Meredith's Husband | SEO for People Who Don't Like SEO

How do you create a new habit when it's something you don't want to do?

Common advice is to break the work into smaller sessions, but for a task you are avoiding, even those sessions are too big to start.

Here are three tricks that help me, when I'm in that situation:

1. Start ridiculously small
2. Schedule it before doing it
3. Counting small steps as wins

Timestamps
[0:00] Introduction
[0:45] The problem: SEO tasks you keep put...

The Goal: Leave this episode with less stress about blogging.

It's hard to blog consistently when it feels like every post needs to be perfect. The obstacle is rarely the writing itself, since most of the overwhelm comes from expectations we place on ourselves. In this episode, I talk about:

1. The overwhelm that comes before writing
2. Why 'done' is more important than 'perfect'
3. What actually happens after you publish

Timestamps
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How do you know if your website is showing up in AI search results?

Google Search Console finally answers this, but only after a much bigger problem gets in the way of most website owners even looking.

Check the Generative AI tab in Search Console and you'll know exactly which of your existing pages AI is already recommending to searchers.

1. Google Search Console's new Generative AI reporting tab
2. How the tab separates AI search perfo...

Does Google prevent blogs from being seen if AI helped write them?

Most of what already ranks on Google today is partly AI generated, so AI use on its own isn't the issue.

The bigger shift is that Google is getting stricter about what even enters its index, not just what ranks well, and that filtering appears tied to how identifiable a piece of content is as fully AI generated with no human specificity added.

• AI content watermarki...

How do you find a blogger who won't accidentally tank your SEO?

Hiring a blogger might not directly involve SEO, but the wrong hire can quietly undo months of progress. Hiring the right blogger comes down to three checks: originality, topic strategy, and how they use AI, each one protecting the SEO progress you've already built.

• Original content versus duplicated or recycled blogs
• Keyword cannibalization from topic-only blogging
• Ri...

Technically, blog categories and tags can help your SEO, but most people are using them in a way that actively hurts it.

The question to ask is: Do your blog categories actually help people find what they're looking for, or are they just clutter?

1. Why keyword-stuffed categories and tags get flagged as spam
2. The retail store analogy for structuring categories and tags correctly
3. How to fix an existing blog with too many categories
4. Using...

How do you know if the SEO advice you're getting is any good?

The answer isn't about finding the right buzzword, it's about recognizing when someone is selling you a myth.

Terms like AEO and GEO get pitched as replacements for SEO, but Google itself has flagged this exact claim as a warning sign when evaluating consultants.

1. The AEO and GEO myth and where it's coming from
2. What Google's own guidance says about AI search
3. Why the change...

Why do the same competitors always outrank you on Google?

The answer usually comes down to links, but figuring out where those links come from takes real digging.

Most SEO advice stops at optimizing your own site, but the bigger gap is usually how other websites link to your competitors and not you.

1. Local directories that pass along a valuable backlink
2. Free versus paid directory listings
3. Using AI to surface where a competitor is men...

Wondering if Yelp reviews still matter when people search with AI?

The answer is "probably yes". It depends on a partnership most small business owners haven't heard about yet.

OpenAI just struck a deal with Yelp, meaning ChatGPT will start pulling local business recommendations directly from Yelp reviews instead of relying only on Google.

1. Why OpenAI needs outside sources like Yelp and Reddit
2. How Yelp hides five-star reviews to pre...

Are you accidentally sending Google a spam signal without knowing it?

Technically, the problem isn't the AI tool itself, it's what the AI learned SEO advice from.

Most AI models build their SEO knowledge from blogs online, and a lot of those blogs are wrong.

• Keyword stuffing disguised as AI-generated advice
• Why AI delivers bad advice with total confidence
• The garbage in, garbage out principle
• What AI connectors could change going for...

Is a photo credit worth anything for SEO if the business won't link it?

Technically, an unlinked mention isn't as valuable as a link, but it's a lot closer than people believed in the past.

A leaked piece of Google's algorithm showed unlinked mentions carry real weight, and AI search tools are making that gap even smaller because AI struggles to follow links the way a person does.

1. Why links have always mattered so much in SEO
2. What ...

Should you trade links with another business, or will it hurt your SEO?

Technically, links are one of the most important ranking signals Google has, but not all links carry the same weight.

The real issue isn't trading links occasionally, it's when link trading or low quality backlinks make up too large a share of your overall link profile.

1. Reciprocal links and why Google treats them differently than natural links
2. When trading link...

Is AI getting better at doing SEO, and does that mean you can eventually just hand it the whole job?

AI does continue to improve, but better AI doesn't change the difference between using a tool and relying on one. If everyone could press the same "do my SEO" button, the button can only ever make you even with everyone else, never ahead of them.

This episode discusses:

1. Using AI vs relying on AI
2. The "Garbage in, garbage out" princip...

Can I just ask Claude or ChatGPT to do my SEO? 

Technically yes, but there are three potential problems every website owner needs to understand first. 

Remember AI's objective is to make you happy in the immediate term. That doesn't always mean the same thing as giving you good advice. 

1. AI delivers tips with complete confidence whether it's right or wrong
2. AI has no strategic framework 
3. AI often bases suggestions ...

Google released updated guidance for optimizing websites in both traditional and AI-powered search. The message is clear: SEO hasn't changed as much as you think. In this episode, Meredith's Husband walks through the new guidance from Google's and explains what it means for you as a website owner.

Get the full article with links discussed in the episode:
https://www.meredithshusband.com/blog/google-ai-seo-guide

Timestamps
[0:0...

Google's recent developer conference announced several updates worth paying attention to as a local business owner. This episode breaks down what those announcements mean for your website, including a new AI detection tool, changes to Google Business Profiles, a long-overdue update to Google Search Console, and key findings from an AHREFS study on how AI search engines actually send traffic, and how you can get cited more often.

Tim...

A listener asks whether Ubersuggest's $290 lifetime plan is worth it as an alternative to Semrush. The answer covers the founder's reputation, why lifetime pricing at that level raises red flags, and what Adobe's $2 billion acquisition of Semrush might signal about the tool's long-term value. 

Timestamps
[0:00] Introduction
[0:45] The question: Is Ubersuggest worth $290 lifetime?
[0:57] What Ubersuggest claims to do

Google's developer conference just delivered what may be the most significant shift in SEO in years. Meredith's Husband breaks down what Google announced about AI-powered search, why website traffic will decrease for most owners, and why that can be good news for photographers and small business owners who want more qualified visitors and fewer window shoppers.

Timestamps
[0:00] Introduction 
[0:26] Why Google's announce...

Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing a potential client sees when searching your name, and most small business owners leave it incomplete. In this episode, Meredith's Husband walks through 12 must-do steps to optimize your profile, including why using a real address beats a service area every time, how to use the "From the Business" section to stand out, and why your reviews strategy matters more than you think.

Tim...