SEO Rant Podcast: Recent Episodes
Mordy Oberstein
The SEO Rant Podcast, hosted by Mordy Oberstein (Head of SEO Brand) at Wix), gives its guests control of the mic so that they can share their deepest SEO thoughts without any inhibitions!
Hear what search marketers of all backgrounds are saying about SEO both as a craft and as an industry. By giving each guest full rein the SEO Rant gives you the opportunity to get deep into how SEO experts feel and think about what does and does not work for ranking sites on the web!
Dive into the history of link building to see how the practice has evolved as Roger Monitti shares his years of SEO experience from the early days of link building up to today.
Is branding building just for titans of industry? Ronell Smith joins the SEO Rant podcast to explain why every business can benefit from brand building:* How small businesses can build their brands up * The advantages small brands have over larger brands * How to hone your brand identity and overall business focusTune in to hear how Ronell and host Mordy Oberstein think small businesses can leverage good brand marketing!
What does offering services look like in the modern web? Good question because it is not the same as what we've been used to as SEOs. Tune in as Jonas Sickler of Tarakeet joins the SEO Rant Podcast to discusss: * Why AI changes the nature of providing SEO as a service * How to use SEO as a brand-building method * Why organic traffic is the most receptive form of traffic (for more conversions)Listen as Jonas and Mordy Oberstein explain how SEO fits into the modern AI-first web and how that changes what SEO looks like for your clients. Show Supporters: Semrush & AlsoAsked
Uberall's Krystal Taing joins the SEO Rant podcast to share her thoughts on the content that small and local business owners should be creating: * Why Krystal thinks video content should be one of the main focuses of local businesses * Why SMBs are in a unique position to create video content* How video content can create authentic experiencesListen in as Krystal Taing and Mordy Oberstein talk about the content SMBs should be focusing on!
Lisa Schneider joins the SEO Rant Podcast to explain how we (men) can all be doing better (myself included) when working with women in tech!
What content myths are being perpetuated and which ones should SEOs avoid the most? Missive Digitial's Himani Kankaria joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share her top content creation myths: Why every piece of content does not need to drive conversions Content marketing is not the same thing as content strategy * Why a good content strategy is not "set it and forget it" Tune in as Himani and Mordy Oberstein explore what sound content strategy looks like and what you should avoid!
How can you grow your SEO career? What mindset and attributes do you need? Crystal Ortiz joins the SEO Rant podcast to share her outlook: How the nature of SEO and digital marketing forces you to adapt or fall flat Why creating knowledge schemes is an SEO's best friend when advancing a careerListen in as Crystal and Mordy Oberstein share their experiences advancing their own SEO careers.
How can SEO agencies produce value for their clients? Nitin Manchanda joins the SEO Rant to talk SEO agencies and client satisfaction: How to drive client communications that help drive organic success How to tackle client expectations that change over time * How to best educate your clients about new SEO and content trendsTune in as Nitin and Mordy Oberstein share how SEO agencies can score positive reviews and future client revenue!
Does focusing too heavily on immediate ROI negatively impact long-term digital marketing success? LANC Marketing's Stephanie Pryor joins the podcast to share her outlook:Why pushing conversions too hard can have negative brand, and even SEO, consequencesThe impact of brand marketing on your performance marketing Why you need to value positive sentiment during the conversion & purchasing process Tune in as Stephanie Pryor and Mordy Oberstein push the envelope and try to push performance marketers to the dark side! (AKA brand marketing)
Is E-E-A-T a ranking factor? Erika Varangouli joins the SEO Rant Podcast to solve this question once and for all... not really. Instead, we chat about:Even if E-E-A-T isn't a ranking factor how does it "factor" into the SEO equation?Does it even matter if E-E-A-T is a ranking factor? Author bylines, should SEOs even care?Listen in as Erika and Mordy Oberstein dive into E-E-A-T as a concept to shore up your content, not a ranking factor. Sponsors:AlsoAsked: https://alsoasked.com/SE Ranking: https://seranking.com/?sou1=influencers&gr1=podcast&tg1=SEO_rant&kw1=com_podcast_sponsorship&utm_source=influencers&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=com_podcast_sponsorship_SEO_rant
Is there real value in making SEO accessible to business owners or should SEOs hold their cards (and their money) close to their vests? Crystal Waddell joins the SEO Rant Podcast to give her take on democratizing SEO. * The possibilities SEO creates for businesses and why they need to understand SEO* How to democratize SEO for broader audiences * Why democratizing SEO leads to a more confident business owner Listen in as Crystal Waddell and Mordy Oberstein explain why it's in the best interest of SEOs to make search marketing more accessible!
How important is it for SEOs to have wider marketing knowledge? Ray Martinez shares his insights: * Why being top of mind is going to be more in focus and how SEOs need to adapt * Why SEO without qualifying leads and lead costs misses the mark * Why not thinking like a marketer makes SEOs miss their target audiences Tune in as Ray Martinez and Mordy Oberstein discuss why SEOs need to take a broader look at marketing in order to drive genuine success in organic Search. Sponsors:Also Asked: https://alsoasked.com/ SE Ranking: https://seranking.com/?sou1=influencers&gr1=podcast&tg1=SEO_rant&kw1=com_podcast_sponsorship&utm_source=influencers&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=com_podcast_sponsorship_SEO_rant
SaaS Solutions seem to have a hard time getting some good marketing momentum. Why is that? SEO Testing's Ryan Jones joins the SEO Rant to offer his take: * Why SaaS companies often show a lack of content strategy * The propensity of SaaS companies to ignore brand identity * Why when marketing a SaaS product you should not default to PPC Listen into the SEO Rant Podcast as Ryan Jones and Mordy Oberstein share how to best market your Saas solution.
Celeste Gonzalez joins the SEO Rant podcast to share her thoughts on the value of SEO testing in the local space. * Real examples of what SEO testing without massive data looks like* How to sell a client on SEO Testing * Why SEO intuition should be embracedIn SEO the little things can matter in big ways. That's why experimenting and testing is part of the game. Even small changes to title tags can make a difference for both rank and clicks. Listen in as Celeste Gonzalez and Mordy Oberstein explore SEO testing on this episode of the SEO Rant Podcast!Sponsors: AlsoAsked: https://alsoasked.com/SE Ranking: https://seranking.com/?sou1=influencers&gr1=podcast&tg1=SEO_rant&kw1=com_podcast_sponsorship&utm_source=influencers&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=com_podcast_sponsorship_SEO_rant
Ahref's Patrick Stox joins the SEO Rant podcast to share his take on how AI and SGE will impact SEO tools and the industry overall. * How SEO tools will need to adjust to an SGE world* Can SEO tools effectively integrate AI in a meaningful way? * Does AI mean the return of Google's walled garden? Listen in as Patrick and host Mordy Oberstein explore how AI is set to change everything from SEO tools to the SERP itself!
With so many SEOs complaining about the Helpful Content Update demoting legitimate sites from the top of the SERP we ask: Is there really a problem with the Helpful Content Update?Rohan Ayyar joins the SEO Rant Podcast to separate the legitimate issues with the Helpful Content Update from just the usual SEO moaning and groaning. * The evolution of the Helpful Content Update means Google will get things wrong Why a lot of the chatter about the Helpful Content Update being defective is a bit misguided How the lack of incentive has led to a lack of helpful contentListen in as Rohan and host Mordy Oberstein share their insights about Google's Helpful Content Update.Visit our Sponsors: SE Ranking: https://seranking.com/?sou1=influencers&gr1=podcast&tg1=SEO_rant&kw1=com_podcast_sponsorship&utm_source=influencers&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=com_podcast_sponsorship_SEO_rantAlsoAsked: https://alsoasked.com/
SEO isn't a mundane process that can be boiled down to a checklist or cheat sheet. The best SEOs problem-solve and have a conceptual understanding of Search. Sarah Presch joins the SEO Rant podcast to share why critical thinking matters so much to doing SEO: Don't use SEO tools unless you also use your brain Why having a conceptual understanding is a huge SEO advantage * Why thinking critically about SEO is not optional - it's a necessity that can't be avoided Listen in as Sarah Presch and host Mordy Oberstein kvetch about the lack of critical thinking often displayed in "SEO".
Listen in as Pedro Dias and host Mordy Oberstein discuss the balance between honesty and courtesy and how it can impact the SEO conversation. As etiquette evolves is it important to ensure both civility and integrity are maintained. Having honest and open conversations are vital for pushing the SEO industry to new places but basic civility has to be maintained.
