Send us a text Ever wondered if the words in your domain name still matter for SEO? Join me, Ed Dawson, as we dissect the journey of exact match domains (EMDs) and their evolving role in search engine optimization. We'll pull back the curtain on how EMDs once ruled the SEO landscape until Google's pivotal 2012 update reshaped the rules. You'll get the lowdown on how Google now integrates EMDs into its ranking system without giving them undue credit, smashing common myths, and revealing that EMDs...
Sep 18, 2024•16 min•Season 1Ep. 160
Send us a text Can SEO transform you into a millionaire? Join me, Ed Dawson, as I explore this intriguing question backed by my 20 years of expertise in the field. Discover the true potential of SEO through my personal journey with broadbandcouk, where strategic optimization led to millions in revenue. Learn why SEO isn't a shortcut to riches but rather a powerful tool when paired with a robust business model. In this episode, I unpack the realities of building and monetizing assets via SEO and ...
Sep 16, 2024•12 min•Season 1Ep. 159
Send us a text How can you transform your online marketing strategy to achieve sustainable growth? Join me, Ed Dawson, as I unravel the intricate world of SEO and PPC in this episode of "SEO is Not That Hard." Drawing from my two decades of experience, I promise you'll gain a deep understanding of the strategic shift from PPC to SEO for long-term profitability. Reflecting on my early days with broadband.co.uk, I illustrate how low competition in the early 2000s made PPC highly profitable and how...
Sep 13, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 159
Send us a text Could you be missing out on the hidden potential of Cloudflare? Join me, Ed Dawson, as I share my latest insights from Jono Alderson's eye-opening presentation at the Hive MCR conference. Discover how Cloudflare can do more than just speed up your website—learn about its advanced features that allow you to add programmatic functionality without touching your original site. From caching to altering page content and intercepting requests, this episode is packed with advanced technic...
Sep 11, 2024•13 min•Season 1Ep. 158
Send us a text Ever wondered how to turn your SEO skills into a passive income stream? Discover the secrets behind the rank and rent model, a groundbreaking strategy where you can generate valuable leads for local service providers without ever picking up a tool yourself. Join Ed Dawson in this insightful episode of "SEO is not that hard," where he unpacks the mechanics of building and monetizing websites that target specific services in specific areas, like plumbers in Manchester. Ed shares exp...
Sep 09, 2024•14 min•Season 1Ep. 157
Send us a text Cracking the SEO code is easier than you think—what if you could transform common customer issues into a goldmine of traffic and leads? Join me, Ed Dawson, as I share groundbreaking strategies on how to harness the power of ChatGPT for content creation in this must-listen episode of "SEO is Not That Hard." As a veteran SEO developer and entrepreneur with over two decades in the industry, I'll guide you through the process of generating insightful content ideas that address real pr...
Sep 06, 2024•13 min•Season 1Ep. 156
Send us a text Curious about how Google's latest core update might have transformed your web traffic and sales? Join me, Ed Dawson, as I unravel the effects of the recently completed August 2024 Broad Core Update on my portfolio of sites. You'll discover firsthand accounts of traffic increases ranging from 20% to nearly 100%, even on sites we haven't touched in a year. This episode is a must-listen if you want to understand whether your traffic boost is the result of your hard work or Google's a...
Sep 04, 2024•8 min
Send us a text Ever wondered how the true purpose behind a search query can change in the blink of an eye? Join me, Ed Dawson, as we unlock the mysteries behind intent shift and question shift in the realm of SEO. Imagine searching for "Christmas trees" in November with the intent to buy, but by January, that same search might be about disposal methods. This episode dives into how Google adapts to these changing user intents by monitoring behavior and click patterns, ensuring the search engine s...
Sep 04, 2024•12 min•Season 1Ep. 155
Send us a text Link to study: https://medium.com/ft-product-technology/a-faster-ft-com-10e7c077dc1c 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 P...
Sep 02, 2024•10 min•Season 1Ep. 154
Send us a text Want to know how to supercharge your rank and rent websites? Discover how Leapfrog Rank and Rent can transform your lead generation game by blending SEO with PPC for maximum impact. Join me, Ed Dawson, as we explore this innovative twist on the traditional rank and rent model, popularized by John Dykstra. In this episode, we'll break down the essentials of the rank and rent strategy and uncover how using PPC ads can catapult your site to the top of search results, ensuring a stead...
