E893: How do search engines actually work - and what role do LLMs really play?

David Quaid joins the show to break open the search engine black box, explaining how Google, Bing, and AI-powered tools retrieve and rank content, why pages fail to get indexed, and which SEO "rules" are myths versus reality.

We explore the Query Fan-Out, PageRank, CTR testing, indexing behavior, and why most advice about freshness, dwell time, and AI search is misleading.

If you've been confused by LLM search results, indexing issues, or sudden ranking changes, this conversation will recalibrate how you think about SEO.

Topics Covered
- What Query Fan-Out is and how LLMs retrieve web results
- Why pages aren't getting indexed (Google & Bing)
- PageRank: why it still matters and can't be replaced
- CTR vs dwell time: what Google actually tests
- Freshness myths (2025 / 2026 queries explained)
- Ranking in AI search tools like ChatGPT, Grok, and Perplexity
- When to create a new page vs update existing content
- Indexing APIs, backlinks, and why manual indexing is a red flag
- SEO strategies for SaaS founders and solopreneurs

⭐️ 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/

💎 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 Welcome and Introduction
00:24 Understanding Query Fan-Out
03:39 SEO Strategies for Bing
09:31 OpenAI and the Future of Search Indexes
17:01 The Evolution and Impact of PageRank
32:57 How to Index a Link Instantly
41:36 Ranking in Grok
44:11 The Role of Freshness in LLMs and SEO Rankings
46:17 Insights from Glen Allsopp's Study on Best Lists
48:39 Debating the Importance of Freshness in SEO
52:03 Challenges of SEO for AI-Generated Content
59:30 Strategies for Creating and Updating SEO Pages
01:05:47 AI-Generated Content and SEO
01:07:09 Challenges with AI-Generated Sites
01:14:23 SEO Tips for SaaS and Tool Founders
01:20:24 Concluding Thoughts and Future Discussions

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#searchengineoptimization #linkbuilding #backlinks #digitalmarketing

E892: Google just dropped the December 2025 Core Update, and the early signs point to major SERP changes - not just rankings, but how traffic is distributed.

I break down what we're seeing so far:
- Massive volatility across top-of-funnel sites
- Click-through rates collapsing even when rankings stay the same
- Video thumbnails disappearing from organic results
- YouTube carousels taking over key queries
- AI-generated sites feeling renewed pressure
- Why some sites dropped hard - and then rebounded

I also cover real-time reactions from SEOs and publishers, including Reddit reports that surfaced before Google officially announced the update, plus early predictions on who benefits, who loses, and why this feels more like a SERP restructuring than a traditional penalty.

We'll talk about:
- Why YouTube is winning this update
- What this means for AI content and "AI slop" sites
- The future of Reddit, parasite SEO, and platform dominance
- Why authentic, fast-answer content continues to get prioritized
- How bottom-of-funnel SEO holds up during core updates

This update is expected to roll out over three weeks, so this is an early analysis — and I'll be covering it more as the data comes in.

This is Episode 892 of The Edward Show - 892 days in a row without missing an episode.

⭐️ Google Search Central's post - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/googlesearchcentral_google-search-status-dashboard-activity-7404935154072371201-0fKv/
⭐️ Google December 2025 Core Update Is Rolling Out - You Surprised? - https://www.seroundtable.com/google-december-2025-core-update-40569.html
⭐️ Reddit chatter - https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1pk3cvd/december_3rd_algorithm_update_massive_traffic/

💎 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 Google's December 2025 Core Update Announcement
00:32 Previous Updates
01:31 Community Reactions to the Update
03:42 Harpreet Singh's Predictions
04:31 Analyzing Core Update Effects
05:26 Future of SEO and Content Prioritization
08:21 Move Down the SEO Funnel
10:06 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#searchengineoptimization #googlecoreupdate #marketingnews #digitalmarketing

E891: One of the wildest SEO journeys you'll ever hear. Tryggvi Rafn went from running a portfolio of sites that were absolutely crushing it… to waking up one morning and seeing every single one wiped out by Google. From there, he rebuilt, reinvented, and eventually scaled 1,000+ profitable sites across multiple industries.

