SEO F**king What is coming to your favourite podcast app. Are you ready for it? The "SEO Is Dead" Bros certainly aren't...

Welcome to "SEO Fucking What," the podcast that cuts through the bullshit and tells it straight, with no wanky jargon and no panic-peddling.

I’m Nikki, here to help you make damn real money from your website by showing up on Google, not by falling for shiny new courses or scare tactics from so-called LinkedIn gurus.

In today’s very first episode, we're tackling the biggest scam floating around the digital marketing scene: the tired claim that "SEO is dead."

So grab your coffee (and maybe cover your ears if you’re sensitive to swearing), because we’re about to expose the con jobs, give you real tips, and remind you to trust your own data over social media hype.

Join me. Let’s keep SEO non-wanky and make it work for your business.

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Hey hey, it’s Nikki, and welcome to "SEO F*%king What". This is the podcast where I cut through the bollocks and give you the real advice you need to get your website found (and making money) on Google.

In this episode, “Who Owns Your SEO Shlt,” I’m talking about something that’s been pissing me off for years: the sneaky way agencies and freelancers end up owning your entire Google presence without you even knowing it.

Over three decades working in digital marketing, I’ve seen businesses spend thousands on Google Ads, Analytics, and Search Console, only to realise later they've forgotten the most important aspect of running these accounts.

In this episode, I’ll break down how to get out of this mess when it happens and ensure it never bites you on the arse again.

I promise, it’s actionable stuff you won’t hear from those LinkedIn gooroos.

So click play and let’s get into it!

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Hey hey. It’s Nikki, and welcome to "SEO F*%king What", the no-bullshit podcast about getting your website found in Google by the people who actually want to buy from you - without the wanky advice the LinkedIn gurus are peddling.

If you’ve ever spent hours crafting a blog post only for Google to completely ignore it, this episode is exactly what you need.

I'll be slicing through the usual SEO myths and explain why your posts aren’t ranking - and more importantly, how to fix it fast.

This episode will help you ensure you're making your content searchable and scannable. And we'll get you offering actual answers (instead of generic waffle).

Oh, and not forgetting ensure your meta descriptions actually get clicks.

You’ll also hear why quick SEO fixes can make a huge difference for small businesses, and how one-off improvements don’t mean you have to sell your soul to a retainer.

00:25 "Fixing Blog SEO Mistakes"

04:16 Fixing Underperforming Blog Posts

07:51 One more important thing

This episode is all about you writing better shit on your blog. What better way to make sure this happens than having me in your corner - https://nikki-pilkington.com/seo-training/

Want to check out more episodes? https://seofuckingwhatpodcast.co.uk/

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Fed up with watching charlatans and self-proclaimed “AI SEO gurus” rake in cash and followers by selling absolute bollocks? Yeah, me too.

 This is SEO Fu*king What. I'm Nikki, and I help business owners like you to get found in search and make money from your website

In this no-bullshit episode, I’m explaining:

• Why the “SEO is dead” crowd keeps shouting the loudest
• The real reason AI content farms never win long-term
• How to spot the red flags (and the actual strategies that still work)

If you care about sustainable SEO that actually ranks, this

one’s for you.

This episode is all about the total dickheads who are offering terrible advice that could fuck up your website and its SEO.

You'll learn a lot from it.

But you'll get even better results from your SEO by having me in your corner - https://nikki-pilkington.com/seo-training/

Want to check out more episodes? https://seofuckingwhatpodcast.co.uk/

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LinkedIn told you to sack your SEO tools and just use ChatGPT. Cute.

 This is SEO Fu*king What. I'm Nikki, and I help business owners like you to get found in search and make money from your website

In this episode, I break down the three biggest ChatGPT SEO myths — fake volumes, fantasy Keyword Density (KD), and imaginary competitor analysis. I also give you a budget-savvy playbook that actually works: using GSC, manual SERPs and free tools.

And I share exactly where AI belongs (and where it doesn’t).

Click play to learn how to use ChatGPT for SEO the right way...

00:00 "ChatGPT vs Paid SEO Tools"

03:58 "Ahrefs vs. ChatGPT: SEO Reality"

08:23 "Budget SEO Tips Exposed"

10:42 SEO Success Requires Time & Data

This episode is all about not letting Chat GPT totally fuck up your SEO.

But you'll have even better results from your SEO by having me in your corner - https://nikki-pilkington.com/seo-training/

Want to check out more episodes? https://seofuckingwhatpodcast.co.uk/

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Ever handed over a chunk of cash to your web designer for “SEO” and ended up with nothing but a plugin and a lot of empty promises?

Hi, I'm Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of SEO F**king What, I’m pulling back the curtain on what really happens when web designers say they do SEO—and how you can tell if you’ve been stitched up.

I’ll walk you through the fixes and explain why most web designers aren’t SEO experts (and why that’s not a dig at them), reveal what real SEO looks like, and share the right questions to ask before you hire anyone.

