Grumpy SEO Guy

<p>Everything I've learned in 14 years of running an SEO agency. Learn how to get, and keep, websites at the top of the search engines. If you listen to this podcast you will know more about how the SEO industry works than 99% of SEO "professionals."</p>

The Dangers of Public Blog Networks - Episode 131

Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy2:01 Private blog network vs. public blog network3:54 Things that can happen to a public blog networkdeindexedpenalizedlink farmEpisode that talks about link farms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Wg3kxzfUaw4:50 If links are public, everyone knows about them, and they lose their effectiveness5:00 Search engines are looking for public blog networks5:16 Where are the real backlinks?5:40 The reason there are no forums with only good backlinks sellers6:15 the reason I think 99% of people in the SEO industry are scammers6:52 What you should do before buying backlinks from a forum7:17 When something is advertised to the public, that is a public network7:42 Episodes showing how to build a private blog portfolio. 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez24lr3G_Mc 2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stMe4nMrem4 3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AguAeXhEBwI&pp=0gcJCQgKAYcqIYzv8:12 The hardest part of SEO is finding good backlinks8:51 Episodes about the difference between good and bad backlinksPart 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFHg6XwPha4Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dZSbWKJlJ08:59 The 4 ways to get backlinks9:17 Episodes that explain the 4 ways to get backlinksOld version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYPARAuCXao&pp=0gcJCQgKAYcqIYzvNew version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-r_Bi3FBt810:30 Know how it works before ordering backlinks10:50 A story about a public link network that was discovered by the search engines11:51: Public networks get discovered11:59 The 2 ways to use a private blog network14:02 The reason (good) publicly available backlinks wouldn't work, anyway16:05 When link networks are public, they eventually stop working

11-19
17:41

Are SEO Link Directories Useful? - Version = 1 - Episode 130

Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy2:51 he purpose of link directories 3:45 A main problem: they're copies of each other5:07 Suspicious names6:12 Same IP addressEpisode that explains IP addresses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stMe4nMrem4&pp=0gcJCR0AztywvtLA6:54 Link farms7:25 Description of a link directory8:32 Can link directories help you?9:16 Why do they have directories linking to them?

11-05
11:09

Are SEO Link Directories Useful? - Version = 2 - Bonus Episode

We recorded another version of this episode. This episode was recorded on my phone so the voice quality appears bad. Let me know which version you prefer!Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy/1:55 Why are we mentioning link directories?2:45 The reason people build directories3:44 Problems with directoriesThey are all duplicates of each otherOn the same IPLinkfarms5:00 Defining link farms6:33 The exception to link directories with local SEODetails of decent link directories7:35 Why so many sites have directory links

11-05
10:13

Bonus Episode - Episode 129

0:35 The problem with Episode 128 and why it didn't come out at the planned time1:12 How to email me3:30 The reasons your rank is declining and how to tell and how to fix it:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPtGQ8xQyhAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivSogvXY6FA4:30 The 4 things you need to rank:(long episode) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_5kChCMQHQ(short episode) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3L7tAil0Bg&pp=0gcJCfwJAYcqIYzv5:10 The 4 ways to get backlinks:(long episode) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYPARAuCXao(short episode) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-r_Bi3FBt86:15 LLMS.txt does nothing:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WflCZyBnj8

10-14
06:54

Local SEO vs. Regular SEO - Episode 128

Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy2:08 Local SEO vs. Regular SEO2:07 MapThe episode about penalties: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElGAxpB8q1AThe episodes about the 4 things you need to rank: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_5kChCMQHQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3L7tAil0BgDocuments about local SEO:https://ahrefs.com/blog/local-seo/https://www.semrush.com/blog/what-is-local-seo/

10-07
10:01

SEO Ranking Factors - Episode 127

Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy2:09 What is a ranking factor2:34 Why do you do SEO?3:55 Many of the things people do are not SEO4:16 Why did your impressions fall?4:45 Definition of impressions6:51 Why did your traffic fall?Episodes that answer this question:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPtGQ8xQyhAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivSogvXY6FA9:38 If you're not tracking your SERPs you're going to have no idea if you're successful10:30 EEAT has no effect on your rankGoogle's own documentation says this:https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide12:23 EEAT audit = scam12:28 People do EEAT on your website = scam13:12 Other things that are not ranking factors17:24 Things that are ranking factorsThe episode that talks about relevancy and authority and algorithmshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjoV09CHyGA