Google's "Discovered- currently not indexed" - is it a simple indexation status or is it much more? RickeyRoo's Melissa Popp joins the podcast to explain what the status of your indexation says about your site's quality. * Why looking for pages marked "Discovered - currently not indexed" should be one of the first things you check when working on a site * Why Discovered- currently not indexed can be an indication of site quality* Why too many pages marked as Discovered- currently not indexed can make it harder for future content to be indexedIt's one thing if Google can't find your content (which obviously is a problem in and of itself). It's another thing for Google to tell you that they know the content exists, they just don't care. This is what Google is essentially telling you (all things being equal and at face value) when they say your pages are "Discovered - currently not indexed." Listen as Melissa Popp and Mordy Oberstein discuss what "Discovered- currently not indexed" says about your site's overall content quality.Visit the SEO Rant website for me: https://www.theseorant.com/
Google has come a long way from where it used to be and is far more communicative about its Google algorithm updates but is it enough? Caitlin Hathaway chimes in on: Why Google updates are hard for SEOs The case for Google being even more transparent about its algorithm *Confusion about where Google stands on the topic of AI contentHow transparent should Google be about its algorithm? It's a question SEOs (and beyond) have been dealing with for quite some time. While Google has been far more communicative in recent years some argue there is still a long way to go. It's hard for SEOs and content creators to align with Google's expectations if those expectations are a bit vague. While Google does try to offer guidance and examples the devil is always in the details and some SEOs argue there are just not enough details. Listen in as Caitlin Hathaway and Mordy Oberstein dive in!
When and where can you use AI-written content? It depends. One thing is certain you should be cautious. Ashwin Balakrishnan joins the SEO Rant to discuss the downside of over-relying on AI written content: * What AI lacks that makes it a terrible idea to use as a replacement for human content creators * Why making a business decision on a technology that is still emerging makes no sense* Why time will show that going all in on AI was a mistake for brandsListen in as Ashwin and Mordy kvetch about AI!
Do SEOs need soft skills to succeed? Russ Macumber joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share his thoughts on why soft skills for SEOs matter more than many think:
- Why SEO communications are quite nuanced
- The power of identifying client communication styles
- How to deliver SEO communications that resonate with clients
Listen as Russ and host Mordy Oberstein share what communication styles resonate with your clients.
What does it mean to be an LBGTQ+ ally if you're in the SEO community? Sarah McDowell stops by to share her thoughts:
- Why brands should not fake their support for the LBGTQ+ community
- Why being an LBGTQ+ ally is just good marketing
- Why sometimes it's the subtle things that matter most when supporting the LBGTQ+ community
Rank tracking is a go-to practice for nearly all SEOs but that doesn't mean it's not without its problems and idiosyncracies. Jason Pollack (SEO manager at NBC Universal) and Gaby Alias (SEO specialist at Peacock) share their thoughts on rank tracking:
- How Google's SGE will impact rank tracking
- Why knowing your SERP is more important than ranking #1
- Living with rank volatility
Rank tracking sounds simple at first glance. You throw your keywords that you want to track into an SEO tool and you see where you're ranking. Unfortunately, it's a lot more complex. First off, ranking is not the goal per se, traffic and conversion are depending on your business model. Then you have to factor in rank volatility, which can be its own headache. Even where you're ranking #1 it might not be what you really want (as crazy as that might sound. If you're in the news business like Gaby and Jason are, then the traditional organic results are probably not even your target (at least your primary target).
Listen in as Jason Pollack, Gaby Alias, and Mordy Oberstein dive into it!
Should you be testing your SEO efforts? What if I told you probably already are? Logan Bryant joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share his thought on SEO testing:
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How and when to do SEO testing
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How to measure SEO testing and when every SEO test can't be statistically significant
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Why we're all SEO testers
We all see the value in SEO testing. Where we get a bit hung up is when trying to measure SEO efforts in this context. You might feel that you don't have the statistical background or proper volume to accurately test your SEO efforts. But does that mean you shouldn't test your SEO implementations?
Logan Bryant and Mordy Oberstein talk the ins and outs of SEO testing.
Programmatic SEO can be great but are there gaps you need to be wary of? Anna Uss joins the SEO Rant podcast to share her thoughts on programmatic SEO: * What is programmatic SEO and what makes it unique? * When should you use programmatic SEO* What to be careful of when doing programmatic SEOHere's the problem. Programmatic SEO has you build out tons of templated pages at scale. That's an enticing notion as the more pages the more chances to rank (all things being equal). So where's the rub? Well, ensuring all of the pages provide unique value that passes content quality thresholds and that is not deemed by Google as unfit for indexation (due to duplication) can sometimes be a little tricky. Does that mean you should not "do programmatic SEO?" Certainly not. Listen in as Anna Uss and Mordy Oberstein discuss when to use programmatic SEO.
In the world of AI content generators making your content memorable is more important than ever. Lily Ugbaja joins the podcast to share her thoughts on making content more memorable for greater brand equity on the SERP: How will AI-generated content change brand perception on the SERP? * How will users utilize the SERP for content exploration in an AI-first world? How do you create good and memorable content?I've said it before and I'll probably say it 100 times again - there's a wave of mediocre content coming. AI-generated content will open the floodgates as everyone and anyone can spin up a heap of content in a flash. This is exactly why now is the time to start thinking about how you can make your content stand out. Lily Ugbaja and Mordy Oberstein share how to leverage memorable content for the Google SERP and beyond!
An age-old debate in SEO has been about how to structure your domain: Should you use subfolders or subdomains? If you're in the international space, maybe you should be using ccTLDs? Alain Machado shares his thoughts on this timeless SEO question.Sometimes in SEO, we go in circles debating the same thing day after day, year after year. Nothing epitomizes this more than the debate about using subdomains or subfolders. No matter how many times Google's John Mueller says that either is fine (some caveats included) we don't seem able to give up this question. Unfortunately, it all trickles down to the client. Join Alain Machado and Mordy Oberstein as they take up an age-old SEO question!
Doing keyword research is not simply the gathering of keywords that might bring you traffic. There's a lot more that goes into it. Austine Esezebor joins the SEO Rant podcast to share what he thinks good keyword research looks like: * Why finding terms with search volume is not keyword research Why keyword research requires a multi-faceted understanding of various intents The value of extensive niche familiarity for keyword researchPulling a list of keywords based on pure SEO criteria is not keyword research. Does that sound a bit wrong? It might but pulling keywords and driving a business's organic search content strategy based on metrics like search volume and keyword competition scores alone isn't healthy. It's not even good SEO. Listen as Austine Esezobor and Mordy Oberstein talk about doing strong keyword research!
SEO is for everyone and great content should be rewarded no matter the size of the site. That said, self-creators face some unique SEO problems. Riley Hope joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share her outlook on SEO for self-creators: * Does the future of Google's algorithm leave self-creators in the lurch? * How does AI factor into SEO for self-creators?* What is the future of the web for self-creators?Self-creators, business owners, and the like occupy a fascinating place within the Google ecosystem. The search engine needs some of these folks to create content as often it's the owner of a business and not a content marketing agency in Ohio that is the topical expert. And while Google has done things to democratize the SERP for such folks, there are still some issues facing them even today and going into the future.Listen in as Riley Hope and Mordy Oberstein talk about SEO, the web, the future, and self-creators.
Having your pages indexed by Google is not as easy as it used to be. Katherine Nwanorue joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share how she handles all sorts of Search Console indexation gaps:* What are the different kinds of indexation statuses and how to handle them * What types of pages are likely to face indexation issues * Techniques to increase the chances that Google will crawl and index your pages from the onsetIf you write a page of content and it's not indexed does it make a sound? This is an SEO podcast, not a philosophy class. The clear answer is it makes no organic search sound at all. Content is one thing but if it's not indexed it's not accessible (via Search). Ensuring Google indexes your content is of the utmost importance but it's getting harder as Google gets pickier about what it chooses to crawl and index. What then, should you know about indexation so that you can increase the chances that your pages will be crawled and indexed? Katherine Nwanorue and Mordy Oberstein discuss!
Owain Lyold-Willaims rejoins the SEO Rant Podcast as we dive into Baidu and take a survey of what the search engine has to offer: * How Baidu controls the user's journey in a far more aggressive way than Google How the Baidu SERP differs visually from Google How Baidu handles ads and local searchesThe Baidu SERP may be a foreign concept to many SEOs but it is a fascinating comparison to Google. For example, Baidu's ads are far more integrated into the organic results. The ads on Baidu are relegated to specific areas of the SERP. Rather, they are interspersed within the organic results themselves (so keep that in mind the next time you feel frustrated with how Google serves ads). Owain Williams-Llyod and Mordy Oberstein dive into how the Baidu SERP functions and how it differs from Google's results.