We break down the real truths about SEO that no one talks about - what actually moves revenue, why most AI SEO is doomed, how link building really works going into 2026, and the exact strategies he uses with his e-commerce clients today.

If you care about SEO, AI content, link building, or building real online businesses, this is a must-listen.

You'll hear:
- The morning Google wiped out his entire income
- Panda, Penguin, and how those updates mirror what's happening right now
- Why AI spam and auto-posting will get sites clapped
- Buyer-intent SEO vs. topical authority nonsense
- The truth about scaling pages (and how many you can publish at once)
- The link building shortcuts that kill sites
- Parasite SEO, Reddit domination, and modern tiered linking
- Why most agencies drive traffic that never converts
- How to build an e-commerce SEO system that prints revenue for years
- The future of SEO with AI - what's real and what's hype

If you run an e-commerce brand or do SEO, don't miss this one.

⭐️ Tryggvi Rafn on 𝕏 - https://x.com/ecomtryggvi
⭐️ Tryggvi Rafn on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tryggvi-rafn/
⭐️ Tryggvi Rafn on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Ecomtryggvi
⭐️ Tryggvi Rafn's agency - https://www.nordicamarketing.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 The 2012 SEO Apocalypse: Losing Everything Overnight
00:37 Early SEO Tactics: Niche Sites and Keyword Stuffing
03:04 The Rise and Fall of Spun Content and Link Networks
04:37 The Impact of Google's Panda and Penguin Updates
09:07 The Shift to Quality Content and User Engagement
10:53 Modern SEO Challenges: AI Content and Link Building
14:25 Building Effective SEO Strategies for E-commerce
18:37 The Importance of Context and Brand Story in SEO
28:09 Common SEO Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
32:01 Scaling SEO with Domain Authority
32:24 Programmatic SEO: Launch Strategies
33:42 Content Velocity and Quality
35:14 Effective Keyword Clustering
39:24 Natural vs. Unnatural SEO Practices
41:59 Link Building: Do's and Don'ts
49:51 The Future of AI in SEO and Marketing
01:02:18 Concluding Thoughts and Future Plans

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#searchengineoptimization #generativeengineoptimization #answerengineoptimization #digitalmarketing

E890: One of the most debated SEO tactics today: companies publishing "Best X in Y" listicles and ranking themselves #1.

For years, this has been a common SEO strategy, but in 2025-2026 it has become far more powerful. These listicles are now being ingested by AI systems like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, and Grok, and are influencing the rankings these models generate.

A single self-promotional page can now push a brand to the top across multiple AI platforms. This raises a major question for the industry: will Google allow this, or will these pages get devalued or penalized?

Gagan Ghotra returns to discuss how Google will treat these listicles in the future, how AI models decide which brands to surface, and the role of reputation signals, UGC, reviews, achievements, and entity data. We also explore why AI Overviews may eventually replace listicle-style pages entirely, and how brands need to adapt their content strategies going into 2026.

This is a deep conversation about the evolving relationship between SEO, AI search experiences, and brand authority. We cover technical SEO factors, ethical concerns, programmatic list creation, Google's knowledge graph, and how brands can influence AI through strategic content creation across the web.

