E1022: Patrick Stox of Ahrefs breaks down what actually matters in SEO right now and what doesn't.
We cover a wide range of topics, from technical SEO and internal linking to AI content, programmatic SEO, and the growing conversation around GEO and large language models. Patrick shares practical insights from working on some of the largest websites in the world and building SEO tools used by thousands of companies.
This conversation focuses on separating signal from noise. There are a lot of tactics being pushed in SEO today that sound convincing but don't move rankings. Patrick explains where people are wasting time and what drives results.
Topics we cover:
- Why many common SEO beliefs are wrong
- Subdomains vs subfolders and why it usually doesn't matter
- The truth about redirects and how much value they pass
- Why SEO is just one part of a larger marketing system
- What "good content" actually means in practice
- When technical SEO matters and when it doesn't
- Super useful Ahrefs features and workflows
- The real role of internal linking and how most sites get it wrong
- How to think about authority beyond domain rating
- Why keyword volume can be misleading and what to look at instead
- How to approach content strategy from scratch
- What small businesses should do to show up in AI systems
- The reality of AI-generated content and when it fails
- Programmatic SEO: what works and what breaks sites
- Why scaling content too fast can backfire
- What causes rankings to drop after initial growth
- The importance of reclaiming lost links and redirects
- When to redirect vs let pages 404
- Why schema and LLM.txt are overhyped
- How SEO tools and audits can lead people in the wrong direction
- What Patrick would do if starting a site from zero
If you work in SEO, content, or growth, this will help you focus on what moves rankings and avoid spending time on things that don't.
⭐️ Patrick Stox on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickstox/
⭐️ Patrick Stox on 𝕏 - https://x.com/patrickstox
⭐️ Use Ahrefs - https://ahrefs.com/
🚀 Edward's SEO Articles - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/search-engine-optimization/
💎 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 Meet Patrick Stox
00:54 Unpopular SEO Takes
01:49 Redirects Pass Value
02:18 GEO Is Bigger Than SEO
03:16 Small Business GEO Playbook
06:09 Tech SEO Threshold
07:24 Hreflang Costly Mistakes
09:07 Authority And Internal Links
14:57 Competing With Giants
16:56 Word Count And Writing
19:12 IBM Topic Hub Strategy
22:31 Internal Linking Done Right
26:18 SEO Myths And LLMs
27:08 Markdown Versions Debate
31:03 Ahrefs Features And Agent A
33:37 Traffic Potential Over Volume
35:06 Future Of Publishers
39:30 Growing A Site From Zero
41:31 Local PR Links
43:11 Content Planning Workflow
44:36 Smart SEO Automation
50:45 Programmatic SEO Risks
01:01:13 Defining Content Quality
01:06:18 Testing And Iteration
01:10:39 Schema Myths Debunked
01:15:34 Biggest SEO Wins
01:19:13 Killing LLMs.txt Hype
01:22:35 Wrap Up And Where To Follow
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
#searchengineoptimization #seo #ahrefs #digitalmarketing