How should you get your clients to start creating content with SEO in mind? Nerdwallet's Jacob Clarke joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share his outlook: * How to build content creation and optimization momentum with quick winsThe power of a good content brief Proper reporting for content-focused SEO clientsContent creation, content strategy, and SEO are all individually tricky. Combine them, and that's one tall order for your clients. How do you get started here? The difficulty of content strategy in the SEO context is why Jacob Clarke recommends starting with some quick wins. Not only does that build momentum but it builds trust. That might mean starting with a few quick technical updates or some easy content refreshes just to get the client comfortable with the process. Even updating a piece of content that needs a bit more structure or would benefit from internal linking is a good place to start. Listen is as Jacob Clarke and Mordy Oberstein go deep into the content creation process for clients in the context of SEO!
Is using an AI writer like chatGPT recommended from an SEO point of view? Nat Miletic joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share his outlook on SEO and AI writers: * The dangers chatGPT and AI writers present to the web * When is it OK to use an AI writer?* How Google might respond to a world filled with AI-written content?AI writers, like chatGPT present a challenge to SEOs and to the web overall. Creating content is not easy. It takes time and expertise. Creating good content is a lot harder than it looks. Which is why an AI writer is so tempting to so many. However, like anything else - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Flooding the web with AI-written content is a tremendous danger to the health of the web going forward. Listen as Nati Miletic and Mordy Oberstein discuss the both the uses and dangers of chatGPT for SEO.
Is TokTok a search engine? It's a more complex question than you might think. Limor Barenholtz joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share her view on TikTok as a search engine: * How do you define a search engine? * Can you really do SEO on TikTok? * Does TikTok present a threat to Google?
Six months. Usually, we hear it takes six months to see traffic from your SEO efforts. Sammie Ellard King joins the SEO Rant Podcast to explain why it's not that simple: * How long does it REALLY take to see traffic from your SEO efforts? * The value of having incremental goals * The problem with SEO case studies and realistic traffic expectationsIt's easy to get caught up in the drive to bring in traffic to a new site without fully appreciating how long this process can really take. Sure, 6 months is generally the length of time it takes to see traffic to a site. However, is that an actual realistic timeframe? Perhaps not. (Say it ain't so). Sammie Ellard King and Mordy Oberstein discuss SEO expectations and how long it really takes to bring traffic to a site.
OnCrawl's Rebecca Berbel joins the SEO Rant Podcast to talk about the role of language processing on SEO both now and in the future: * The evolution of Google's ability to understand content naturally* How language processing will impact SEO going forward * The impact of updates like the Product Review Updates & the Helpful Content Updates on the Google ecosystemGoogle's ultimate goal is to understand language the way we as humans do... naturally. This is where Natural Language Processing meets Google Search and SEO. Leaving aside everything about SEO from ranking factors to crawlability, Google's most basic goal is to understand what a user is searching for and to understand web content so that it can give users what they are searching for. Listen as OnCrawl's Rebecca Berbel joins host Mordy Oberstein to discuss the role of language in Search now and going forward.
Can only the elite optimize a site for Search? Seth Goldstein joins the podcast to explain why SEO doesn't need always be as complicated as some make it out to be: * Why everyone can do some good SEO * Where SEO professionals fit into the picture* Why SEOs sometimes make SEO sound more complicated than it needs to beSEO can be very complex. If you're managing a large news site with millions of pages that are both syndicated across the web and topically stale in a matter of hours - doing SEO will be hard and complicated. However, this is not most of the web. And while we, the SEOs, may make SEO seems incredibly complex with principles around E-A-T and algorithms, and whatnot... it doesn't have to be rocket science. A site owner, with a bit of love, elbow grease, and a bit of knowledge under their belts can do things that significantly improve their site and its ability to be discovered on Google. Listen as Seth Goldstein and Mordy Oberstein share why they think SEO is often not as complicated as you might think.
Can SEOs and developers get along? SEO and Klingon speaker Jack Chambers-Ward joins the SEO Rant to share how SEOs and developers can work more efficiently together by staging a site: * Why staging a site is better than using a wireframe for dev relations How to keep tempers down when working with devs by staging a site Why staging a site allows you better SEO input when working with devsThe relationship between SEOs and developers can at times be a bit contentious. But as SEOs and developers do need to work closely for the sake of the site's success finding ways to bridge that gap can be quite important. Listen as Jack and host Mordy Oberstein dive into how SEOs can improve their relationships with developers.
Did an hour-long webinar? Post it on YouTube, right? Not so fast says Kevin Knecht aka Carl Gratiot! * Why YouTube is not meant for blind uploading webinars & other long-form content* Avoiding uploading webinars to YouTube so you retain control over user behavior * Why automatically uploading webinars to YouTube could be a bad look for the brandWhen it comes to video creation there's almost this automatic instinct of, "Just throw it on YouTube." As if YouTube has become the receptacle for all videos of all kinds. But shouldn't video creation and its placement on YouTube be a bit more strategic? Carl Gratiot thinks so as he and Mordy Oberstein dive into why you shouldn't just plop long-form content like webinars onto YouTube!
International SEO is just ccTLDs and hreflang, right? Nope. Webcertain's Gemma Houghton joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share the deeper side of international SEO:
- Why international SEO is its own art and science
- When you should begin with international SEO efforts
- The role of culture in international SEO
Listen as Gemma and host Mordy Oberstein dive into the holistic nature of international SEO.
Data is great. Every SEO should use data. But data that is not contextualized can be worthless at best and extremely misleading at worst. Semrush's Diana Richardson joins the SEO Rant Podcast to talk about the need for contextualized SEO data:
- Why SEO data needs to be qualified
- The need to see the larger picture when analyzing data
- SEO tools can't think for you
It's easy to make data the be all end all and final word on everything. This is particularly true in SEO where there is simply an abundance of data. However, for the data to actually be helpful in meeting the end goal of SEO (to grow sites through organic traffic) it has to be qualified.
Semrush's Diana Richardson and Mordy Oberstein discuss how to use SEO data the right way!
Everyone has their own SEO origins story. In this episode, Munene Kelvin shares how he got started in SEO.
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How he went from psychology student to content writer to SEO professional
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Where community fits into your journey as a new SEO
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His experience learning SEO from some of the industry's top experts
We all have our unique path to SEO. Munene Kelvin shares his unique "SEO story" that saw him move from pursuing a degree in psychology to being a content writer to ultimately joining Chima Mmege's FCDC where he learned SEO from Aleyda Solis.
Sharing these SEOs stories is meaningful. We've all fallen into this "peculiar" career path that the "outside world" often doesn't understand. In a way, it's quite validating to hear someone's story about how they stumbled upon SEO and what that's meant for them both personally and professionally.
Listen as Munene Kelvin joins host Mordy Oberstein to share his experience starting a career in SEO.
What if a keyword research tool says there is no search volume for a keyword, should you target it anyway? Ebere Jonathan joins the SEO Rant Podcast to talk about zero search volume keywords:
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When you should or should not target zero search volume keywords
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Why zero search volume keywords should be part of your larger content strategy
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Why zero search volume keywords can be important for newer sites
Very often, yes your SEO strategy should include a focus on zero search volume keywords. Zero search volume keywords are a great way for a newer site to start creating site identity, topical relevance, and authority so that you can eventually rank for more competitive keywords.
Listen as Ebere Jonathan and Mordy Oberstein explain the value of using zero search volume keywords.
Looking to jump into the wide world of digital marketing? Sodiq Ajala suggests you do so by first building your own website:
- Gaining perspective by building your own site
- Building your own site for the sake of personal branding
- Why having a personal website is great for experimenting
You should build your own website about yourself. While it might sound obvious, many many of us don't do it. But the truth is, for people trying to enter the SEO and digital marketing space having your own site that you built with your own two hands is extremely helpful.
Why? Listen as Sadiq Ajala and Mordy Oberstein discuss!
Keyword research is one of those cliched and monolithic topics in SEO. That's why Deborah Oyewole joins the SEO Rant to share what new SEOs should know about keyword research:
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Why keyword research starts with understanding the brand you're working with
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Why asking the right questions is key to doing keyword research
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When new SEOs should and shouldn't rely on SEO tools for keyword research
Listen as Deborah and host Mordy Oberstein talk about the right mindset to have about keyword research especially if you are new to SEO!