Plus, I’ve got actionable steps you can take right now to get your site sorted—no bollocks, just practical advice.

If you’re ready to finally get found and make some money, hit follow and click play for some non-wanky SEO guidance that actually works!

00:00 "Web Design vs. True SEO"

03:52 "SEO Advice: Get Found"

This episode is all about ensuring your web designer doesn't totally fuck you over on your SEO.

But you'll have even better results from your SEO by having me in your corner - https://nikki-pilkington.com/seo-training/

Want to check out more episodes? https://seofuckingwhatpodcast.co.uk/

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In this episode I’m taking on one of the most annoying lies in the SEO world. You’ve probably heard it. “SEO isn’t really for businesses your size.” Yeah. That's total bullshit.

Someone asked me about it on LinkedIn and honestly, I could feel my blood pressure rising.

So I’m breaking down why small businesses keep getting fobbed off by big agencies and why it has nothing to do with SEO… and everything to do with profit.

I talk through the real reasons you’re being dismissed and then walk you through what small businesses can actually do to get found. Local SEO wins. Smarter page titles. Writing content that answers real questions. Getting reviews. Fixing the basics on your website. It’s all here and none of it requires dropping two grand a month on an agency.

If you’ve ever been told you’re “too small” for SEO or felt like your website is just sitting there like a digital paperweight, this one will sort you out.

If it helps, follow SEO F**king What so you don’t miss next week’s episode. And if you know someone who’s been fed this same rubbish, send this to them. Sharing is caring and all that.

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I’ve lost count of the businesses that hire an SEO expert, pay good money, and then make it impossible for us to actually do the job.

Hi, I'm Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of SEO F**king What, I’m calling out the ridiculousness I sometimes see when a business hires an SEO. Not you. You wouldn't do any of this, I'm sure. But we'll explore some of the absolute sh*ttery that can go down when one of us SEO experts gets hired by someone who doesn't understand what our role in their business actually is!

If you want fluffy LinkedIn advice, this isn’t the show for you.

But if you’re ready to stop sabotaging your own results and work with an SEO like a grown-up, hit play.

This one might sting a bit — but it’ll make you money, which is all I f**king care about.

00:00 Freelancing Isn't Remote Employment

04:26 Clients Restricting Access Harms Results

09:00 Empower Your SEO Expert

10:45 Respect Freelancers for Better Results

This episode is all about helping you ensure your SEO is equipped to do their job properly.

But you'll have even better results from your SEO by having me in your corner, and I offer supervision and set up of these kinds of arrangements as a service - https://nikki-pilkington.com/seo-training-and-development-uk/

Want to check out more episodes? https://seofuckingwhatpodcast.co.uk/

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Ever been quoted some ridiculous SEO retainer and thought… hang on, what the f**k am I actually paying for? Yeah. Same as lots of my clients. And honestly, I’m tired of watching small businesses get fleeced by agencies who talk a big game but can’t explain a single thing they’re doing.

Hi, I'm Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of SEO F**king What, I’m breaking down the biggest red flags in SEO.

Guaranteed rankings. “Secret” methodologies. Vague contracts. The lot.

If you’ve ever felt stupid for falling for any of this, don’t. These people are professionals at sounding credible while delivering absolutely nothing.

By the end, you’ll know exactly what questions to ask, what bullshit to ignore, and how to spot an SEO that’s more scammer than specialist.

Part two is coming next week, where I’ll show you what good SEO should actually look like (and what it should cost). But for now, let’s make sure you stop handing your hard-earned money to chancers.

If you’ve got questions, come yell at me on LinkedIn or drop me an email. I don’t bite… unless you promise “guaranteed rankings.”

00:00 "Protecting Small Businesses in SEO"

04:03 Vague SEO Contracts Warning

09:27 Avoid SEO Shortcuts

10:21 SEO: Hard Work, Real Experts

This episode is all about helping you ensure your SEO isn't a red flag waving scammer. But you'll have even better results from your SEO by having me in your corner, and I offer supervision and set up of these kinds of arrangements as a service - https://nikki-pilkington.com/seo-training-and-development-uk/

Want to check out more episodes? https://seofuckingwhatpodcast.co.uk/

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Most businesses don’t lose their traffic because SEO “stopped working”.

They lose it because someone redesigned the website and didn’t know what they were doing.

Hi, I’m Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of "SEO F**king What", I’m talking about website migrations, redesigns, domain changes, and how businesses accidentally torch years of SEO in a single launch.

This is the episode your controlling web developer probably doesn’t want you to hear.

In this episode, I cover:

Why website migrations go wrong so often

Why developers are not SEO specialists (and why that matters)

How URL changes wipe out rankings overnight

What 301 redirects are actually for and how people mess them up

Why missing metadata quietly kills performance

How to tell Google you’ve changed domain properly

What to do if you’ve already launched and everything’s gone a bit tits up

If you’re planning a website redesign, changing platforms, moving from .co.uk to .com, or touching your URLs in any way, listen to this before you launch.

