Future of authority signals beyond backlinks

E874: Nick Eubanks (Vice President of Owned Media at Semrush) joins the pod to break down what businesses need to do right now to win in AI search - and why most companies are still using outdated playbooks while AI-driven discovery is moving faster than ever.

We cover: - How AI visibility differs from SEO, and why traditional ranking factors like backlinks don't always apply in LLM results - Evidence clusters vs. keyword clusters - and how over-indexing on factual citations can increase your chances of being surfaced and referenced by AI - The process Semrush used to almost triple their AI share of voice, including how they selected target prompts and injected semantic signals into existing content - Reddit strategy for AI influence, and why asking thoughtful questions (not inserting links) can drive brand advocacy organically - Insights from Nick's 4-month experiment publishing 20+ AI posts per week, without editing, backlinks, or authority - yet still getting recommended word-for-word by ChatGPT - How AI models find and cite your content, even if it isn't ranking or indexed traditionally - What type of content formats LLMs prefer (hint: clear, atomic, direct, evidence-backed, low metaphor use) - The shift from SEO to "Search Everywhere Optimization", covering Google, ChatGPT, Reddit, TikTok, LinkedIn, and other platforms that LLMs crawl - Predictions for the future of search in 2026, including AI mode potentially becoming the default experience in Google, and how companies must adapt before that tipping point - Where AI spam tactics are working again temporarily - and how enterprises balance short-term wins with long-term strategy - How Semrush is rethinking content lifecycle, team structure, and platform-specific distribution at scale

Nick also shares how AI visibility can convert 4–5× higher than Google Organic, why certain LLM traffic is "hot garbage" depending on audience sophistication, and how fresher content, semantically rich topics, and high-signal platforms like Reddit and LinkedIn are often prioritized in AI responses.

⭐️ Nick Eubanks on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickeubanks/ ⭐️ Nick Eubanks on 𝕏 - https://x.com/nick_eubanks ⭐️ Semrush - https://www.semrush.com/

💎 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 Background 07:12 Experiments with AI Content 08:54 AI Visibility and SEO Strategies 21:25 Future of AI in Search and Marketing 28:34 Navigating the Challenges of Social Media Platforms 29:20 Repurposing Content Across Platforms 30:26 Reddit Strategies for Brands 34:50 Semrush's AI Share of Voice Strategy 51:05 Link Building 52:13 Future of Websites and Authority Signals 52:32 Using LinkedIn for SEO and Business 55:08 Closing Remarks

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

#generativeengineoptimization #answerengineoptimization #searchengineoptimization #digitalmarketing