PPC and SEO can co-exist, but not always. Samuel Lavoie joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share his thoughts on when looking at SEO from a PPC perspective can be detrimental to organic growth:
- Why we should separate SEO from PPC more than some might think
- Why SEOs need to be informed of PPC campaigns
- Why you should not have the same people doing SEO and PPC
Have you ever run a branded search query and found the very brand you're looking for is running Search Ads for their own name? It's very common. It's also very common that the actual organic result that the user is looking for doesn't appear above the fold (thanks to more Search Ads).
Why does this matter?
Because instead of getting what would have been free traffic, all things being equal, the user clicks on your ad. So the same user that would have come organically now just cost you a bit of money. In all likelihood, the user would have bypassed the ads from your competitors. After all, they were searching for your brand by name.
Listen as Samuel Lavoie and host Mordy Oberstein dive into the conflicts between SEO and PPC!
How do you manage SEO projects effectively? Montse Cano joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share her best tips and overall outlook on staying organized when managing an SEO campaign:
- Why SEOs need to learn how to be organized
- What it means to run an organized SEO project
- The importance of setting expectations & how being organized plays into that
Managing SEO projects is never easy, but it can be especially hard when you're managing multiple projects with multiple clients who are all using multiple platforms to run their projects. To make matters worse, and as Montse points out, there are so many moving parts that you are trying to exert some semblance of control over. It's moments like this that being well-organized is a powerful ally to your ability to do good SEO.
Listen as Montse Cano and Mordy Oberstein talk the ins and outs of properly managing an SEO project from an organizational point of view.
Ronin Bennett-Vonderostensacken joins the SEO Rant Podcast to discuss what creating content that is driven by purpose looks like and how that plays into SEO:
- How to decide on what content to write
- Why having real experts write content is a huge advantage
- How to keep your content focus
At the risk of stating the obvious, you should not create content just for the sake of creating content. You want to create content that is beloved by your audience. That should be the goal when writing.
That's all a little easier said than done. Listen as Ronin Bennett-Vonderostensacken and Mordy Oberstein dive into creating content that has purpose behind it.
The great Azeem Digital joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share the problem that is a lack of diversity among SEO conference speakers:
- What a lack of speaker diversity means for the industry
- The ethics behind speaker diversity
- The affordability of SEO conferences and its role in diverse attendance
Too often, the speaker lineup for an SEO conference consists of the same people (who trend towards being male and caucasian) who may or may not really be relevant to the current SEO conversation.
This not only prevents new ideas from being shared (i.e., diversity of thought) but can make what is already an uphill battle for many SEO speakers of color that much more difficult. As Azeem points out, securing a more diverse speaker lineup is not as hard as perhaps some conference organizers think. There are various groups and organizations within the SEO community that would make securing a more diverse lineup quite efficient.
Listen as Azeem Digital and Mordy Oberstein discuss the state of SEO conferences and what the future has in store for them should they not evolve.
Ori Zilbershtein returns to the SEO Rant Podcast to share his experience with an SEO agency -from what went wrong to what SEO agencies can learn from this series of unfortunate events:
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The importance of offering SEO clients a consistent agency experience
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How SEO agencies can correct course when things go wrong with clients
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How agencies can handle project failures the right way
When an SEO agency is on its game - it's great. Agencies can be a powerful ally to help you grow your business and improve your site's experience for users. When an SEO agency is not on its game it can be a downright nightmare.
Listen as Ori Zilbershtein shares his SEO agency nightmare with SEO Rant host Mordy Oberstein!
Michel Fortin joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share why putting users before bots matters and why that's the best thing you can do as an SEO:
- Why you should stop chasing keywords, algorithms, and the like
- Why user-first SEO means conversion-first SEO
- What it means to put the user first when doing SEO
While the SEO industry has (mostly) moved off of the over-emphasis on keywords, there still seems to be a lag in adopting a more holistic and user-focused approach to SEO. That's not to say there isn't much importance to things like technical SEO or links, etc. Obviously, ensuring the technical health of a site is of paramount importance. Rather, and as Michel Fortin points out, the ultimate goal of a site and the work an SEO does isn't around technical SEO, it's to bring in users and new resources of revenue and growth.
Listen as Michel Fortin and Mordy Oberstein share why a user-centric approach to SEO is the best approach to SEO!
Helen Pollitt joins the SEO Rant Podcast to talk about the problems in the SEO job market:
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Why the interview process for SEO jobs is broken
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Why there needs to be a better way other than preparing multiple audits to prove your SEO worth to a prospective employer
Working your way through the hiring process when searching for a new job can be unpleasant, but perhaps more so if you're an SEO. Whereas back in the day the application process for an SEO job was relatively streamlined Helen Pollitt advocates that the process has gotten far messier. Nowadays, SEOs need to jump through all sorts of hoops as they navigate the hiring process.
Listen as host Mordy Oberstein chats with Helen in order to understand why the SEO job application process is broken and what would make it better.
- Why CVs are such a waste of time when trying to judge an SEO for a job
What is the fallout of Google's gender bias inside its search results? Myriam Jessier joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share the problem Google has with gender and language:
- How does gender bias play itself out on the SERP?
- How certain languages are impacted by Google's gender more bias than others
- Why gender bias in search results disincentivizes good content
Unlike English, many of the world's languages utilize male-specific and female-specific conjugation. That creates a very significant problem for search engines as it opens the door to gender bias among the search results. As Myriam points out, if you search for the female version of something in French, you end up getting the male conjugation on the SERP instead.
Listen as Myriam Jessier and Mordy Oberstein explore the problem of gender bias on the Google SERP.
Kristal Audain joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share her experience coming into the SEO industry and being an SEO (and beyond):
- Why being invested in your own SEO education matters so very much
- The value in finding your own SEO space
- Why the road doesn't always end at SEO
No one has ever said, "you know what I want to be when I grow up... Barry Schwartz." Despite how wonderful Barry is, very few people think about being an SEO when they grow up. Usually, we somehow fall into being an SEO. One day, we wake up, and we're suddenty Barry Schwartz.
The path towards one day waking up and being an SEO is messy. There are so many variables that play into it. Join Kristal Audain and Mordy Oberstein as they explore the path towards becoming an SEO, then being an SEO, and then perhaps moving beyond SEO.
Kristie Plantinga joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share her client-first approach to keyword research:
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Why your clients are the best source for keyword research
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How to get clients to think about new query opportunity
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The one question to get clients to think about the right topics to cover on their site
Your clients are the experts on the topics that relate to their business. Your job as an SEO isn't to go to a keyword research tool and pull out a list of topics/keywords for the site to target. Your job is to figure out what topics are the right topics to create content around. If your clients are topical experts then wouldn't they have a lot more genuine insight than a keyword research tool?
Join Mordy Oberstein and Kristie Plantinga as they explore a client-oriented version of keyword research!
Want to learn more about how SEO works in China? Owain Llyod-Williams shares his experience optimizing sites for Baidu:
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How governmental censorship plays itself out when doing SEO on Chinese websites
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How language norms impact the content on your site
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How intelligent Baidu is relative to Google
Manual actions are one thing but say the wrong thing on your site in China and the whole site comes down. Owain Llyod-Williams lays out the extreme level of censorship in China and how that impacts doing SEO.
Local SEO ninja guru Claire Carlile joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share her thoughts on the wide world of local SEO:
- Why did Google rename GMB?
- The state of spam fighting
- When should SMBs focus on SERP features?
Over the years local SEO has really come into its own. In this episode, Claire Carlile runs through an array of local SEO topics within the context of how the space has developed over time.
Listen as Claire and the show's host, Mordy Oberstein, dive into the state of spam in the local space, when SMBs should focus on SERP features, and, more!
Alex Wright joins the SEO Rant Podcast to discuss how to showcase the value of SEO to clients:
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The value in understanding how the client's business works so your SEO work aligns
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Why you need to have conversations around the client's overarching business goals
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How to integrate yourself into your client's business
It should go without saying (although it appears we do need to say it) that you need to prove the value of your SEO work to clients. This really isn't unique to SEO but it can be a little trickier when it comes to the value of SEO work.
This process starts with understanding how the client's business works. That means you need to really jump into things.
Listen as Alex Wright and Mordy Oberstein discuss how to integrate yourself into your client's business so that your SEO work can provide them with unique value.