If you’ve already launched and your traffic has fallen off a cliff, this will help you work out what’s broken and how to fix it.

Share this with your web developer.

Share it with your marketing manager.

Share it with anyone who’s about to make a very expensive mistake.

00:00 "Your Developer Is Not Your SEO Team"

01:49 "Why Website Migrations Go Wrong"

05:00 "A Real SEO Disaster Story"

06:47 "What Happens When You Mess It Up"

08:11 "How to Migrate a Website Properly"

12:10 "Fixing a Broken Migration"

If you want better results from your SEO and you don’t want to be firefighting disasters like this, I offer SEO supervision, training, and support for businesses and teams – https://nikki-pilkington.com/seo-training-and-development-uk/

Want more episodes?

https://seofuckingwhatpodcast.co.uk/

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Most small business owners don’t fail at SEO.

They get confused, overwhelmed, or quietly ripped off.

Hi, I'm Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of SEO F**king What, which is part two of a two parter, I’m letting you know what a good SEO person looks like in terms of their offers.

What SEO really costs in the UK, how long it takes to work, and how to spot legitimate professionals from cowboys.

No jargon.

No “it depends” nonsense.

No magical promises.

In this episode, I cover:

1. What proper SEO services should include (and what’s usually a waste of money)
2. How good SEOs explain their work without hiding behind acronyms
3. Why rankings don’t pay your mortgage, but revenue does
4. Realistic SEO pricing for small businesses and ecommerce sites
5. Honest timelines for technical fixes, content, and results
6. How to avoid dependency and find SEO help you can actually trust

If you’re about to hire an SEO, already paying one, or wondering why results don’t match the promises, this episode could save you a lot of money and frustration.

If you haven’t listened to part one yet, go back and start there first.

And if this helps, please share it with someone who’s about to sign an SEO contract.

00:00 "Good SEO: Clarity Over Jargon"

04:03 "SEO That Drives Real Results"

08:42 "SEO Timelines Simplified"

12:18 "SEO: Consistent, Methodical Work"

This episode is all about helping you identify a decent SEO person from a scammer. But you'll have even better results from your SEO by having me in your corner, and I offer supervision and set up of these kinds of arrangements as a service - https://nikki-pilkington.com/seo-training-and-development-uk/

Want to check out more episodes? https://seofuckingwhatpodcast.co.uk/

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Most businesses aren’t confused about SEO because it’s complicated.

They’re confused because the industry keeps inventing new acronyms and pretending the rules have changed.

Hi, I’m Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of "SEO F**king What", I’m talking about... well let's be honest... I'm having a bit of a rant. And it's a rant that you need to hear if you've fallen into the same trap I've seen some other SEOs fall into recently.

This is the episode your favourite SEO hustle bro probably doesn’t want you to hear.

GEO isn’t a new discipline.

It’s SEO with a new acronym and a higher invoice.

In this episode, I cover:

Why SEOs are adding GEO to their headlines even when their skills haven’t changed

Why “AI optimisation” isn’t meaningfully different from good SEO

What Google has already confirmed about AI search

How buzzwords validate inflated pricing and bad behaviour

Why playing along makes it harder for clients to tell who actually knows what they’re doing

Why honesty builds trust, even when it costs you work

If you’re an SEO feeling pressured to add GEO to your profile just to compete, listen to this.

If you’re a business owner wondering why suddenly everything costs more for the “same” SEO, listen to this.

And if you’re about to pay someone extra because they stuck three new letters in their headline, definitely listen to this.

Share this with your SEO mates.

Share it with a business owner who’s being sold magic.

Share it with anyone who’s about to pay more money for the same work.

00:00 “Why Adding GEO Is Making Things Worse”

01:25 Losing work to buzzwords

03:20 What Google has already confirmed

04:45 Why SEOs playing along is a problem

06:35 The uncomfortable truth

08:16 How the SEO industry created this mess

09:40 Why I’m not adding GEO

If you want straight-talk SEO without the jargon, follow SEO F**king What.

More episodes here:

https://seofuckingwhatpodcast.co.uk/

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Most businesses aren’t bad at blogging because they’re lazy.

They’re bad at blogging because no one ever told them what blogs are actually for.

Hi, I’m Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of "SEO F**king What", I’m talking about one of the biggest SEO mistakes I see every single week.

Business blogs that read like diaries, newsletters, or internal updates… and then the owner wonders why Google ignores them.

This is the episode your marketing agency probably won’t volunteer to send you.

Because it explains why “blog regularly” was never enough, and how years of well-meaning content can actually f**k up your site instead of helping it.