09-24
24:06

Relevancy, Authority, and How The Algorithm Ranks You - Episode 126

Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy1:22 Announcements2:19 The four things you need to rankEpisode talking about types of penalties:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElGAxpB8q1A4:28 RelevancyEpisode covering anchortext:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS-Fh3QXB8A6:24 AuthorityEpisode on helpful or harmful inkshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7_DM7fj4Yg8:10 How the algorithm understands where to rank you

09-17
14:54

SEO Works Like High School Popularity - Episode 125

Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy0:57 Reminders (How to contact me with questions)2:14 Authority is basically like high school popularity3:10 What makes somebody popular in high school?5:56 What makes a website rank?7:15 The 4 things you need to rankEpisode about good backlinks and bad backlinks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFHg6XwPha4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dZSbWKJlJ0Episode about SEO being a competition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZo8Cdt3PnI12:06 The reason people think good content makes a website rank

09-10
15:32

Four SEO Reasons Your Rank and Your Traffic Are Decreasing - Episode 124

Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy2:26 Why is my traffic decreasing?3:02 Traffic is not an SEO metric3:13 Traffic is a function of monthly search volume and your rank3:59 JUST BECAUSE YOUR TRAFFIC DECREASED DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE AN SEO CONCERNEpisode that explains traffic and position:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01am10-OwDY4:52 Tracking your SERPs is the main thing you need to do6:15 A SERP chart needs to do these 3 things7:43 Average position is a ridiculous metric that doesn't tell you anything10:07 The way you check if you're at the top of the results is with a SERP chart10:29 Sometimes you lose traffic because your SERPs dropThe episodes that talk about why you lose position:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPtGQ8xQyhA&pp=0gcJCcYJAYcqIYzvhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivSogvXY6FA10:47 There are 4 reasons your rank can decrease

09-03
15:54

Do You Need to Keep Buliding SEO Backlinks After You Are In First Place? - Episode 123

Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy0:55 Reminders2:44 An AI reminderAI episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw0CGhhpNeY3:34 Authority comes from backlinks3:58 SEO is like running in a race4:30 There's always a website in first position, etc.5:04 We do not start building backlinks before we spend 4 weeks looking at many things, including the competition6:25 Why do you lose your rank?Episode 89: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPtGQ8xQyhAEpisode 90: https://www.youtube.c:46 om/watch?v=ivSogvXY6FA7:46 People do not hire us if they are already in the first place8:14 When people get outranked they complain on SEO discussion websites about losing rank9:10 Websites on the first page organically get backlinksThe 4 ways to get backlinks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-r_Bi3FBt8The marketing backlinks episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFv70Um0gik&pp=0gcJCbIJAYcqIYzv

08-27
12:29

SEO Is Pay to Play... Sometimes - Episode 122

Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy2:26 The 4 things you need to rank2:56 episode 2 talks about multiple types of penaltiesLink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElGAxpB8q1A6:14 SEO is a competition, not a checklist6:29 SEO is not about doing everything according to a checklist6:37 A checklist presumes a standard exists7:46 Backlinks usually either cost money or effort7:51 There are 4 ways to get backlinksLink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-r_Bi3FBt810:06 Why are backlinks expensive?10:36 Presume everyone is doing everything on page right10:59 How does the search engine know which website to rank then?Link to episodes about link quality: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFHg6XwPha4&t=4shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dZSbWKJlJ012:50 Examples of unhelpful advice15:00 You need to pay for authority15:50 What to do if you do not have money for SEO16:30 If you do not have money for SEO, do this18:30 EEAT definition18:50 Link to Google saying EEAT is not a ranking factor: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide19:42 SEO is about doing better than your competition

