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Ever wondered why people in Glasgow ask different questions than people in London about the same service? We pull back the curtain on a major update: city-level People Also Ask targeting that lets you research real local queries and build content that matches each neighbourhood’s language, concerns, and intent. It’s a simple shift with powerful results—clearer clusters, tighter FAQs, and topical authority that feels grounded in place rather than padded with generic terms.

We also share what’s changing behind the scenes. A refreshed interface is on the way to speed up research and reduce friction, and we’ve been investing heavily in entity-led workflows. Entities help search engines connect your content to real-world concepts—people, places, organisations, products—so your pages hold up through algorithm changes. Combine entities with city-level question data and you get a reliable map for content planning: fewer overlaps, sharper internal links, and pages that speak to actual user intent.

Finally, we’re making a counterintuitive move: pausing our three-episodes-a-week cadence over December to run a live experiment. Our library is heavily evergreen and binge-friendly, so this is a clean moment to test whether a short break affects discovery, downloads, and listener habits. If you manage content calendars, this will resonate—sometimes the best optimisation is stepping back to measure what the audience does when you publish less.

If local SEO, link building strategy, and entity-first content are on your roadmap, this update will help you plan smarter for the new year. Listen now, explore the new city-level PAA targeting, and tell us which city you want us to test next. If you find value here, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a quick review so others can discover it too.

SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com

Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo

You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tips

To get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me now

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"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Links still move the needle, but the way we earn them has changed. We pull together the best of our link building series and lay out a clear, low-risk path to stronger rankings and lasting authority. No gimmicks, no cloak-and-dagger—just assets people want to cite.

We start by cleaning up the language of links: what “good, bad, and ugly” backlinks look like, why Penguin still shapes risk, and how AI-driven answers increase the value of being cited. From there, we get practical with linkable assets that compound: tools that solve real problems in seconds. You’ll hear how a broadband postcode checker and a benchmarking speed test attracted highly relevant links, and how a People Also Ask crawler snowballed to thousands of citations without outreach. Each example shows why hard-to-replicate utility beats any anchor-text wishlist.

We also lift the bonnet on private blog networks—how they’re built, why they seem tempting, and the real cost when footprints surface. Then we pivot to creative, safe plays: become the awarding body in your niche with objective categories and shareable badges that merchants proudly link to. Add “engineering as marketing” to capture top-of-funnel interest: simple graders and diagnostics that align with your product, generate leads, and earn natural mentions. Finally, we share a practical promotion playbook—Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, conferences, and email—that seeds discovery without asking for links, kick-starting a flywheel where attention turns into citations and citations into rankings.

If you want links you can sleep on, this is your roadmap: build something worth voting for, promote it where your audience hangs out, and let the compounding begin. Enjoyed this guide? Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a mate who’s still buying links.

SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com

Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo

You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tips

To get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me now

See Edd's personal site at edddawson.com

Ask me a question and get on the show Click here to record a question

Find Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & Twitter

Find KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use

"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Want links without cold emails or sketchy deals? We dive into a practical system for earning citations by putting useful work in front of the right people, then letting trust and timing do the heavy lifting. Ed Dawson, founder of Keywords People Use, unpacks why links still drive rankings and why they matter even more as AI search surfaces sources in responses.

We start with the reality check: buying links and anchor manipulation can waste money or trigger penalties. From there we map a cleaner path for new sites stuck in the awareness gap. Ed shares how he launched a brand‑new domain and sparked momentum with low‑cost, high‑signal moves: consistent posting on Twitter and LinkedIn, value‑first replies on Reddit and Quora, direct outreach to peers without asking for links, and a modest BrightonSEO sponsorship that put an engaging tool into the hands of the right audience. The result was a flywheel where attention created links, links improved rankings, and rankings created more discovery.

You’ll hear how to pair long tail content with attention channels to get early wins, then convert that traffic into an email list that compounds every launch. We talk through lead magnets that actually earn signups, what to send to subscribers, and why “ask for feedback” beats “please link me.” Ed explains how reciprocity in communities builds site‑level authority, helping more pages get indexed and climb the SERPs. By the end you’ll have a simple checklist: find your audience, show up consistently, ship something genuinely useful, announce it where it belongs, and repeat until the flywheel turns.

