E716: I break down exactly how I approach keyword research - using competitor data, Google Search Console, and SERP analysis to find high-impact keywords you can actually rank for.

Then, I share some of the best community advice from the SEO subreddit, covering both keyword research and a hot topic: are there any real SEO shortcuts that still work today?

You’ll walk away with proven strategies, insights, and a better understanding of how to target keywords and do SEO that brings real results.

What You’ll Learn:
- One of my keyword research workflows
- How to analyze competitors to uncover hidden keyword gems
- Spotting weak SERPs where you can easily outrank existing pages
- Using Google Search Console to find unexpected keyword opportunities
- When and how to update existing pages vs. creating new content
- How Reddit SEO pros approach keyword research and personas
- Tools and AI prompts for building effective customer personas
- Why bottom-of-funnel keywords can be a powerful (and overlooked) shortcut
- Are there real SEO shortcuts? Here’s what the SEO community says
- Low-risk, high-reward tactics like internal linking, image compression, and title tag optimization
- Why “smart work” often beats “shortcuts” in the long run
- The power of linkable assets and timing content with market trends

If you're tired of vague advice and want real, practical SEO tactics, this episode is for you.

⭐️ How to get better at Keyword Research? - https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1l6l7tg/how_to_get_better_at_keyword_research/

⭐️ SEO Shortcuts - https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1ldjcd2/seo_shortcuts/

⭐️ How 16 Companies are Dominating the World’s Google Search Results (2024 Edition) - https://detailed.com/google-control/

⭐️ E608 - SEO Shortcuts From a 25 Year Veteran - Bill Hartzer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz6JLv86L0Y

💎 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 SEO Tips
00:53 Improving Keyword Research Skills
02:49 Community Insights on Keyword Research
07:10 Exploring SEO Shortcuts
11:17 Long-Term SEO Strategies
14:11 Final Thoughts

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

#searchengineoptimization #seotips #seohacks #digitalmarketing

E715: A fascinating new discovery about Google’s indexing behavior: if your page hasn’t been crawled in 130 days, it will be removed from Google’s index.

This insight comes from a deep-dive study by Alexis Rylko at iProspect, who used Screaming Frog and the Google Search Console API to uncover the pattern.

I break down:
- What the 130-day crawl rule is and why it matters
- How Google decides which pages to keep or drop
- Real-world case studies across different industries
- How to identify at-risk pages on your own site
- Practical steps to keep your content indexed and improve crawl frequency

Whether you’re an SEO, content strategist, or just trying to keep your pages visible on Google, this is a must-listen. Don’t let your content silently disappear from search.

⭐️ Source: https://alekseo.com/google-and-the-130-day-rule/

💎 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 Google's De-Indexing Issue
00:34 Alexis Rylko's 130-Day Rule Discovery
01:21 Understanding Google's Indexing Strategy
03:30 Setting Up Screaming Frog for Analysis
06:48 Case Studies on the 130-Day Rule
10:09 Improving Crawlability and Indexation
13:49 Final Thoughts

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

#searchengineoptimization #technicalsearchengineoptimization #seotips #digitalmarketing

E714: Alex Moss, Principal SEO at Yoast, joins the show!

We cover everything from AI agents, LLMs, and Google's monopoly risk, to whether link building is dying, and what LLMs.txt really means for content visibility.

We also discuss:
- How ChatGPT and AI assistants are reshaping user behavior
- How SEO reporting, keyword strategy & top-of-funnel content are evolving
- Why bottom-of-funnel and brand-driven content are becoming king
- What Google might look like in the next few years
- Scaled content, hallucinations, and how to actually use AI in SEO workflows
- Black hat SEO trends
- The hype vs. reality of AI agents (and why most don’t save time)
- Optimizing for voice search, Google’s AI Overviews, and the rise of user-generated content
- Practical SEO advice for SMBs & legacy SEO myths that don’t work anymore

Whether you're a seasoned SEO or just trying to keep up with all the changes, this episode is packed with insight, skepticism, and real-world experience.

About Alex Moss:
Alex Moss is Principal SEO at Yoast as well as Co-Founder of FireCask. He has over 20 years experience in every aspect of the SEO industry from in-house, freelancer, agency employee and agency owner. With a background in technical SEO, Alex has been working in Search since its infancy. Alex also has years of knowledge of WordPress, creating and optimizing sites since 2010. Over the years Alex has built everything from popular plugins to custom-made themes and frameworks, as well as being involved in complex WordPress and SEO projects globally.