08-20
23:04

EEAT, Content, Dwell Time. NOT Ranking Factors. Here's Why - Episode 121

Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy1:07 Reminders2:35 SEO is no barriers to entry5:18 EEAT5:44 This website from Google says EEAT is NOT a ranking factorhttps://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide6:06 Content is King6:45 What I think "content is king" originally meant9:08 Good quality content probably gets you better quality backlinks which can help you rank higher9:31 Dwell time9:56 Low dwell time on a high quality website10:23 High dwell time on a low quality website11:55 Dwell time is not a ranking factor

08-13
13:56

A Review of Episodes 101-119 - Episode 120

Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy1:41 How to set up an SEO Zoom advisory Call with me2:22 Episode 101: SEO: The Ethics of Linkbuilding3:05 We tell how SEO works, not the way you need to do it3:23 The 4 ways to get backlinks4:50 Episode 102: SEO is Simple, Not Easy5:40 The 4 things you need to rank8:54 Episode 103: Be Careful of This SEO Buyer Scam9:22 A description to explain these scams11:50 Episode 104: Doin' SEO: A Day in the Life, and a Question From Patreon, PBNs, and OBL12:25 OBL description12:32 Episode 105: There are 4 Things You Need to Rank. These Are What They Are With Examples12:42 The 4 things you need to rank13:28 Episode 106: There Are 4 Ways to Get Backlinks. Here They Are13:41 The 4 ways to get backlinks15:29 Episode 107: You Might Get a Penalty. Maybe.16:23 Episode 108: What Are Those Spammy SEO Links Everyone Seems to Be Getting Constantly17:32 It's marketing18:58 Episode 109 Good Content is a Myth, and What UFC and SEO Have in Common19:19 Quality of content is not a ranking factor21:47 Episode 110: How to Track Your Progress in SEO12:06 SEO is the process of getting your website to the top of the search engine25:05 Episode 111: How to Make a PBN (Correctly), a Review25:30 3 Things to know26:16 Episode 112: SEO is NOT Conversion Optimization26:30 Defining these27:50 Episode 113: DR is Not the Main Thing You Should Look at28:17 We're going to talk more about this in a while28:30 Episode 114: Good SEO Backlinks vs Bad Backlinks - a Review29:03 Forum profile vs sidebar vs blog comment vs contextual29:58: Episode 115: SEO, AI, and llms.txt30:56 How to get with AI32:34 Episode 116: Three Reasons Your SEO Backlinks Are Not Helping You33:03 A reason it’s not working36:09 Episode 117: How to Increase Your DR (and an Update on My Public Challenge)36:38 There is never a reason to increase your DR39:50 Episode 118: The High DR Backlink Scam – EXPOSED40:37 Here’s how the scam works41:00 Episode 119: My SEO Advice (AI Services and AI Content)41:59 AI Content on your site

08-06
45:49

My AI SEO Advice (AI Services and AI Content) - Episode 119

Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy0:54 Reminders1:18 How to plan an SEO Zoom Advisory Call with me2:25 Avoid paying anybody to do anything related to AI right now2:43 llms.txt does not get you listed in llms2:52 The AI and llms.txt episode (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WflCZyBnj8)3:21 Don't pay people to do stuff that doesn't work3:32 AI SEO/GEO is the same as regular SEO3:52 People say things without proof. Where's the proof?4:56 Avoid paying people to be listed in AI tools5:20 Good AI SEO is good SEO5:35 Avoid paying anyone for an AI audit5:40 EEAT audits are pointless because EEAT is not a ranking factor7:04 The reason EEAT audits are a scam7:33 The episode about why EEAT is not a ranking factor (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3_gomfiJYI)8:04 The episode about HCU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsMom4V-Yag)8:10 Search engines cannot tell the quality of content, so they rely on authority8:46 How would they factor bias?9:16 Avoid paying people for AI SEO9:29 The 4 things you need to rank.10:55 Should you use AI content?11:38 A lot of AI content is filler content12:24 Duplicate content is not a thing12:35 The episode about duplicate content (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpL_cbueWLY)12:45 When duplicate content is a problem13:38 AI slop is placeholder content15:26 If it's possible for search engines to detect AI content, it can get penalized16:25 We recommend not using 100% AI content16:42 the reason AI content might get penalized17:40 AI blogs are low effort18:04 AI was trained on existing content. What is it adding?18:20 People have told me they are having trouble getting AI content indexed20:21 The episode about How to tell if something is a ranking factor (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3fVqO5K_lg)21:20 Why would an expert use AI content?21:47 Content is not a ranking factor, but it is a conversion factor22:28 the episode about SEO and conversion optimization (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsDIThvf6hY)24:21 What are they trying to sell you?

