The Edward Show

E1048: How do you get backlinks when your website is brand new and has almost no authority?
We break down a real question from a founder who launched an AI tools directory and is stuck in the classic SEO chicken-and-egg problem: if no one trusts your site yet, why would anyone link to it?
We talk through what matters in the early stages of link building, what makes a new site look trustworthy, and practical strategies you can use right away - even if your domain authority is close to zero.
This episode covers:
- Why most people cannot tell that your site is "new" (unless you make it obvious)
- The biggest mistake founders make when asking for backlinks
- How to build relationships before you ever ask for a link
- How 15 minutes a day on social media can turn into real backlinks
- Why following up with journalists is critical (and how to do it properly)
- How to use AI to find journalists, develop angles, and write better pitches
- What makes a website feel trustworthy enough to link to
- How to create linkable assets people actually want to reference
- When to use Help A Reporter Out, Source of Sources, Qwoted, and Featured
- Why podcasts are an underrated backlink strategy
- Why you do not need massive authority to start earning links
We also discuss:
- Whether you should wait for traction before doing outreach
- The difference between chasing domain authority and building relevant referring domains
- How to structure your site so publishers feel comfortable linking to you
- Why most people fail to build ongoing relationships with journalists
- How to control the language around your backlinks
If you are building a startup, directory, SaaS, or content site and wondering how to earn your first 10–20 real backlinks, this episode walks through practical strategies that work in the early phase.
⭐️ The Reddit Thread - https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/1qugpbd/how_do_you_earn_backlinks_for_a_brandnew_site/
⭐️ The AI System to Find Relevant Journalists, Land Coverage, and Earn Ongoing High-Authority Backlinks - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/articles_ai-system-find-journalists-earn-high-authority-backlinks/
💎 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 Backlink Ideas Kickoff
00:11 The New Site Dilemma
01:10 Look Legit, Not Spam
01:40 Relationship First Outreach
02:24 VA Social Comment Strategy
03:46 Keep Journalists Warm
04:31 Competitor Link Research
06:08 Trust Signals Checklist
07:31 Linkable Assets and Placements
08:28 HARO, Qwoted, Featured, SoS
09:01 Share Functions for Links
09:48 Getting Links Without Assets
10:10 Podcast and Directory Backlinks
10:56 Wrap Up
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#linkbuilding #backlinks #searchengineoptimization #seo

E1047: Google just released official guidance on how to show up in generative AI search features like AI Overviews and AI Mode. 
And according to them?
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is just SEO.
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is just SEO.
There's no special LLM optimization playbook.
So… are they telling the full truth?
I break down Google's official post from Search Central and separate what's accurate from what's incomplete. Some of it is absolutely correct. Some of it shuts down common AI "growth hacks." And one part? It works - even though Google says it doesn't.
If you care about showing up in AI search results - Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude - this episode will save you years of distraction.
What we cover:
- Why SEO is still the foundation of AI search
- How retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) actually works in practice
- What "query fan-out" means and why it ties AI visibility directly to traditional search rankings
- Whether GEO and AEO are actually different from SEO
- Why non-commodity content matters more than ever
- The real reason most AI content farms spike and then collapse
- Why LLMs.txt and "chunking for AI" are mostly unnecessary
- What Google says about structured data (schema) and AI
- The truth about off-site reputation and mentions
- The real SEO signals that matter: relevance, authority, click-through rate, reduced pogo-sticking
I also explain:
- Why chasing AI shortcuts is usually harder than doing real SEO
- How to think about page creation without creating thousands of low-quality variations
- When JavaScript SEO becomes a problem
- Why page experience still impacts AI visibility
- How to approach reviews and reputation the right way
The core takeaway:
If you build pages that satisfy searchers, reduce bounce-backs to the SERPs, get mentions, and target high-intent queries - you will show up in AI search and get conversions.
You don't need special AI markup.

You don't need secret GEO frameworks.

