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the pod to break down what businesses need to do right now to win in AI search - and why most companies are still using outdated playbooks while AI-driven discovery is moving faster than ever.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/
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