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_outlineE925: Most people think topical authority comes from publishing endless blog posts.
That idea is wrong - and it’s why so many SEO strategies fail.
I break down what topical authority really is, how Google actually decides who is an expert, and why links, brand mentions, and bottom-of-funnel pages matter far more than informational content.
This episode is built around a real Reddit thread from an SEO agency trying to move beyond “do SEO and hope it works” into a real, strategic model for winning in search.
We go deep into how topical authority is created, how it works for SaaS, ecommerce, and service businesses, and why most people misunderstand it.
What you’ll learn:
- Why publishing lots of blog posts is not required to build topical authority
- How off-site signals like links, brand mentions, and PR shape how Google sees your expertise
- How bottom-of-funnel landing pages quietly build more authority than blogs ever do
- Why Google cares about the language people use when they mention your brand
- How unlinked brand mentions influence topical relevance
- What Forbes did to become able to rank for almost anything
- How HouseFresh recovered from Google’s Helpful Content Update and 4x’d their traffic
- Why good marketing builds SEO, even when you stop thinking about SEO
- How to use linkable assets, tools, and research to earn authority naturally
- How agencies should think about topical authority when working with multi-category clients
- Why generalist brands can still build topical authority - just across multiple topics
- How to systematize topical authority inside a real SEO playbook
What topical authority actually is:
Topical authority is not something you “do” by writing articles.
It’s the result of:
- Ranking for searches in a topic
- Getting clicks for those searches
- Being mentioned by other websites in the language of that topic
- Earning links where surrounding text reinforces what you’re known for
Google doesn’t need a blog to understand what you do. It needs signals from the rest of the web confirming what you’re associated with.
How real businesses build it…
I explain why the strongest topical authority comes from:
- Bottom-of-funnel SEO pages that target buyers, not readers
- Link building that uses the same language your customers search with
- PR, podcasts, and brand mentions that describe you in your niche
- Tools, research, and resources people actually want to share
When people talk about you using the words that match your business, Google connects your brand to those topics. That’s authority.
If you run an SEO agency…
This episode also covers:
- Why “publish more blog posts” is not a strategy
- How to build topical authority for clients without content factories
- How to decide which topics are worth building authority in
- How to align SEO work with actual revenue
Topical authority should always point toward the searches that make money.
⭐️ The Reddit thread: Understanding topical authority - https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1qac2us/understanding_topical_authority/
⭐️ E832 - From 1,000 to 200,000 Clicks: The INSANE SEO Comeback of HouseFresh.com - https://youtu.be/QewNJ2AgQxM
⭐️ E921 - How Teal Gets 1 Million Google Clicks a Month with AI-Powered SEO - https://youtu.be/8wImHWoQ7C4
⭐️ E924 - Lars Lofgren & Jacky Chou on the pod - Google Is Easier to Game Than Ever And Black-Hat SEOs Are Winning - https://youtu.be/s8DpBug5w88
⭐️ E895 - How to Do Blog SEO the Right Way (Using ChatGPT Without Ruining Your Brand) - https://youtu.be/tXgfUcBr8fU
💎 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 to Topical Authority
00:38 Reddit Question on SEO Strategies
01:33 Building Topical Authority Without Blogs
03:51 Top Comments and Insights
05:09 Effective Link Building Techniques
09:58 Case Studies and Real-World Examples
15:47 Last Thoughts + Ideas and Conclusion
The Edward Show. Your daily generative engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #topicalauthority #seo #linkbuilding