Steven Wilson-Beales's Avatar

Steven Wilson-Beales

@stevewb.bsky.social

SEO & Content Strategy Consultant. Previously: Head of SEO @global | Head of Internet @ministryofsound ๐Ÿ•บ๐ŸŽถ | Chair of AOP UK Journalism Advisory Board. News SEO, Journalism & the occasional synth.

3,048 Followers  |  901 Following  |  401 Posts  |  Joined: 02.10.2023  |  1.5875

Latest posts by stevewb.bsky.social on Bluesky


The Power of Google Discover for Publishers with Nicola Agius
YouTube video by Beers and SEO with Barry and Steve The Power of Google Discover for Publishers with Nicola Agius

The latest Beers and SEO with Barry & Steve Podcast is OUT. This week @polemicdigital.com and I are joined by Nicola Agius, Director of SEO and Discover at Reach. We discuss:

YouTube: youtu.be/2A-lcQfSJF8?...

Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/6Z0a...

Apple: Coming Soon

#publishing #seo #podcasts

18.02.2026 13:53 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
SEO and AI: Visibility fundamentals 31 March 2026 - This hands-on course is designed to help journalists, editors, and newsroom leaders understand and master the new rules of visibility in 2026.

I'm very pleased to announce my new SEO & AI Visibility course in London on March 31st with JournalismUK. Sign up now to learn about the new visibility landscape:

www.journalism.co.uk/training/seo...

#publishing #seo #journalism

12.02.2026 11:33 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
Publisher Growth Briefing #2: Google Discover Update, Bing Webmaster AI Tracker PLUS: New details about my forthcoming SEO & AI Visibility training course.

My latest Publisher Growth Briefing is OUT!

๐Ÿš€ Google's Discover Core Update

๐Ÿš€ Bing Webmaster Tool - NEW AI Performance update

๐Ÿš€ News in the Digital Age Conference

๐Ÿš€ My new SEO & AI Visibility Course

#publishing #marketing #seo #journalism

www.publishingstrategies.co.uk/p/publisher-...

12.02.2026 11:18 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
Publisher Growth Briefing #1 A new weekly series looking at publisher audience growth stories that tickled my fancy.

A new weekly series looking at publisher audience growth stories that tickled my fancy.

www.publishingstrategies.co.uk/p/publisher-...

#publishing #marketing #journalsim #seo

06.02.2026 16:04 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
What Newsrooms can Learn from Duolingo - The ULTIMATE audience engagement and retention app My name is Steve and I am a Duolingo addict.

What Newsrooms can learn from the The ULTIMATE audience engagement and retention app.

๐Ÿฆ‰ My Duolingo love story
๐Ÿฆ‰ 5 takeaways for newsrooms
๐Ÿฆ‰ More Fun Please.

#publishing #marketing #journalsim

publishingstrategies.substack.com/p/how-newsro...

06.02.2026 16:02 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
Opinion: All this talk of AI visibility is killing your news business SEO mastermind Steven Wilson-Beales takes over Content Aware to make the case that focusing too much on questions around AI search visibility is masking the real issues publishers need to solve.

The gloves are off.

www.gpp.io/noindex/opin...

#publishing #seo #marketing #journalism

06.02.2026 15:59 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Post image

Current status

06.02.2026 11:02 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
Google to Let Publishers Opt Out of AI Overviews: What It Means for Content Owners Google prepares a news search optimisation tool, but will it be the answer to all publisher AI visibility prayers?

It's the talk of the publisher town and I have a few thoughts about it. WARNING: includes a reference to two fantasy novels. Can you guess which ones they are?

open.substack.com/pub/publishi...

#publishing #seo #marketing

03.02.2026 17:28 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Post image

Over the last few weeks we've seen a steady increase in sponsored results dominating search results. What does this mean for publishers investing in audience growth and subscriptions?

publishingstrategies.substack.com/p/should-you...

#publishing #marketing #seo #ppc

28.01.2026 13:34 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

Here's @polemicdigital.com discussing the value of talking to your audience. We all say it's important, but do we actually do it?

#publishing #marketing

Spotify: lnkd.in/eBiEq--R

Apple: lnkd.in/eJrxM3CE

20.01.2026 15:59 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
Preview
Google doesn't want you to create bite-sized chunks of your content Despite what you think works well for LLM and AI Search mentions, Google said this is not a long-term strategy.

Interesting. Tell that to the GEO content writer tools.

searchengineland.com/google-doesn...

16.01.2026 11:56 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

I really enjoyed this chat with Sarah McDowell ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ about the importance (and challenge) of being able to focus. Plus, lots of tips you can apply to both your personal and professional life. Oh, and lots of top quality BANTS to boot.

player.captivate.fm/episode/9a4c...

15.01.2026 12:27 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

On our latest 'Beers & SEO with Barry and Steve' we discussed why it's still essential to still invest in search optimisation in 2026. Links below to the pod.

I promise I will never say 'actuality of the fact' ever again @polemicdigital.com !

Spotify: lnkd.in/eTJDB4ch

Apple: lnkd.in/eCBWQfsn

15.01.2026 10:50 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
AI Survival Strategies for Publishers: How to SMASH 2026! Podcast Episode ยท Beers and SEO with Barry and Steve ยท 13/01/2026 ยท 53m

Apple: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a...

Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/4xoo...

15.01.2026 10:25 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
AI Survival Strategies for Publishers: How to SMASH 2026! Podcast Episode ยท Beers and SEO with Barry and Steve ยท 13/01/2026 ยท 53m

Apple: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a...

Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/4xoo...

15.01.2026 10:24 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
AI Survival Strategies for Publishers: How to SMASH 2026! Podcast Episode ยท Beers and SEO with Barry and Steve ยท 13/01/2026 ยท 53m

Apple: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a...

Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/4xoo...

15.01.2026 10:22 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
AI Survival Strategies for Publishers: How to SMASH 2026!
YouTube video by Beers and SEO with Barry and Steve AI Survival Strategies for Publishers: How to SMASH 2026!

youtu.be/hX8TQDQHOqs?...

15.01.2026 10:22 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Video thumbnail

Were you affected by Google's December core update? @polemicdigital.com gives his perspective on what happened...

Catch up with more conversation on the pod (link in comments).

#publishing #seo #journalism #google

15.01.2026 10:22 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
SEO has changed: The new metrics publishers should focus on Steven Wilson-Beales explains the new SEO metrics publishers need to be monitoring in 2026.

My piece in Press Gazette today - looking at metrics for both SEO and AI answer engines.

AI visibility is rarely earned without strong SEO fundamentals and there's still a MASSIVE Google audience - publishers just need to work harder.
pressgazette.co.uk/comment-anal...
#seo #publishing #journalism

14.01.2026 11:00 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
AI Survival Strategies for Publishers
YouTube video by Beers and SEO with Barry and Steve AI Survival Strategies for Publishers

The second instalment of 'Beers and SEO with Barry and Steve' is back! @polemicdigital.com and I discuss 'AI Survival Strategies for Publishers' - why publishers should double-down on SEO while also building audience on other platforms.
youtu.be/hX8TQDQHOqs?...
#publishing #seo #journalism #podcast

13.01.2026 14:35 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Post image

Another pod in the bag with @polemicdigital.com - coming out soon!

12.01.2026 17:31 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
Publishers talk about Trust, but do they really mean it? In the war with against AI slop, building trust has become a key topic for publishers. But are they actually doing enough to demonstrate value to a distracted audience?

Publishers talk about Trust, but do they really mean it?

publishingstrategies.substack.com/p/publishers...

WARNING: CONTAINS HUMOUR.

12.01.2026 11:53 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
What does the Reuters Journalism and Technology Trends and Predictions 2026 report tell us about where newsrooms are heading? This time round it was a belter. Here's what you need to know about the report.

What does the Reuters Journalism and Technology Trends and Predictions 2026 report tell us about where newsrooms are heading?

open.substack.com/pub/publishi...

12.01.2026 11:53 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
What does the Reuters Journalism and Technology Trends and Predictions 2026 report tell us about where newsrooms are heading? This time round it was a belter. Here's what you need to know about the report.

I'm pleased to announce I've launched a brand new substack where I'll be covering key moments and challenges in the digital publishing industry!

publishingstrategies.substack.com

Articles in the comments ๐Ÿ‘‡

#publishing #journalism #seo

12.01.2026 11:53 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
My favourite Journalism 2026 Predictions helpfully summarised, but not by AI! As a content specialist, Iโ€™m a big fan of end-of-year journalism predictions for a number of reasons. Firstly, it's always good to hear from experts you might not have read before; secondly, itโ€™s ALWA...

2025 was the year of many things and one of those things was an explosion of Journalism predictions. I've counted over a hundred published in December, so I've highlighted those that chimed with me most.

www.stevenwilsonbeales.com/post/favouri...

#publishing #strategy #journalism

08.01.2026 17:46 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
2026 News SEO Trends & Predictions: Insights From 20 Global Experts On Whatโ€™s Next | Newzdash A synthesis of 18 global News SEO experts on 2026 priorities: AI Mode and AI Overviews, LLM visibility, Discover, video, evergreen strategy, and what to do next.

Some great insights here from some of the best minds in audience growth. And then some words from me. ๐Ÿ˜„

www.newzdash.com/guide/2026-n...

#publishing #seo #journalism

05.01.2026 15:20 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
Some News Publishers Took A Big Hit With The Google Core Update Now that the December 2025 core update is officially done, some are looking at the damage it caused. A number of very visible news publishers saw some significant declines in Google Search visibility...

News publishers hit by Dec Core update:

www.seroundtable.com/news-publish...

05.01.2026 06:44 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
Reddit overtakes TikTok in UK thanks to search algorithms and gen Z Platform is now Britainโ€™s fourth most visited social media site as users seek out human-generated content

Interesting to see how footie has contributed here:

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

05.01.2026 06:41 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Preview
Google AI Overviews put people at risk of harm with misleading health advice Exclusive: Inaccurate information presented in summaries, Guardian investigation finds

False information is never acceptable...

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

05.01.2026 06:37 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Post image

It's it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's my top GEO recommendations for newsrooms!

Find out what GEO actually means, how it relates to SEO and how journalists can weave this into their editorial workflows.

www.stevenwilsonbeales.com/post/generat...

#seo #geo #publishing #journalism

18.12.2025 11:28 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

@stevewb is following 18 prominent accounts