Aug 30, 2024•12 min•Season 1Ep. 153
Send us a text Ever wondered how to turn a small project into a million-pound success? In this episode, I, Ed Dawson, share my personal journey from building broadband.co.uk, a UK broadband comparison website, to selling it to Genie Ventures in 2021. Learn the strategic moves behind growing and eventually cashing in on a high-performing site, and why transparency in sharing successful case studies can be a double-edged sword. This episode is loaded with practical SEO insights and entrepreneurial...
Aug 28, 2024•13 min•Season 1Ep. 152
Send us a text Unlock the secrets behind the long-term success in SEO and understand why the allure of quick fixes often leads to disappointment. If you're looking to build a sustainable online presence, this episode is your roadmap. We break down the recent August 2024 core update and use it as a case study to illustrate why recoveries from significant algorithm changes require both patience and consistent effort. You'll learn why trusting self-proclaimed gurus promising instant results can be ...
Aug 26, 2024•9 min•Season 1Ep. 151
Send us a text Unlock the secrets of HTTP response codes and elevate your SEO strategy in today's episode of "SEO is not that hard" with your host, Ed Dawson. Ever wondered how to preserve your hard-earned SEO value when moving or deleting web pages? Discover why the 200 OK code is the linchpin of successful HTTP requests, ensuring that Googlebot and web browsers recognize and serve your content seamlessly. Learn the nuances of the 301 redirect, a critical tool for forwarding all ranking signals...
Aug 23, 2024•13 min•Season 1Ep. 150
Send us a text Can you imagine turning your SEO game around with just a few strategic tweaks? Join me, Ed Dawson, on this episode of "SEO is Not That Hard" as we uncover the journey from understanding web crawlers to mastering zero volume keywords. We'll demystify how Googlebot indexes new content, the critical role of web hosting in your site's performance, and the nuanced craft of web scraping. Get ready to dive deep into the technical underpinnings that keep your online presence robust and re...
Aug 21, 2024•15 min•Season 1Ep. 149
Send us a text Want to protect your site from Google penalties and improve your SEO game? Join me, Ed Dawson, in part 25 of our SEO A to Z series as we explore the intricacies of UGC links, unnatural links, URLs, and user experience (UX). Learn how to leverage user-generated content links to safeguard your site, understand why Google may penalize unnatural links, and grasp the importance of clean, navigable URLs. We'll also uncover the critical role of user experience in SEO success. Discover ho...
Aug 19, 2024•14 min•Season 1Ep. 148
Send us a text Unlock the secrets to mastering SEO with Ed Dawson in this enlightening episode of "SEO is Not That Hard." Ever wondered how to make your website a user-friendly haven and Google-friendly powerhouse? We'll reveal the importance of taxonomy in organizing your content and the essentials of technical SEO, including crawlability, indexability, page speed, and sitemaps. You'll also gain a clear understanding of terms of service from both Google's perspective and your own legal obligati...
Aug 16, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 147
Send us a text Google today launched the rollout of their August 2024 Core Update. The rollout will take up to 1 month to complete. Will this help sites affected by the Helpful Content Updates? Googles Blog Post announcing the update - https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2024/08/august-2024-core-update?hl=en Googles updated advice on dealing with core update changes - https://developers.google.com/search/updates/core-updates SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you b...
Aug 15, 2024•4 min
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...
Aug 14, 2024•15 min•Season 1Ep. 146
Send us a text What if you could turn your SEO efforts into a science experiment? Today on "SEO is Not That Hard," Ed Dawson dives into part 22 of our SEO A to Z series, guiding you through the nuances of SEO testing and snippet optimization. You'll learn how to scientifically test changes on your site to determine what truly impacts your traffic levels, especially if you're managing numerous similar pages like those on an e-commerce website. Ed introduces you to powerful platforms like SearchPi...
Aug 12, 2024•12 min•Season 1Ep. 145
Send us a text Ever wondered how the landscape of digital marketing is transforming with SaaS and SEO? Join me, Ed Dawson, as I unpack the game-changing benefits of software as a service and its pivotal role in evolving digital strategies. Learn how Schema can fine-tune your content for Google's ever-watchful eyes and discover the ins and outs of web scraping to enhance your data game. Whether you're curious about why SaaS platforms like Canva and Calendly are indispensable or how structured dat...
Aug 09, 2024•13 min•Season 1Ep. 144
Send us a text Ever wondered why some websites always seem to have the freshest content for trending topics? Discover the power of "Query Deserves Freshness" (QDF), a pivotal ranking factor for news-related searches. We'll debunk the myth that every query demands new content and show you when freshness really matters. Plus, learn the ins and outs of the "rank and rent" strategy—a lucrative method for generating leads in local service niches. With practical advice on rank tracking and a deep dive...