Alice Roussel joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share her thoughts on growth marketing vs SEO:
- The advantage of looking at multiple channels for growth
- The advantage of looking at multiple channels for your career
- Managing growth channels that you are not the expert on
For SEOs with many years of experience, zooming out and focusing on wider multi-channel growth is often the next natural step. One of the unique advantages that Alice sees in going this route is the perspective that looking at multiple channels offers. Taking a step back and looking at all the channels and the full user journey gives your organic traffic context. You now better understand your customer's journey and this can indeed help you better optimize for organic channels, including organic search.
Listen as Mordy Oberstein and Alice Roussel chat about pivoting from SEO to growth marketing.
Greg Bernhardt of Shopify joins the SEO Rant Podcast to discuss using Python for SEO:
- What is the programming language known as Python?
- How Python can help you when doing SEO
- How to get started learning Python for SEO
As you may have noticed, SEOs who are "doing the Python" sneak a little green snake emoji into their Twitter profiles. But outside of having a rad emoji that goes along with it, what is Python from an SEO point of view?
Join Mordy Oberstein as he invites Greg Bernhardt to the podcast to discuss how SEOs can use Python to take what they can do with spreadsheets to a whole new level!
Brian Harnish joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share his wisdom on running a site audit:
- What tools should you use to run a site audit?
- Running a site audit on big versus smaller sites
- Core Web Vitals and site audits
We dive into the pros and cons of the various site audit tools that are out there. What many folks might not realize is that there are different tools for different sites for different kinds of users. Using the most thorough of all site audit tools might not be the most efficient way to work when dealing with a smaller site or where you want to take the audit for the client. Also, keep in mind, that certain tools are better at offering tons of amazing details while certain tools make it efficient to get a bird's eye view of the site's health. For site audits, like the rest of SEO, it all depends.
Tory Gray joins the SEO Rant Podcast to discuss if eCommerce SEO is different than other types of SEO:
- How unique is eCommerce SEO
- Do you need to hire an eCommerce SEO specialist?
- Are there areas of SEO that are truly unique?
It seems like every day there's another new type of SEO out there. Whether it be "Saas SEO" or whatever. One of the areas of SEO specialty that has come to the forefront over the last few years is eCommerce SEO. While the web is filled with all sorts of content describing the unique characteristics of eCommerce SEO Tory Gray challenges the notion that eCommerce SEO is that much different from "standard SEO."
Sam Torres joins the SEO Rant Podcast to discuss the wonderful world of SEO and structured data:
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Why structured data is important for creating relationships between content pieces
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On implementing structured data
*The importance of not going overboard with marking up your site
Structured data is a powerhouse that takes the guesswork out of what something means and beyond. Moreover, it can help create relationships between various pieces of content. There are a lot of opportunities to create interrelationships between pieces of content by marking up things like the author or publisher of a blog post, etc. In an entity-centric world, structured data is your friend here.
Listen as Sam Torres and Mordy Oberstein explore structured data, your site, and your rankings!
Glassdoor SEO, Colt Sliva, joins the SEO Rant Podcast as we dive into how E-A-T plays into ranking despite it not being part of the algorithm per se:
- Why E-A-T and ranking goes far beyond just links
- How E-A-T factors into ranking despite there not being an E-A-T score
- The role of machine learning on ranking
While there is no E-A-T "algorithm" - Google is using machine learning to profile sites in order to match the site to its understanding of what good and quality content looks like. E-A-T as a score is not a thing but E-A-T as an alignment to a profile constructed by machine learning is!
There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding around this topic (and around the idea of meta structures impacting rank without them being a direct ranking factor). All the more reason why the conversation in this episode of the podcast is an important one!
Listen as Colt and the show's host, Mordy Oberstein, get into the thick of it!
Tech SEO at Wix, Assaf Cohen, joins the SEO Rant Podcast to talk about the value a website brings to a small business:
- How having a website makes your business discoverable
- Why every SMB needs a Google Business Profile
- Why having a site is not worthwhile if it's not a quality site
Did you know there was a great hardware store right around the corner from you? No? That's probably because they're a mom-and-pop store and might not have a website let alone a Google Business Profile.
Having a website is a must for every small and local business. Even if your customers prefer an in-store shopping experience, they're likely finding your business by searching online.
Listen as Assaf Cohen and Mordy Oberstein talk about the role a good website plays in the earning power of small businesses.
Jonathan Berthold joins the SEO Rant Podcast to tell us why SEOs need to take CRO into account.
- The need for SEOs to think about CRO
- Why SEOs often don't think about CRO
- How to define SEO so that it includes CRO
SEO is becoming increasingly siloed. The danger here is that the larger context gets lost really easily. The end goal of SEO is a business goal - it's to help sites generate revenue. Without taking the larger context into account we as SEOs can't truly help sites. That larger context is CRO.
Join Mordy Oberstein and Jonathan Berthold as they discuss the relationship between SEO and CRO.
What's it like being an SEO in a market that isn't your native language? Yagmur Simsek joins the SEO Rant Podcast to talk about her experiences doing SEO as an expat.
- How employers can best handle hiring an SEO who is an expat
- The positive impact that comes with hiring an expat in an SEO role
- The difficulties doing SEO as an expat
Most of us take the ability to communicate with out teammates or clients for granted. But what happens when you move to a country where the language is not your mother tongue? Language is one thing, but learning a new culture is even more difficult. How might it all impact the way you do SEO?
Danny Gavin joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share his outlook on SEO education:
- The current state of formal SEO education
- Why SEO education has to be hands-on
- How to get the most out of an SEO course
SEO has traditionally been something folks have gotten into indirectly and with a lot of on-the-job training. As the industry has grown, university-level SEO courses (as part of a larger digital marketing program) have popped up all over. The question is, can you learn SEO in a classroom?
Listen as Danny Gavin and Mordy Oberstein sort it all out!
Semrush's own Eka Ebralidze joins the SEO Rant to discuss how to outreach to influential people and important stakeholders:
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Why leveraging influencers in a shallow utilitarian way won't be effective
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Why influencer marketing is really "relationship marketing"
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How to actually communicate effectively with influential people
There's a lot of "shallowness of thought" when discussing utilizing influencers as part of a marketing strategy. Often, the conversation makes it seem that the relationship between a brand and the influencers it engages with is entirely utilitarian. However, this is anything but the truth.
Join Eka as she shares her outlook on influencer communications.
Rejoice Ojiaku joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share her thoughts on what real diversity in the SEO community looks like:
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Talking about diversity is not enough
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What an actually diverse SEO community looks and feels like
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Why the SEO community loses out if we don't foster a diverse and inclusive environment
There is a lot of talk in the SEO community about diversity and inclusion. But outside of the talk, what is actually happening out there to be more inclusive and to foster a more diverse environment? If you look out there in the community and at what's actually happening out there it doesn't feel like much has changed in terms of being more diverse and inclusive. So while we do speak about the topic a lot, are we actually interested (as a collective) in real change?
Crystal Carter joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share her outlook on how to build value for your domain with SEO by getting your homepage right.
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Why your homepage is the most important page on your site from an SEO point of view
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Creating domain identity with your homepage
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What you should be doing on your homepage so that it makes Google think your domain has value
Sure, having a great blog and landing pages is an awesome way to bring folks to your site. But don't spend all your time building a massive blog post while ignoring the most important page on your site... your homepage.
Your homepage is who your site is. If you get it wrong, it can impact every other page on your site. It's the first page Google crawls, it's the page most often linked to, and beyond. If you want to build your domain's organic search value you need to get it right.
More than any other page, your homepage gives your entire site identity. There are some really simple things you can do to optimize your homepage. Listen in as Crystal shares why getting the page right is so important and what you should or shouldn't be concerned with when optimizing the homepage.
Founder of Site Strategics and the Edge of the Web Podcast Erin Sparks (and the Robin to his Batman, Jacob Mann) join the SEO Rant to discuss the difficulties that come along with SEO clients:
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SEOs can't solve poor business practices, nor should you be expected to
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How to know when you should stay away from potential SEO clients
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Why you as an SEO should not entertain high levels of mistrust
"SEO is a long-term investment," says SEO veteran Erin Sparks. That can stand in strong juxtaposition to the expectation that many SEO clients have. Add on a heap of myths about Google that the SEO industry can't seem to shake off of its back and your client's expectations might be light years away from reality.
And that's just the start. Clients think that "digital marketing" (SEO included) is some sort of panacea to plug the enormous gaps in their overarching business goals and practices. If the business plan isn't sound, SEO isn't going to solve it for you.