In this episode, I cover:

Why most business blogs get no traffic at all

Why Google can tell when you’re writing for yourself, not searchers

The types of blog posts nobody is actually Googling

How thin, self-serving content hurts your whole site

What crawl budget is and why it matters

How to choose blog topics people are genuinely searching for

Why keyword research isn’t optional

When to rewrite old posts and when to delete them

Where company news should live if you still want to share it

If you’ve been blogging for months or years and seeing nothing come from it, listen to this.

If your blog is full of “exciting news”, “reflections”, or “a message from the CEO”, listen to this.

And if you’re about to publish another post nobody asked for, definitely listen to this.

Share this with whoever writes your blog.

Share it with your marketing manager.

Share it with anyone about to hit publish on “Reflections on a Wonderful Q1”.

00:00 Why your blog isn’t content

01:50 The diary blog problem

03:50 How bad blogs hurt your whole site

06:11 What to do instead

07:20 Matching search intent

08:05 Answering the actual question

09:42 Audit, rewrite, or delete

11:22 When company news is OK

12:20 Final reality check

If you want straight-talk SEO without the fluff, follow SEO F**king What.

More episodes here:

https://seofuckingwhatpodcast.co.uk/

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I'm sick of business owners coming to me convinced their competitors have some secret SEO strategy. They don't. You're just making it ridiculously easy for them to beat you by ignoring the fundamentals on your own website.

Hi, I’m Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of "SEO F**king What", I’m talking about:

1. The 7 most common ways you're sabotaging your own SEO (I guarantee at least three apply to you)
2. Why your homepage title saying "Home" makes you invisible to Google
3. How your 50-word service pages are getting destroyed by competitors who bothered to write 800 words
4. The Google Business Profile mistakes that hand free visibility to everyone else
5. Why your site loading slower than a wet weekend is killing your rankings
6. A 30-minute self-audit you can do today to fix the obvious stuff

The uncomfortable truth: Your competitor's website probably isn't that impressive. They've just done the basics - proper page titles, decent content, a filled-in Google Business Profile, and a site that actually works on mobile. That's it. No magic formula. Just competent execution of SEO fundamentals that you haven't got around to yet.

I've been in SEO for over 30 years, and I help businesses make money from their websites by getting found in search. This episode is your wake-up call to stop stalking your competitors' websites and start fixing your own.

Stop blaming your competitors. Fix your own shit first.

00:00 - Introduction: The Real Reason You're Losing at SEO

02:05 - Common SEO Mistakes Sabotaging Your Success

02:28 - Mistake #1: Your Meta Titles Are Useless

03:10 - Mistake #2: Your Service Pages Are Thinner Than an Over-Filtered Influencer

04:00 - Mistake #3: You've Got No Internal Links

04:40 - Mistake #4: Your Google Business Profile Is a Ghost Town

05:20 - Mistake #5: Your Site Is Slower Than a Wet Weekend

06:00 - Mistake #6: Your Mobile Experience Is Atrocious

06:40 - Mistake #7: You've Got Broken Shit Everywhere

07:20 - Why We Focus on Competitors Instead of Our Own Sites

08:22 - How to Fix Your SEO Issues: The 30-Minute Self-Audit

09:00 - Step 1: Check Your Page Titles

09:40 - Step 2: Check the Words on Your Key Pages

10:10 - Step 3: Click Every Link on Your Site

10:40 - Step 4: Load Your Site on Your Phone

11:00 - Step 5: Check Your Google Business Profile

11:30 - Step 6: Look at Your Internal Links

12:10 - Step 7: Search for Yourself on Google

12:40 - Stop Looking Over the Fence

13:47 - Final Thoughts and Actionable Steps

If you want straight-talk SEO without the jargon, follow SEO F**king What.

More episodes here:

https://seofuckingwhatpodcast.co.uk/

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Hi, I’m Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of "SEO F**king What", I’m talking about: the three free tools you need set up before any of the rest of it makes any sense. Because I cannot tell you how many times I've sat down with a business owner for an SEO one-to-one, asked them to share their Google Search Console, and found out they haven't logged in for 18 months. That's like having a sat nav and refusing to look at it, then wondering why you keep getting lost.

And yes, there's actual homework at the end.

Because listening is lovely, but without doing, you're wasting both our time.

You'll learn:

What each tool does and why it matters, how to get all three set up today (it takes about 25 minutes), what to actually look at once they're collecting data, and why ignoring this stuff is one of the most expensive mistakes a website owner can make.

Links mentioned:

1. Google Search Console: https://search.google.com/search-console
2. Google Analytics: https://analytics.google.com
3. Microsoft Clarity: https://clarity.microsoft.com
4. Clicky Analytics: https://clicky.com/101357342
5. Non-Wanky SEO Course: https://nonwankyseo.com

Follow Nikki:

1. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkipilkington/
2. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkipilkington/
3. Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nikkipilkington.bsky.social

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I got sent an AI search optimisation audit that cost a business thousands of pounds. It was beautifully presented, full of charts and graphs, and packed with confident recommendations about AI citations and ChatGPT visibility.

