Technically, blog categories and tags can help your SEO, but most people are using them in a way that actively hurts it.

The question to ask is: Do your blog categories actually help people find what they're looking for, or are they just clutter?

1. Why keyword-stuffed categories and tags get flagged as spam
2. The retail store analogy for structuring categories and tags correctly
3. How to fix an existing blog with too many categories
4. Using Google Search Console to avoid losing visibility during a cleanup

Get this right and your blog categories start working the way they should, guiding real visibility instead of quietly working against it.

Timestamps
[0:00] Introduction
[0:30] The real problem with blog categories and tags
[1:43] Why keyword-stuffed categories are a spam signal to Google
[2:23] User frustration and how it hurts rankings
[3:37] The retail store analogy for categories and tags
[5:11] What tags are for versus what categories are for
[6:38] What to do if you already have too many categories
[7:08] Using Search Console before you prune anything
[8:38] The rip the band-aid off approach
[9:08] How to rebuild categories and tags the right way

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Send me your AI/SEO questions!
https://www.meredithshusband.com/podcast

How do you know if the SEO advice you're getting is any good?

The answer isn't about finding the right buzzword, it's about recognizing when someone is selling you a myth.

Terms like AEO and GEO get pitched as replacements for SEO, but Google itself has flagged this exact claim as a warning sign when evaluating consultants.

1. The AEO and GEO myth and where it's coming from
2. What Google's own guidance says about AI search
3. Why the changes for AI search are smaller than past SEO shifts
4. One question to ask before hiring an SEO/AI consultant

Knowing this one distinction protects you from hiring the wrong person and wasting money chasing a trend that doesn't exist.

Timestamps
[0:00] Introduction
[1:04] Where this bad advice is coming from
[1:27] The overwhelming message: SEO is dead
[2:09] Why the AEO and GEO claim is false
[3:14] How AI models actually access search data
[4:29] Why the changes for AI search are subtle, not dramatic
[5:31] Only one consultant out of dozens debunked the myth
[7:28] Closing and where to find the free Primer

Read the Google Guide:
Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide

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Send me your AI/SEO questions!
https://www.meredithshusband.com/podcast

Why do the same competitors always outrank you on Google?

The answer usually comes down to links, but figuring out where those links come from takes real digging.

Most SEO advice stops at optimizing your own site, but the bigger gap is usually how other websites link to your competitors and not you.

1. Local directories that pass along a valuable backlink
2. Free versus paid directory listings
3. Using AI to surface where a competitor is mentioned online
4. Sorting real opportunities from dead ends

Following this process gives you a short list of specific, findable places to get your own site linked and mentioned.

Timestamps
[0:00] Introduction
[0:30] Why competitor research matters
[1:04] Links versus on-site SEO
[1:39] What clients pay for
[2:14] How this connects to the mentoring program
[2:49] Links and mentions, ranked
[3:48] Finding local directories
[5:23] Deciding if a directory is worth paying for
[6:23] Using AI to find competitor mentions
[8:15] Needle in a haystack, and why that's still worth it

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Send me your AI/SEO questions!
https://www.meredithshusband.com/podcast

Wondering if Yelp reviews still matter when people search with AI?

The answer is "probably yes". It depends on a partnership most small business owners haven't heard about yet.

OpenAI just struck a deal with Yelp, meaning ChatGPT will start pulling local business recommendations directly from Yelp reviews instead of relying only on Google.

1. Why OpenAI needs outside sources like Yelp and Reddit
2. How Yelp hides five-star reviews to pressure businesses into advertising
3. What changes for urban vs. rural business owners
4. Why this partnership might not last

Dust off your Yelp profile now, because the next time someone asks AI for a recommendation near them, Yelp may be the piece of advice it hands back.

Timestamps
[0:00] Introduction
[0:33] What Yelp is and why it matters locally
[1:36] Yelp's shady review practices
[2:04] How Yelp hides five-star reviews
[2:49] Aggressive sales tactics from Yelp
[4:00] The OpenAI and Yelp partnership announced
[4:36] How ChatGPT will source local reviews
[5:31] Urban vs. rural impact for business owners
[6:29] Requesting quotes directly through ChatGPT
[7:10] Will this partnership even last?

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Send me your AI/SEO questions!
https://www.meredithshusband.com/podcast

Are you accidentally sending Google a spam signal without knowing it?