If this helped you reframe link building, tap follow, share it with a friend who’s launching a site, and leave a quick review. Want hands‑on help? Book a free, no‑obligation demo at keywordspeopleuse.com/demo and bring your SEO questions.

SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com

Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo

You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tips

To get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me now

See Edd's personal site at edddawson.com

Ask me a question and get on the show Click here to record a question

Find Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & Twitter

Find KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use

"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Want links people actually want to share? We unpack ego bait link building and show how to turn recognition into rankings, authority, and AI-era citations. Instead of waiting for links, we create reasons for people and brands to amplify our work by featuring their expertise fairly and visibly.

We start with the foundations: why links still matter for Google and why they matter even more as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity cite sources. From there, we break down three reliable ego bait formats. First, interviews that spotlight a single expert with thoughtful questions, clean editing, and a transcript that boosts search visibility. Second, expert roundups that gather sharp, concise insights around one focused prompt, multiplying reach across contributors and their audiences. Third, awards designed with clear criteria and honest methodology so companies proudly display badges and link back to your announcement page.

You’ll hear practical workflows for each tactic, including how to choose guests and categories, how to write prompts that elicit substance not fluff, and how to package the final piece with visuals, pull-quotes, and copy-and-paste snippets. We also cover lighter plays like curated listicles and niche directories, where to set expectations on effort versus yield, and how to avoid common pitfalls such as overstuffed lists or vague award criteria that erode trust.

The secret sauce is the follow-up. We walk through polite outreach that secures participation, and post-publication nudges that encourage sharing without strings attached. Make it easy with assets, keep it genuine, and track what formats lead to real links. If you’re ready to move beyond cold emails and create content that people are proud to promote, this guide will sharpen your strategy and accelerate results.

Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe, leave a quick review, and share it with someone who’s planning their next link-building campaign. Got questions or want personalised help? Book a free one-on-one demo at keywordspeopleuse.com/demo and let’s level up your content.

SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com

Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo

You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tips

To get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me now

See Edd's personal site at edddawson.com

Ask me a question and get on the show Click here to record a question

Find Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & Twitter

Find KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use

"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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If your backlink comes with a receipt, it’s probably a liability. We break down the crucial difference between buying placements and earning genuine editorial links, tracing the story from PageRank to Penguin to today’s AI-driven search where citations and trust decide who gets surfaced. Along the way, we show how to avoid risky shortcuts and build a durable system for attracting links that actually move rankings.

We start by unpacking why Google treats paid links as manipulation and how that pollutes the link graph, making results worse for everyone. Then we pivot to what white-hat link building looks like in the real world: story-first digital PR, clear assets that deserve attention, and outreach that invites coverage without dictating anchor text or demanding a link. You’ll hear how to vet agencies, why “we guarantee 500 links” is a red flag, and how to separate paying for expertise from paying for links. We also share a lightweight playbook you can run yourself: launch a useful tool or guide, craft a tight angle, take it to the right conversations, and let editors choose you.

Expect practical guardrails you can use today: decouple fees from link counts, track outcomes beyond volume, and look for natural placements on relevant sites. We also talk about the compounding effect of genuine mentions and why that matters even more as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity cite sources in their answers. When publications and niche experts link because your content helps their readers, you build authority that lasts through algorithm shifts and platform changes.

Ready to trade risky purchases for resilient growth? Hit play, then subscribe, share this with a teammate who needs it, and leave a quick review to tell us what you’ll try first.

SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com

Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo

You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tips

To get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me now

See Edd's personal site at edddawson.com

Ask me a question and get on the show Click here to record a question

Find Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & Twitter

Find KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use

"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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What if one small, free tool could earn you more backlinks, leads, and trust than months of blogging? We dive into engineering as marketing, a strategy that turns lightweight, useful tools into link magnets and lead engines, especially powerful as AI search surfaces cited, authoritative resources.

I walk through the core idea: build a free tool that solves a real problem right next to your product’s value. From HubSpot’s Website Grader to Ahrefs’ free Backlink Checker, we break down why these tools spread so fast, how they capture qualified interest, and what makes them defensible. You’ll learn the principles that matter most: tight product alignment, single-purpose scope, instant output, and honest value that earns shares without heavy gating. We also talk about how this approach fits top-of-funnel intent, attracting people who are problem-aware but not yet shopping, and why that early trust compounds into stronger SEO performance and brand recognition.

