Systemizing SEO: How Top Operators Scale Rankings in the AI Era (w/ Nathan Gotch)
Release Date: 01/07/2026
From SEO TikTok to $18M Agencies: How Creators Actually Scale
The Edward Show
E945: I’m joined by Matt Diamante and Jake Tlapek for a long-form, unfiltered conversation about what actually happens after you win on social media. All three of us came up through SEO content on TikTok and Instagram. This episode isn’t about going viral - it’s about turning attention into durable businesses, building teams, and deciding what you want to scale next. We cover the real mechanics of growing agencies, removing yourself from delivery, using content as leverage, and how AI and social search are changing SEO in practice - not theory. What we talk about in this episode: - How...
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Is E-commerce SEO Dead? Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol & the Future of Search
The Edward Show
E944: Google has introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), a system that allows merchants to send product data directly to Google so users can discover and buy products inside search, AI Mode, and Gemini - without ever visiting a website. In this episode, we break down what UCP actually is, how agentic commerce works, and what this shift means for e-commerce SEO, CRO, brand authority, and margins. Joining the discussion are Harpreet Singh, Gagan Ghotra, and David Quaid, three experienced SEOs with deep backgrounds in e-commerce, SaaS, B2B, and technical SEO. Together, we unpack...
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How to Get High-Quality Backlinks From Podcast Appearances
The Edward Show
E943: How to get high-quality backlinks from podcast appearances and why podcast guesting is one of the most effective and overlooked SEO strategies available right now. This is based on real experience. In 2022, I went on 30 podcasts in three months before I had an audience, social media presence, or this podcast. Those appearances helped me build backlinks, branded searches, topical authority, and ultimately led to everything I’m doing now. This episode covers why podcast backlinks work, how they affect SEO directly and indirectly, and exactly how to get booked on podcasts consistently....
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An $80 Press Release Ranked #1 on Google (And Tricked AI)
The Edward Show
E942: A real case study showing how an $80 press release from Matt Diamante (Hey Tony Agency) ranked #1 on Google for a non-branded keyword and influenced Google’s AI Overview. This isn’t theory. This actually happened. I walk through exactly how a single press release, distributed through AB Newswire, showed up at the top of Google search results, was cited by a publication, and continued to influence AI search results weeks later - even after the original press release was no longer publicly accessible. This episode explains why press releases still matter, how they influence search...
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Google Is Breaking SEO: Permanent Manual Actions, AI Search & the Rise of Black Hat
The Edward Show
E941: Edward is joined by Charles Floate and David Quaid for a deep, technical conversation about what is actually happening in search right now - and why many long-held SEO assumptions no longer hold. We discuss a growing pattern of manual actions that appear to be permanent, rejected reconsideration requests even after large-scale cleanups, and why some businesses may never fully recover organic traffic from Google. From enterprise sites to small publishers, the rules are shifting fast. The conversation moves into AI search, ChatGPT visibility, Reddit’s dominance in the SERPs, and how...
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Google Penalties Are Becoming Permanent (And That Changes Everything)
The Edward Show
E940: Google penalties are no longer feeling like temporary setbacks. More and more site owners are fixing everything they’re told to fix, submitting reconsideration requests, and still getting rejected. In this episode, I break down why Google manual actions appear to be becoming semi-permanent, what multiple SEO practitioners are seeing in real data, and why Google may no longer be asking “did you fix it?” - but instead “should we ever trust you again?” We cover what’s changing, what’s being reported by people deep in the weeds, and what this means if you’re using aggressive...
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How to Build Backlinks for a Brand New Website (From Zero Authority)
The Edward Show
E939: If you’ve just launched a website and have no backlinks, this episode walks through how to build links the right way - without shortcuts, spam, or jumping into strategies that don’t work for new sites. This episode is based on a real thread from Charles Floate’s r/linkbuilding subreddit, where someone asked how to build high-quality backlinks for a brand-new beauty blog with no existing authority. I break down the best answers, add real-world context, and explain what actually matters when you’re starting from scratch. We cover why most people make link building harder than it...
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YouTube Just Overtook Reddit in AI Search (Here’s How to Win Citations)
The Edward Show
E938: I break down new data showing that YouTube has officially overtaken Reddit as the most cited social platform in AI search, including large language models like ChatGPT. We’ll cover what this shift means for SEO, brand visibility, and how to actually get your content cited by AI using YouTube. What changed in AI search - YouTube is now cited more frequently than Reddit in AI-generated answers - Transcripts and descriptions make YouTube content easy for LLMs to read - AI systems increasingly rely on YouTube for explanations, reviews, and comparisons Why YouTube now beats Reddit for AI...