Topics discussed:

- Why self-ranking "Best X for Y" listicles suddenly influence AI results
- Whether this tactic is deceptive or simply smart SEO
- How Google might detect and penalize manipulative listicle strategies
- Why some sites get hit while others remain unaffected
- How AI Overviews generate their own lists using entity and knowledge-graph data
- Why achievements, awards, team announcements, and reviews now matter more
- How user-generated content on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and X can affect AI rankings
- The rise of reputation-focused SEO copywriting
- The impact of hidden content, accordions, and rendering issues on AI understanding
- Trustpilot, marketplaces, and how programmatic SEO could change the landscape
- How Google's future search experience may rely less on listicles and more on AI-generated recommendations
- Why brands need to create public, verifiable content about their wins
- The future of bottom-of-funnel content across both websites and social platforms

⭐️ 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/

💎 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 Introduction to Blog Listicles
00:34 The Ethics of Self-Promotion in SEO
01:14 Historical Context of SEO Tactics
01:53 The Impact of Blog Listicles on Search Rankings
04:11 Debate on the Future of Self-Promotional Pages
11:03 The Role of User-Generated Content in SEO
12:24 AI Overviews and Their Influence on Rankings
16:30 Strategies for Influencing AI Rankings
23:09 Google's Future in AI-Generated Rankings
23:34 Google's New Recommendation System
24:46 AI Mode and Business Profiles
26:25 SEO Copywriting Trends for 2026
30:05 Importance of Reputation Management in SEO
31:14 Creating Effective Best-of Lists
33:22 Trustpilot's Missed Opportunities
35:04 Programmatic SEO and AI
36:25 Challenges and Solutions in Programmatic Content
37:55 The Future of Content and SEO
40:53 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#searchengineoptimization #answerengineoptimization #generativeengineoptimization #digitalmarketing

889: We break down image SEO, visual search, AI-generated alt text at scale using Gemini, and Easter Eggs in alt text!

The timeless SEO sage, Gagan Ghotra returns to the podcast for this once-in-a-lifetime episode.

If your website has product images, blog images, ecommerce listings, or ANY visual content, this episode will show you how Google actually understands those images - and how to use AI to massively improve your rankings.

Don't. Miss. This. One.

We cover:
- Why visual search is exploding across Google, Gemini, and mobile search
- How Google matches an uploaded photo to real products
- Why most alt text on the internet is completely useless
- How to generate perfect, descriptive alt text using Gemini (including the exact prompt)
- Scaling alt text updates for 10K-50K+ images
- Common image SEO mistakes that hurt your rankings
- Why AI-generated product images can destroy your business
- Real examples from ecommerce sites, marketplaces, and content sites
- Bonus: how screenshots, YouTube thumbnails, and social images rank so well

We also share insights on:
- Using Gemini API + Python for large-scale automation
- Why real photos always outperform AI-generated ones
- How to future-proof for 2026's incoming visual search wave
- What Google really wants from your product images

Whether you run an SEO agency, ecommerce brand, SaaS company, or content site - this episode will give you a huge advantage.

If you miss this one, your websites will tank in rankings - so DON'T. MISS. THIS!

This episode was sponsored by the Edward Sturm for Better SEO Rankings Global Initiative, thank you for watching and your continued patronage 🙏

⭐️ Gagan Ghotra's Alt Text Generator (live for a limited time) - https://nanobanana-alt-text-generator-289265803456.us-west1.run.app/
⭐️ 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/

💎 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 Introduction and Gagan's Travel Lifestyle
00:52 Challenges of Constant Travel
01:45 Networking for SEO and Business Strategies
04:02 Importance of In-Person Events
06:58 AI and Image SEO
08:29 SEO Techniques
09:54 Advanced Image SEO Strategies
11:20 Generating Alt Text with AI
13:26 Using AI for Image SEO at Scale
19:47 Real-World Applications and Best Practices
21:58 Technical Challenges in Image SEO
23:56 Google's Image Matching Process
27:04 Real vs. AI-Generated Images
28:26 Conclusion and Future Topics

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#imageseo #searchengineoptimization #technicalseo #generativeengineoptimization

E888: Stop making service area pages you'll never rank for.

We break down one of the most common local SEO mistakes new businesses make - trying to rank in cities they don't have topical authority for.