Then we get practical. I outline how to choose the right idea, avoid feature bloat, and plan a small but focused launch to trigger the first wave of links and usage. We cover lightweight promotion on LinkedIn and Twitter, tapping your network for early feedback, and using supporting content to answer questions and strengthen search visibility. The point is simple: difficulty becomes your moat—if it’s genuinely useful and hard to copy, it will keep earning attention over time.

If you’re ready to stand out from a sea of lookalike content, this is your playbook for building something people can’t wait to share. Subscribe for more SEO strategies, share this with a teammate who’s stuck on content ideas, and leave a quick review to tell me which tool you’ll build next.

SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com

Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo

You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tips

To get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me now

See Edd's personal site at edddawson.com

Ask me a question and get on the show Click here to record a question

Find Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & Twitter

Find KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use

"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Want more high‑quality links without playing whack‑a‑mole with paid placements or low‑value directories? We walk through a strategy that flips the usual script: stop entering awards and start running them. By becoming the awarding body in your niche, you can earn relevant backlinks from major brands, spark press coverage, and build durable authority that search engines and AI assistants recognise.

We begin with why links still matter, especially as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity cite trusted sources. Then we compare two paths: paying to enter business awards versus designing your own programme. The first can help E‑E‑A‑T a bit, but links are often generic and pricey. The second lets you set clear categories, publish transparent criteria, and celebrate real winners in your vertical. Think “Best Value Broadband,” “Fastest Fibre,” or for ecommerce, “Best Electric Lawn Mower Under £200.” With a solid methodology and a public winners page, merchants proudly display badges, issue press releases, and link back to your site.

We dig into the playbook: how to craft objective scoring, create a badge and media kit, write compelling winner blurbs, and build award pages that naturally attract links. We share examples from comparison sites that use awards to get merchant links that are topically spot‑on and hard to replicate. You’ll hear practical tips for scaling from a lightweight launch to full ceremonies, and why physical trophies and livestream announcements dramatically increase participation and coverage. We also cover outreach, PR timing, and ethical guardrails so your awards remain credible and defensible.

If you’ve ever considered spending five figures on link buying, you’ll see how reallocating a slice of that budget to an awards programme can produce safer, stronger, and longer‑lasting results. By the end, you’ll have a step‑by‑step path to design categories, ship badges, and turn recognition into backlinks, brand searches, and press mentions that compound year after year. Enjoy the episode, and if this helps you rethink your link strategy, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a quick review to tell us what award you’d launch first.

SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com

Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo

You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tips

To get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me now

See Edd's personal site at edddawson.com

Ask me a question and get on the show Click here to record a question

Find Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & Twitter

Find KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use

"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Guest posting sounds harmless: write for a reputable site, add a link, meet a new audience. But when that link is part of the deal—and it passes PageRank—you could be stepping straight into “unnatural links” territory. We break down a real manual action that cited a guest article as the example, then map a clear path to promote your work without risking your domain.

I walk through Google’s stance on guest posts, why intent matters more than money changing hands, and how manual actions differ from algorithmic hits. You’ll hear what a reviewer looks for, what the warning language means, and why followed links in arranged content are increasingly treated as manipulation. We also dig into the role of AI-driven answer engines, where citations and authority matter more than ever, and how to earn those mentions the right way.

From there, we shift into solutions. Learn how to use nofollow and sponsored attributes, structure guest contributions for audience impact, and spark second-order coverage that generates truly editorial links. We contrast press release distribution—where editors decide what to include—with negotiated content that dictates anchor text and follow status. I share a promotion-first playbook: build linkable assets people love to cite, pitch stories with data and tools, and keep a written outreach policy that protects you as your profile grows.

If you care about sustainable SEO, this is your roadmap to stay visible and stay safe. Subscribe for more practical, plain-English guidance on link building, digital PR, and earning trust online. If you learned something useful, share this episode with a friend and leave a quick review so others can find it.

SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com

Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo

You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tips

To get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me now

See Edd's personal site at edddawson.com

Ask me a question and get on the show Click here to record a question

Find Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & Twitter

Find KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use

"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/