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Claude Cowork Is a Literal Cheat Code for SEO (Here’s How Agencies See It)
The Edward Show
E937: Watch on YouTube: A deep, practical look at how Claude Cowork is changing the way SEO work is actually executed. This is not a theoretical discussion about AI. The focus is on real workflows: how Claude Cowork performs hands-on SEO tasks that normally require hours of manual effort, and how agencies can realistically use it today. The conversation walks through live examples of Claude Cowork performing local SEO audits, Google Business Profile analysis, competitor research, and on-page SEO evaluations by directly interacting with the browser and SEO tools. Sarvesh Shrivastava joins the...
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How to Build Local Backlinks That Actually Increase Local Rankings
The Edward Show
E936: Local SEO lives or dies by local authority - and one of the biggest drivers of that authority is local backlinks. I break down exactly how to build high-quality local backlinks that help search engines see your business as an authority in a specific city or region. This applies whether you’re starting a local business, competing in a crowded market, or expanding into new locations. I cover practical strategies that send real referral traffic, strengthen local topical authority, and support long-term ranking improvements - not theory. What you’ll learn: - Why local backlinks matter...
info_outlineE917: I’m joined by Nathan Gotch to break down how modern SEO actually works in the AI era - and why systemizing your process matters more than ever.
We go deep into how top operators think about SEO today, from local and e-commerce to SaaS and AI search platforms. This conversation is practical, opinionated, and grounded in real campaigns, not theory.
What we cover:
- Why systemizing SEO is more important than tactics or hacks
- How to structure SEO playbooks, systems, and SOPs for repeatable results
- The biggest mistakes people make with service area pages and local SEO
- How to think about URL structure, intent, and conversion-first pages
- When to create a new page vs expanding an existing one
- How Nathan approaches SEO testing and experimentation
- What actually matters in SEO audits (and what doesn’t)
- Site architecture, internal linking, crawl depth, and page support
- HTML vs JavaScript sites and why it still matters
- How AI retrieval changes crawling, indexing, and visibility
- Page speed, retrievability, and why AI is less tolerant of slow sites
- Using Google Search Console data to build supporting content
- How to approach category pages in e-commerce without hurting conversions
- The role of backlinks today and how link strategy is changing
- How AI platforms pull citations for local and service-based businesses
- Why Google Business Profiles still matter - and where they don’t
- The difference between traditional SEO and AI search visibility
- What types of content AI cannot replace
- When AI content works and when it clearly fails
- How Nathan uses AI for development while keeping SEO fundamentals intact
- Why small teams can now compete with much larger companies
- What successful SEO operators do differently from everyone else
This episode is especially relevant if you:
- Run an SEO agency or manage client campaigns
- Work in local SEO, SaaS, or e-commerce
- Are trying to understand how AI affects search and visibility
- Want to build repeatable SEO systems instead of starting from scratch
- Care about long-term rankings, not short-term wins
Nathan also shares how he’s thinking about the future of SEO, AI search, and building platforms that work across Google, AI assistants, and emerging search environments.
If you’re serious about SEO and want to understand how top operators actually approach it today, this episode will give you a clear framework to think from.
Thanks for watching and listening.
⭐️ Nathan Gotch’s Search OS - https://os.nathangotch.com/
⭐️ Nathan Gotch’s Rankability - https://www.rankability.com/
⭐️ Nathan Gotch on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@nathangotch
⭐️ Nathan Gotch - https://nathangotch.com/
⭐️ Nathan Gotch on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathangotch/
⭐️ Nathan Gotch on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nathan.gotch/
⭐️ Nathan Gotch on 𝕏 - https://x.com/nathangotch
💎 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
00:21 The Importance of Systemizing SEO
01:33 Nathan Gotch's SEO System
03:10 Building a Client Knowledge Base
07:28 Common SEO Mistakes and Best Practices
15:58 E-commerce SEO Strategies
36:51 Migrating Sites to Replit
46:05 Reading SEO Books and Creating Content
46:23 The Power of Experience in Content Creation
47:15 AI's Limitations and Human Advantages
48:53 Using AI for Case Studies and Content
49:21 Debating the Best CMS for SEO
51:08 Challenges and Benefits of WordPress
52:50 Exploring Vibe Coding and AI Tools
59:13 Building and Marketing Linkable Assets
01:01:53 Creating Software Companies with AI
01:17:16 SEO Strategies and AI Content
01:23:27 Building and Realizing Ideas
01:24:10 Mission and Vision for Rankability
01:25:40 Challenges and Persistence in Business
01:32:43 SEO Strategies and Local Business Focus
01:40:46 Influencing AI Platforms
01:49:42 Link Building and SEO Success
01:53:00 Consistency and Execution in SEO
01:59:22 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
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