Perhaps worse of all is the level of mistrust that sometimes comes with clients. Clients can come with certain expectations that are at times unreasonable even if they heavily finance their SEO efforts. Nothing is ever going to be perfect and no ride to the top of the SERP is without its bumps. If clients come at you with extreme levels of mistrust at the slightest sign of "a problem" - it might not be worth dealing with them.
Being aware of where the client is coming from, where their business currently stands, and so forth are beyond vital in ensuring you enter into a healthy client relationship.
Paul Andre de Vera joins the SEO Rant Podcast to explain why most SEO job listings fail!
We take up:
*Why SEO job listings are fundamentally flawed, more often than not
*What a good SEO job listing should look like
*How to align yourselves with a job listing so that you get the SEO job you're after
SEO job listings often seem like they're after some mythical SEO who doesn't exist, never has existed, and never will exist. Instead of targeting a specific profile, these listings ask SEOs to know everything about SEO and beyond. Not only do you have to know everything from technical SEO to link building but a lot of these listings ask SEOs to be content writers, social media marketers, and beyond. That's clearly a problem.
To make matters worse SEO job listings, when they do include a listed salary, often throw out numbers that are incredibly low. So not only are these listings asking SEOs to know everything under the Sun, but they're not paying you much to know it!
In this episode, Dre walks us through the problems with SEO job listings, what they should look like instead, and how you as an SEO can best handle an SEO job listing!
Debi Norton joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share 25 years of experience as an SEO and digital marketer:
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How dealing with clients & SEO reporting has changed drastically over time
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What life was like for an SEO at the start of it all
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Whether or not SEOs needed to know how to code & if they do nowadays
Saying "SEO has changed" in the past quarter of a century is painfully obvious. That's why this episode doesn't list a whole heap of cliche points about how the digital landscape has changed in 25 years.
Instead... Debi recounts her experiences and journey through SEO and digital marketing over the past two and half decades. From what interaction with clients was like back when the industry was brand-new to what you did when you didn't have a heap of SEO tools or even a modem that wasn't dial-up!
Along the way, we get into some of the age-old questions that have plagued SEO since the dawn of time... Do SEOs need to know to code? What tools are the best for SEOs?... and so forth.
In short, this was a nice conversational look at how doing the work and dealing with the clients has changed and what it really used to look like!
Navah Hopkins joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share her thoughts on the state of PPC and its relationship to SEO.
- How PPC has fundamentally changed
- How PPC and SEO work together
- When to consider investing in PPC versus when to consider investing in SEO
Navah Hopkins and Mordy Oberstein lay it all out for you in this episode of the SEO Rant Podcast!
Yuriy Yarovy joins the podcast to shamelessly promote his Twitter curation tool, Dewey, but also to share his thoughts on the role of curated content:
- Why content today demands curation
- The role of trust in the content curation process
- The future of content and where curation may or may not fit in
Why Curated Content Is the Hottest Thing Since Sliced Bread: Episode Synopsis
When it comes to understanding the value of curated content, Yuriy Yarovoy knows a thing or two. He's the founder of Dewey, a Chrome extension that lets you save tweets and categorize them in folders (as opposed to Twitter Bookmarks which is just a heap of unorganized mess).
His idea was that what you bookmark on Twitter says a lot about you. If you're an expert in whatever field others might be interested in what you bookmark. Being able to organize your bookmarks into folders, etc. is a way of curating content. Meaning, instead of you having to scour Twitter for content, just have a look at what your favorite personalities are saving via Dewey.
This speaks to a larger problem, the over-abundance of content. Anyone who's anyone is spitting out all sorts of content these days and most of it is utter crap. That means you need to spend way too much time sifting through content in order to separate out what's good and what's... not.
To combat this, curated content has taken off. This is the age of the newsletter. Why spend so much time reading all sorts of content from all sorts of sites when only 5% of it is decent? Why not subscribe to a newsletter where content is expertly picked for you? (Which is why I subscribe to the SEOFOMO newsletter and why you should too. Do it now.)
The point is, as the barrage of content continues, people will need a way to sift through it all without spending a ton of time doing so. Being someone who can do this for people, being someone who curates content, has a lot of potential in such an ecosystem.
If you're someone who people trust, who people would rely on to have you pick the content they consume for them... then you might want to seriously consider putting out some form of curated content!
Georgios Chasiotis joins the SEO Rant Podcast to talk about how to good SEO means building topical authority from the bottom up.
How to build your site's authority methodically The difference between topical coverage and topical identity How to use site identity & authority to move into more competitive areas on the SERP.
Building Authority by Association with Small Libraries:
Google works by associations. It understands that a site is associated with a given topic or set of topics. When thinking about your content from an SEO perspective it pays to start thinking about it in a far more targeted way. Think of your site as containing small libraries of very focused content that's clearly identifiable. By clearly identifiable we mean that it's clear that the topics are a focus of the site. This stands in contradistinction to casting a wide net with your content in the hopes of bringing in a large amount of content. Aside from targeted content being more valuable, you can't establish yourself as an authority in that manner. By creating small and concentrated libraries of focused content you're showing Google you comprehensively cover a topic. Meaning, you're showing Google you are an authority on the topic. In turn, when relevant keywords are entered into the search engine Google considers you relevant at the topical level.
This means you want to start targeting the small terms that show a refined understanding of the topic area. This allows you to grow into more competitive subtopics as Google already understands that you're a relevant authority. By building authority at the topic level from the bottom up you give your site a chance, ultimately, to compete in more competitive spaces.
Olga Zerzeczna joins the SEO Rant to discuss the central role that Search Console takes in doing SEO:
- What makes Search Console unique
- The data found inside of Search Console
- When to move to a third-party tool
When it comes to SEO tools and data Google's Search Console is foundational. It's fundamentally different than anything else out there. While third-party tools are great and essential for a heap of SEO tasks Search Console holds a special place in the hearts of SEOs.
In this episode, Olga and I discuss what makes Search Console so special and when you should move to a third-party tool.
Christina LeVasseur joins the SEO Rant Podcast to discuss what it means to create your own path and identity in SEO.
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How to create a unique SEO career
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Why self-reflection and awareness is critical to creating a unique SEO career trajectory
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The stress of evaluating and reevaluating your SEO career choices
SEO is in more demand than ever and accordingly, there are more SEOs than ever. Standing out from the crowd and having a unique persona within the industry can give your career a boost. Instead of giving you a set of top-level and relatively meaningless tips on how to create a unique SEO career path... we're diving deep into the mindset that helps foster an upwards career trajectory.
Darwin Santos joins the SEO Rant Podcast to talk about SEO knowledge and what he calls "standing on the shoulders of giants":
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The impact of individual SEOs on the career paths of new search marketers
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Why remembering we all learned SEO from someone else is vital
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Realizing SEO knowledge is a give and take scenario
We all take things for granted. Such is life. This is why every once in a while it's important to get some perspective. There are certain things in the world of SEO that are givens. There are certain ideas and practices that are no-brainers at this point. But if we stop and think for a second we'll quickly realize that these things are only obvious because of the ingenuity and hard work of other SEOs. And while we might have our own novel ideas, they're very often built on the foundation of someone else's ingenuity.
In this episode, Darwin and I talk about the continual building of SEO knowledge and the appreciation of those who made this possible for us.
Garrett Sussman joins the SEO Rant Podcast to discuss what does and will impact the way people search on Google:
- How educating the next generation about Google will impact the search results
- The role of evolving technology on search behavior
- How user need and demand for personalization might change Search behavior
The way people search on Google impacts everything. Users changing the way they consume content and search for information forces search engines to show different results on the SERP. Yet, not much time is spent talking about what impacts the way people utilize search engines and how and why people change their search behavior.
Which is why Garrett and Mordy talked exactly about that!
Kyle Place joins the SEO Rant Podcast as he reflects back on what it's like to be a first-year SEO:
- The challenge of getting bad information as a new SEO
- Why the lack of SEO standards makes being a new SEO hard
- The role the community plays in the life of a new SEO
Being a new SEO is not easy. From learning the craft to finding strong SEO resources, being a first-year SEO is challenging. To the latter, new SEOs often end up reading top-level content and feeling like they have mastery over a topic when really SEO is a never-ending learning cycle.
Compound this with a heap of other difficulties and it's easy to see why being a first-year SEO is not the easiest thing on the planet... which is exactly what Kyle and I get into on this episode.
Karen Julia joins the SEO Rant Podcast to talk about doing SEO when the work heavily involves designers.
