The Surprising SEO Tests That Grew Traffic (Even After Google’s Updates)

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Jul 25, 2025

João Filipe Pereira, Director of Marketing at Busbud and author with over a decade of SEO experience, shares groundbreaking SEO tactics that defy traditional beliefs. He discusses how dual H1 tags can enhance rankings and why sometimes removing meta descriptions can actually increase click-through rates. Listeners will learn about innovative use of AI for keywords, the benefits of split testing, and the importance of aligning SEO strategies with revenue goals. João also reflects on his journey from journalism to a successful marketing career, offering valuable insights for anyone in the digital space.

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ANECDOTE

Two H1 Tags Boost Rankings

João tested having two H1 tags on pages instead of one and found it improved rankings.
He even reversed the experiment by removing the second H1 and saw a decrease in sessions, confirming the impact.

ADVICE

Remove Poor Meta Descriptions

Test meta descriptions by removing them if they are poor to potentially increase CTR and rankings.
Avoid leaving bad or programmatic meta descriptions as they might hurt SEO performance more than having none.

ADVICE

Eliminate Thin, Low-Value Pages

Audit your website to identify and remove thin, low-value, or empty pages that waste crawl budget.
Ensure all content answers the target keyword intent to improve rankings after Google updates.

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E751: João Filipe Pereira, my guest, has led SEO at Eventbrite and TripAdvisor.

We go deep into surprising SEO experiments that challenge conventional wisdom - and actually improved traffic, even after Google’s latest updates.

In this episode: - How adding 2 H1 tags (instead of one) boosted rankings - Why removing meta descriptions increased CTR - Using AI for keyword research and finding new content opportunities - Split-testing for SEO - Lessons from Google’s recent core updates - Bottom-of-funnel keywords: why they convert better and how to find them - Programmatic SEO at scale (and what smaller sites can learn from it) - How to spot and fix thin or underperforming content - Aligning SEO with revenue goals to get leadership buy-in - A clever link-building case study: EF’s global English proficiency index - João’s personal journey breaking into SEO at major companies - The mindset shift needed to test, persist, and keep innovating in SEO

If you want to hear real-world SEO experiments (and what they mean for your site), this episode is for you.

João Filipe Pereira is author of SEO as a Distribution Game & currently Director of Marketing at Busbud.

With over a decade of experience leading growth and SEO at major companies like Eventbrite, TripAdvisor, EF, and Hostelworld, João brings a product-oriented perspective to organic marketing.

At Busbud, he’s focused on scaling demand through SEO, conversion, and content strategies aligned with business outcomes. Known for challenging outdated playbooks, João believes SEO is no longer just about rankings, but about visibility across all the surfaces where users discover content.

He’s a frequent speaker at global conferences like BrightonSEO and DMWF, and is passionate about helping teams think more clearly, act faster, and build marketing systems that work. He’s a dad of two, a fan of strong espresso, and, when he’s not working, escapes on long road trips.

⭐️ Add João Filipe Pereira on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaofpereira/

💎 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 SEO Experiments 01:33 H1 Tag Experiment Insights 04:00 Split Testing Methodology 05:19 SEO Testing Case Studies 07:18 Client Work and SEO Strategies 16:06 No Meta Descriptions Test 18:10 SEO for AI and Press Releases 29:33 Content Quality and Google's Algorithm 41:14 Google's Organic Value and AI in Keyword Research 41:47 Machine Learning for Keyword Intent Identification 43:35 LLMs for Content Strategy 45:56 In-House Data Processing for Large Websites 48:07 Programmatic SEO for Large and Small Sites 52:46 Building Authority and Linkable Assets 01:01:38 Personal Stories of Persistence in Marketing 01:08:42 SEO Strategies and the Changing Landscape 01:18:27 Final Thoughts

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

#searchengineoptimization #seotips #seohacks #performancemarketing