Send us a text Wondering how many questions you should answer on each page of your website? The answer might surprise you. In this best-of episode from SEO Is Not That Hard, I dive into the strategic approach to organizing content based on user questions. Rather than guessing which questions to group together or creating endless single-question pages, I reveal how keyword clustering offers a data-driven solution that aligns with Google's understanding of content relationships. Keyword clustering...
Aug 25, 2025•10 min•Season 1Ep. 303
Send us a text Ever wondered why some SEO professionals succeed while others struggle, despite seemingly similar strategies? The answer might lie in something surprisingly simple: reading Google's guidelines. In this illuminating episode of SEO Is Not That Hard, Edd Dawson breaks down why Google's Search Essentials (formerly Webmaster Guidelines) and Quality Rater Guidelines should be required reading for everyone from SEO beginners to seasoned experts. With Google driving nearly 70% of all webs...
Aug 22, 2025•11 min•Season 1Ep. 302
Send us a text Struggling to understand why your content strategy suddenly stopped working in 2022? The answer may lie in a revolutionary concept from a Google patent called "information gain" – and it's transforming how search results work. In this eye-opening episode, I dive deep into Google's "Contextual Estimation of Link Information Gain" patent and how it's likely powering the recent helpful content updates that have confused so many SEO professionals. This algorithm calculates how much ne...
Aug 20, 2025•14 min•Season 1Ep. 301
Send us a text Feeling buried under an avalanche of keywords? You're not alone. Keyword overwhelm affects even experienced content creators, leading to paralysis and poor content planning decisions. This episode tackles this common challenge head-on with practical solutions that will transform your approach to SEO. The problem typically begins when traditional keyword research tools generate thousands of similar keywords, leaving you wondering: Should I create a separate page for each keyword? W...
Aug 18, 2025•9 min•Season 1Ep. 300
Send us a text Ever wondered why some businesses grow exponentially while others struggle to gain traction? The secret might lie in how they leverage their existing customers. Referral marketing transforms satisfied customers into powerful advocates by creating win-win situations that benefit everyone involved. Unlike traditional affiliate programs where only promoters receive rewards, effective referral systems incentivize both sides of the equation. When Dropbox implemented their groundbreakin...
Aug 15, 2025•11 min•Season 1Ep. 299
Send us a text Ever wondered how to get influential websites linking to yours without begging or paying? The secret might be right in front of you: human psychology. Link building through "EgoBait" taps into a fundamental truth about human nature - we all pay attention when someone talks about us. In this episode, I break down how creating content specifically designed to showcase others can become your most powerful link building strategy. Rather than hoping random content attracts backlinks, E...
Aug 13, 2025•12 min•Season 1Ep. 298
Send us a text A bombshell revelation from a recent Google API documentation leak has potentially exposed the inner workings of how the search giant evaluates links. In this eye-opening episode, I explore what I'm calling Google's "Actual Surfer" model – a sophisticated evolution of their PageRank system that may completely transform how we think about link building. The leaked data suggests Google categorizes every link in its index into three quality tiers: high, medium, and low. Most importan...
Aug 11, 2025•16 min•Season 1Ep. 297
Send us a text Discover the hidden power of glossaries for supercharging both your website's user experience and SEO performance. Drawing from over two decades of website building and monetisation experience, Edd Dawson reveals how adding a comprehensive glossary to Keywords People Use transformed into an unexpected SEO powerhouse. What began as a solution for explaining complex SEO terminology without repetition has evolved into a robust resource containing over 300 definitions and 20,000 words...
Aug 08, 2025•12 min•Season 1Ep. 296
Send us a text Ever created something valuable completely by accident? That's exactly what happened when I stumbled upon the "binge bank strategy" without even knowing it existed. Through consistently publishing short, digestible 5-15 minute podcast episodes about SEO topics, I unexpectedly built a library of content that new listeners could easily binge through once they discovered my show. The analytics don't lie – when someone finds an episode they connect with, they often download multiple b...
