— The Editorial Index
The SEO Cover
A curated hub of SEO articles, videos, tools, and people — organized by topic.
Topic
81 resources
Link building remains one of the most consequential—and misunderstood—parts of SEO. A backlink is a third-party vote of confidence in your content, and Google still weights these signals heavily in rankings. But the mechanics have shifted. Links aren't just about ranking on Google anymore; they're signals that feed into LLMs, influence brand perception, and determine whether your content gets cited in AI-powered answers. The quality of who links to you matters far more than the quantity, and cheap links carry real costs—both algorithmically and in opportunity cost.
The field is consolidating around a few hard truths. First, links follow genuine topical authority and brand strength; you can't shortcut your way there with prospecting alone. Second, PR and SEO have merged operationally—the same third-party signals that generate backlinks now build the brand mentions and earned media that power AI visibility. Third, link building works best when tied to sustainable business models and content that people actually want to reference, not just rank. The days of treating links as a separate tactic are over. Practitioners are increasingly thinking about earned coverage holistically: what newsworthy moves or content genuinely deserve to be written about by others, and how do you create the conditions for that to happen repeatedly.
Focus on building things worth linking to and being the kind of brand people mention unprompted.
Niche Pursuits
In this week's episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Aaron Steed and I discuss how he turned Meathead Movers from a high school side hustle into an eight-figure moving company. He started the business at 17 and has since grown…
Niche Pursuits
In this week's episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Tom Szaky and I discuss how he grew TerraCycle from a college dorm room idea into a global company with nearly 500 employees and just under $100 million in annual revenue.…
Backlinko
You can have an impressive website, great content, and a seamless user experience. But you might still be invisible to search engines and AI tools. That’s because Google and ChatGPT don’t just look at your website. They also look at what other credible sources say about your bran
Backlinko
Website marketing in 2026 no longer works the way it used to. Traditionally, it meant promoting your site to attract visitors and turn them into customers. Your website is still central. But much of the customer journey now happens beyond it. Before someone visits your site, they
Backlinko
Your brand could be ranking #1 on Google, but still be invisible to AI. Absent from conversations your customers are having with large language models (LLMs) about your category. Or worse, showing up inaccurately, with outdated or incorrect information that’ll hurt your sales. Wi
Niche Pursuits
In this week's episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Bernard Huang and I discuss how poker, failed ventures, Silicon Valley startups, SEO consulting, and software development shaped his approach to entrepreneurship. He made six figures playing poker in college, ran…
Niche Pursuits
In this week's Niche Pursuits podcast, Chocolate Alchemy founder John Nanci explains how analytical chemistry fueled his bean-to-bar success. Rejecting standard startup formulas, John built an influential business through scientific thinking, patient growth, and freely sharing hi
Niche Pursuits
In this week's episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Jeff Price and I discuss how he built Texas Slab Guys into a concrete business with a $2 million annual revenue run rate in just 12 months. His story is especially…
Loganix
Niche Pursuits
In this week’s episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Chad Howard and I discuss how he left a decade-long corporate career and built Halftime Rentals into a fast-growing porta potty rental business. It's not a flashy business, yet Chad’s story…
Mangools
Your firm has a website, a handful of blog posts, and maybe a paid listing on Avvo, yet the personal injury firm three blocks over keeps showing up first…
Backlinko
Digital PR is the single most important strategy to win in AI search. A study by Muck Rack found that 84% of AI citations come from earned media, third-party sources like editorial coverage, reviews, and forums. In AI search, third-party validation beats self-promotion. Publishin
Niche Pursuits
In this week’s Niche Pursuits podcast, Nick Gray and I discuss turning personal passions into sellable businesses, the trust-building power of books, and the modern role of personal websites in SEO and reputation. This atypical interview challenges standard marketing ideas…
Niche Pursuits
In this week’s episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Ben Bozzay and I discuss how Tech Lockdown grew from a personal problem into a SaaS business generating $20K in monthly recurring revenue. What makes Ben’s story so interesting is how…
Niche Pursuits
In this week’s episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Brian Casel and I discuss how he’s building Builder Methods through YouTube, email, community, and AI agents. Brian brings about 20 years of experience as a designer, developer, founder, and operator,…
Mangools
Local search has become a critical component of any small business marketing strategy. With 69% of all Google searches seeking local information, it’s essential that your business appears at…
Loganix
Niche Pursuits
In this week's episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Brian Winum and I discuss advanced authority-building for Google, AI visibility, affiliate sites, and content systems that can scale without relying on large manual teams. Brian is a repeat guest, and…
Loganix
Niche Pursuits
In this week’s episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Nina Clapperton and I discuss how content businesses can still grow after HCU, AI Overviews, and the decline of traffic-first blogging. Nina shares how she has continued building revenue through community,…
Loganix
Mangools
AI-generated content – Loved by some, feared by others… Ever since tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and many other AI writers became part of everyday marketing, SEOs have been…
Niche Pursuits
In this week's episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Taegan Goddard and I discuss how Political Wire built a paid subscription model around a highly engaged political audience. We talk about why subscriptions can make publishing revenue more predictable than…
Backlinko
Your content can rank on the first page of Google and still never be cited or mentioned by LLMs. This makes sense once you understand query fan-out, a background process AI systems use to build answers. When someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity a question, it doesn’t default to the