The David Quaid SEO Show

Jonathan Denwood

David Quaid, an SEO practitioner and founder of the agency Primary Position, and Jonathan Denwood, the founder of WP-Tonic . The show. Each episode is published as a podcast and YouTube video and covers hands-on, technical SEO topics rather than surface-level tips. David has over twenty years of experience in the SEO industry and has practically seen it all.

Episodes

  1. Oct 14

    #9 - The David Quaid SEO Show:Are Press Releases for SEO Dead? The Data Says No

    Are Press Releases for SEO Dead? The Data Says No Google September 2026 Spam Update Has Finished Rolling Out Are press releases for SEO dead? Data says no. See real stats on how press releases still boost rankings, backlinks & visibility in 2026. Are press releases still relevant in today’s SEO landscape? In this insightful show, we dive into the latest data and trends showing press releases aren’t just alive; they’re thriving. Discover how they can still boost your online visibility and search engine rankings. If you’re curious about harnessing the power of press releases. #1 - What does the data actually measure (rankings, indexing, traffic, citations), and what counts as proof in SEO? The "Dead" Narrative vs. the Data Google warned in 2013 that optimized links in press releases could count as link spam, and by 2016 most wire services had made their links nofollow. So why do some people now say "the data says no"? #2 - Have you seen nofollow or syndicated press release links move rankings in your own tests? Nofollow Links: Worthless or Underrated? Google now treats nofollow as a "hint," which is a good fit for David's evidence-based approach. #3 - Is "LLMs Seeding" a real strategy, or just old wire distribution with a new name? Press Releases and AI Search Visibility This is probably the strongest new angle. Notified studied 8,000+ GlobeNewswire releases in May 2026 and found that releases can show up in AI answers within hours. Meltwater says the effect on AI search is real but mostly indirect #4 - Do unlinked mentions actually help rankings, or is that an SEO myth? Brand Mentions and Entity Building Releases can earn brand mentions, help with indexing, and reinforce entity signals even when the links are discounted #5 - What separates a Press Release that earns real editorial links from one that is just $300 of syndication? Wire Spam vs. Real News Some argue the value comes from real news reaching journalists. Cision's 2026 data says 66% of journalists rely on press releases for story ideas #6 - If you had $1,000 for a small business, would you spend any of it on press releases? A Practical Playbook for 2026 End with something listeners can use: when to use a release, what to put in it (data, quotes, structure), which distributors are worth paying for, and how to track results in both Google and AI tools. Second Half On October 1st, Google rewrote its Helpful Content Guide, and he must mention Lily Ray Beyond E-E-A-T. Effort Originality Talent or Skill Accuracy Google September 2026 Spam Update Has Finished Rolling Out Barry Schwartz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbyCJdSp2Lg ---------- ------------ ------------- ----------- ---------- ---------- ------------ ------------- ----------- ---------- The Hosts of The David Quaid SEO Show: David Quaid & Jonathan Denwood https://davidquaidseo.com https://primaryposition.com @DavidGQuaid ---------- ------------ ------------- ----------- ---------- Jonathan Denwood https://www.wp-tonic.com/ @jonathandenwood ---------------------- Sponsors of The Show ------------------- Jetpack - https://f0k0.short.gy/97gIS8 Ninja Forms - https://f0k0.short.gy/97gIS8 WP-Rollover - https://f0k0.short.gy/97gIS8 LifterLMS - https://f0k0.short.gy/97gIS8 ---------------- ------------------ ------------------ ------------------

  2. Oct 9

    #8 - The David Quaid SEO Show:Old Local SEO vs 2026 Local SEO: What Changed?

    Old Local SEO vs. 2026 Local SEO: What Changed? Discover the tactics that stopped working and what actually ranks businesses today. In this video, we explore Local SEO's evolution from its early days to the cutting-edge strategies of 2026. Discover the key shifts in algorithms, user behavior, and marketing techniques that have reshaped how businesses connect with local customers. Learn what works now and what doesn't, ensuring your local strategy stays ahead of the competition. The Hosts of The Show Are David Quaid & Jonathan Denwood With Special Guest Jake Hundley | CEO at Evergrow Marketing | Co-host of The Agency Growth Podcast https://evergrowmarketing.com https://www.agencygrowthpod.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-hundley Introduction #1 - Jake, what's the single biggest change you've seen in local SEO in 2026, and how is it affecting how often local businesses' phones ring? #2 - Google is now showing AI Overviews inside local knowledge panels. How much does that change how customers find and pick a local business? #3 - Is the Google Business Profile still the most important thing a local business can work on, or have other signals caught up? #4 - More people now find local businesses through ChatGPT, TikTok and Instagram before they ever open Google Maps. Where should a small business owner focus first? #5 - Your 10-week Evergrow study looked at whether schema markup affects rankings. What did you find, and should local businesses bother? #6 - If a local business owner could only do three things this year to keep leads coming in, what would you tell them to do? Final Thoughts

