Podcast Summary: SEO 101 Episode 498 - Ranking Volatility, Reddit’s AI Advantage, Introducing LLM.txt
Release Date: April 9, 2025
Hosts: Ross Dunn (CEO of Step4Web Marketing) and Scott Van Achte (Senior SEO at Step4Web Marketing)
Podcast: SEO 101 by WMR.FM
Episode Title: Ranking Volatility, Reddit’s AI Advantage, Introducing LLM.txt
1. Introduction and Non-SEO News
Timestamp: 00:52 - 03:05
In the opening segment, Ross Dunn welcomes listeners to Episode 498 of SEO 101. He appreciates the audience's positive feedback regarding their straightforward format. Scott Van Achte introduces a significant piece of non-SEO news:
Quote:
Ross Dunn [00:52]: "Hello and welcome to SEO 101 on WMR FM. Episode number this is Ross Dunn, CEO of Step4th Web Marketing and my co-host is my company senior SEO Scott Vanack. Well, let's dive right in."
Google's $100 Million Settlement:
Scott explains that Google has agreed to pay $100 million to settle a 14-year-old class-action lawsuit concerning geographic ad targeting. Advertisers who used AdWords (now Google Ads) between 2004 and December 2012 experienced their ads appearing outside their specified geographic regions. Although the settlement is finalized, details on individual payouts remain unclear, with a substantial portion allocated to legal fees.
Quote:
Scott Vanack [01:37]: "Google is going to pay out $100 million to settle this suit and it evolves around having ads served outside of your designated geo target."
2. SEO News: Google Core Updates and Ranking Volatility
Timestamp: 03:05 - 04:16
Ross transitions into SEO-specific news, discussing potential new Google core updates. Barry Schwartz has indicated increased ranking volatility, suggesting another update may be imminent. The hosts note that Google has been releasing frequent updates over the past couple of years, causing fluctuations in search rankings.
Quotes:
Ross Dunn [03:13]: "Another core update? We're shocked. Okay, so about a week after the completion of the March core update, Barry Schwartz has posted this week that it appears there's a lot of new volatility occurring at Google, suggesting a new update may be underway."
Scott Vanack [04:16]: "They seem to be doing that lately. They'll have a core update and then days later have another core update or big update and then nothing for, you know, a week or so."
Despite the frequent updates, Ross mentions that their clients haven't been significantly affected, although local SEO rankings remain unpredictable.
3. Reddit’s AI Advantage and Google’s Content Policies
Timestamp: 04:16 - 07:26
A major discussion revolves around Reddit leveraging AI to translate and scale content, leading to improved rankings on Google. Reddit is using AI to translate existing English content into multiple languages, which is generating substantial traffic and better rankings. This strategy appears to contravene Google's content policies, which discourage mass translation and automated content generation without adding value.
Quotes:
Ross Dunn [04:16]: "Google and Reddit, they're buddies, so who knows?"
Scott Vanack [05:38]: "Reddit is doing it. They're mass translating content and they're getting rewarded for it."
Ross expresses curiosity about how AI translates their conversation, prompting a light-hearted exchange about AI capabilities.
4. Google AI Overviews and Important Info Disclaimer
Timestamp: 07:26 - 09:50
Ross and Scott examine Google's introduction of disclaimers in AI-generated overviews. These disclaimers prompt users to "Check important info" and encourage fact-checking, acknowledging that AI-generated summaries may not always be accurate.
Quotes:
Ross Dunn [07:26]: "Next in Google AI over Google AI Overviews is testing a Check important info disclaimer."
Scott Vanack [08:13]: "We could be wrong. We're probably wrong. So learn more about why we're wrong and fact check everything. Probably good to have there because I bet a lot of people take it for granted that it's 100% correct."
Ross questions the functionality of the disclaimer, noting the absence of examples showing what happens when users engage with it.
5. Local SEO News: Google Business Profiles and AI Summaries
Timestamp: 11:58 - 18:02
AI Summaries in Knowledge Panels:
Ross discusses the implementation of AI-generated summaries in Google’s local knowledge panels. These summaries appear below business information and can be edited or reported if inaccurate. Both hosts express concerns about AI overriding business owners' control over their profiles.