- Why designers are more problematic for SEO than other stakeholders
- Finding the balance between practical and beautiful design
- How SEOs can create strong working relationships with designers
There can be a serious lack of "common ground" between SEOs and designers. Both parties feel the site belongs to them and both can have very different visions for it. It's a tricky relationship to navigate but having a strong relationship with a site's designer can spare you a lot of headaches down the road.
In this episode, Julia and I dive into the pain and joy of SEOs working with designers.
Jamar Ramos joins the SEO Rant Podcast to chat about the needs and hangups of the SEO community.
- The negative outcomes that occur when SEOs jockey for position
- Maintaining a sense of respect even when we disagree on SEO outlooks
- Consciously trying to support people in the community
The SEO community is unique. It's unique in its knowledge sharing and the closeness of the community and heap of other good things. It's also unique in some of the mudslinging that goes on.
I remember a prominent non-SEO who carefully followed the community being astounded at how aggressive SEOs can be towards each other.
It's a real problem at times and it's a stain on the community overall (like it or not).
That's why having an open conversation about this topic is really important and it's why the idea of supporting each other and collaborating with each other is more important than ever.
This, of course, is exactly what Jamar and I talk about in this episode!
Lidia Infante joins the podcast to discuss what international SEO really is:
- Information density and its role in SEO
- How Natural Language Processing has impacted international SEO
- Why understanding user tendencies is a must when doing international SEO
Not unlike other areas of SEO, the conversation around international SEO has become far too cliched. There are far too few discussions about the idiosyncrasies of various markets and how that plays out for both bots and users. When it comes down to it, international SEO means understanding how Google functions and how users operate, it's not just ccTLDs and hreflang!
Here's a summary of what we talked about
Judith Lewis joins the SEO Rant Podcast to go off on horrible link building practices:
- Bad metrics for bad links
- How to build links the right way
- What link outreach requires to actually work
There is no bottom of the barrel to the stupidity that goes on around link building. Not only are these practices not effective they're just downright dumb at this point. Yet, for some reason, all sorts of link-building shenanigans are alive and kicking. In this episode, Judith shares what makes bad link building bad... as well as what makes for good link building!
Itamar Blauer joins the SEO Rant Podcast to discuss common-sense SEO:
- Link building and common sense
- Content creation and common sense
- Data for SEO and common sense
Like life, SEO demands just a wee bit of common sense. While you would think certain things are obvious, they are not. To this day there are so many mindboggling bad SEO practices that people still hold onto for some reason. This, despite the fact that they fly smack in the face of all that is intelligent and reasonable.
Itamar Blauer joined me to bitch and moan about the lack of common sense in some SEO practices.
Enrico Chiodino joins the SEO Rant Podcast to discuss SEOs and their role in protecting the digital environment:
- SEOs and their obligation to the web
- Why having a purpose helps SEOs care for the web environment
- Fooling users is far worse than fooling bots
You may not realize it, but SEOs leave a major mark on the web. We have a lot of power to both help and harm the web as a whole. This puts a unique obligation on SEOs to ensure they care for the web and its overall health.
In this episode Enrico Chiodino and I discuss the unique role SEOs play in protecting the web and how they might go about doing so.
Igal Stolpner joins the podcast to share his outlook on doing SEO for big/established sites in contrast to doing SEO for smaller/newer sites:
- Doing SEO on new sites versus old sites
- How understanding the growth potential of a site differs for small versus big sites
- Creating site architecture on big and small sites
It goes without saying that there is no one size fits all SEO solution. How you approach everything from creating site structure to analyzing growth potential to doing keyword research all depends on the type of site you are working with. Whether the site is new or not, whether the site is big or not, all heavily factors into how you do SEO.
In this episode, Igal and I dive into the differences between SEO on a big site, SEO on a small site, SEO on a new site, SEO on an old... SEO on all kinds of sites.
Steven van Vessum joins the podcast to share his thoughts on why getting the SEO priorties right matters more than you might think:
- Where to start when prioritizing the full spectrum of SEO tasks
- What prevents people from properly prioritizing their SEO efforts
- Creating buy-in for proper SEO prioritization
There's this long-standing debate in the SEO industry about what matters more. Is it content? Is it links? Is it technical optimization? In this episode, we offer a different approach. Instead of weighing what's more important as an absolute, why not consider what's important to the site, right now?
Ari Nachmani joins the show to chat about the state of talent and knowledge sharing in the SEO industry:
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Is there a lack of SEO talent out there?
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What might be the root cause of there being fewer great SEOs in the industry?
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What does a lack of SEO talent mean for SEO agencies?
SEO talent is the engine that drives the entire industry. But what happens if there is less talent out there? In this episode, we discuss the possibility of there being less SEO talent and how changes in knowledge sharing may be the culprit!
Nick Wilsdon joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share what he sees as the challenges of doing enterprise SEO:
- The pace of progress when doing SEO on larger sites
- The personality needed to work on enterprise sites
- Remaining hands-on when working in the enterprise environment
While working on large sites is not any more meaningful than doing SEO for an SMB or SME it does present unique challenges. In this episode, Nick and I run through what it's like to work in the enterprise environment, what complexities that brings, and what personal challenges come with enterprise SEO.
Abby Reimer joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share her thoughts on avoiding copycat content creation:
- How copycat content can actually harm users
- How to avoid creating copycat content
- Why having the right intent is key to avoiding copycat content
Sure, copycat content is not a great user experience. I think we can all agree on that. Producing content that skims the surface of a topic in an overly superficial way is not good for users. But it goes beyond just a poor user experience. Copycat content can result in emotional and even physical harm.
Does that sound far-fetched? Well, in this episode we explore how copycat content can be exactly that, harmful.
Diana Richardson joins the podcast to share her thoughts on why people have unreasonable SEO expectations:
- The cause of clients having incorrect expectations about SEO
- The investment needed to be successful with organic search
- How the search results themselves contribute to unrealistic SEO expectations
People have had unrealistic expectations about SEO for years. The question is, what does this say about how people see SEO, and why has this unrealistic outlook persisted for the past two decades?!
We dive into what caused and is causing people to think of SEO in unrealistic ways and how the problem is being perpetuated.
Here's a summary of what we discussed.
Amanda Milligan joins the podcast to share why trying to go viral with your marketing can actually hurt your business goals:
- Why viral marketing doesn't work anymore
- What caused the demise of viral marketing
- What you should be doing instead of trying to go viral
Viral marketing used to be a cornerstone of the digital space. However, despite it being obvious that viral marketing is not what it was, clients will still ask to "go viral." Looking to go viral is a really unhealthy marketing strategy. It's more than ineffective, actively seeking to go viral can be detrimental to your brand presence overall.
In this episode Amanda goes through why looking to go viral is unhealthy and what your brand should be doing instead.
Mercy Janaki joins the podcast to share some hard truths about the SEO industry:
- Why you should take SEO articles & social media posts with a grain of salt
- Why you should not overly rely on SEO checklists
- Why SEO tools & data can be misleading and even unhelpful if not used correctly
SEO is hard and it's easy to rely on clear-cut techniques and strategies. Yet, like everything else in life, there is no one size fits all solution. While you may see someone share an implementation that drove all sorts of traffic to their site it doesn't mean that you should do the same for your site.
In this episode, we get into some hard truths for doing SEO the right way, not the easy way.
Riley Hope joins the podcast to share her thoughts on making SEO financially accessible for all:
- Charging clients according to local income for SEO work
- SEOs setting fees that align with local business standards
- Creating flexible payment structures and options for your clients
Not every client you work with will be a large enterprise site. In fact, I'd bet the good majority are SMEs and SMBs. To the latter, not every SMB has their feet firmly on the ground. It would be a shame for businesses that can't pay big money to lose out on the advantages SEO affords sites. But making SEO affordable to small businesses isn't as simple as it sounds. You as the SEO have your own bills to pay and your own mouths to feed. Even if you wanted to make your work more affordable to new businesses how do you know where to start? How do you know what is and what is not affordable?
In this episode of the SEO Rant Podcast, we get into the details around how you can make your SEO work affordable.
Jennifer Cornwell joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share her experience working with clients on their Google My Business listings:
*The importance of giving your clients the right outlook on Google My Business
*Helping clients navigate bad reviews
*Giving the client the tools to sort out Google's contradictory messaging
When working with a client on their GMB listing nothing is more important than them having the right mindset. If your client has a warped understanding of what GMB is and what it's all about then their expectations of you might be similarly misaligned. That's why we dive deep into how to set the right expectations with your clients around their GMB listing.
