In 2019, he applied to be a notetaker at the Chiang Mai SEO mastermind and didn’t get in. This year, he was a speaker and was invited into the mastermind. 🔁
Right after his talk at the Chiang Mai SEO conference, still on an adrenaline rush, I sat down with Steve Toth, founder of SEO Notebook. 🎙️
We covered Google’s “last click,” his on-page tool, the BrainStation case, SGE, parasite SEO, and his Toronto conference. 🚀
📊 In this episode, we unpacked:
- 🖱️ Google watches the last click
- 🛠️ Getting a content score from 60 to 80
- 🤖 Why Google is hesitant about SGE
- 🦠 Backlinks and parasite SEO
- 📒 SEO Notebook and SEO IRL
- 🔁 Regrets and coming full circle
🎥 Watch the full episode:
🖱️ Google Watches the Last Click
With Reddit and UGC flooding the SERPs, Steve thinks Google is actively testing whether those results satisfy queries. 🧪
Google pays attention to which page earns the last click, the final page in a searcher’s journey. If users see Reddit but end up going back to listicles, Google will change things. 🖱️
It’s too early to tell, and Google has rolled back updates before. For another view on user signals, read Cyrus Shepard on why Google relies on user interaction. 🔗
🛠️ Getting a Content Score From 60 to 80
He has many on-page methods, but lately his agency loves Surfer’s Terms Assistant. It takes existing content with, say, a score of 60 and helps get it to around 80 in about 10 minutes. ⚡
Some sites rank with low scores and low DR, but stepping back, BrainStation, the site from his talk, was fully optimized with Surfer to target scores and reached about $300,000 in traffic value. 📈
For Surfer’s side, read Michal Suski on Surfer SEO and the ideal content score. 🔗
🤖 Why Google Is Hesitant About SGE
Many people are hesitant to start affiliate sites, and SGE could hurt informational content. 📉
His take, on record: Google gave SGE and Bard less-than-great names, a sign it’s stepping into AI search very hesitantly. “The only reason they really did it is because ChatGPT and Bing forced their hand.” 🧐
Even with news of SGE expanding to 120 more countries, he thinks Google would rather stick with what’s made it so successful. On Google’s shifting statements about AI content, he wears “earplugs.” 🎧
🦠 Backlinks and Parasite SEO
Are backlinks the number one factor? “I don’t think anybody knows that, but I am building backlinks currently, and it’s successful.” 🔗
Parasite SEO isn’t going away soon. In early November 2023, Outlook India still ranked for plenty of keywords despite penalties. But sharing tactics too widely in the SEO community puts them under a microscope. 🔬
For more on parasite SEO, read Charles Floate’s take. 🔗
📒 SEO Notebook and SEO IRL
SEO Notebook is a free weekly newsletter. It’s not a long article but an extremely actionable strategy you can try within five minutes. 📒
He also runs SEO IRL in Toronto, since Canada had nothing like it. It started as a Friday evening meetup of about 130 people, and he planned to turn it into a full or multi-day conference with big speakers. Sign up for the mailing list at seoirl.com. 🇨🇦
🔁 Regrets and Coming Full Circle
His regret: not starting SEO sooner. He started in 2011, and in the 2000s it would have been so much easier. ⏪
His best compliment came at this conference: going from a rejected notetaker applicant in 2019 to a speaker invited into the mastermind, and having people acknowledge it. 🏆
His biggest financial mistake: not paying his credit card bill in his mid-20s. Now his credit score is “in the 800s.” 💳
About Chiang Mai: “The people who come to this conference really know SEO.” You don’t need to be an expert, but you’ll soak up a lot from the pros. For another Chiang Mai speaker, read Kyle Roof’s SEO strategies. 🔗
📝 Key Takeaways From the Steve Toth Interview
- 🖱️ Aim to be the last click in the searcher’s journey
- 🛠️ Raise content scores fast with term suggestions
- 🤖 Watch Google’s actions, not its statements
- 🔗 Keep building backlinks, because they still work
- 📒 Act on one tactic a week
- ⏪ Start sooner, even if it feels late
❓ FAQs About Steve Toth
Who is Steve Toth?
Steve Toth is an SEO from Toronto, the founder of the SEO Notebook newsletter and the SEO IRL event. He started in SEO in 2011.
What is SEO Notebook?
A free weekly newsletter with short, actionable SEO tactics you can try in about five minutes.
What is the “last click” in SEO?
The final page a searcher visits in their journey. Steve says Google watches which pages earn it to judge which results satisfy queries.
What does Steve Toth think about SGE?
He thinks Google entered AI search reluctantly because ChatGPT and Bing forced its hand, so full rollout may take a while.
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Is your page the last click? Share this with an SEO who loves actionable tips. 💬
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Jitendra Vaswani is a well-known expert in SEO and AI-driven digital marketing. He has spoken at international events and founded Digiexe, a digital marketing agency, and AffiliateBooster, WordPress plugin designed specifically for affiliate marketers. With over 10 years of experience, Jitendra has helped many businesses succeed online. His bestselling book, Inside A Hustler’s Brain: In Pursuit of Financial Freedom, with over 20,000 copies sold globally, underscores his influence and commitment to empowering digital marketers.