⭐️ Alex Moss on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexmoss1/
⭐️ Alex Moss on 𝕏: https://x.com/alexmoss
⭐️ Alex Moss home: https://alex-moss.co.uk/
⭐️ Yoast: https://yoast.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 WordPress and Yoast SEO
01:05 The Impact of ChatGPT on SEO
03:16 Google's Monopoly and the Rise of AI Assistants
06:25 Future of SEO and Content Marketing
08:36 Challenges and Opportunities with AI in SEO
20:08 Automation in SEO: Tools and Techniques
34:16 Best Practices for SEO
42:58 Discussing LLMs and Their Impact
43:41 Exploring the Adoption and Skepticism of LLMs
45:26 Understanding LLMs.txt and Its Implementation
49:43 SEO Mistakes and the Future of Link Building
53:48 Voice Search and AI in SEO
01:01:21 Black Hat SEO Tactics and AI Content
01:06:41 The Role of AI in Content Creation
01:14:13 Humanoid Robots and the Future of AI
01:15:52 Final Thoughts

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

#searchengineoptimization #generativeengineoptimization #seotips #digitalmarketing

E713: Think your homepage should rank for all your top keywords? Think again. In this episode, I break down one of the biggest mistakes I still see SEOs making in 2025 - using the homepage as a catch-all SEO landing page.

You'll learn:
- Why targeting keywords with your homepage doesn't work anymore
- The real purpose of a homepage in modern SEO
- How exact match domains (EMDs) actually hurt your rankings (revealed in the Google API Leak)
- What to put on your homepage to build authority, trust, and links
- The right way to structure your site to rank for competitive keywords

If you're still stacking H2s and keyword-stuffed paragraphs on your homepage, this episode will be a wake-up call. Old SEO is dead - here's what to do instead.

⭐️ Mashable on Exact Match Domains in the Google API Leak - https://mashable.com/article/google-search-content-api-warehouse-seo-leak

💎 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
00:19 The Purpose of a Homepage
01:12 Common Mistakes with Homepage SEO
01:57 Why Old SEO Tactics Fail Today
03:10 The Issue with Exact Match Domains
04:51 Best Practices for Homepage SEO
05:44 Further Resources

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

#searchengineoptimization #seotips #seo101 #digitalmarketing

E712: The wildest, weirdest, and most persistent SEO myths floating around the internet - from adding emojis to your meta descriptions to bolding rhyming keywords for “semantic musicality.”

We’re breaking down what actually matters in SEO in 2025 - backlinks, content quality, site speed, AI-generated content, and more.

Whether you’re an SEO veteran or just trying to figure out if Google really cares about your sitemap, this episode’s for you.

Featuring:
- The myth that just won’t die: “SEO is dead”
- Do backlinks still matter?
- Why content isn’t automatically “king”
- Real talk about page speed, AI content, and Google’s evolving signals
- Community-favorite myths from Reddit’s SEO threads

⭐️ Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1l5gpyd/tell_me_your_best_seo_myths/

⭐️ LLMs.txt - What It Is and Do You Need One? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOo6YC6n2hE

💎 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 Hilarious SEO Tips from the Internet
01:07 Emojis in Meta Descriptions
01:39 Keywords in HTML Class Tags
02:21 The Truth About Backlinks
03:57 Common Misconceptions in SEO Practices
07:19 Page Speed and Rankings
08:04 Bolding Keywords and Semantic Musicality
08:29 Top 12 SEO Myths by WebLinkr
09:28 Final Thoughts

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

#searchengineoptimization #seomyths #seohacks

E711: Thousands of SEOs are reporting a massive drop in indexed pages - starting around May 20th. Is it a glitch? An algorithm update? Or something bigger?

I share my bold theory on why Google is de-indexing so many pages - and why platforms like TikTok, Reddit, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn are now dominating search results.

Here’s what I cover:
- The data behind Google's index purge
- Why user-generated content (UGC) is being prioritized
- The rise of short-form video in search rankings
- What this shift means for your SEO strategy
- How to optimize content for visibility in 2025 and beyond

Plus, I’ll walk you through how to quickly repurpose your ideas into video content that ranks - and the tools I use to automate it all.

If your pages are disappearing from search, this episode will give you clarity, strategy, and solutions.