It also missed a whole BUNCH of stuff.

Hi, I’m Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of "SEO F**king What", I’m talking about: an audit that recommended deleting pages that were actively driving real traffic from Google — because a proprietary AI visibility tool said they weren't getting ChatGPT citations.

I'll break down exactly why this kind of audit is dangerous, not just useless, and what the businesses being sold this stuff actually need to know.

I cover what a real audit should include, why Google organic traffic still dwarfs AI referral traffic for most sites, and the red flags to watch for before you hand over your budget to someone flogging "proprietary AI search tools".

If you've been pitched an AI search audit — or you're tempted — listen to this first.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: Have you been had by an AI search audit?

00:54 What happened: The audit I was sent

01:43 What the audit missed — 462 errors, redirect chains, and more

02:20 The analytics data they ignored: Google vs ChatGPT traffic

03:42 The dangerous advice: deleting pages that were actually working

05:00 Why this makes me so f&%king angry

06:24 The fix: check your numbers

08:17 Red flags to watch for before you pay for any AI SEO audit

When did you last actually read every page of your website? Not edit it, not skim it — read it like a visitor would. If the answer is “I can’t remember” or “never” — this episode is for you.

Hi, I’m Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of “SEO F**king What”, I’m walking you through one of the most unglamorous but genuinely useful things you can do for your SEO — a content audit. Not to make your life miserable, but because Google crawls every single page on your website, and right now some of those pages are actively working against you.

Here’s what I’m covering:

1. Why most website owners have no idea how many pages they actually have (and why that’s a problem)
2. How to build a simple URL spreadsheet without needing any fancy tools
3. The intent column — and why filling it in manually is the bit that actually matters
4. The four questions to ask about every single page: Is it helpful? Is it current? Did AI write it (properly)? Does it have a call to action?
5. Why re-dating old posts doesn’t fool Google — and what to actually do instead
6. Why unedited AI content is probably hurting your rankings more than helping them
7. The Keep / Fix / Kill framework — and the priority order for tackling each category
8. Why a smaller, tighter website often outperforms a sprawling one full of filler

I also give you a proper piece of homework. Not the “I’ll do it someday” kind. The start-your-spreadsheet-this-week kind.

If you know someone who hasn’t properly looked at their website in years, send them this. It might save them from a very unpleasant surprise.

Get found. Make money. Go look at your content.

Links mentioned:

Screaming Frog SEO Spider: https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/

Crawly: https://crawly.diffbot.com/

Non-Wanky SEO Course: https://nonwankyseo.com

Follow Nikki:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkipilkington/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkipilkington/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nikkipilkington.bsky.social

Chapters:

00:00 — When did you last actually read your website?

00:15 — Welcome to SEO F**king What

00:26 — Why today builds on the last episode

00:38 — Why a content audit sounds boring but isn’t

00:58 — How many pages does your website actually have?

01:22 — Why Google crawls everything

01:40 — The content that actively hurts your rankings

02:20 — What a content audit reveals

02:32 — Step 1: The spreadsheet

03:13 — Step 2: The intent column

03:42 — Tools for bigger sites: Screaming Frog and Crawley

04:34 — Question 1: Is it helpful?

05:34 — Question 2: Is it current?

06:10 — Question 3: Did AI write it?

07:15 — Question 4: Does it have a call to action?

08:31 — You’ve got your spreadsheet. Now what?

09:04 — The Non-Wanky SEO course

09:27 — Keep / Fix / Kill: what to do with each page

09:36 — Leave your working pages alone

09:56 — Update helpful-but-outdated pages

10:28 — Rewrite pages with potential (keep the URL)

10:54 — Deal with unedited AI content properly

11:13 — Consider deleting purposeless pages

11:48 — Your homework

12:27 — Next episode: website structure and internal linking

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I'm going to say something that's going to upset a lot of people who've been bragging about their rankings: being number one for a single word is fucking useless. There. I said it.

Hi, I’m Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of "SEO F**king What", I'm calling out one of the most persistent and damaging myths in SEO — that keywords are either dead entirely, or that you should be obsessing over ranking for the shortest, broadest, most competitive terms possible. Both of these positions are bollocks, and I'm going to explain why.

Here's what I'm covering:

— Why old-school keyword stuffing is dead (but keywords absolutely aren't)

— Why every search is a real person with a real need, and why that changes everything

— The four types of search intent and why matching them is the difference between traffic and clients

— Why "zero search volume" phrases might be your most valuable SEO real estate

— Why ranking number one for "copywriter" or "accountant" will bring you exactly the wrong people

— How to think in topic journeys instead of keyword lists, and why that builds the kind of trust that converts

I also give you a proper piece of homework. Not the "might do that one day" kind. The actual do-it-this-week kind.

If you know someone obsessing over ranking for a single broad keyword and wondering why they're not getting enquiries, send them this. It might save them months of wasted effort.