Quotes:
Ross Dunn [12:55]: "Google AI summaries are now in local knowledge panels. ... if it's garbage, it's garbage. There's no point in why did they do it."
Scott Vanack [14:29]: "It should be something that the business owner fully controls or has an option to say create the summary for me rather than have it being automated."
Plepper Chrome Extension:
Ross highlights a Chrome extension named Plepper, which provides detailed information for Google My Business listings, aiding in SEO analysis by offering easy access to data like Business Page IDs and Knowledge Graph IDs.
Quote:
Ross Dunn [15:12]: "It's a Chrome extension and what it allows you to do is get detailed information for every Google My Business or Google Business Profile listing and Maps Local Finder Knowledge panel."
Google Business Reviews Bug:
A new bug has emerged where fake, old, and previously removed reviews are resurfacing on business profiles. Google acknowledges the issue and assures that affected reviews will be removed, but the recurring nature of such bugs frustrates the hosts.
Quotes:
Scott Vanack [17:02]: "Google has confirmed that fake, old and removed reviews are reappearing, resurfacing for some business profiles."
Ross Dunn [17:52]: "Always seems to consistently be a dumpster fire at local. At Google Local."
6. Introducing LLMs.txt: A Proposed Standard for AI Content Crawling
Timestamp: 18:02 - 22:03
Ross introduces the concept of LLMs.txt, a proposed standard analogous to robots.txt, designed to control how AI models crawl and utilize website content. This file would allow website owners to specify accessible areas and provide context on content usage, potentially enhancing SEO by guiding AI models to relevant information.
Benefits:
- Protects proprietary content by directing compliant AI models
- Enhances AI-generated response quality
- Improves content visibility in AI search results
- Offers competitive advantage through early adoption
Challenges:
- Uneven adoption by AI developers and website owners
- Potential conflicts with existing robots.txt and XML sitemap directives
- Exposure of content for competitor analysis
Quotes:
Ross Dunn [18:00]: "LLMs Txt is a proposed standard for AI website content crawling. ... It would allow website owners to provide context on how their content should be accessed by AI models."
Scott Vanack [19:26]: "It does protect proprietary content by directing AI models that comply with the usage directives. That's really important."
Ross and Scott compare the proposed standard to past implementations like canonical tags and schema, noting that widespread adoption may take time but could eventually provide significant benefits for content owners.
Quote:
Ross Dunn [20:06]: "I would say that there's a good chance this will be adopted or a variation of it, which is great if as you said, there's compliance and who knows if that will ever happen."
7. Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Timestamp: 22:03 - 24:20
As the episode wraps up, Ross mentions plans to explore another topic but needs to conclude the session due to a scheduling conflict. He encourages listeners to sign up for their show notes newsletter and engage with the community via their Facebook group. Ross also contemplates expanding to platforms like Reddit or Discord for further discussions.
Quote:
Ross Dunn [22:03]: "We've got one more thing but we have to run now because I've got yet another meeting."
Scott ends with a friendly sign-off, thanking listeners.
Additional Notes:
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Advertisements: The transcript includes advertisements for Buzz CRM, Kinsta, and Indeed. As per instructions, these segments have been omitted from the summary.
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Useful Tools Mentioned:
- Plepper Chrome Extension: Enhances SEO analysis by providing comprehensive data on Google Business Profiles.
- LLMs.txt Proposal: A potential standard for managing AI content crawling, similar to robots.txt.
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Community Engagement: The hosts invite listeners to join their Facebook group and consider alternative platforms for community interaction, emphasizing the importance of listener feedback in shaping future content.
Conclusion
Episode 498 of SEO 101 delves into critical updates affecting SEO professionals, including legal developments with Google Ads, the impact of AI on content translation and ranking, emergent Google policies on AI-generated summaries, and the proposal of LLMs.txt for AI content management. Hosts Ross Dunn and Scott Van Achte provide insightful analysis, blending technical knowledge with practical implications for beginners and seasoned marketers alike.
For those keen on staying updated with the latest in SEO without the overwhelm of technical jargon, this episode offers valuable discussions and actionable insights to navigate the evolving digital landscape.