The Truth About 404s, Internal Links, and Other SEO Myths with Paul Shapiro from Uber | Ep. 14

28/05/2025 21 min Temporada 1 Episodio 14
The Truth About 404s, Internal Links, and Other SEO Myths with Paul Shapiro from Uber | Ep. 14

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Episode Synopsis

What does it take to move over 100 international websites and deliver hundreds of millions in lifetime value? On Performance SEO Unpacked, host Ruchi Pardal welcomes Paul Shapiro from Uber to share the story behind one of the most ambitious SEO projects in recent memory: Shopify’s ccTLD to subfolder migration.Ruchi and Paul explore the mindset, measurement, and technical architecture needed to execute SEO at enterprise scale. From custom crawling infrastructure and SQL reporting to Python-driven automation and internal linking experiments, Paul offers a detailed, practical view into what makes technical SEO truly effective—or fail. They also challenge long-held industry myths around 404 errors, keyword-rich URLs, and the power (and pitfalls) of internal links.If you've ever debated how much technical SEO still matters in a content-driven era, this episode makes the case for why it absolutely does.👤 Guest BioPaul Shapiro is the Product Manager for the Web Intelligence Team at Uber. He previously led technical SEO at Shopify, where he spearheaded large-scale initiatives like international domain migrations. Known for pioneering the use of Python in SEO, Paul continues to work at the intersection of data science, engineering, and search.Connect with Paul on LinkedIn📌 What We CoverThe SEO hypothesis that led to Shopify’s ccTLD-to-subfolder migrationTesting frameworks, internal tools, and SQL-based reporting systems at ShopifyTimeframes and tradeoffs of long-term enterprise SEO projects (6–12 months)The nuance of internal linking and why it can succeed—or completely failReal-world myths debunked: keyword-based URLs and the obsession with 404sWhy Python remains essential in technical SEO, from crawling to NLPPaul’s thoughts on AI’s role in writing MVP-ready codeHow a technical SEO background bridges gaps with dev and product teamsInsights from organizing the first US-based technical SEO conference, Tech SEO Boost🔗 Resources MentionedStreamlit (Python framework for building web applications)Google Search Console (referenced for data analysis)Resources:ResultFirst: Visit for more SEO tips and strategies.Connect with Ruchi Pardal on LinkedIn for a conversation about SEOIf you enjoyed today's episode and found valuable insights for your business, be sure to subscribe to Performance SEO Unpacked for more expert discussions. Don't forget to leave a review and share this episode with your team or fellow marketers! Let's keep the conversation going—connect with us on LinkedIn and join the community of enterprise SEO enthusiasts.

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