Aug 06, 2025•13 min•Season 1Ep. 295
Send us a text The digital landscape is changing dramatically with the rise of AI-powered search, but are the core principles of SEO still relevant? Drawing on over 20 years of experience in the field, I share my observations on what truly matters for search visibility in this evolving environment. Despite the anxiety surrounding large language models like ChatGPT and Claude, my experience shows that businesses selling physical products and websites offering unique, specialized information conti...
Aug 04, 2025•16 min•Season 1Ep. 294
Send us a text Struggling with link building for your website? You're not alone. While backlinks remain crucial for SEO success, finding ethical, effective ways to acquire them can feel like an impossible task. That's why this episode uncovers a brilliant link building strategy that surprisingly few marketers utilize: creating your own awards program. Most website owners approach awards from the wrong angle - entering competitions in hopes of winning recognition and maybe scoring a backlink from...
Aug 01, 2025•12 min•Season 1Ep. 293
Send us a text The mystery behind Google's ranking algorithms often frustrates website owners, especially during core updates when traffic plummets without clear explanation. Many ask: "Why can't Google just tell us exactly what to do to rank well?" This episode tackles that fundamental question head-on, revealing surprising insights about why complete transparency might actually harm the web more than help it. Search rankings operate as a zero-sum game – only one site can occupy position one fo...
Jul 30, 2025•13 min•Season 1Ep. 292
Send us a text What could running a farm possibly teach us about search engine optimization? As it turns out, quite a lot. When my family purchased a neglected farm five years ago to support our passion for horses, I never expected it would revolutionize my perspective on digital marketing. Yet the similarities between nurturing land and growing website traffic proved remarkably insightful. The patience required when planting grass seed and waiting for pastures to develop mirrors the long-term m...
Jul 28, 2025•12 min•Season 1Ep. 291
Send us a text The power of lead magnets lies in their ability to transform passive website traffic into valuable relationships. Ever watched visitors come to your site, consume content, and vanish without a trace? You're missing a crucial opportunity to build lasting connections with your audience. Lead magnets—free items or services offered in exchange for contact details—create a value exchange that benefits both sides. For website owners, they reveal who's engaging with your content and prov...
Jul 25, 2025•14 min•Season 1Ep. 290
Send us a text Ever wondered why some websites convert better than others, despite having similar products or content? The secret weapon might be carefully placed customer testimonials. This podcast episode dives deep into the undeniable power of social proof and how it transforms hesitant visitors into confident customers. Customer testimonials represent the next best thing to a personal recommendation from a trusted friend. When potential customers see others like them praising your offerings,...
Jul 23, 2025•10 min•Season 1Ep. 289
Send us a text Dangerous shortcuts rarely lead to lasting success in SEO. In this revealing episode, I pull back the curtain on Private Blog Networks (PBNs) – one of the most controversial black hat SEO techniques still in use today. Drawing from my 20+ years of experience building and monetizing websites, I explain exactly what PBNs are, how they operate, and why they continue to tempt SEO practitioners looking for quick ranking improvements. While I don't condemn those who venture into black h...
Jul 21, 2025•7 min•Season 1Ep. 288
Send us a text Tired of the endless chase for more traffic? Discover a smarter approach to affiliate marketing that can dramatically boost your revenue using visitors you already have. We dive deep into the world of Earnings Per Click (EPC) optimization – a strategy that lets you increase affiliate earnings without attracting a single new visitor. Learn how to identify which merchants are truly delivering value, why positioning matters more than you might think, and how to strategically place yo...
Jul 18, 2025•8 min•Season 1Ep. 287
Send us a text What separates sustainable SEO success from devastating Google penalties? The answer often lies in your approach to backlinks. Drawing from two decades of website building experience, I share a deeply personal journey through the evolving landscape of link building – including painful lessons learned the hard way. Backlinks remain fundamental to Google's ranking algorithm, acting as votes of confidence from one site to another. But not all backlinks are created equal. I break down...
Jul 16, 2025•13 min•Season 1Ep. 286
Send us a text When Google penalties strike, panic often follows. Whether you've been hit by the recent massive core update or you're dealing with a mysterious traffic drop, knowing how to recover is crucial for your site's survival. Google penalties come in two distinct flavours, each requiring a different recovery approach. Manual penalties occur when an actual person from Google's web spam team reviews your site and finds violations of their terms of service. The silver lining? You'll receive...