Get found. Make money. Stop stressing. Start giving a shit about your readers.

Links mentioned:

1. Non-Wanky SEO Courses: https://nonwankyseo.com
2. Google's People Also Ask: Just search for anything on Google and look for the expandable questions
3. Also Asked: https://alsoasked.com/?via=nikki-pilkington (aff link)

Follow Nikki:

1. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkipilkington/
2. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkipilkington/
3. Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nikkipilkington.bsky.social

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Blogging Masterclass

Your website could be full of brilliant content and still not rank. Why? Because Google can't figure out how your pages connect. That's what we're fixing today.

Hi, I'm Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of "SEO F**king What", I'm tackling one of the most overlooked parts of SEO — website structure. Not the sexy stuff. The stuff that actually makes your site work. How your pages connect, how Google moves around your site, and why getting this wrong means even your best content struggles to rank.

Here's what I'm covering: — Why your website is like a building, and what happens when Google can't follow the corridors — What a clear hierarchy looks like and why your most important pages need to be close to the top — Orphan pages: what they are, why they're costing you, and how to find and fix them in an afternoon — Internal linking — the most underused free tool in SEO — and how to actually use it properly — Why your link text matters more than you realise (and why "click here" is doing absolutely nothing for you) — URLs, 301 redirects, XML sitemaps, and why submitting to Google Search Console is non-negotiable

I also give you proper homework. Four things to do this week. None of them cost money. All of them will make a difference.

If you've done your content audit and now you're ready to sort out your structure, this is the episode you need. And if you know someone whose website is a complete jumble with no logic to how it's connected, send them this. It might save them months of confusion.

Get found. Make money. Link properly.

Useful links:

Non Wanky On-Page SEO Toolkit: https://nonwankyseo.com

Google Search Console: https://search.google.com/search-console

Screaming Frog: https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/

Follow Nikki:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkipilkington/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkipilkington/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nikkipilkington.bsky.social

Mentioned in this episode:

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Blogging Masterclass

This week I've gone off script. Someone posted about an SEO conference billing itself as the UK's most advanced -- sixteen speakers, all male, not one woman on the bill. I said something about it. The response was, essentially, "we had women last year." And here we are.

This episode isn't about quotas or ticking boxes. It's about the fact that brilliant women in SEO exist, they're not hiding, and if your speaker lineup is sixteen mainly white men, the question you need to be asking is whether anyone actually went looking.

In this episode:

• Why "we had women last year" is the laziest defence in the industry
• The women in SEO who should be on every conference organiser's radar
• Why the "we book who applies" argument falls apart when you think it through
• What conference organisers actually need to do differently
• And a word for the women in SEO who keep talking themselves out of putting their hand up

Women I mention in this episode: Lily Ray, Helen Pollitt, Areej AbuAli, Carrie Rose, Lidia Infante, Jo Furnival, Alice Rowan.

Want to find more women in SEO? Start with Women in Tech SEO at womenintechseo.com and WTSFest.

Want me to speak at your event? I'm an SEO speaker, I'm a woman, and I'm available. No waffle, no jargon, no death by slide deck. Hit me up at nikki@nikki-pilkington.com

Follow Nikki:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkipilkington/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkipilkington/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nikkipilkington.bsky.social

Mentioned in this episode:

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Blogging Masterclass

Your homepage H1 says “Welcome.” Your meta title says “Home.” And you’re wondering why Google won’t rank you. In this episode, Nikki Pilkington explains why H1s and meta titles are two different jobs, why making them identical is a missed opportunity, and why making them disconnected is actively killing your SEO.

You’ll learn how to think of your meta title as the promise and your H1 as the delivery, why “Helping your people thrive” is not a heading, why your company name almost certainly doesn’t belong in your H1, and why Yoast’s green smiley face is not a ranking factor. There’s homework at the end — a proper site audit you can do this week without spending a penny.

0:00 Why Titles Kill Rankings

1:57 What Meta Titles & H1s Actually Are

4:09 Making Them Match the Search

6:05 Your Homepage H1 Needs Work

7:20 Why Your Company Name Isn’t Your H1

7:49 Yoast Isn’t Your Brain

9:00 Your Homework This Week

10:50 Non-Wanky On-Page SEO Course

• Non-Wanky On-Page SEO — £200 or £20/month: https://nonwankyseo.com

• Google Search Console: https://search.google.com/search-console

• — Episode 13 — Stop Blogging Like It's a Diary
• — Episode 14 — Your Competitors SEO Geniuses?...
• — Episode 19 — Google Search Console...

• Website: https://nikki-pilkington.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkipilkington/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkipilkington/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nikkipilkington.bsky.social

Hi, I'm Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of “SEO F**king What”, I'm calling out one of the most expensive myths in SEO — that spending money on backlinks is something small B2B service businesses need to do. It isn't. And I've got 30 years of evidence to prove it.

