E885: How self-promotional "Best X" lists dominate ChatGPT results and how you can use them to increase AI visibility and drive more traffic from LLMs.

From Glen Allsopp's new viral Ahrefs study analyzing 26,283 source URLs, I share how ChatGPT selects sources, why updated comparison content ranks so well, and how even low-authority sites can get cited by LLMs.

If you want to show up in ChatGPT, boost AI search presence, or optimize content for LLMs, this is your blueprint.

What You'll Learn:
- Why "Best X for Y" lists account for 43.8% of ChatGPT citations
- How fresh updates massively increase LLM visibility
- Why topical authority now beats domain authority
- Why SaaS, agencies, and e-commerce must publish comparison lists
- How to ethically rank yourself #1 in a "Best X" list
- How landing pages can outperform blog posts for best queries
- Why awards, wins, and company announcements influence AI outputs
- How LLMs interpret above-the-fold content for recommendations

⭐️ Source - https://ahrefs.com/blog/best-lists-research/

💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/

00:00 Introduction to the Study
00:33 Key Findings on ChatGPT Traffic
01:18 Insights on Best Lists and Content Types
01:45 Detailed Analysis of Content Sources
04:57 Importance of Quality and Topical Authority
11:33 E-commerce and Product Page Strategies
12:31 Takeaways and Recommendations
17:50 Personal Reflections

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#searchengineoptimization #answerengineoptimization #generativeengineoptimization #queryfanout

E884: Some of the most shockingly effective SEO tactics of 2025: listicle self-plugs, Medium parasite SEO, Reddit domination, AI visibility hacks… then the future of SEO/GEO/AEO tactics in 2026.

Ivan Palii (Head of Product at Sitechecker) joins the podcast to share real experiments he's running right now - including AI manipulation, influencer marketing results, backlink insertion tactics, Reddit sub takeover strategies, and how Medium articles with zero backlinks are still outranking major brands.

If you're an SEO, a founder, or anyone trying to rank in the age of AI search, this might be the most actionable podcast you listen to all year.

Topics We Cover
- Why listicle self-plugs STILL work in 2025 (and when they'll stop)
- How LLMs treat citations - and why small brands can hack them
- The rise of Medium as a parasite SEO powerhouse
- How Ivan ranks competitive keywords on Medium with no backlinks
- Reddit as the SEO frontier + how to grow a subreddit that ranks
- Backlink insertions vs guest posts (what actually works now)
- AI chat visibility: what influences Claude/ChatGPT rankings
- The future of SEO in 2026 - predictions you can act on today
- The real results from spending $20K on LinkedIn influencers
- Why most agencies spend 0% effort protecting rankings (and should)

🔔 Subscribe for daily episodes (884 days in a row!). I drop a new podcast every single day on SEO, marketing, AI, growth, and experiments that actually work.

⭐️ Ivan Palii's Looker Studio templates - https://ivanhoe.pro/
⭐️ Sitechecker - SEO & AI visibility for agencies - https://sitechecker.pro/
⭐️ Ivan Palii's SEO newsletter - https://www.hackthealgo.com/
⭐️ Ivan Palii's SEO community - https://www.reddit.com/r/seogaps/
⭐️ Ivan Palii on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivanpalii/
⭐️ Ivan Palii on 𝕏 - https://x.com/IvanPalii
⭐️ Ivan Palii on Medium - https://medium.com/@ivanpalii
⭐️ Ivan Palii on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@ivanhoedigital

💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/

00:00 Introduction and Initial Question
00:22 Debating AI-Generated Backlinks
01:15 Quality Over Quantity in Backlinks
01:35 The Power of Listicles
04:38 SEO Strategies and Tools
06:42 SEO in Ukraine
08:27 Crazy SEO Trends in 2025
10:11 Influencing AI and Search Engines
16:17 User Engagement and SEO
29:51 Marketing Experiments and Strategies
43:21 Creating Anonymous Accounts for Experiments
45:24 SEO Agencies: Visibility vs. Protection
49:54 Influencer Marketing on LinkedIn
55:54 Effective Link Building Tactics
01:13:40 SEO Strategies for 2026
01:17:37 Final Thoughts and Future Plans

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#searchengineoptimization #growthhacking #answerengineoptimization #generativeengineoptimization

E883: AI poisoning is here - and it's shockingly easy. New research shows that bad actors can manipulate LLMs with as few as 250 malicious documents, opening the door to brand sabotage, fake comparisons, and engineered hallucinations inside AI responses.

I break down:
- How AI poisoning actually works
- Why LLM spam prevention is still laughably immature
- How black-hat SEO tactics from the 2000s are resurfacing in AI
- Real examples of manipulation already happening
- How your brand can be quietly attacked without you knowing
- The steps you must take to monitor, protect, and defend your brand
- Why comparison tables and long-tail queries matter more than ever
- What marketers, SEOs, and founders should be doing right now

This episode is based on new findings from Anthropic, the UK AI Security Institute, and the Alan Turing Institute - plus the source, a fantastic Search Engine Journal article by Reza Moaiandin (thank you to Gagan Ghotra for sending it my way).

If you work in SEO, digital marketing, brand protection, or AI… this one is essential.

⭐️ Source article - https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ai-poisoning-black-hat-seo-is-back/561217/

💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/

00:00 Introduction to AI Poisoning and Black Hat SEO
00:22 The Evolution of Black Hat SEO
00:59 AI's Vulnerability to Manipulation
01:20 Real-World Examples of AI Manipulation
03:27 The Threat of AI Poisoning
07:45 Preventing and Detecting AI Poisoning
09:43 Ethical Considerations and Future Outlook
13:00 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#searchengineoptimization #answerengineoptimization #generativeengineoptimization #reputationmanagement