E862: Mordy Oberstein - former Head of Communications at Semrush and Former SEO Brand Advisor at Wix - joins Edward to talk about why brand is becoming the most important SEO signal heading into 2026 and why AI won't replace great marketing anytime soon.

Mordy and Edward go deep on:
- Why branded searches, authority, and trust influence keywords, backlinks, and AI visibility
- How AI overviews and LLMs are changing the search landscape
- What Google's AI Mode really means for businesses and if it will stick
- The future of affiliate and top-of-funnel SEO
- The biggest SEO wins and losses of 2025
- How to build a brand that compounds over time
- A trick for getting into sought-after SEO conferences

Whether you're an SEO, marketer, or founder, this episode will help you understand what really matters for ranking, visibility, and brand growth in the AI era.

⭐️ Mordy Oberstein on X - https://x.com/MordyOberstein
⭐️ Mordy Oberstein on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mordyoberstein/

💎 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 Guest Introduction
00:37 Mordy's Career
03:30 Branding and Marketing Tactics
07:09 AI and SEO Predictions
12:51 Debate on AI Mode and Trustworthiness
17:20 Final Thoughts and Reflections
32:15 The Reality of Generative AI
32:55 Blockchain and AI: A Comparison
33:52 The AI Bubble and Investor Behavior
35:18 The Future of SEO in an AI-Driven World
39:00 Brand Building and Marketing Strategies
42:19 The Impact of AI on Affiliate Marketing
55:00 SEO Tools and Industry Changes
01:04:36 Identifying the Problem in SEO
01:04:48 Crazy Opportunities in SEO
01:05:30 The Importance of Brand Visibility
01:09:18 Starting a New Brand: Key Considerations
01:15:37 Building Links and Partnerships
01:19:09 Content Strategy and Social Media Presence
01:30:19 SEO Wins and AI in Finance
01:34:03 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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

#searchengineoptimization #answerengineoptimization #generativeengineoptimization #digitalmarketing