Is ChatGPT's new Atlas browser a Google killer?

Greg Finn joins the roundtable to unpack shifting search results in Atlas, debate its reliability, and explore where Google, Bing, and browser innovation collide. The team tackles the impact of major AWS outages on Fortnite, Alexa, and the broader web, then pivots to Meta's fresh scam alerts targeting older users. Plus, get up to speed on breaking paid ad news: new Google Ads text guidelines, canceled account data deletion, shopping ad subscriptions, and the latest reporting tools aimed at advertisers.

Greg brings a reality check on ad controls, while strong opinions surface on Meta's anti-scam efforts and the future of paid search amid rapidly changing platforms.

Don't miss the wrap-up as the hosts share practical advice, highlight upcoming releases, and tease next week's episode. Tune in for sharp analysis and timely commentary on the hottest news shaping digital marketing, right here on EDGE of the Web!

News from the EDGE:

[00:02:41] OpenAI introduces ChatGPT Atlas, a built-in web browser

[00:10:25] Massive AWS outage disrupts Fortnite, Alexa, Snapchat, and other major apps

[00:13:50] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: PreWriter.AI

[00:15:01] Meta rolls out new scam alerts to safeguard older users

Special News Segment:

[00:21:31] Google Ads Text Guidelines Now Rolling Out?

[00:24:48] Google Ads quietly tests auto-setting "New Customer Value"

[00:28:41] Google Ads to permanently delete canceled accounts after six months

[00:32:34] EDGE of The Web Sponsor: Inlinks (WAIKAY)

[00:34:43] Improving navigation and introducing a new control for ads on Google Search.

[00:39:57] Google opens Shopping Ads to physical goods subscriptions

[00:43:21] Google Ads Missed Growth Opportunities Tab

Thanks to our sponsors!

PreWriter.AI: https://edgeofthewebradio.com/prewriter

Inlinks WAIKAY https://edgeofthewebradio.com/waikay

Follow Us:

X: @ErinSparks

X: @gregfinn

X: @TheMann00

X: @EDGEWebRadio

AI Eats Your Content

Is your website feeding the AI overlords? Or hiding all the good stuff under napkins and toggles? On this week's EDGE of the Web, Erin Sparks sits down with Carolyn Shelby, Principal SEO at Yoast, to reveal why your site's juiciest content may be lost to the bots (and your users, too).

We dig into Carolyn's strategies for structuring content that's not only valuable to users, but also perfectly plated for LLMs like GPT and Google's AI Overview. From the new LLMs.txt "treasure map" for your website to deep dives on why schema isn't your silver bullet, Carolyn delivers expert guidance (complete with sheet cake metaphors and cafeteria tray analogies) to help you chunk, serve, and show off your best ideas for the AI appetite.

And, for those still determined to hide FAQs behind fancy sliders… watch out. Carolyn shares why conversion flow isn't where you think it is, and why making peace with longer, openly structured info pages might just save your SEO bacon (and your server bills).

We wrap with practical tips to build up your content strategy for AI, advice on speaking your users' language, and a side of wit. Press play for your weekly dose of SEO smarts, AI survival tactics, and enough food metaphors to power your next content audit!

[00:04:51] Content Strategy for AI Search Visibility

[00:08:33] Visual Analogy: "Cake & Frosting" Content Model

[00:09:31] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: PreWriter.AI from Bruce Clay

[00:11:00] Rethinking Page Design: Human UX vs. LLM Accessibility

[00:14:04] Redefining Conversion Funnel: From Site-Centric to AI-Centric

[00:16:27] Alternate Markdown Versions of Pages

[00:18:09] EDGE of the Web Housekeeping Break: Upcoming Guests & News Podcast

[00:19:35] Balancing Clarity, Structure & Creativity for Humans and AI

[00:24:34] Transition Phrases: Building Logical Bridges in Content

[00:28:33] Search Rankings as the Gateway to LLM Visibility

[00:30:42] EDGE of The Web Sponsor: Inlinks (WAIKAY)

[00:32:11] Required Mindsets: User Intent & Conversational Language

[00:36:10] Measuring Performance: Beyond Traditional Rank Tracking

[00:39:19] Final Actionable Tip: Create Helpful, Original Content

[00:39:57] Where to Find Carolyn: Articles, Social, & Publications

Thanks to Our Sponsors!

PreWriter.AI: https://edgeofthewebradio.com/prewriter

Inlinks WAIKAY https://edgeofthewebradio.com/waikay

Follow Our Guest

Twitter: @cshel

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cshel/

Resources

Learn about Ladonia (DONATE!): https://www.ladonia.org/about/

Carolyn's Posts on LLMS.txt: https://www.cshel.com/ai-seo/how-llms-interpret-content-structuring-for-ai-search-unedited-version/

https://searchengineland.com/llms-txt-isnt-robots-txt-its-a-treasure-map-for-ai-456586

Erin welcomes Carolyn Shelby, the Principal SEO at Yoast and a renowned authority in technical and enterprise SEO. Carolyn brings decades of hands-on experience from her pioneering days in digital marketing, working with brands like Disney's ESPN, Tribune Publishing, and major nonprofits. The conversation kicks off with a surprising twist—Carolyn's unique title as Queen of the micronation Ladonia—before diving into her role at Yoast and their latest innovation: the LLMs.txt file generator.

Carolyn explains how this new file helps websites communicate their most valuable content directly to large language models like ChatGPT and Google's AI, streamlining the way future search agents discover and answer questions with information from your site. We explore what inspired Yoast's push to roll out LLMs.txt to over 13 million sites, what website owners should include in their files, potential industry pushback, the adoption challenge with search giants, and how this moment could change the way websites optimize for AI-driven search results.

Key Segments:

• [00:01:46] Introducing Carolyn Shelby, Senior SEO at Yoast
• [00:03:09] Queen of the Micronation Ladonia?
• [00:07:56] What is the LLMS.txt file?
• [00:08:59] LLMS.txt is a Treasure Map
• [00:14:38] A New File, along with Robots.txt and Sitemap.xml
• [00:15:41]  What inspired Yoast to create this LLM text file?
• [00:17:12]  EDGE of the Web Sponsor: PreWriter.AI
• [00:18:22] LLMS.txt proposed by Jeremy Howard (Sept, 2024)
• [00:22:37] Standard Uniformity and Acceptance?
• [00:24:43] Housekeeping
• [00:29:37] LLM Markdown Effort Questioned: Exploitation?
• [00:31:41] LLMs Lack Memory at Inference
• [00:34:07] EDGE of The Web Sponsor: Inlinks (WAIKAY)
• [00:36:09] Pushback on the LLMS.txt file

Thanks to Our Sponsors!

PreWriter.AI: https://edgeofthewebradio.com/prewriter

Inlinks WAIKAY https://edgeofthewebradio.com/waikay

Follow Our Guest

Twitter: @cshel

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cshel/

Resources

Learn about Ladonia (DONATE!): https://www.ladonia.org/about/

Carolyn's Posts on LLMS.txt:

https://www.cshel.com/ai-seo/how-llms-interpret-content-structuring-for-ai-search-unedited-version/

https://searchengineland.com/llms-txt-isnt-robots-txt-its-a-treasure-map-for-ai-456586