SEO 101 Ep 512 – Adapting SEO Strategies for AI Overviews, Bing Places Issues, and Google Local Changes

Hosts: Ross Dunn (CEO, StepForth Web Marketing), Scott Van Achte (Senior SEO, StepForth)
Date: October 15, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ross and Scott cover the evolving SEO landscape in light of AI Overviews within Google, the surprising glitches in Bing Places Local profiles, and noteworthy changes within Google Local. They offer practical, beginner-friendly advice for optimizing your website for AI-driven search, discuss the realities and limitations of LLM (Large Language Model) visibility trackers, and share essential tips to keep your website (and business) competitive and secure.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. WPBakery WordPress Vulnerability (02:01–03:36)

• Scott warns about a major vulnerability in the WPBakery page builder plugin for WordPress (up to version 8.61).
• Actionable tip: Update immediately to version 8.7 to protect your site from malicious code injection.
• Scott:

  "If you have WPBakery installed in WordPress, all versions up to and including 8.61 have a vulnerability...so update as soon as you can to 8.7 and you should be safe." (02:45)

2. Reporting Tools Disrupted by Google Changes (03:36–07:07)

• Google removed the “&num=100” parameter, causing all major rank tracking/reporting tools to break, since they could no longer pull the top 100 results in a single pageview.
• Workarounds have restored key services (Authority Labs, Semrush, Bright Local), but accuracy can still fluctuate.
• Potential for cost increases as tools adjust to the heavier crawl burden.
• Ross underscores the core point:

  "Every SEO company, we need to be focusing on getting you more money...There’s a huge return on investment. Fortunately, because we make that number one. It’s probably why we have clients that stay with us an average of 10 years or more." (05:45)

• Discussion about the value of reporting on keyword rankings versus focusing on business results like conversions and ROI, as well as upcoming needs to track AI-generated results.

3. Launch of "SEO Grok" Newsletter & WordPress Safety Advice (07:07–14:11)

• Ross introduces “SEO Grok,” his accessible, analogy-rich Substack newsletter for SEO learners.
• WordPress tip: Always keep backups (at least 90 days) and check your site’s forms every week to avoid lost leads/business.
• Ross:

  "Check and test your forms on your website every week...Thousands upon thousands of dollars this could save you. That’s no lie." (12:33)

4. Optimizing Content for AI & Generative Search Engines (14:11–19:59)

• Scott provides practical SEO-for-AI advice:

  • Conversational tone for content to match natural user queries.
  • Use FAQs, how-tos, lists ("listicles"), charts, and HTML tables (not CSS) for clarity.
  • Embed diverse media: images, video, podcasts.
  • Lead with a clear answer or TL;DR summary.
  • Proper heading structure and hierarchy.
  • Cite and attribute facts to credible, reliable sources.
  • Show credibility: use author bylines, bios, dates.
  • Structured data (markup) is essential (FAQ, person, product, etc.).
  • Keep content indexable and fast.
  • Don’t stuff content with fluff; quality matters.

• Scott:

  "Write in a conversational tone. Don’t keep things all techy...People search in the LLMs in a conversational type tone." (14:52)

• Ross (summarizes Google's core advice):

  "Write for your readers. They want this information, they want it well...We’re just being very technical about providing the best result." (19:15)

5. Google’s View on AI Optimization: “Just Do Good SEO” (19:59–28:39)

• Google’s VP of Product, Robbie Stein's view: AI Overviews act as an extension of search (“Query Fan Out”), not as a completely different layer.
• To earn citations in AI Overviews:
  • Create authoritative, well-cited, well-structured content.
  • Author credit and profile linking important for E-E-A-T: Make sure posts are published under the actual expert’s name and profiles are richly connected.
• Ross's practical tip:

  "If you set up your authorship properly on your site...it's going to create a much more powerful credibility online, and your expertise and authority according to Google will be raised." (23:20)

• Unique, original content still beats “regurgitated” info.

