The SEO Playbook That Actually Works: PageRank, Topical Authority & Real Results

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Oct 28, 2025

David Quaid, a seasoned SEO expert with over 26 years of experience, shares his insights on effective SEO strategies. He discusses the enduring impact of PageRank on Google rankings and the importance of building topical authority through structured content. David explains common issues like 'Crawled Not Indexed,' practical steps for improving visibility, and the value of internal linking. He highlights using AI for content generation and offers tips for ethical link-building while simplifying the SEO process to focus on what truly drives results.

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INSIGHT

PageRank Still Drives Authority

PageRank (especially PageRank Nearest Seed) still underpins how Google assesses authority and proximity to trusted pillars like Microsoft.com.
Topical authority converts raw PageRank into a topic-specific strength that determines ranking potential for related queries.

ADVICE

Build Topical Authority Methodically

Build topical authority by publishing many pages across a subject and earning contextual backlinks rather than buying links.
Use competitive and use-case analysis to expand coverage and translate content into multiple languages when relevant.

ANECDOTE

FreeLoadBalancer Domain Win

David bought freeloadbalancer.com when Kemp couldn't get a matching domain and used it to capture high-intent leads quickly.
The site produced hundreds of leads within weeks and sustained monthly leads thereafter.

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E846: David Quaid shares the SEO playbook that delivers consistent results. With more than 26 years of experience leading digital growth, David has helped companies scale to hundreds of millions in revenue through search-driven strategy and technical SEO execution.

In this episode, he explains what works in SEO today - from how PageRank still shapes Google's algorithm to how topical authority, site structure, and internal linking determine visibility. The discussion focuses on building long-term performance through fundamentals, not churn and burn shortcuts.

We cover: - How PageRank still influences modern Google rankings - Building topical authority with clear, structured content - Why "Crawled Not Indexed" occurs and how to address it - The role of internal links and content clusters in SEO - How to align EEAT with real content quality - Practical steps to improve indexing and site visibility

David breaks down how Google interprets authority, what signals matter, and how to create pages that earn and keep rankings. This episode is for marketers, founders, and SEO professionals who want clarity on what drives organic growth in 2025/26 - without the noise or myths that dominate the industry.

If you want to understand how Google evaluates sites, how PageRank and topical authority still work together, and how to structure content that ranks, this conversation is worth your time.

⭐️ David Quaid on 𝕏 - https://x.com/DavidGQuaid ⭐️ David Quaid on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidquaid/ ⭐️ David Quaid's agency - https://primaryposition.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 00:36 David Quaid Career Highlights and Achievements 02:10 SEO Philosophy and Approach 02:53 Understanding PageRank and Topical Authority 04:32 SEO Playbooks and Strategies 14:29 Republishing Content for Better Rankings 24:40 FAQs and Topical Authority 41:08 Understanding Google's Thin Content Policy 42:05 The Importance of Glossaries in SEO 43:40 AI-Generated Content and SEO 45:09 Google's Click-Through Rate Testing 45:47 Debunking SEO Myths: Bounce Rates and Dwell Times 48:57 The Role of Pogo Sticking in SEO 51:49 Negative SEO and Click-Through Manipulation 01:09:17 Building Topical Authority and Effective Link Building 01:18:02 Introduction to SEO Strategies 01:18:22 Top SEOs and Digital Marketers to Follow 01:19:44 Actionable SEO Hacks and Link Building 01:20:29 Creative SEO Partnerships and Case Studies 01:22:10 The Importance of PageRank and SEO Fundamentals 01:25:21 Challenges and Successes in SEO 01:35:37 SEO Best Practices and Common Mistakes 01:51:45 Concluding Thoughts and Farewell

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

#searchengineoptimization #growthmarketing #pagerank #technicalseo