You don't need to flood the web with AI-generated pages.
You need strong fundamentals.
⭐️ Google's post - Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search - https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide
🚀 Edward's SEO Articles - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/search-engine-optimization/
💎 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 Lying Debate
00:55 SEO Still Matters
01:48 RAG And Query Fanout
03:19 GEO Versus SEO
03:50 Unique Noncommodity Content
06:06 Structure And Media
07:12 Avoid Scaled Content Abuse
08:35 Technical SEO Basics
09:36 AI SEO Myths
11:09 Mentions, Reviews, And Schema
14:06 Final Take
15:53 Wrap Up And Goodbye
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#generativeengineoptimization #answerengineoptimization #searchengineoptimization #seo

E1046: Most websites ignore image SEO.
They upload files named IMG_9283.jpg.

They leave alt text blank.

They use stock images with no context.
Then they wonder why they are not getting traffic from Google Images or why their pages are underperforming.
We break down a short thread from Hridoy Rehman on X where he shared results from optimizing images:
- 241,000+ impressions
- 7,000+ clicks
- 2.9% click-through rate
We walk through the exact steps discussed and how you can apply them to your own site.
What you will learn:
- Why image SEO still matters
- How file names affect discoverability
- Why compressing images improves performance and SEO
- How to write alt text that helps Google understand your images
- Why original images often outperform stock photos
- Where to place images on a page for stronger contextual relevance
- How to use your page content to generate better alt text
- Why re-uploading images for specific landing pages can be strategic
- How I built a personal "photos" page to influence Google Image results for my name
Topics covered in detail:
- Renaming images before uploading (and the naming structure I recommend)
- Using dashes, subfolders, and URL slugs strategically
- Converting and compressing images to WebP
- Writing contextual alt text based on full page content
- Using screenshots and original visuals instead of generic stock images
- Structuring landing pages with images placed near relevant headings and paragraphs
If you run:
- A home services business
- A SaaS company
- An agency
- An ecommerce brand
- A personal brand
These tactics apply to you.
Image SEO is a simple, overlooked part of search engine optimization that can improve:
- Relevance
- Page performance
- Accessibility
- Image search visibility
- Overall organic performance
⭐️ Hridoy Rehman post - https://x.com/hridoyreh/status/2053409879055052970
🚀 Edward's SEO Articles - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/search-engine-optimization/
💎 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 Why Image SEO Matters
00:44 Rename Image Files
01:05 Compress and Use WebP
01:39 Alt Text That Ranks
01:57 ChatGPT Alt Text Workflow
03:32 Use Original Images
04:32 Place Images Near Text
04:46 Personal Photos SEO Case Study
06:09 Quick Recap and Checklist
07:41 Final Thanks and Sign Off
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #imageseo #seo #digitalmarketing

