Edward Sturm
SEO, digital marketing, organic social media marketing, growth hacks, and founder stories. Everything I'm doing to grow my ...
SEO Listener Q&A: AI Writing, Outbound Links, Ranking Without Backlinks, and Is SEO Still Worth It?
In this episode, the host answers listener questions about using AI for SEO writing, when and what to link out to, and how to humanize AI content without losing trust. They cover practical tips on citing sources, avoiding obvious AI writing signals, the implications of Google’s patents on AI and ranking, and the idea that SEO remains a core, still-rewarding channel—especially when paired with product-based monetization and cross-channel content like videos.
The SEO Video Funnel That Closes High-Ticket Clients at 50%
The video outlines a high-touch, simple SEO-driven funnel for high-ticket offers, detailing the tools and steps to run it—from keyword research and video creation to form capture, automation, and tailored follow-ups. It emphasizes short mobile videos targeting top- and bottom-of-funnel keywords, a seven-field form with archetypes, personalized post-form videos the next day, and a structured, AI-assisted editing and email workflow to build trust and convert prospects.
Stop Hoarding SEO Authority: Nofollow Links Don’t Work the Way You Think
The video debunks the outdated idea that you can hoard SEO authority with no-follow links or pageRank sculpting. It explains how PageRank actually flows, why no-follow limits this flow, and why the smarter focus is on strong content, solid site architecture, and deliberate internal and outbound linking to boost pages that truly matter. It also references Matt Cutts’ guidance on allowing PageRank to flow and avoiding hoarding or closing off links.
Guest Blogging Is DEAD for SEO (According to Google)
The host revisits Matt Cutts’ warning from 2014 about the decline of guest blogging for SEO, highlighting how it turned spammy and risky. It contrasts this with the evolution of link building, citing John Mueller’s guidance on nofollowed links and advocating for high-quality, purposeful backlinks or alternative strategies for lasting SEO gains.
How We’d Make $10K/Month From SEO Starting Today (From Scratch)
In Episode 1,000, the hosts celebrate a milestone while debating bold, hands‑on SEO and AI experiments—from buying aged domains and building link networks to deploying AI agents like OpenClaw for scalable content and automation. They discuss platform dynamics (Google, Reddit, LinkedIn, X, YouTube), the tension between white‑hat and black‑hat tactics, and near‑term predictions about AI becoming a default in search, with practical insights on risk, automation, and staying ahead in a rapidly evolving landscape.
How to Humanize AI Content (Before It Destroys Your SEO)
The video explains why obvious AI writing harms SEO performance and user trust, outlines signs that content is AI-generated, and provides practical ways to humanize AI content—from voice-dictated drafts to careful editing and personalization to keep tone authentic and actionable. It covers key giveaways that reveal AI writing, a five-item checklist of what AI tends to do, and concrete steps to rewrite, enrich, and visually enhance content so it reads as human and trustworthy rather than machine-generated.
Google’s March 2026 Core Update Is Brutal - What SEOs Are Seeing & How to Survive
The episode discusses Google's March 2026 core update and the surrounding spam-related signals, noting extreme volatility in SERPs as the update rolls out. It blends community reactions (Joy Hawkins and others) with analysis of what tends to win in search—strong entity definitions, tight internal linking, clear topical authority, and high-quality signals—while offering practical SEO tactics to weather updates, such as building content and links in tandem, diversifying signals, and niching down before expanding. The host also cautions against over-optimizing for a single pattern and explains how to structure content and links to avoid penalties while maintaining relevance and user value.
The GEO Myth: Why AI Search Is Just SEO in Disguise
The host walks through ongoing experiments in AI-driven SEO, focusing on what actually moves rankings and citations. They discuss the role of third-party mentions, grounding queries, and web-search-like behavior in LLMs, plus tools like Web Linker, Claude, Perplexity, and PromptWatch, to illustrate how AI sources information. The takeaway is a practical push toward SEO-friendly landing/product pages and cited content to win in AI-assisted search, with emphasis on reputation, topical authority, and measurable signals.
Google’s FASTEST Spam Update Ever (March 2026 Breakdown)
The March 2026 Google spam update rolled out globally and completed quickly, triggering noticeable ranking shifts and traffic volatility for some sites. The discussion focuses on what the update targets (spam, thin AI-generated content, link schemes, reputation abuse) versus what it may not, and offers guidance on content quality, internal linking, and policy review as publishers adapt.
Nathan Gotch on Building AI SEO SaaS: 7,000 Product Changes, No Free Trials, and the New Search Era
The speaker shares how he balances rapid AI-enabled product builds with disciplined marketing, stressing the need to focus on core strengths, avoid shiny object syndrome, and iterate slowly to avoid overextension. He outlines a shift toward agency-focused SEO and the “compact keywords” approach, plus a big emphasis on automation, testing, security, and scalable systems, while juggling multiple ventures and a demanding schedule.
The Internet Is Breaking Again (AI Poisoning & Digg’s Collapse)
The episode examines the risks of AI recommendation poisoning, highlighting how hidden prompts, memory manipulation, and persistent prompts can bias AI outputs in finance, health, security, and marketing. It uses real-world examples from Microsoft’s Copilot and Dig to illustrate how such tactics can undermine trust, trigger harmful business decisions, and force a rethink of how we design, monitor, and restore integrity in AI-assisted workflows.
How TikTok Lives Built a $15–18M SEO/PPC Agency (Founder Works 8 Hours/Week)
Jake narrates his journey building and scaling a marketing agency through hands-on live interactions, strategic hiring, and operational systems. He shares hard-earned lessons on mergers, leadership (via EOS), pricing, margins, risk management, and maintaining trust with clients and his team while pursuing growth milestones. He emphasizes the value of letting capable people lead delivery, the importance of buy-in before deep strategy, and the power of a strong personal brand to attract quality talent and customers.
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