EDGE of the Web is a weekly digital marketing podcast discussing all things in Digital Marketing: SEO, Social Media, Content Marketing, and more. Host Erin Sparks discusses the latest news and trends in the digital marketing industry as well as interviews with some of the top names in marketing. Visit our website at edgeofthewebradio.com to see all of our past shows and videos.| edgeoftheweb.libsyn.com
WordPress hits play after a messy pause, but is it too little, too late for the CMS giant? Meanwhile, Google’s AI experiments are changing the rules for email marketing, local search, and desktop Discover, leaving marketers everywhere scrambling for a playbook that doesn’t exist. Erin and SEO pro Cindy Krum break down WordPress’s mudslinging match with WP Engine and the quiet return to development, all while raising eyebrows over community trust. We check on Google’s ever-evolving SER...| edgeoftheweb.libsyn.com
Mark Schaefer returns to EDGE of the Web to share his vision of marketing's future in an AI-saturated landscape. With a blend of insight and candor, Mark tackles the evolution of social media, the risks and rewards of AI, and how brands can stand out by tapping into authentic human emotion. Hear why traditional marketing is falling flat and discover what “everyday awe” means for building deep brand loyalty. Plus, Mark unveils the tech twist behind the cover of his new book, . This is not ...| edgeoftheweb.libsyn.com
CTR Secrets and Social Shakeups It’s another jam-packed ride on EDGE of the Web as Erin is joined by Duncan Alney of Firebelly to discuss News in Social this week. With Google hyping up AI Overviews but dodging every meaningful CTR question, it seems the only thing spinning faster than SERP layouts are the PR answers. Get the inside scoop on how ChatGPT gobbles up over 80% of AI search traffic (Google, take notes), why Meta’s launching a CapCut rival to remix your socials, and how Reddit ...| edgeoftheweb.libsyn.com
Curious where your website visitors are really clicking—or rage-clicking? On this week’s EDGE of the Web, SEO expert Celeste Gonzalez returns to break down how heatmaps and session recordings are transforming the way we analyze user behavior, optimize pages, and (hopefully) keep our clients engaged. We dig into practical tips for choosing the right pages to monitor, interpreting the sometimes confusing world of “dead clicks” versus “rage clicks,” and why your mobile hero image mig...| edgeoftheweb.libsyn.com
This week, Erin Sparks and Jacob Mann are joined by Danny Goodwin, editorial director at Search Engine Land, for a special “News from the News” edition. They dive into the sharp rise of Google Ad costs and the troubling effects of CPC inflation, Instagram’s experimental new collaborative Storylines feature, and an in-depth study comparing AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Bing, and Google. The conversation shifts to major legal blows hitting Google’s ad tech monopoly, new re...| edgeoftheweb.libsyn.com
Celeste Gonzalez, Director of Rue Labs at Rickety Roo, joins EDGE to explore how heat maps and user behavior tracking are transforming SEO strategy. She walks through Microsoft Clarity’s suite of tools—including tap, scroll, attention, and area heat maps—and explains how they reveal real user interactions beyond what traditional metrics can offer. From understanding time-on-page to visualizing content engagement, Celeste shows how these tools help SEOs optimize design, layout, and messa...| edgeoftheweb.libsyn.com
In Local News! Darren Shaw is back with us on the Local beat, giving us some key insights into the ongoing local marketing challenges. Great to have him back! In general digital marketing news, Google’s been dishing out settlements, and Amazon's itching for TikTok. There’s a Google's $100M settlement over AdWords billing practices. Might want to pay attention to that. Seems a bit precedent setting. Darren shares insights on how local SEO is evolving with trends like review recency and the...| edgeoftheweb.libsyn.com
This is going to be big. SEO Week 2025 is happening at the end of this month!. Held from April 28th to May 1st in New York City, this conference brings together a powerhouse of 40+ speakers to discuss the seismic shifts in SEO, including generative AI and its profound implications on search dynamics. Join Erin Sparks, Garrett Sussman, and Mike King as they share tales from the frontlines of SEO innovation. The conference is set to be groundbreaking. Thematic days are focused on the Science,...| edgeoftheweb.libsyn.com
Greg Finn jumps into the Paid Ad news focus this week. Friend of the show; it’s always a good time when he is around! What do you think about Google's ambitious prediction that AI will craft mesmerizing customer journeys while the search giant navigates through over 5 trillion searches a year? And what is going on with Google Ads and their announcement that they will use well-performing Headlines in Sitelinks? That’s confusing for us, but it will also be confusing for consumers. What give...| edgeoftheweb.libsyn.com
Everyone’s lit up with AI advancements, but what about our privacy? Erin Sparks and Michael Lewittes dive into the ethics and privacy concerns surrounding AI, shedding light on the rapid information exchange and the potential risks looming over our data. Explore how hedge funds are making daring AI moves, with new platforms demanding personal information in return for supposedly superior features. The question lingers: Are we too quick to exchange privacy for convenience? Michael shares i...| edgeoftheweb.libsyn.com
Duncan Alney of Firebelly joins the EDGE to give his take on Social Media news and trends. A long-time friend of the show, we got him on board to dig into what we should be paying attention to in Social Media right now. Google Business profiles took a hit but are on the mend, while LinkedIn's newest analytics features help professionals find their path to visibility. On this jaunt down the digital lane, Erin Sparks and Duncan Alney unravel the enigma of social media updates and the shenanigan...| edgeoftheweb.libsyn.com
Michael Lewittes swings back around to the EDGE to discuss a current and concerning topic, AI content and its effect on journalism. Michael brings his quarter-century of media experience to the table, sharing his journey from a seasoned journalist to spearheading cutting-edge SEO tools like Rankify. Discover how transparency, fact-checking, and expertise are more critical than ever in the era of AI-generated content and rampant misinformation. Explore the vital role of journalistic integrity ...| edgeoftheweb.libsyn.com
Mark Williams-Cook continues on the EDGE with the last show of 2024 - discussing his recent findings of a Google bug exploit that shows us a HUGE insight into ranking factors. Learning from the endpoints that send data to micro-services that influence features on Google, Mark was able to discover a way to modify the requests that output JSON data. From that - they saw a slew of “properties that Google was collecting from their ranking systems and query classifiers as to certain scores th...| edgeoftheweb.libsyn.com
Welcome back to another episode of news from the EDGE! The August 2024 core update has been rolled out! Primary intentions of the update are to reward high quality content and diminish low-value ranking based SEO content. In light of the August 2024 core update, a ranking bug affecting search results has emerged. Google claims the bug is unrelated to the update and confirms the issue is resolved and search performance should be stabilizing back to normal. Will the Google empire crumble? T...| edgeoftheweb.libsyn.com
Google is upgrading its Local Service Ads, introducing an auto-select photos feature to display in businesses ads, with aims to enhance effectiveness and rankings. To fully take advantage, advertisers should start updating their LSA profile photos. Google says URL parameters can create crawl and indexing inefficiencies. The issue is most common among e-commerce websites that use URL parameters to filter, sort, and specify items. Last Monday, a federal judge ruled that Google is an illegal m...| edgeoftheweb.libsyn.com