Content Disrupted podcast with Clearscope founder Bernard Huang.
You can find this episode and other Content Disrupted episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts.
How is generative AI disrupting Google Search, and what does it mean for brands and content creators? In this episode of Content Disrupted, Clearscope Founder Bernard Huang sits down with Skyword EVP Dan Baptiste to discuss the current state and future of SEO and AI-powered search. They dig into search traffic cannibalization, new ways to approach topical authority, and how to use content to build trust and credibility in an environment saturated with commoditized information.
Bernard is the co-founder of Clearscope, the leading SEO optimization software for high-quality content teams. Prior to Clearscope, he founded an SEO consulting agency, served as an exclusive growth advisor to 500 Startups, and led growth at YC startup 42Floors.
Episode highlights:
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[01:16] Google algorithm updates and changes in the SEO environment – Bernard shares how he worked as a growth hacker at Y Combinator startup 42 Floors, where he tried out various SEO strategies, including black hat tactics. He highlights the importance of major Google updates such as Penguin, which devalued spam links, and Panda, which penalized thin, duplicate content. Hummingbird shifted the focus to comprehensive, quality content, leading to the rise of detailed guides. RankBrain introduced dynamic user engagement signals, making search results more responsive to user interactions. The Helpful Content Update emphasized the creation of content for humans, highlighting expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. Bernard’s insights clearly show how Google’s evolving algorithm updates pushed SEO strategies away from the game of manipulation to a focus on creating valuable content that truly helps users.
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[11:41] Challenges and Opportunities for Content Creation in the Age of AI – Bernard explains that traditional search traffic for many information searches is declining significantly as Google increasingly integrates AI-generated answers and featured snippets. Huang emphasizes that this trend is not new and that technological advances will always redirect certain queries away from Google. However, AI’s ability to directly generate content, such as job templates and recipes, represents an unprecedented level of “cannibalization.” He advises content creators not to fear this change but to adapt by focusing on areas where AI falls short, such as providing unique perspectives, first-hand experience, and trustworthy recommendations. Huang points out that while AI excels at structured “stuff,” such as consensus-based answers and itineraries, it lacks the perspective, depth, and authenticity that users seek for certain types of trust-based searches, such as product reviews and expert guides. As a result, the challenge for content creators is to differentiate their work by highlighting the human element and expertise that AI cannot replicate, and remain relevant in an ever-changing digital environment.
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[18:44] From black hat tactics to trusted content – Bernard explains how Google’s algorithms have evolved to reward content that offers authentic opinions and perspectives. This evolution suggests that search is improving, as it encourages content creators to create valuable, authentic information, rather than just filling pages with SEO keywords. But Google still faces the challenge of a vast amount of AI-generated content distorting the information environment, and must distinguish between authentic and commoditized content. Bernard points out that while AI can generate content quickly, Google’s focus on user engagement signals still creates a complex environment where brands with high domain authority tend to dominate. This dynamic forces content creators to leverage their subject matter expertise, credibility, and unique insights to stand out in a crowded digital space. Bernard explains how brands can take advantage of how search associates topics with things, using an “information acquisition” approach that focuses on additional content in a network of topics where subject matter expertise or direct expertise is assumed or required.
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[29:35] Topical authority as a new SEO strategy – Bernard emphasizes that the traditional method of targeting high-search volume keywords and creating basic content or content clusters around them is no longer enough. Instead, smaller publishers need to focus on their expertise within their niche and dig deep into different aspects of the topic to establish authority. He explains that Google now values a site’s focus score, which evaluates the depth and relevance of a website’s content on a particular topic. This change means that smaller sites can rank higher in search results by creating comprehensive, original content that explores the nuances and complexities of a subject. For example, instead of just covering general information about marathons, your site should include in-depth content such as your personal training experiences, common mistakes, and unique insights into marathon preparation. This approach not only differentiates smaller publishers from their larger competitors, but also aligns with Google’s efforts to combat the deluge of commoditized content generated by AI. While the search volume for these specialized topics may be low, the collective effect of a well-developed library of granular, authoritative content can generate significant traffic over time.
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[36:07] Brands need to focus on dominating their niche – Bernard emphasizes the importance of defining specific topics or “ownable lanes” that match the brand’s identity and target audience. He further advises that brands should adopt a multi-channel content creation approach and produce customized and engaging content for various platforms such as TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, etc. He points out that since search now acts as a mid-to-lower funnel channel rather than a discovery channel, brands should plan to create content for search that captures the interest generated from other platforms. This strategy should move away from generic, high-volume keyword content and focus on adding unique value to niche topics. Smaller brands should focus on specific aspects where they can provide unique insights rather than trying to dominate broad topics. Overall, a niche-oriented strategy requires effort and thoughtful planning, and the rewards are huge for producing high-quality, in-depth content. Instead of spreading efforts thinly across a wide range of topics, brands should identify high-level topics that are relevant and easy to manage.
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