Why Brand Is the Future of SEO (and AI Won't Replace It)

Nov 13, 2025

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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