SEO/GEO/AEO panel at MKE DMC ()
Joined the MKE DMC panel What’s New in SEO/GEO/AEO?, a live debrief from brightonSEO San Diego covering practical AEO tactics, earning citations in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, and AI agents.
Greg Bernhardt
SEO/AEO Lead at Shopify — Physics Forums and ImportSEM founder.
I build SEO systems with Python and data, and I care a lot about communities, knowledge, and learning. Named a Top 100 US SEO by brightonSEO (June 2026).
About
Hello, I’m Greg Bernhardt (Gregory Bernhardt), a digital marketer based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, specializing in Python SEO. I have a BA in Information Studies from UW–Milwaukee (2005) and have been involved in web design, development, and marketing since 1997, when I built my first website. I joined Shopify in August 2021 as a Senior SEO Strategist and became its SEO/AEO Lead in June 2026, with experience across technical SEO, content, and data. Before Shopify I was an SEO strategist at Rocket Clicks (2020–2021) and an SEO specialist at Filament Communication (2018–2019). I’m known for creating Python tutorials for SEO automation and AI, and in June 2026 I was named a Top 100 US SEO by brightonSEO.
I’ve been featured on podcasts and newsletters for my work, such as Mordy Oberstein’s The SEO Rant (archived) and Aleyda Solis’s SEOFOMO.
I also have a longstanding commitment to Physicsforums.com (Wikipedia), which I founded in 2001 as a school project and have grown into an exceptional online physics and math community. I’m also the founder of ImportSEM (advanced Python SEO) and, more recently, Civics Watch, a community for defending democracy.
Interests: AI, Python, NLP, semantics, knowledge graphs, and machine learning. Lately I’ve been working hard on YouTube SEO, forum SEO, and app dev.
Expertise
- SEO / AEO / GEO (content + technical)
- Python
- AI (LLMs, automation, RAG)
- NLP
- Semantics
- Knowledge graphs
- Data analysis
Selected writing
A few pieces from my Shopify author page.
- What Is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)? — Dec 2025
- White Hat vs. Black Hat SEO: The 2 Sides of SEO Strategy — Aug 2023
- Search Intent: What It Is and Why It’s Important for SEO — Mar 2023
- How To Optimize Your On-Page SEO — Mar 2023
Plus 100+ Python SEO tutorials at ImportSEM.
Open-source SEO tools
A sample of the Python tools I’ve shared on GitHub.
- python-seo — SEO automation scripts
- ngram-analyzer — n-gram text analysis
- competitor-analysis — competitive research
- redirect-matcher — automated redirect mapping
- gsc-keyword-gtrends — GSC + Google Trends forecasting
- sitemap-generator — XML sitemap builder
Contact
The easiest way to reach me is via social.
Recent news
Podcast: Simple and Smart SEO ()
Recorded an episode with Crystal Waddell for Simple and Smart SEO, covering SEO, AEO, small business, and Shopify. Due out October 2026.
Named a Top 100 US SEO by brightonSEO ()
Honored to be recognized in brightonSEO’s 100 Influential SEOs in the USA, alongside a promotion to SEO/AEO Lead at Shopify.
Civics Watch community
I opened a new online community for defending democracy politics discussion. It quickly grew to thousands of posts with active members.
Shopify Community AMA ()
Hosted a Shopify Community AMA on AI and automation, answering merchant and SEO questions.
Marketing planning panel ()
Back at the MKE DMC on a panel regarding 2026 marketing planning.
Podcast: AI in SEO ()
Chatted AI SEO with Itamar Blauer on SEO Unplugged.
If the player doesn’t load, open it on YouTube.
Topical Authority talk ()
Presented on Topical Authority at MKE DMC.
Reference: mkedmc.org news post
Podcast: SEO & the AI revolution ()
Talked SEO, ChatGPT, smart toasters, and the AI revolution with Chris Troka on the Brain Work Frame Work podcast.
Search Intent talk — CONTFERENCE ()
Presented on search intent at CONTFERENCE, an online Content Intelligence Conference on semantic SEO and topical authority.
Guide contributor: Content Auditing ()
Contributed to Authoritas’s Practical SEO Guide to Content Auditing.
Talk: Data Blend Your Way to SEO Success Using Python ()
Walked through blending data across sources for SEO analysis with Python.
If the player doesn’t load, open it on YouTube.
Core beliefs
- Raising others up
- Sharing what you learn
- Empathy for the disadvantaged
- Justice for those wronged
Personal fun facts
- I’ve polar plunged at the North Pole and Antarctica
- I’m a huge soccer enthusiast (playing and watching)
- I’ve run a marathon (1 and done!)
- I’ve hiked Everest Base Camp
- I once hit the front page of Reddit
- Avid gardener and a dog & cat person
- Lifelong physics enthusiast and extensive traveler
- My go-to Thai order is Pad See Ew
Advice for SEO
Find the parts of SEO you are passionate about and dive head first. Don’t compare, don’t doubt—just fall in and soak up what you love about SEO. A path to a successful life and career is self-evolution and service to others. The top skills for SEO and search careers are curiosity and perseverance.
SEO content characteristics
I created this diagram of SEO content factors back in 2022 to visualize what matters when creating content for users and SEO.
Greg in Iceland
Visiting Iceland back in 2022 wearing my Rocket Clicks and Streamlit swag.
Predictions for SEO in 2026
Published Jan 2026.
- Google will enable AI into other parts of the SERP, not just in AIO
- Organic continues to be eaten up by SERP features
- Communities will flourish under new perspectives and forums SERP features
- Schema is more important than ever to defend against organic loss
- LLM chats and agents will be a default tool for marketers
- AI content will continue to be shamed/shunned and Google will adjust spam filters
- GEO will become an official activity (Generative Search Optimization)
- YouTube and TikTok SEO will become more important to focus on
Update: The above are all coming true! 2027 predictions will be out in late Nov. Stay tuned.