Here’s what I’m covering:

• Why Google’s original algorithm got gamed almost immediately — and how the link building industry was born from exploiting it
• The Penguin update of 2012: why thousands of legitimate businesses lost their rankings overnight, while the agencies who sold them manipulative links quietly updated their service pages and moved on
• What Google actually confirmed in 2024 about how much links matter now (their words: “we’ve made links less important”)
• Why the link building industry is still thriving — despite selling something worth a fraction of what it once was
• The free, legitimate links you’re probably already entitled to through professional memberships and directories — and not using
• Why on-page SEO, quality content, and a well-structured website will do more for your rankings than any link package sold by someone who DMed you 15 minutes after following you on LinkedIn

I also give you a proper piece of homework this week. Three things to do right now. None of them cost a penny.

If you’re currently paying for a link building package — or you’ve ever been tempted — listen to this first. It might save you a lot of money and a lot of future headaches.

Get found. Make money. Stop buying fucking backlinks.

Non-Wanky SEO Courses: https://nonwankyseo.com

Google Search Console (backlink report — Legacy Tools, bottom of left-hand menu): https://search.google.com/search-console/

Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker: https://ahrefs.com/backlink-checker

Follow Nikki

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkipilkington/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkipilkington/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nikkipilkington.bsky.social

Mentioned in this episode:

Join our blogging masterclass

Blogging Masterclass

Hi, I'm Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of "SEO F**king What", I'm talking about the one bit of SEO that isn't a ranking factor but is absolutely the thing that decides whether anyone actually clicks on your listing — your meta descriptions. You've probably never written one, duplicated the same one across your whole site, or let Yoast bully you into stuffing it with keywords. All three are fucked.

Here's what I'm covering:

— Why your meta description isn't a ranking factor — but still decides whether anyone clicks

— What a good meta description actually does (and the 155-character rule)

— Why Google bolds search terms, and why that matters for getting clicks

— The parade of horrors: missing descriptions, duplicate descriptions, and corporate waffle

— Why the Yoast green light isn't the goal — writing for a human is

— A proper before-and-after for an HR consultant that shows you exactly what to write

— The Mark Williams-Cook argument for not writing them at all — and why I still say you should, for small B2B sites

I also give you proper homework. Three things to do this week that will sort out your meta descriptions without taking all day.

If you know someone whose search result description reads like it was written by a committee, send them this. It might be the reason they're not getting the clicks they deserve.

Get found. Make money. Stop stressing. Write it for a human.

Non-Wanky SEO Courses: https://nonwankyseo.com

SearchPilot meta description research: https://www.searchpilot.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkipilkington/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkipilkington/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nikkipilkington.bsky.social

Mentioned in this episode:

Join our blogging masterclass

Blogging Masterclass

"AI can build your whole website in 10 minutes," they said. "Save a fortune," they said. And now you're wondering why nobody can find you on Google. Yeah. About that.

Hi, I'm Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of "SEO Fking What", I'm kicking off a three-part series on AI-built websites — why people are doing it, why I completely get it, and why I still think it's a fking bad idea if you don't understand what you're getting yourself into.

I also give you a quick homework task — a 30-second H1 check you can do right now that might reveal the single biggest SEO problem on your website.

This is part one of three. If you know someone about to launch an AI-built site without a second thought, send them this first. It might save them months of invisible damage.

Get found. Make money. Know AI's limitations.

Links mentioned: Non-Wanky SEO Courses: https://nonwankyseo.com

Follow Nikki:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkipilkington/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkipilkington/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nikkipilkington.bsky.social

Mentioned in this episode:

Join our blogging masterclass

Blogging Masterclass

Hi, I’m Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of “SEO F**king What”, this is Part Two of my AI Website series — and if you didn’t build your site with AI, don’t switch off. A lot of what I cover here applies to traditionally-built websites too.

I audited five AI-built B2B websites in April 2026. Proper audits — SE Ranking crawls, manual HTML review, page speed insights, schema testing, the lot. I went in expecting a horror show. What I found was much more interesting.

Here’s what I’m covering:

• Why AI-built websites look genuinely good — and what that means for small business owners who couldn’t previously afford proper design
• How AI handles mobile layouts correctly as standard (and why plenty of human-built sites still can’t say the same)
• Why the site structure and navigation of AI-built sites makes sense — and why yours might not anymore
• The forms, validation, and error handling that actually work (unlike that contact form you probably don’t know is broken)
• Why three of the five sites had genuinely thoughtful commercial pages — comparison pages, “is this right for you” pages, and decision-support content
• How AI approached schema markup — what it got right, and the teaser for what went wrong in Episode Three

I also give you a piece of homework. Not the vague “something to think about” kind. The go-and-check-it-this-week kind: look at your commercial pages and ask whether they’re actually helping someone make a decision.

If you’ve been dismissing AI websites out of hand, or if you’ve built one and been told it’s worthless, this episode is for you. And yes, Episode Three is where things get uncomfortable — but that’s next week.