Technically, the problem isn't the AI tool itself, it's what the AI learned SEO advice from.

Most AI models build their SEO knowledge from blogs online, and a lot of those blogs are wrong.

• Keyword stuffing disguised as AI-generated advice
• Why AI delivers bad advice with total confidence
• The garbage in, garbage out principle
• What AI connectors could change going forward

The fix isn't complicated, but it does mean learning to push back on AI instead of trusting it outright.

Timestamps
[0:00] Introduction
[0:56] Reviewing student websites during onboarding
[1:14] The spam signal students didn't know they created
[1:38] Students blaming ChatGPT and Claude for the advice
[2:08] Why AI isn't built as an SEO expert
[2:42] The garbage in, garbage out principle
[3:07] Why we trust AI even when it's wrong
[3:37] How to push back on AI for better answers
[4:43] What AI connectors could fix
[6:09] The App Store comparison and where connectors are headed

--

Send me your AI/SEO questions!
https://www.meredithshusband.com/podcast

Is a photo credit worth anything for SEO if the business won't link it?

Technically, an unlinked mention isn't as valuable as a link, but it's a lot closer than people believed in the past.

A leaked piece of Google's algorithm showed unlinked mentions carry real weight, and AI search tools are making that gap even smaller because AI struggles to follow links the way a person does.

1. Why links have always mattered so much in SEO
2. What the Google algorithm leak revealed about unlinked mentions
3. Why AI is bad at following links but good at finding mentions
4. What makes a mention "authentic" versus "inauthentic"

Photographers no longer need to hold out for a linked credit. An accurate, relevant mention is enough to move the needle, and asking for a link shouldn't be a dealbreaker anymore.

Timestamps
[0:00] Introduction
[0:30] Why this episode matters for photographers
[1:43] Why links have always mattered in SEO
[3:18] What the leaked Google algorithm revealed about unlinked mentions
[4:00] Why AI struggles to follow links the way people do
[5:36] An example of AI failing to count blog articles
[7:00] Google's role in creating the technology behind AI search
[9:28] Why relevance matters for mentions and links
[10:02] Authentic versus inauthentic mentions
[11:53] Naming your business accurately in a mention

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Send me your AI/SEO questions!
https://www.meredithshusband.com/podcast

Should you trade links with another business, or will it hurt your SEO?

Technically, links are one of the most important ranking signals Google has, but not all links carry the same weight.

The real issue isn't trading links occasionally, it's when link trading or low quality backlinks make up too large a share of your overall link profile.

1. Reciprocal links and why Google treats them differently than natural links
2. When trading links with a colleague is normal versus a spam signal
3. What toxic backlinks actually are, and why Semrush warnings are often overblown
4. Why manual link penalties rarely happen anymore

Focus on earning links naturally, and you won't need to worry about a handful of reciprocal links or an alarming Semrush report.

Timestamps
[0:00] Introduction
[0:30] Reciprocal and toxic links overview
[0:50] Reciprocal link question
[1:35] Why links matter to Google
[2:15] High school analogy
[3:00] What counts as a reciprocal link
[3:40] Reciprocal link networks and Google's rule change
[5:15] Rule of thumb for reciprocal links
[6:50] Toxic backlinks question
[7:30] What makes a backlink toxic
[8:50] Manual penalties and why they stopped

--

Send me your AI/SEO questions!
https://www.meredithshusband.com/podcast

Is AI getting better at doing SEO, and does that mean you can eventually just hand it the whole job?

AI does continue to improve, but better AI doesn't change the difference between using a tool and relying on one. If everyone could press the same "do my SEO" button, the button can only ever make you even with everyone else, never ahead of them.

This episode discusses:

1. Using AI vs relying on AI
2. The "Garbage in, garbage out" principle
3. Feeding your AI project the right data
4. The hammer analogy

You'll walk away understanding which parts of SEO to hand to AI, and which parts still require you to make the decisions.

Timestamps
[0:00] Introduction
[0:35] The two most common listener questions
[1:25] Using AI vs relying on AI
[1:50] Why out-of-the-box AI is not an SEO consultant
[2:15] Where AI connectors are headed
[3:00] The colleague who refused to adapt
[4:45] Garbage in, garbage out
[5:00] Feeding your AI project the right data
[6:20] The hammer analogy
[7:45] Why one-button SEO keeps you even with everyone else

--

Send me your AI/SEO questions!
https://www.meredithshusband.com/podcast