E901: A blog post that ranked for zero keywords was lightly updated to make it look like it had been updated in the future.
 
No new sections.

No URL changes.

No internal linking push.

No major rewrites.

A short time later, the page began ranking for:
- 14 keywords  
- 5 page-one positions  
- Multiple SERP features  

Even more interesting: the Google search result itself displayed a future update date.

Shaun Chojnacki joins the show to share one of the strangest real-world SEO experiments I've seen!

We walk through exactly what was changed, what was not changed, and what this may reveal about how Google interprets freshness, relevance, and on-page signals.

 What we cover in this episode
- The original state of the blog post and how it wasn't ranking  
- The exact changes made before rankings improved  
- What "freshness" actually means in practice  
- Why this was not a traditional content refresh  
- How Google surfaced the future update date in the SERP  
- Why topical authority mattered in this case  
- The role of a single outbound link update  
- What SEOs should not copy from this experiment  
- Why most SEO best practices are rarely tested properly

 Additional topics we discuss
- AI Overviews and why social content is appearing in search results  
- Why current AI SEO reporting tools are unreliable  
- How YouTube videos, LinkedIn posts, and Reddit threads now rank  
- Why generic, AI-written FAQs often hurt pages  
- How Search Console data produces better FAQs than AI prompts  
- Branded FAQs vs informational FAQs  
- Niche-focused SEO agencies vs generalist agencies  
- Long-term SEO strategy vs short-term tactics  
- Why consistency still beats clever tricks over time  

This episode is not a recommendation to manipulate publish dates or mislead users. It's a breakdown of a real test, real data, and real outcomes - and a reminder that Google often responds to signals in ways that are undocumented and unexpected.

This is episode 901 of The Edward Show, a daily digital marketing podcast covering SEO, content, AI, and growth - published every day without missing an episode.

Subscribe for daily discussions focused on real experiments, real data, and practical SEO insights.

⭐️ Shaun Savvy Wedding Venue Marketing - https://shaunsavvy.com/wedding-venue-marketing-company
⭐️ Shaun Chojnacki on LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/shaunsavvy
⭐️ Shaun's SEO Company in Buffalo, New York - https://shaunsavvy.com/services/buffalo-seo-company
⭐️ Shaun Chojnacki on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/shaunsavvy/ 
⭐️ Get a Free Website Audit for Your Staffing Company From Shaun - schojnacki@haleymarketing.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 Welcome
00:10 The Freshness Debate in SEO
00:25 Client Case Study: The Blog Experiment
01:24 Surprising Results
02:27 Technical Details and SEO Strategies
14:40 AI Overviews and Social Media Integration
37:19 Maximizing LinkedIn Impressions
38:25 Cross-Posting Strategies
39:00 Understanding LinkedIn's Algorithm
39:28 Achieving Impressive Growth
39:55 Content Repurposing Techniques
42:07 Building a Strong Team
43:38 Future Business Goals
44:51 SEO and Social Media Insights
51:58 Effective PR and SEO Tactics
01:02:22 Reddit and Alternative SEO Strategies
01:05:41 Long-Term SEO Success
01:09:15 Niche SEO for Wedding Venues
01:10:39 Final Thoughts and Farewell

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#searchengineoptimization #backlinks #seostrategy #generativeengineoptimization