐️ Ep 1050 - The Death of Clicks? Rand Fishkin on Brand, AI & the Future of Marketing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7fZyN1nn-U 💎 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 Blogging Isn't Dead 00:39 Calling Out SEO Doom 01:53 Helpful Content Update Fallout 02:47 HouseFresh SEO Comeback 03:52 Affiliate Blogging Basics 05:55 Niches That Still Win 06:19 Top of Funnel SEO Playbook 08:04 Non-Commodity Content 08:34 Links, Mentions, Brands 09:24 People Also Ask Pages 10:34 Build Your Own Product 11:50 Diversify and Dominate 13:38 Over and Out The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #blogging #searchengineoptimization #blogseo #nicheblogs

    14 min

  7. 6 days ago

    What Small Business Owners Get Wrong About SEO (with Mariah Magazine)

    E1073: Most small business owners know they should care about SEO, but they often misunderstand what moves the needle. I'm joined by Mariah Magazine to break down what small business owners get wrong about SEO, why keyword research is more than just picking phrases with search volume, and how business owners can use search data to make better decisions about their websites, offers, and content. Mariah shares how she got started in SEO after leaving school, what she learned working in a small agency in Buffalo, and why she now focuses on making SEO understandable for small business owners who are not technical marketers. We also talk about one of her favorite SEO stories: a candle company that used keyword research to discover demand for mini candles and made sales before the product was even added to the website. Topics covered: - Why many small business owners think SEO is more complicated than it is - How keyword research can validate demand before you invest in a product or page - The difference between SEO keywords and brand messaging - Why "nobody is searching for what I do" usually means the keyword research is too narrow - How Mariah thinks about commercial and transactional keywords - Why business owners should look at the actual Google results before choosing a keyword - How to think about keyword difficulty, domain authority, and topic authority - Why search competitors are not always the same as business competitors - Mariah's basic keyword research process using competitor analysis, Semrush, and SERP research - Why many service businesses need separate pages for separate services - What makes a website more useful for cold traffic from Google and AI search - Why About pages, Contact pages, service pages, FAQs, testimonials, and trust signals matter - Why filling out image alt text is not a complete SEO strategy - How PR and journalist relationships can support SEO through links and referral traffic - Why Mariah prefers using AI to repurpose existing content rather than write from scratch - How consultants and agency owners can get clients through referrals, communities, and helpful content This conversation is especially useful for small business owners, consultants, freelancers, service providers, and agency owners who want SEO to feel less confusing and more connected to real business outcomes. ⭐️ Mariah Magazine's website - https://www.mariahmagazine.com/ ⭐️ Mariah Magazine on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/MariahMagazine ⭐️ Mariah Magazine on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahmagazine/ ⭐️ Mariah Magazine on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mariahmagazineco/ ⭐️ Mariah Magazine on Threads - https://www.threads.com/@mariahmagazineco 💎 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 Mariah 00:10 Quitting College for SEO 01:52 Validating Demand With Search Volume 05:20 Foundations Over Rankings 09:58 Teaching SEO Basics 11:38 Nobody Searches Myth 13:37 Purchase Intent Focus 17:25 Competitor Rabbit Holes 19:19 Keyword Difficulty Nuance 24:10 PR Link Building 30:31 SEO Meets AI 32:04 Website Essentials Checklist 36:29 CMS Choices and Pitfalls 37:20 Best Website Builders 38:00 Platforms To Avoid 38:19 SEO Package Basics 38:38 Keyword Mapping Wins 39:03 On Page Keyword Placement 41:34 Getting Client Buy In 43:54 First Clients Referrals 44:57 Networking Event Strategy 47:28 Online Communities Referrals 52:48 Pay To Be In Rooms 54:45 YouTube As Funnel 56:17 AI Content Caution 01:05:11 Alt Text Myth 01:07:23 Creative Client SEO 01:07:49 Wrap Up And Where To Find The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #smallbusinessseo #beginnerseo #searchengineoptimization #seo

    1hr 9min

  8. 11 Jun

    Match Search Intent or Lose the Click: SEO + CRO That Converts

    E1072: Breaking down the most common CRO and SEO advice shared by entrepreneurs and marketers, and explaining why nearly all of it comes back to one principle: matching search intent. The discussion comes from a popular entrepreneur community thread where dozens of business owners share the tactics that consistently improve both rankings and conversions. Despite different backgrounds and industries, the overwhelming consensus is that pages perform best when they perfectly match what the searcher is trying to accomplish. Topics covered: - Why matching search intent is the foundation of both SEO and conversion rate optimization - How a clear headline can dramatically improve engagement and conversions - Examples of stronger H1 headlines for local businesses, SaaS companies, and ecommerce stores - The difference between informational intent and commercial intent - Why combining multiple intents on a single page often hurts performance - How to structure separate pages for research-focused and purchase-focused searches - Internal linking strategies that move users naturally toward conversion - Why visitors should get the answer immediately instead of scrolling through long introductions - The role of above-the-fold content in keeping visitors engaged - How to reduce friction and make conversion paths easier to follow - Where to place calls to action for maximum effectiveness - Why too many buttons, links, and options can reduce conversions - The importance of social proof placement - How Microsoft Clarity can reveal user behavior that analytics tools often miss - Common mistakes businesses make when building SEO landing pages - A practical framework for creating pages that satisfy both users and search engines I also share a simple formula for matching intent on any SEO page, including: - Where to place your target keyword - How quickly to answer the searcher's question - What content should appear above the fold - When to use images versus videos - How to structure calls to action based on intent - How to decide whether a query deserves an article or a conversion-focused landing page ⭐️ The Reddit Thread - https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/1t03mxq/comment/opcm1qx/ ⭐️ How I Took a Landing Page From $1,000/Month to $25,000/Month Without More Traffic - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/landing-page-conversion-checklist/ ⭐️ Ep 1051 - Most SEO Copywriting Is Killing Your Rankings (And Costing You Sales) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owYbNfATBhM 💎 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 Match Search Intent 00:39 Clear Headlines Win 01:09 Landing Page Case Study 01:43 H1 Examples That Convert 02:42 Segment Traffic By Intent 03:01 Split Info vs Commercial Pages 04:11 Give Answers Fast 05:22 Use Microsoft Clarity And Recordings 06:00 Remove Friction Above Fold 07:15 Internal Links Next Step 08:02 Social Proof Placement 09:03 Intent Repetition Matters 11:14 Quick Intent Matching Formula 14:48 Outro And Episode Wrap The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #seo #onpageseo #conversionrateoptimization

    15 min
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Edward Sturm
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1.1k
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    The Edward Show

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