The founder of Digital Rescue Rangers, Miranda Gahrmann joins the SEO Rant Podcast to share her love for site migrations!
We dive into:
- What to consider before migrating a site
- What to know if you're new to site migrations
- How to handle traffic losses after a migration
Get an understanding of what to consider before migrating a site, what to know if you're first getting started with migrations, and how to deal with traffic losses after migrating a site from a leading expert on the topic!
Host of the Page 2 SEO Podcast and all-around SEO maven Jacob Stoops joins the SEO Rant to share his thoughts on what you should and should not do when creating a content plan that considers SEO.
Why having an overly rigid content release schedule is not a good idea Why you should bring an SEO into the content process as early as possible How to ensure your content is focused Why visiting the SERP is a must for content creation *How to fix the content creation process for SEO
We go into what it takes to create a content strategy that works for producing organic traffic. Learn what creating a content strategy that considers SEO should and should not look like.
Data-driven SEO veteran Ori Zlibershtein joins the podcast to share his take on how SEOs use data:
- The problem of too many visuals inside of SEO tools
- Why overlying on SEO tools is not a good idea
- How to best use the data you get from SEO tools
We go deep into how the over-abundance of SEO tools and the type of data they provide might actually make things harder when doing SEO. While the SEO tools are great, they do damper the perceived need to critically think and problem-solve. That, of course, can mean SEOs are missing big issues and/or spending their time on things that are not that important.
Wix's own Performance Tech Lead, Dan Shappir, joins the podcast to share his take on Core Web Vitals from a developer's perspective:
The Value of Core Web Vitals Collaborating with Google on Core Web Vitals *The shortcomings of Core Web Vitals
Go deep into Core Web Vitals from the perspective of a world-class developer. We jump into a bit of what goes on behind the scenes when working with Google to improve Core Web Vitals as well as what benefits and problems Core Web Vitals bring to the web and to SEO.
Amanda Jordan joins the SEO Rant to share her thoughts and feelings on GMB spam:
- The extent of Gooogle My Businesses' spammy listing problem
- Why Google letting GMB spam exist is so hard to understand
- How you can fight GMB spam
Plus, we offer you an amazing idea as to how to prank people using Google My Business's verification process!
Miracle Inameti-Archibong joins the SEO Rant to talk about SEO and ROI:
How SEO forecasting can create client buy-in How to approach SEO forecasting honestly to build strong client relations *Why you should show your clients expected growth without them doing any SEO
Trevor Stolber joins the SEO Rant to advocate for having SEO standards:
- Should the SEO industry have a set of standards?
- Is it feasible to apply standards to SEO?
- What would having SEO standards look like?
Daniel K. Cheung joins the SEO Rant to chat about:
What SEO strategy means The role of the SEO generalist *How roles in SEO are changing
Spam fighting legend Jason Brown joins the SEO Rant to talk about:
- What goes on inside SEO Facebook groups
- Why SEO Facebook groups are a terrible place for SEO information
- What fighting SEO misinformation inside of Facebook groups is like
Live the life of an actual SEO dealing with the nonsense found inside of SEO Facebook groups. The amount of lies and shenanigans that go on there is unbelievable. The sad part is, most of the people asking questions in these groups are totally unsuspecting.
Jess James joins the podcast to share her thoughts on making your website accessible:
Why accessibility is more important than you think Why creating an accessible site is not as hard as you think *What you may not be considering when thinking about accessibility
Verena Hallam joins the podcast to chat about how the SEO community can be a great place:
The support the SEO community offers The best resources available to SEOs who need some support *The impact of the pandemic on SEO culture
Emma Russel joins the podcast to talk about how to create a positive culture at an SEO agency.
The unique challenges SEO agencies have in creating a positive culture What it takes to create a positive culture at an SEO agency *Women need to be treated with respect in the workplace. Period.
You can't seriously think that writing good SEO content means copying what ranks already, right? Don't. While looking at what ranks is helpful it's not what you should base your content on. Here's why you should not copy what already ranks on the SERP when creating SEO content.
Emily Brady joins the podcast to share her thoughts on the role of branded keywords and the brand SERP:
- Why SEOs are wrong for putting branded keywords down
- Why the brand SERP is more powerful than you might think
- Unleashing the power of your brand SERP with ease
Branded keywords might not be as sexy as discovery keywords. However, isn't the whole point to be as big as a company like Microsoft where people search for your product or company by name?
And even if you aren't that big (and let's face it, unless that's Bill Gates reading this, you aren't)... how many times will a consumer find your site, and before buying from you do a bit of research on who you are? Pretty often. And what keywords do you think they are using for that research? Oh, yes... branded keywords!
Resources:
Emily Brady's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Plotboilers
Andy Chadwick, confounder of Snippet Digital, joins the podcast to chat about the state of keyword research:
How keyword research has changed What it means to properly do keyword research these days *How to find real opportunity doing keyword research
Andy goes deep into his processes and shares his outlook on keyword research. From taking a broad look at a topic to properly categorizing relevant keywords, Andy takes a staunchly topical and "content gap" approach to keyword research by using some incredible tools he developed!
The one and only Niki Mosier joins the podcast to rant about the world of local SEO during a pandemic and beyond:
- Struggling with Google's GMB support
- The complexities of local SEO and COVID-19
- On being both a local and technical SEO
The ever-pleasant (and quite knowledgeable) Nick Leroy joins the podcast to talk about the pros and cons of working for an SEO agency:
- Who is agency life for?
- Is an SEO agency conducive for growth and advancement?
- What working for an SEO agency can mean for your family life!
Resources:
Nick LeRoy Consulting: https://nickleroy.com/ Nick LeRoy's Twitter Profile: https://twitter.com/NickLeRoy The SEO for Lunch Newsletter: https://nickleroy.com/newsletter/
The great Andrew Optimisey joins the podcast to share his thoughts on SEOs who rip their clients off:
- How SEOs selling snake oil ruins good SEO
- Dealing with clients who were sold SEO snake oil in the past
- Why some SEOs sell snake oil
Resources:
Andrew Optimisey Twitter: https://twitter.com/Optimisey Optismey SEO Consulting: https://optimisey.com/ Dany Taylor's Website: https://dantaylor.online/
In this episode, we welcome Hubspot’s Victor Pan who rants all about how SEOs don't approach Google patents correctly.
We get into:
The various reason why an SEO-related patent might exist The fallacy in assuming all Google SEO patents are active *Why thinking Google’s patents are there to throw us off is incredibly stupid
There a slew of reasons why Google might write a patent. Assuming that any given patent must be a part of the algorithm is a bit silly and doesn't consider the wide array of reasons a company creates a patent.
At the same time, thinking Google is trying to throw us off their scent by releasing patents is equally absurd.
Resources:
Victor Pan Twitter Account: https://twitter.com/victorpan
Wix's lead technical SEO, Nati Elimelech, joins the podcast to talk about the need for a deep Search Console crawl errors API.
We get into:
How Google has done a great job advancing the SEO conversation Why Google should offer more crawl error data via automation *Does Google care about the “SEO agency?”
Crawl errors are a major part of doing technical SEO. Yet, Google doesn't really have a good way of offering crawl errors reporting at scale. Nati gets into why a comprehensive crawl errors API out of Search Console is a must and why it seems Google tends to ignore SEOs working on the agency side!
Resources:
Nati Elimelech’s Twitter Account: https://twitter.com/Netanel
Google Deprecates Crawl Errors Report API: https://www.seroundtable.com/google-old-search-console-27020.html
SEO data is great... until it's not. You can't apply SEO data across the board without considering your site's situation. Data is great, but only until a point.
The real advantage to data is knowing how to use it. But that's really tricky. Taking an SEO study or SEO data and applying it to the unique circumstances of your site is really hard stuff!
Here's a rant on why a more balanced approach to SEO data makes a good deal of sense!
Google's announcement of 'Passages' has brought rampant speculation from the industry. As if there wasn't enough, here's some more!
In this episode I rant about:
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The absolute nature of SEO speculation!
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Why in the world would 'Passages' mean going hog wild with headers?
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If Google calls Passages a breakthrough does falling back on the same 'ol SEO tactics make any sense?
There has been some pretty decent speculation about what Google Passages means for SEO.... There's also been some terrible speculation. To the latter is the notion that we need more and more and more and then ever more headers so Google can know where to find each line of our content for each and every related query the user searches for.
Here's my take on why that makes zero sense!
Introducing the SEO Rant Podcast! It's a brand new podcast all about SEO but in rant form! Tune in for a dose of fast-paced insights on the ongoing of the SEO world!