07-30
25:58

The High DR Backlink SEO Scam EXPOSED.- Episode 118

Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy1:23 How to plan a SEO Zoom Advisory Call with me2:48 Definition of dr3:17 DR doesn't mean what people think3;55 Low DR backlinks can be good, too4:19 Here's the episode about Marketing SEO Spam4:35 anchortext definition5:44 The problems with high DR websites7:12 Don't buy backlinks based on DR7:29 The episode about lower DR ranking over higher DR8:12 A refersher of a good backlinks:8:16 contextual8:20 likely on a relevant website8:22 on a relevant post8:25 makes sense grammatically and syntactically8:31 doesn't look like it was written for SEO8:36 Episodes 37 and 39 describe more about the difference between a good and bad backlink9:14 Here's the scam10:05 Anything that can be automated will not help SEO11:07 If you're buying backlinks based on DR you are probably going to get scammed11:53 Content wrtiers dislike this podcast12:07 Developers dislike this podcast12:21 The 4 things that are necessary to rank13:13 Dwell time is not a ranking factor13:14 content quality is not a ranking factor13:15 UX is not a ranking factor13:32 How Impressions work13:52 How to know how much traffic you are going to get16:01 Quality of content is not a ranking factor16:04 Dwell time is not a ranking factor16:06 AI is not stealing your traffic16:09 LLMS.txt does nothing16:12 EEAT is not a ranking factor16:19 Even Google admits EEAT is not a ranking factor16:26 Anyone offering you an EEAT audit is scamming you16:30 Anyone offering you an HCU audit is scamming you16:32 Anyone claiming they can get you in the AI tools is probably scamming you or trying to sell you some trash that won't help you16:39 Anyone claiming UX is a ranking factor is scamming you16:54 Don't buy backlinks based on DR17:00 a LEGIT DR80 backlink on a homepage would easily be $10,000 per month.18:12 There are better ways to spend your money18:23 Most DR80 websites are owned by companies and corporations that do not sell backlinks18:29 DON'T BUY BACKLINKS BASED ON DR

07-23
19:57

How To Increase Your DR (And an Update on My Public Challenge) - Episode 117

Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy1:37 Schedule an SEO Zoom Advisory Call with me2:30 HCU audits are scams3:10 RIGHT NOW AI SEO is the same as regular SEO4:01 Zero people have shown proof that AI is stealing their traffic4:30 No one has shown a website that ranks without backlinks (yet lying content writers still say their content will make you rank)7:21 How do you increase DR?9:19 A history lesson of authority and page rank11:59 The first reason people ask how do they raise their DR?13:12 Clients pay us to be at the top of the search engines, not to increase their DR13::33 The second reason people ask how do they raise their DR?14:50 Higher DR doesn't mean more authority than less DR15:36 The third reason people ask how do they raise their DR16:22 Would you rather be at the top of the search engines or having 100 DR

07-16
20:21

Three Reasons Your SEO Backlinks Are Not Helping You - Episode 116

Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy1:42 Schedule an SEO Zoom Advisory Call with me2:06 The first reason (not enough authority)3:45 You need enough authority compared to your competition4:02 The second reason (they are spammy)4:46 The third reason (other problems with your website)6:05 You can do things wrong and they won't hurt you until you start getting authority and search engines look more closely at your site6:50 Article I was talking about8:50 We do not sell backlinks off a menu11:02 The 4 things you need to rank11:04 1 No penalties11:06 2 Content11:07 3 Relevancy11:09 4 Authority11:10 There's a reason we do it that way11:30 When you have everything you need, THEN you need authority13:18 We cannot "take a quick look at your website" because SEO has covers more than your website15:50 It's impossible to do SEO without studying your competition16:00 Review