⭐️ The biggest mistake digital marketers will make this year - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/the-biggest-mistake-digital-marketers-will-make-this-year/

⭐️ State of Search Q1 2025: Behaviors, Trends, and Clicks Across the US & Europe https://datos.live/report/state-of-search-q1-2025/

⭐️ Drop In Google Indexing Less Since Late May 2025? - https://www.seroundtable.com/google-indexing-less-may-39538.html

⭐️ Reminder: Google has been removing indexed pages. Check and resubmit. - https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1l3i896/reminder_google_has_been_removing_indexed_pages/

⭐️ Google On Unrelated Content As A Search Ranking Issue - https://www.seroundtable.com/unrelated-content-google-seo-39574.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 Introduction: De-Indexing Issue
00:53 Popular Theories on De-Indexing
02:03 User-Generated Content Hypothesis
03:33 Impact of Short-Form Video
06:21 SEO Strategies for Video Content
09:17 Final Thoughts

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

#searchengineoptimization #seotips #seohacks #digitalmarketing

E710: How do you grow an SEO agency from $0 to 8 figures? James Reynolds, founder of SEO Sherpa, shares just this - exactly how he built his agency from the ground up.

We cover:
- How James scaled SEO Sherpa from a solo consulting business to an 8-figure agency with a 65-person team
- The strategy behind his 21 SEO Experiments article
- How to build a scalable agency without getting stuck in client work
- How to get your first clients with no money and no network
- Using AI to improve agency operations and client retention
- How to structure your first deals and avoid common mistakes that cause client churn
- The growing importance of video and modern link-building for SEO

If you run an agency, work as a freelancer, or do SEO for clients, this conversation will give you practical ideas you can use.

⭐️ James Reynolds on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshreynolds/

⭐️ 21 SEO Experiments That Will Change The Way You Think About SEO (Forever) - https://seosherpa.com/seo-experiments/

⭐️ SEO Sherpa - Home - https://seosherpa.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 Background
01:10 The Impact of SEO Experiments
03:57 Creating Linkable Assets
11:11 Starting an SEO Agency from Scratch
19:53 Building Client Relationships and Networking
26:20 Mentorship and Scaling Your Business
33:34 Perception in Public Speaking
34:23 Leveraging Speaking Engagements for Marketing
35:31 Business Landscape in Dubai Circa 2010
38:40 Challenges and Strategies in Client Management
44:42 Starting an SEO Business from Scratch
49:25 The Role of AI in Modern Agencies
55:01 Effective Client Acquisition Channels
57:47 The Impact of Short-Form Video Content
01:04:32 Advice for Aspiring SEO Professionals
01:07:46 Growing Your Presence on LinkedIn
01:09:32 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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

#searchengineoptimization #consultingtips #agencytips #digitalmarketing

E709: Google is de-indexing millions of pages - and SEOs around the world are scrambling to figure out why.

I explain what’s happening with the recent changes to Google’s indexing, which appear to have started in late May 2025.

Topics covered:
- Why pages are being removed from Google’s index
- How Google’s approach to topical authority may be changing
- Whether this is connected to an upcoming Core Update
- What you can do if your pages were de-indexed

I’ll also share what other SEOs are seeing and how some are recovering lost pages.

⭐️ Paul P on 𝕏 - https://x.com/pavlos1944/status/1932354931392135449

⭐️ Drop In Google Indexing Less Since Late May 2025? - https://www.seroundtable.com/google-indexing-less-may-39538.html

⭐️ Reminder: Google has been removing indexed pages. Check and resubmit. - https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1l3i896/reminder_google_has_been_removing_indexed_pages/

⭐️ 127 pages crawled not indexed and loss of position - https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1l5t5bk/127_pages_crawled_not_indexed_and_loss_of_position/

⭐️ Link Echoes SEO Experiment - https://seosherpa.com/seo-experiments/

⭐️ Google On Unrelated Content As A Search Ranking Issue - https://www.seroundtable.com/unrelated-content-google-seo-39574.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 Google's Massive De-Indexing: An Overview
00:11 Reports and Examples of De-Indexing
01:31 Theories Behind Google's De-Indexing
02:19 How to Check and Fix De-Indexed Pages
03:28 Community Insights and Reactions
09:03 Understanding Topical Authority and Link Echoes
13:45 Final Thoughts and Recommendations

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

#searchengineoptimization #seotips #seohacks #digitalmarketingnews