  3. Sep 23

    #6 - The David Quaid SEO Show:Why Neil Patel Is Totally Wrong About Using AI Content

    #6 - The David Quaid SEO Show: Why Neil Patel Is Totally Wrong About Using AI Content Why Neil Patel Is Totally Wrong About Using AI Content Watch Video Version Here with Extra Content https://f0k0.short.gy/mg5JFW Hey everyone, welcome back to the show. We're doing something a little different; we're calling out Neil Patel. Specifically, his latest video, "Google Watermarks Your AI Content. Here's the 20-Minute Fix." Now, we respect what Neil's built, but we watched this one and think he's leading a lot of content creators down the wrong path. The advice in that video sounds smart on the surface, but when you think through how Google's systems work—and how AI content detection is evolving—it just doesn't hold up. So today we're breaking down exactly where we think Neil gets it wrong, what the real risks are if you follow his "20-minute fix," and what we think you should actually be doing with AI content instead. If you're publishing AI-assisted content and you've seen that video, you'll want to hear this before you act. ---------- ------------ ------------- ----------- ---------- ---------- ------------ ------------- ----------- ---------- The Hosts David G Quaid & Jonathan Denwood https://davidquaidseo.com https://primaryposition.com @DavidGQuaid ---------- ------------ ------------- ----------- ---------- Jonathan Denwood https://www.wp-tonic.com/ @jonathandenwood ---------------------- Sponsors of The Show ------------------- Jetpack - https://f0k0.short.gy/97gIS8 Ninja Forms - https://f0k0.short.gy/97gIS8 WP-Rollover - https://f0k0.short.gy/97gIS8 LifterLMS - https://f0k0.short.gy/97gIS8 ---------------- ------------------ ------------------ ------------------ Introduction #1 - Neil says that Google knows when you are using AI on your website by using its "SynthID from Google DeepMind" technology https://ai.google.dev/responsible/docs/safeguards/synthid #2 - Neil and his team tested 744 articles on clients' websites, and if you use just AI to generate the articles with no heavy editing, they will not perform that well #3 - The Whole Market Just Voted - Half of all content is now written by AI, but it gets only 20% of the reward; this is what Neil is saying. He says only 14% of content is now written by humans, but it gets 80% of traffic. Lily Ray studied 220 websites using AI content, and 54% lost at least 30% of traffic, and 22% lost three-quarters of traffic. Also, know that you are using AI-generated AI slop. #4 - Trust Is the Ranking Factor: At this point in the video, does Neil totally contradict himself by talking about " Detection and Evaluation" and saying Google is looking at "Who said this and can we trust them?" #5 - The 20-Minute Human Layer (Neil says you need these 5 steps and the magic will happen) - Google needs proof that a human was involved in the writing of the article - Add something the AI couldn't know - Cut the filler and tighten every claim - Freshness is all important - Google needs a real author

  4. Sep 3

    #1 - The David Quaid SEO Show: Googlebot vs the Spider Fairy Tale

    Googlebot vs the Spider Fairy Tale What is Googlebot? Discover how Google's web crawler indexes billions of pages and impacts your site's search rankings. Dive into the whimsical world of "Googlebot vs the Spider Fairy Tale!" This enchanting video follows Googlebot as it navigates the vast web of the internet, battling digital obstacles alongside a clever spider. Discover how search engines index information and maintain order in the online landscape. Don’t miss this unique blend of technology and fantasy — watch now to learn how these digital characters influence our everyday browsing. ---------------------- Sponsors of The Show ------------------------------- Jetpack - https://www.wp-tonic.com/deals/ Ninja Forms - https://ninjaforms.com/ WP-Rollover - https://www.wp-tonic.com/deals/ LifterLMS - https://www.wp-tonic.com/deals/ ---------------- ------------------ ---------------- ------------------ ---------------- ------------------ #1 - Is Googlebot really a crawling "spider," or is that just a comforting metaphor hiding how AI-driven ranking actually works? #2 - What does Googlebot actually see when it visits your site — and how far off is that from what a human visitor sees? #3 - If crawling isn't the bottleneck anymore, what's the real fairy tale SEOs keep telling clients about rankings? #4 - How has Google's shift to AI-based understanding (not just link-following) changed what "getting crawled" even means? #5 - What technical SEO advice is outdated because it still assumes a simple, literal spider crawling the web? #6 - If Googlebot isn't a spider, what's the more accurate mental model site owners should use instead? Your Hosts: David Quaid and Jonathan Denwood https://davidquaidseo.com https://primaryposition.com @DavidGQuaid Jonathan Denwood https://www.wp-tonic.com/ @jonathandenwood

About

David Quaid, an SEO practitioner and founder of the agency Primary Position, and Jonathan Denwood, the founder of WP-Tonic . The show. Each episode is published as a podcast and YouTube video and covers hands-on, technical SEO topics rather than surface-level tips. David has over twenty years of experience in the SEO industry and has practically seen it all.

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