07-09
17:43

SEO, AI, and LLMS.txt - Part 1 Probably - Episode 115

Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy1:48 How to arrange a Zoom SEO Advisory Call with me2:48 Is AI going to replace SEO?3:49 Is AI really stealing your SEO traffic?5:06 Most AI articles are clickbait5:38 No one knows how AI works for SEO5:57 AI services are probably scams6:47 AI did not steal 70% of your traffic7:21 AI problem vs SEO problem7:40 People are trying to sell you dumb nonsense because you are afraid of AI8:26 Being listed vs. ranking9:27 Problems with AI10:30 AI fatigue11:22 Is AI content ok?12:30 Avoid buying backlinks from AI sites, AI slop13:13 Hypothetical explanation of how search engines would penalize AI14:22 What do search engines do?14:54 Examples of things that are spammy15:51 Good quality content comes form popularity, not content16:43 The other side of the argument17:29 Don't have an entire website that is AI18:20 How to get your website found in AI18:46 llms.txt19:41 ahrefs article stating llms.txt isn't considered by LLMs20:41 Whose traffic is actually declining?20:03 How do people use AI?22:28 AI is different than SEO23:47 AI saves time24:10 Not visiting a website isn't bad for SEO24:36 AI is probably trained by information that is biased25:28 Search engines are just fine.26:04 There are only a few ways that AI can consider a website26:59 AI will plausibly have a popularity metric like backlinks27:24 You rank because you're popular, not because you're useful

07-02
30:10

Good SEO Backlinks vs. Bad Backlinks - A Review - Episode 114

Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy1:30 Reminders2:06 How to arrange a Zoom SEO Advisory call with me2:23 SEO AI Preview4:07 We are thinking about doing videos5:39 The 4 things you need to rank9:17 Why you need backlinks10:01 This is how authority works11:57 Good backlinks and bad backlinks12:57 YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHY14:23 Think like a search engine14:33 SEO is manipulation16:01 A process to distinguish good backlinks from bad backlinks16:50 Quick version17:40 Good backlinks17:46 Citations17:52 Contextual (definition)18:24 Spammy backlinks18:24 Blog comments18:46 Forum profile backlinks (definition)19:25 Footer backlinks (definition)20:32 Blog roll backlinks (definition)21:17 Review21:32 Checking the website itself22:11 IP addresses24:24 No links to gambling/pharma/adult24:45 No links from pharma/adult/gambling26:00 No backlinks from places that don't make sense26:58 No backlinks from languages that don't make sense28:01 IT HAS TO MAKE SENSE.28:05 PEOPLE DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS CONCEPT.29:16 Selling articles and links to whoever wants them is a big red flag29:29 Review29:59 Normal content30:06 No spun content30:31 AI content should make you rethink32:34 Good backlinks help you32:36 Bad backlinks harm you

06-25
34:36

DR is Not The Main Thing You Should Look At - Episode 113

1:56 How to do a SEO Zoom Advisory Call with meBACKGROUND3:01 What is authority?3:14 What are the 4 things you need to rank?3:57 Pagerank4:43 Different SEO tool's authority calculationsTHERE IS MORE TO IT THAN DOMAIN RATING6:29 A high DR website can be bad and a low DR website can be excellent7:41 Do you want a course about buying domains for your PBN?9:58 Why the THEORY episodes are more important than the how to episodes.11:36 Examples 4 of things that are more significant than the metric DR.12:15 Number of backlinks is probably the least important factor that exists.13:47 DR does not make the decision for you.14:14 SEO is not about DR15:00 The 4 things you need to rank again15:28 Search engines do not use DR It's an estimate.15:45 Higher DR does not mean a website ranks higher.16:22 Two domains, which should you buy?17:13 Stop buying domains and backlinks because of their DR17:50 Better traits but lower DR = it's a better domainPlease help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy

06-18
19:23

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