6. Tracking LLM / AI Visibility—Are Tools Worth It? (30:58–37:33)

• Scott reviews a detailed article on LLM trackers and finds:

  • Results fluctuate wildly; every time you prompt an LLM, you might get a different citation.
  • Current trackers excel at “high-level overviews” only, not granular accuracy.
  • Their value is limited unless you’re getting significant traffic from AI/search.

• Scott:

  "If you ask an LLM a question...you’re going to get a different answer and you will get different citations quite often...at this point the, the way it appears is that these trackers are good for sort of a high level overview on if you’re appearing but not really laser focused." (31:14–32:00)

• Team tries AI prompts about themselves—each gets different responses showing the inconsistency of LLM results.

7. Local SEO Updates: Google & Bing (37:33–41:12)

• Google is testing removal of the “call” button in local listings unless the listing is an ad—a worrisome trend toward pay-to-play.
• Bing Places major glitch: Many business profiles have lost essential info (category, description, amenities, photos) after a recent update—check your listing asap!
• Ross:

  "Category, that's where you're going to show up...Description is almost the same in terms of priority. It tells the search engines what you do. It's just a massive mistake..." (39:16)

• Scott’s tip: Always make phone numbers clickable—poor UX can cost real business.

8. Google’s AI Mode Expansion (41:18–41:56)

• Google’s AI search mode is now in 200 countries and 35 languages, dramatically broadening access.

9. “Fresh Date” Hack for AI Models + Speculation on the Future (41:56–44:47)

• Researchers show that simply updating publish dates on content can drastically boost its visibility in certain AI models (Meta, Alibaba, GPT-4).
• Ross and Scott expect this loophole to be fixed before it’s abused by SEOs everywhere.
• Worry about future “penalties” for over-optimizing for AI structures—user experience should remain the focus.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ross on what's changing:

  "Reporting tools, it’s good to have them back, but I wouldn’t say they’re going to be back forever. You never know." (05:45)

• Scott on optimizing for AI:

  "Posts that are really exhaustive and long form, that include all of that stuff in single posts tend to be doing really well right now." (18:25)

• Ross on writing for AI vs. readers:

  "Really all we're doing is...being very technical about providing the best example, the best result. So power to you doing it is just going to work. It's that simple." (19:15)

• Scott on LLM trackers:

  "Right now LLM trackers are a bit of smoke and mirrors...these trackers are good for sort of a high level overview...but not really laser focused." (31:14–32:00)

• Scott’s local SEO tip:

  "If you have your phone number on your website, please make it a link…you might miss out on phone calls if your number is not clickable." (40:38)

• Ross on AI date exploits:

  "It was quite a few years old, but they changed it to new and immediately saw dramatic improvements in the visibility for that content." (43:39)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamps | |-----------------------------------------|--------------| | WPBakery Vulnerability | 02:01–03:36 | | Google’s Reporting Tool Changes | 03:36–07:07 | | “SEO Grok” Launch & WordPress Safety | 07:07–14:11 | | Optimizing for AI/Gen Search | 14:11–19:59 | | Google’s Position on AI Optimization | 19:59–28:39 | | Are LLM Trackers Worth It? | 30:58–37:33 | | Local SEO: Google & Bing Changes | 37:33–41:12 | | Google AI Mode Expansion | 41:18–41:56 | | AI Date Hacking & Loophole Concerns | 41:56–44:47 |

Tone & Takeaways

• Friendly and accessible: The hosts make SEO approachable, focusing on fundamentals and practical advice—no heavy jargon.
• Cautiously optimistic: Despite rapid change and some industry chaos, staying on top of basics (authority, quality content, technical hygiene) provides the best shot at success.
• Adaptability is key: As AI alters the SEO terrain, being curious, ethical, and proactive (while not chasing every short-lived hack) is the best path forward.

For full resources and links, see the show notes or check out Ross’s newsletter at seogrok.com.