SEO Is Not That Hard

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The SEO landscape continues to evolve rapidly, with AI tools revolutionizing how professionals approach optimization strategies and workflow efficiency. Edd Dawson revisits his SEO tool stack from 18 months ago, highlighting the dramatic shift toward incorporating Large Language Models like ChatGPT and Claude into daily operations.

• Comparison between current tool usage and tools mentioned 18 months ago
• Large Language Models now essential for research, coding assistance, and strategy planning
• Google Search Console data increasingly vital for identifying content gaps
• Keywords People Use platform integrates with GSC to provide enhanced data insights
• N8n.com workflow automation tool creates efficiencies when combined with AI
• Explanation for why traditional SEO tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush aren't necessary for Edd's approach
• Focus on using tools that align with a philosophy that SEO fundamentals matter more than complex toolsets

SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com

Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo

You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tips

To get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me now

See Edd's personal site at edddawson.com

Ask me a question and get on the show Click here to record a question

Find Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & Twitter

Find KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use

"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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We dive into the world of branded search, exploring what it is, why it matters for your SEO strategy, and practical tactics to build a stronger brand presence that Google recognizes and rewards.

• Branded search refers to queries where users include your brand name in their search terms
• Strong branded search signals to Google that your brand has credibility and authority in your niche
• Branded searches typically enjoy higher click-through rates than generic queries
• Google uses branded search patterns to identify and trust your site as a legitimate brand
• Building branded search requires a consistent brand identity across all channels
• Include your brand name in marketing materials, social media, and website optimization
• High-quality content that integrates your brand naturally helps drive brand recognition
• Monitor branded search metrics to track effectiveness of your branding efforts

SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com

Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo

You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tips

To get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me now

See Edd's personal site at edddawson.com

Ask me a question and get on the show Click here to record a question

Find Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & Twitter

Find KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use

"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Edd Dawson reveals how to use Google Search Console's Crawl Stats Report to monitor website health and optimize crawlability. This often-overlooked tool provides essential insights into how Google interacts with your site, helping you detect issues before they become major problems.

• Access the Crawl Stats Report via Settings in Google Search Console
• Monitor total crawl requests, response time, download size, and crawl errors
• Regular review helps detect issues before they impact search performance
• Server response time influences how frequently Google crawls your site
• Fixing 404 and server errors promptly prevents indexing problems
• Large sites can use this data to optimize crawl budget allocation
• Look for changes in crawl patterns after major website updates
• Server performance insights help identify needed speed optimizations

Rate and review the podcast at ratethispodcast.com/seo to help us reach more people. Try our SEO intelligence platform at keywordspeopleuse.com to discover questions people ask online and optimize your content to build traffic and authority.

SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com

Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo

You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tips

To get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me now

See Edd's personal site at edddawson.com

Ask me a question and get on the show Click here to record a question

Find Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & Twitter

Find KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use

"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Edd Dawson reveals the final step of his Growth Framework: "hone and repeat," detailing how to build a sustainable SEO flywheel through continuous improvement and iteration. This comprehensive guide represents the culmination of 20+ years of SEO experience, showing how to transform one-time optimization into a self-reinforcing cycle of ongoing growth.

• SEO requires continuous attention due to evolving search algorithms and user behaviors
• Regular content updates prevent staleness and keep your site relevant to current search trends
• The flywheel effect creates cumulative gains where each improvement fuels further success
• Practical iteration includes data-driven updates, content expansion, and experimentation
• Systematic content audits should be scheduled at regular intervals
• Documenting changes helps track what strategies work best over time
• The Growth Framework includes six integrated steps: gather, refine, optimize, watch, tune, and hone/repeat

Link to the work in progress: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u-L6JjxG3OsVzjL9xxU8qNPYGbtmqNDLplugN4dzJkY/edit?usp=sharing

SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com

Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo

You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tips

To get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me now

See Edd's personal site at edddawson.com

Ask me a question and get on the show Click here to record a question

Find Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & Twitter

Find KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use

"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Richard Bartlett, co-founder of Greenhearth, shares how he bootstrapped his commercial solar finance business using SEO principles as both a marketing strategy and product development guide. Through keyword research and strategic content positioning, he built a thriving company helping UK businesses reduce energy costs after paying for finance by 10-20% through optimized solar installations.

