SEO Isn’t Dead, It’s Just Changing with Cyrus Shepard

• Traditional SEO isn’t dead. But Google is layering new signals, such as brand and business model, on top of existing ones.

• Successful affiliate sites now require original research, testing, and in-depth topical authority, rather than generic review content.

• Branded anchor text and unlinked brand mentions strongly correlate with post-HCU SEO winners.

• Link-building efforts should prioritize topical relevance and brand storytelling over broad, standalone campaigns.

• E-E-A-T signals, such as off-site reputation, author credentials, and entity alignment, now play a growing role in rankings.

• AI-generated answers often rely on entity associations and context, making narrative control and brand mentions crucial.

To kick off season 2 of the BuzzStream Digital PR and Link Building podcast, I wanted someone who could talk some sense into me.

With all of the crazy talk about how SEO is dead or AI is killing the industry, I needed someone to help talk me off the ledge.

It turns out Cyrus was just what the doctor ordered.

Cyrus Shepard has been one of the top SEO thought leaders as long as I’ve been in the game. His agency, Zyppy, publishes some fantastic studies, such as this one on how Google appears to penalize “good” SEO.

Or this study of 23 million internal links and how they impact your SEO efforts.

Cyrus also has a unique perspective on the industry, having revealed that he was a Google Quality Rater.

If you’re in SEO, PR, or digital marketing and don’t know what to make of the state of SEO, give this a listen.

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction

01:00 – Cyrus’s Background in SEO

02:45 – Changes in Link Building and Ranking

05:30 – Impact of Google’s Helpful Content Update

09:25 – The State of Affiliate Sites

13:00 – The Importance of Brand and Reputation in SEO

17:40 – Effective Anchor Text Strategies

21:13 – Off-Page Reputation Management

24:40 – Quality Rater Insights on E-A-T

29:15 – Addressing Negative Reputation

32:10 – Role of Unlinked Mentions

35:55 – SEO and the Age of AI

41:00 – Final Thoughts and Future of SEO

Subscribe to the Podcast

Visit Spotify or Apple Podcasts to subscribe to our weekly podcast.

Don’t forget to like and subscribe!

Have a question for Cyrus? Ask it here.

Vince Nero

Vince is the Director of Content Marketing at Buzzstream. He thinks content marketers should solve for users, not just Google. He also loves finding creative content online. His previous work includes content marketing agency Siege Media for six years, Homebuyer.com, and The Grit Group. Outside of work, you can catch Vince running, playing with his 2 kids, enjoying some video games, or watching Phillies baseball.

More Posts by Vince Nero
Website: https://buzzstream.com