Get found. Make money. Stop stressing. Start giving a shit about your readers.

Links mentioned:

Non-Wanky SEO Courses: https://nonwankyseo.com

Follow Nikki:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkipilkington/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkipilkington/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nikkipilkington.bsky.social

Mentioned in this episode:

Join our blogging masterclass

Blogging Masterclass

"She didn't need a content strategy document. She needed to read her inbox."

Hi, I'm Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of "SEO F**king What", I'm tackling one of the most common content problems I see — businesses that are constantly stuck on what to write next, when the answers have been sitting in their inbox, their reviews, and their sales call notes for years.

Here's what I'm covering:

• Why most businesses get their content strategy wrong from the very start
• Why your customers' questions are real search queries being typed into Google right now
• The content gold hiding in your reviews — yours AND your competitors'
• How to mine testimonials, sales call notes, and support emails for blog ideas that actually convert
• The case study of Claire: a financial planner who wrote 5 posts straight from her inbox, got three ranking on page one within two weeks, and now has one as her second-most visited page
• Why the language your clients use (not your industry jargon) is closer to what gets typed into Google than anything from a keyword tool
• How to brief a copywriter or SEO with something actually useful

I also give you a proper piece of homework. Not the "might do that one day" kind. The actual do-it-this-week kind.

If you know someone staring at a blank screen trying to think of blog topics, send them this. The answers are already in their business.

Get found. Make money. Stop stressing. Start listening to the people already talking to you.

LINKS

Non-Wanky SEO Courses: https://nonwankyseo.com

FOLLOW NIKKI

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkipilkington/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkipilkington/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nikkipilkington.bsky.social

Mentioned in this episode:

Join our blogging masterclass

Blogging Masterclass

Hi, I’m Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of “SEO F**king What”, I’m talking about one of the most common and most exhausting problems in SEO — and it’s not algorithm updates, and it’s not technical debt. It’s Dave.

Dave means well. That’s the thing. He just went to a two-day digital marketing conference in Birmingham, sat through a keynote about AI search, and now he’s forwarding you articles at 9:00 PM on a Tuesday with a subject line, “Have you seen this?” You have. You saw it six months ago.

Here’s what I’m covering:

• Who Dave is — and why he takes so many different forms in your business
• Why Dave usually gets it wrong, and why that’s not entirely his fault
• The problem with conference keynotes, cheap SEO tools, and LinkedIn engagement bait
• Why dismissing Dave outright is the worst possible strategy
• How to create a process for handling Dave that actually protects your SEO strategy
• When to take Dave seriously — because sometimes, he’s onto something

If you’ve got a Dave in your orbit right now — a sceptical stakeholder, a conflicting tool, a partner’s contact with strong opinions — send them this episode. It might save everyone a pointless meeting.

Get found. Make money. Stop stressing. Get yourself a Nikki, not a Dave.

Links mentioned:

Non-Wanky SEO Courses: https://nonwankyseo.com

Follow Nikki:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkipilkington/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkipilkington/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nikkipilkington.bsky.social

Mentioned in this episode:

Join our blogging masterclass

Blogging Masterclass

Hi, I’m Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of “SEO F**king What” I focus on the harsh reality many business owners face: pouring hours into writing blog posts only to see:

• No results
• No traffic
• No engagement

A talk about solid SEO foundations, not just good writing, to ensure blog content gets found and drives results. Some common mistakes include; clever but unsearchable titles, missing metadata, weak or absent internal links, and lack of clear calls to action—that hold back otherwise strong content from ranking on Google.

You'll get a practical, no-nonsense SEO checklist to transform your blog post process, boost visibility, and finally see your efforts pay off.

📍REMEMBER:

• Ditch clever titles for clear, searchable ones
• Don’t skip the basics—metadata matters
• Structure and internal links are your secret weapon

Follow Me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkipilkington/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkipilkington/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nikkipilkington.bsky.social

Hi, I’m Nikki Pilkington. My site is https://nikki-pilkington.com/ and in this episode of “SEO F**king What” (the third and final part of the AI Website series) I pull back the curtain on why so many AI-built websites may look perfect on the surface yet fail spectacularly when it comes to SEO.

Drawing on 30 years of search experience and a recent audit of five B2B AI-generated sites, I explore the hidden problems lurking in headings, meta titles, robots.txt, sitemaps, schema, site performance, and trust signals—issues that even non-AI sites can suffer from if you don’t know to look!

Whether you built your site with AI or not, this episode is packed with practical advice for anyone wanting to get found and make money online. Listen in to find out what’s really going wrong beneath the gloss and how you can fix it.

I cover these things, and more:

• Issues with homepage H1s
• Website SEO and sitemap issues
• Common schema issues on websites
• Identifying site publication issues
• Importance of a human SEO audit

Follow Nikki:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkipilkington/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkipilkington/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nikkipilkington.bsky.social