• Bootstrapped Greenhearth with just £15,000 in the first year versus his previous experience with multi-million pound funded startups
• Used keyword clustering to discover unexpected customer interests in solar accounting treatments and grants
• Developed specialized solar optimization software after identifying customer needs through search data analysis
• Applied the "engineering as marketing" concept to create tools that demonstrate system ROI and financing benefits
• Built business authority by targeting niche areas with low competition rather than high-volume keywords
• Now working on some 35 projects worth over £8 million

If you have commercial roof space and want to explore how solar could save you money while reducing your environmental impact, visit https://www.greenhearth.energy/ or contact [email protected]
mentioning 'SEO is not that hard' for a free tailored optimization study with no obligation.

Get the PDF of Richards recommended SEO Is Not That Hard Podcasts

SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com

Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo

You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tips

To get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me now

See Edd's personal site at edddawson.com

Ask me a question and get on the show Click here to record a question

Find Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & Twitter

Find KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use

"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Send a text

Edd shares a fascinating experiment where his SEO Growth Framework was fed into Google's Notebook LM AI tool, resulting in a surprisingly accurate AI-generated conversation about the methodology.

• Google's Notebook LM creates podcast-style dialogues between AI voices based on content you provide
• The AI conversation accurately captured almost the entire Growth Framework (G-R-O-W-T)
• The framework breaks down as Gather (finding audience questions), Refine (clustering questions by theme)
• Optimize (creating content that answers questions), Watch (monitoring performance), Tune (refining strategy)
• Final framework steps Hone and Repeat will be covered in future episodes
• AI-generated explanations might make complex topics more accessible for some audiences
• Minor inaccuracy noted around overemphasis on meta descriptions which Google often changes

Try our SEO intelligence platform at KeywordsPeopleUse.com where we help you discover questions people ask online, group related keywords, and optimize your content with personalized advice. Connect with Ed on LinkedIn and BlueSky by searching for Ed Dawson (spelled with two Ds), or visit www.eddawson.com for consulting services.

SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com

Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo

You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tips

To get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me now

See Edd's personal site at edddawson.com

Ask me a question and get on the show Click here to record a question

Find Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & Twitter

Find KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use

"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Vibe coding represents a revolutionary AI-driven approach to software development that allows anyone to create functional applications using natural language instead of traditional programming.

• Coined by Andrej Karpathy (former Tesla AI director and OpenAI co-founder) in February 2025
• Dramatically lowers the barrier to entry for software development
• Enables rapid prototyping and iteration through conversational feedback loops
• Particularly useful for creating "software for one" - personal tools to solve specific problems
• Major tools include Cursor, Replit, and even general AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude
• SEO professionals can use vibe coding to build custom data processing and analysis tools
• Currently has limitations with complex systems and quality control
• Best used for prototyping or solving personal workflow challenges
• The technology is evolving rapidly, with capabilities expanding monthly

Try our SEO intelligence platform at keywordspeopleuse.com where we help you discover questions people ask online, organize them into topical groups, and optimize your content with personalized advice to grow your traffic.

SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com

Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo

You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tips

To get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me now

See Edd's personal site at edddawson.com

Ask me a question and get on the show Click here to record a question

Find Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & Twitter

Find KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use

"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Send a text

SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com

Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo

You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tips

To get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me now

See Edd's personal site at edddawson.com

Ask me a question and get on the show Click here to record a question

Find Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & Twitter

Find KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use

"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Send a text

SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com

Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo

You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tips

To get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me now

See Edd's personal site at edddawson.com

Ask me a question and get on the show Click here to record a question

Find Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & Twitter

Find KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use

"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Send a text

This episode emphasises the essential steps involved in the GROWTH Framework for effective content optimisation, especially focusing on monitoring and evaluating performance metrics for SEO success. We delve into various strategies for tracking user engagement and refining content, thereby enhancing visibility and achieving business goals.

• Introduction to the GROWTH Framework 
• Importance of monitoring and evaluating performance 
• Strategies for tracking user engagement and refining content

Don't forget to check out the linked document in the show notes for an expanded version of the framework!

Link to work in progress doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u-L6JjxG3OsVzjL9xxU8qNPYGbtmqNDLplugN4dzJkY/edit?usp=sharing

SEO Is Not That Hard is hosted by Edd Dawson and brought to you by KeywordsPeopleUse.com

Help feed the algorithm and leave a review at ratethispodcast.com/seo

You can get your free copy of my 101 Quick SEO Tips at: https://seotips.edddawson.com/101-quick-seo-tips

To get a personal no-obligation demo of how KeywordsPeopleUse could help you boost your SEO and get a 7 day FREE trial of our Standard Plan book a demo with me now

See Edd's personal site at edddawson.com

Ask me a question and get on the show Click here to record a question

Find Edd on Linkedin, Bluesky & Twitter

Find KeywordsPeopleUse on Twitter @kwds_ppl_use

"Werq" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/