From Darren Shaw (founder of Whitespark and one of the top local SEO experts in the world) said it best, "If you want to rank 50 miles away, you need a new location." Not more pages. Not more blog posts. A verified Google Business Profile in that city with a real, verified location.

You'll learn:
- Why service area pages for far-away cities never rank for new businesses
- What to focus on first
- How to expand your local radius the right way
- The right time to open additional locations + Google Business Profiles
- How to structure your homepage when you serve multiple cities
- Why topical authority is becoming more important than ever
- What happens when you update your GBP (hint: massive crawling)

If you've been trying to rank beyond your area with "Plumber Miami" - type pages while based in Dallas… this episode will save you months of wasted effort.

⭐️ Darren Shaw's local SEO episode - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1awWMG1e5kY

💎 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 Introduction to Common SEO Mistakes
00:27 Expert Insights from Darren Shaw
02:13 Effective Local SEO Strategies
02:53 Expanding Your Business Reach
04:29 Case Study: Success with SEO
06:34 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
07:08 Closing Remarks

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#localseo #searchengineoptimization #googlebusinessprofile #digitalmarketing

E887: Parasite Properties - the long-term SEO assets brands build to influence Google, AI models, and customer decision-making.

These properties rank because they sit on top of platforms Google already trusts, letting brands bypass traditional SEO.

They also feed directly into AI assistants, which increasingly pull their answers from high-authority UGC posts, reviews, and niche sites.

Understanding how these assets shape both search results and AI outputs is now essential for anyone competing in a crowded market.

We explore:
- What parasite SEO is and why it's evolving
- How brands quietly use aged accounts, UGC platforms, and niche sites to influence rankings
- The rise of AI-driven search and why Parasite Properties matter more than ever
- Real examples from Reddit, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Medium, Forbes, and more
- The difference between white-hat, gray-hat, and black-hat implementations
- How legitimate brands can ethically build properties that rank and convert
- Why 2026 will be the breakout year for this tactic

This episode gives you the full playbook for understanding how reputation, search engines, and AI intersect - and why the smartest brands are already preparing.

💎 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 Introduction to Parasite Properties
01:12 Understanding Parasite SEO
01:50 White Hat vs. Black Hat Tactics
02:18 Examples and Case Studies
03:49 The Role of Social Proof
04:59 Challenges and Future Trends
09:57 Building Authentic Brand Properties
11:50 Conclusion and Upcoming Episodes

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#parasiteseo #blackhatseo #searchengineoptimization #growthhacking

E886: Link echoes / link ghosts in SEO are one of the most misunderstood concepts in search ranking. Most people still believe that when a backlink is removed, its value disappears with it. But that isn't what really happens - and this, we break open the data that proves otherwise.

We walk through a fascinating series of backlink experiments run by Moz, Rand Fishkin, Mike King from iPullRank, and Martin Panayotov, revealing that rankings often stay high long after the original links vanish. These findings challenge long-held assumptions about how Google values links and how long link equity truly lasts.

If you're trying to understand why your rankings remain stable (or unstable), what happens when you lose links, or why quality links are worth more than people realize, this will permanently change how you think about SEO.

You'll Learn:
- What "link echoes" / "link ghosts" actually are
- Why backlinks continue passing value even after removal
- The Moz experiment where rankings stayed high despite all links disappearing
- Rand Fishkin's findings across 8 separate link tests
- How long link value appears to stick (months or more)
- Why good links are a long-term asset - and bad links can haunt you
- What this means for your link-building strategy going forward

⭐️ Source - https://seosherpa.com/seo-experiments/

💎 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 Introduction to Link Echoes / Link Ghosts
00:53 The Experiment Setup
02:01 Results and Analysis
02:35 Expert Insights from Rand Fishkin
03:46 Key Takeaways on Backlinks
05:43 Conclusion and Podcast Wrap-Up

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#searchengineoptimization #linkbuilding #backlinks #generativeengineoptimization