E1045: This is what it takes to carry the responsibility of managing 90 SEOs AT THE SAME TIME.
I sit down with Travis Tallent, former Managing Director of AI SEO at Brainlabs, where he led a team of 90 SEOs, CROs, digital PR specialists, and content strategists across enterprise clients like Microsoft and GitHub.
We break down what scales inside a large SEO organization, what quietly breaks, and what most people get wrong about hiring, systems, and AI.
This is not surface-level advice. It's what happens when you grow a team from 15 people to 90 in four and a half years and have to build the infrastructure to support it.
What we cover:
Leadership and scale
- What leading 90 SEOs is really like day to day
- The growing pains of scaling from 15 to 90 people
- Why process matters more than talent at scale
- How to build systems for communication across large teams
- Decision rights, hierarchy, and why clarity prevents chaos
- How to stop teams from getting in each other's way
Hiring and onboarding
- The most underrated skill in SEO hires
- How to screen for real operators, not surface-level knowledge
- The interview question that reveals everything
- What a three-month onboarding program actually looks like
- Why mock calls and repetition build communication skill
- How to design onboarding that produces confident, client-ready SEOs
Digital PR and link building
- Why traditional outreach often fails at enterprise scale
- What actually works in digital PR today
- How to build data-driven linkable assets
- Personalizing outreach without burning your domain reputation
- Creative examples of assets that generate thousands of backlinks
- Why brand investment matters more in the AI era
CRO and conversion strategy
- Why incremental button tests rarely move the needle
- When full funnel redesigns drive major revenue gains
- Common CRO mistakes that hurt SEO
- How poor design damages both traffic and conversions
- Why cross-functional alignment between SEO, paid, design, and CRO is critical
AI, automation, and hype cycles
- The real risks of migrating from .com to .ai
- How executives think about AI branding decisions
- Why most companies are trying to automate too early
- The danger of vibe-coded sites without real strategy
- What AI search actually requires to win
Enterprise SEO lessons
- How to fix cannibalization at scale
- Why internal linking and taxonomy are often overlooked
- What separates plateauing sites from compounding ones
- How to push back on clients using data instead of ego
- The metrics that actually matter when you lead a large SEO team
This conversation is about ownership, discipline, and long-term thinking.
Scaling SEO is not about adding more people. It's about building clarity into hiring, onboarding, communication, and execution.
If you're running an agency, managing a marketing team, or building a SaaS company that depends on search, this episode will give you a more realistic view of what scale actually requires.
⭐️ Travis Tallent on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/travistallent/
⭐️ Out in AI, Travis's LGBTQ+ & ally AI group: https://outinai.com/
⭐️ Travis's company - Daynova - AI Change Management - https://daynova.ai/
🚀 Edward's SEO Articles - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/search-engine-optimization/
💎 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 Managing 90 SEOs
01:51 Underrated SEO Skills
03:14 Communication Systems
05:31 Mock Calls Training
07:22 Scaling Team Onboarding
11:15 Fastest Way Learn SEO
13:37 First Three SEO Hires
17:23 Digital PR That Works
20:04 Creative Linkable Assets
27:55 Weird SEO Stories
30:42 Com to AI Migration Risks
36:24 Screening SEO Candidates
37:49 SEO Audit Process
41:07 GitHub Content Win
44:46 Preventing Team Mayhem
46:41 CRO Big Wins
48:24 Revamp Funnels Not Buttons
49:46 CRO Mistakes To Avoid
51:48 Design And SEO Alignment
53:28 Clarity Beats Cleverness
55:11 Measuring Team Success
56:25 Systems RACI And Tools
01:00:44 AI Scales Chaos
01:03:50 Pushing Back On Clients
01:05:36 Compounding SEO Investment
01:10:13 Overlooked SEO Tactics
01:11:57 Source SEO For AI Search
01:15:48 AI Impact On SEO Teams
01:17:43 SEO Disaster Story
01:20:09 Becoming Top One Percent
01:22:11 Final Lessons And Wrap
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #marketingagencies #seo #digitalmarketing

E1044: Most companies use the exact same brand description everywhere online.
Same wording.
Same positioning.
Same messaging.
That is a mistake if you care about SEO.
I break down why offsite messaging should evolve based on the keywords you want to rank for, the audience you are speaking to, and the search intent you are targeting.
I explain how strategic changes to your marketing blurbs can help strengthen topical authority, improve rankings for bottom-of-funnel keywords, and increase click-through rate from backlinks, podcast appearances, public relations, and other offsite placements.
Topics covered:
- Why using the same brand message everywhere can hurt SEO growth
- How offsite messaging influences rankings
- The connection between blurbs, anchor context, and topical authority
- How to adapt messaging around new product features and use cases
- When exact-match keyword phrasing matters
- Why some keywords are easy to rank for and others are not
- How to think about link building beyond just getting links
- Why the best backlinks also send qualified referral traffic
- How audience context should change your messaging strategy
- Examples of SEO-focused messaging using a fictional SaaS company
- How to use blurbs to support rankings for high-intent keywords
- Why partial keyword coverage can still strengthen rankings
- How AI features change the way products should position themselves off-site
🚀 Edward's SEO Articles - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/search-engine-optimization/
💎 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 Offsite Messaging Matters
00:14 Stop Using One Blurb
00:27 SEO Informs Your Copy
01:34 Meet Fizzle Client
02:02 Targeting High-Intent Keywords
03:16 Rewrite Blurbs For Keywords
04:41 When To Include Keywords
05:44 Match The Audience
06:35 New Features Shift Messaging
07:26 Wrap Up And Next Steps
09:38 Final Outro
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #linkbuilding #publicrelations #seo