Aug 07, 2024•15 min•Season 1Ep. 143
Send us a text Imagine transforming your SEO strategy with proven techniques that stand the test of time. Join me, Ed Dawson, as I recount the seismic shift brought about by Google's 2012 Penguin update and how it revolutionized my approach to link-building. Discover the power of Google's "People Also Ask" feature for extracting valuable keyword insights, and learn why personalization factors like location and search history are crucial for achieving the best search results. Get the inside scoop...
Aug 05, 2024•15 min•Season 1Ep. 142
Send us a text Ever wondered what Google truly perceives as a document? Join me, Ed Dawson, as we unlock the secrets to what actually influences your webpage's performance in the latest episode of "SEO is Not That Hard." Get ready to uncover how Google views PDFs, images, and more as documents and why page speed is not just a technical detail but a game-changer for your website's user experience and ranking. Learn how employing content delivery networks can make your site lightning fast without ...
Aug 02, 2024•13 min•Season 1Ep. 141
Send us a text What if you could supercharge your SEO efforts without relying solely on link building? In this episode, discover the untapped potential of off-page SEO techniques that go beyond the basics. Join me, Ed Dawson, as I share my 20 years of experience in SEO, affiliate marketing, and entrepreneurship. We explore how content marketing, social media promotion, and setting up your Google My Business profile can significantly enhance your website's visibility. Plus, learn about the game-c...
Jul 31, 2024•13 min•Season 1Ep. 140
Send us a text Ever wondered how to turn your passion into a profitable niche site, even with Google's relentless updates? Join me, Ed Dawson, on "SEO is Not That Hard," as we unravel the mysteries behind building successful niche websites and the impact of Google's Helpful Content Update on the niche site community. We’ll break down how to capitalize on your interests, navigate the challenges posed by named updates, and leverage naked links for exact match domains. Plus, you’ll get my take on w...
Jul 29, 2024•14 min•Season 1Ep. 139
Send us a text Could your website be underperforming without you even knowing it? Today, on "SEO is Not That Hard," I'm Ed Dawson and we're going to unlock the secrets behind effective SEO strategies that can transform your online presence. This episode kicks off with the power of main content (MC) and why it's the lifeblood of your webpage, driving user engagement through text, images, videos, and interactive tools. We’ll demystify the dreaded manual penalties from Google and walk you through a...
Jul 26, 2024•16 min•Season 1Ep. 138
Send us a text Ready to unravel the secrets of SEO and skyrocket your website’s rankings? Join me, Ed Dawson, on "SEO is Not That Hard" where we demystify SEO from link profiles to LSI keywords. Discover how your website's link profile can either boost or harm your SEO efforts and understand the risks involved in link selling and link spam, including the dreaded Google penalties. We'll also delve into the world of large language models like ChatGPT and underscore the importance of fact-checking ...
Jul 24, 2024•16 min•Season 1Ep. 137
Send us a text Unlock the secrets to creating powerful landing pages and mastering lead generation with insights from Ed Dawson, the seasoned expert behind KeywordsPeopleUse.com. We'll guide you through the dual roles of landing pages, explaining how they can be both the first point of entry and specialized tools for targeted marketing. Learn the art of collecting pre-qualified contact details for high-value services, and discover how offering enticing lead magnets like ebooks or online tools ca...
Jul 22, 2024•15 min•Season 1Ep. 136
Send us a text Are you inadvertently sabotaging your SEO efforts by targeting the same keywords across multiple pages? Join me, Ed Dawson, as we unravel the mysteries of keyword cannibalization and reveal how consolidating your content can significantly boost your rankings. We'll introduce you to the power of keyword clustering, a game-changing technique that groups related keywords to optimize your content effectively. Plus, discover how tools like Keywords People Use can simplify this complex ...
Jul 19, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 135
Send us a text Unlock the full potential of your SEO strategy with our latest episode, where Ed Dawson promises to reveal crucial insights that can transform your website's visibility. Ever wondered why some images make it to Google's Image Search while others don't? Or how Google's indexing decisions can make or break your site? This episode delves into the essentials—image sitemaps, the power of backlinks, and the ever-evolving tactic of using infographics for link baiting. Get ready to elevat...
Jul 17, 2024•15 min•Season 1Ep. 134