Jul 14, 2025•16 min•Season 1Ep. 285
Send us a text Have you ever wondered what happens to all those valuable backlinks and search rankings when you delete a page or change your domain name? The answer lies in properly implemented 301 redirects – the unsung heroes of technical SEO. 301 redirects function as your website's forwarding address, telling both browsers and search engines that content has permanently moved to a new location. More importantly, they transfer accumulated ranking signals like backlinks, history, and authority...
Jul 11, 2025•10 min•Season 1Ep. 284
Send us a text Struggling to find that perfect business idea? You might be overlooking a remarkably simple solution. In this insightful episode, I share my battle-tested approach to generating winning ideas that has powered multiple successful ventures. The breakthrough moment came when I realized we're all constantly having ideas—most of them forgettable, some potentially transformative—but without a system to capture them, they vanish into thin air. My journey began with nothing more sophistic...
Jul 09, 2025•7 min•Season 1Ep. 283
Send us a text Ever wondered why your content isn't ranking despite targeting the right keywords? The answer might lie in a common SEO pitfall that many website owners unknowingly create: topic cannibalization. In this illuminating episode, SEO expert Edd Dawson tackles the crucial difference between keyword cannibalization and topic cannibalization—a distinction that can dramatically impact your search visibility. Drawing from his two decades of experience building and monetizing websites, Edd ...
Jul 07, 2025•14 min•Season 1Ep. 282
Send us a text Pulling back the curtain on one of SEO's most controversial techniques, this episode dives deep into website cloaking—showing search engines different content than what human visitors see. While firmly acknowledging this as a black hat approach I no longer practice or recommend, I explain why understanding these techniques creates more well-rounded SEO professionals who can identify manipulation. What exactly happens when websites serve different versions of content based on who's...
Jul 04, 2025•13 min•Season 1Ep. 281
Send us a text We dive into a counterintuitive yet powerful concept that can transform your product or website: improving by removing. Drawing from real-world experience with Keywords People Use, I share how simplifying our complex three-credit system down to a single universal credit structure dramatically enhanced user experience and understanding. When you build something from scratch, you understand every nuance and decision behind your creation. But your users don't have that context—they e...
Jul 02, 2025•11 min•Season 1Ep. 280
Send us a text 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 questio...
Jun 30, 2025•13 min•Season 1Ep. 279
Send us a text 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 questio...
Jun 27, 2025•14 min•Season 1Ep. 278
Send us a text The SEO landscape is undergoing a profound transformation driven by artificial intelligence, and staying ahead requires understanding how these changes impact traffic, revenue, and content strategy. Many website owners are noticing a curious trend: overall traffic numbers are declining, yet revenue remains stable. This pattern reveals a critical shift in how we should measure SEO success - quality now trumps quantity. While AI overviews and search assistants are absorbing top-of-f...
Jun 25, 2025•15 min•Season 1Ep. 277
Send us a text 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 questio...
Jun 23, 2025•14 min•Season 1Ep. 276
Send us a text Struggling with duplicate content issues? Feeling like your SEO efforts aren't paying off? The answer might lie in a commonly misunderstood SEO concept: canonicalization. In this episode, I break down what canonicalization actually means and why it's so crucial for your website's search performance. When search engines encounter the same content across multiple URLs, they get confused about which version to rank – leading to split link equity, wasted crawl budget, and potentially ...
Jun 20, 2025•16 min•Season 1Ep. 275
Send us a text Tooltips might be the most underrated weapon in your SEO arsenal. Those little informational popups that appear when users hover over elements on your website aren't just helpful navigation aids—they're secret powerhouses for both user experience and search rankings. In this value-packed episode, I dive deep into exactly how tooltips enhance usability while simultaneously boosting your SEO efforts. You'll discover why these small interface elements reduce cognitive load, improve f...
Jun 18, 2025•13 min•Season 1Ep. 274
