AI SEO Is Being Gamed: $6 Press Releases, Reddit Tricks & Google’s Broken AI Mode

E836: How did Originality.ai become one of the biggest SEO success stories in the AI space? I sit down with the company’s CMO, Madeleine Lambert, who explains the strategies that took her startup from zero to ranking for 13,000+ high-value keywords and earning 78,000 backlinks - all without outside funding. We discuss: • How they built a content marketing operation from the ground up. • The digital PR and data studies that generated thousands of backlinks. • Why Google penalizes AI-written content and how to avoid it. • The SEO mistakes that cost tens of thousands and what they learned. • How Originality.ai approaches AI content, human writing, and the future of search. • How they use social listening and Reddit engagement to shape brand perception. • Why consistency across LinkedIn, YouTube, and other platforms boosts LLM visibility. • Building a lean marketing team and workflow that scales without investors. • The strategy they use to rank for competitor brand keywords and capture their search traffic. This episode offers practical lessons on scaling organic traffic, ranking for competitive keywords, and building a sustainable SEO strategy in the age of AI. ⭐️ Use Originality.ai here - https://originality.ai/ ⭐️ Madeleine Lambert on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeleine-lambert-b6426aa9/ 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Introduction and Company Overview 01:16 SEO Success and Background 02:51 Originality.ai Features and Development 08:19 Content Marketing and Social Media Strategy 10:15 Challenges and Competition in AI Detection 16:28 Data Studies and Digital PR 27:24 Link Building and Early Strategies 41:09 Hijacking Competitor Traffic 42:06 Outranking Competitors for Brand Keywords 42:39 Building Links to Comparison Pages 44:57 AI Strategies and Consistent Messaging 47:20 Social Listening and Organic Marketing 48:25 Reddit as a Marketing Power Play 49:57 UGC Platforms and Social Media Engagement 51:41 Handling Feedback and Content Creation 53:10 Tracking Mentions and Engaging on Social Media 58:18 SEO Audits and Technical Improvements 01:01:14 Explosive Growth and Lean Team Management 01:01:51 Detecting AI Writing 01:04:09 Humanizing AI Content 01:07:21 Mentorship and Learning in Digital Marketing 01:09:34 Holistic Marketing and Team Agility 01:14:42 Failures and Lessons in Digital PR and Media Buying 01:21:17 Advice for SEO Beginners and Advanced Strategies 01:23:15 Final Thoughts and Where to Follow The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #saasmarketing #performancemarketing #marketing

E835: AI SEO is officially being gamed - and Google’s AI mode can’t keep up. Two of the best SEO minds on 𝕏, Gagan Ghotra and Harpreet Singh, join the show to break down how people are manipulating AI search systems using cheap press releases, Reddit strategies, and content tactics that still fly under Google’s radar. We go deep on how AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity are pulling data from questionable sources, why “AI slop as a service” is flooding the web, and what brands and SEOs should actually be doing to survive in this new landscape. Topics Covered: - The $6 press release trick that influences AI results - How Reddit controls local and product-based AI search answers - Why Google’s AI Overviews are broken (and how long it’ll take to fix) - How to protect your brand from bad AI mentions - The future of E-E-A-T, system-level prompts, and “AI mode” - Why most “AI SEO” tools are setting brands up to fail - Building long-term brand authority in the AI search era ⭐️ Harpreet Singh’s Personal Site - https://harpsdigital.com ⭐️ Harpreet on X - https://x.com/harpreetchatha_ ⭐️ Harpreet’s Newsletter - https://seoespresso.com ⭐️ Harpreet on LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/harpreetsingh8/ ⭐️ Harpreet on TikTok - https://tiktok.com/@seoharp ⭐️ Harpreet on YouTube - https://youtube.com/@harpsdigital ⭐️ Gagan Ghotra on 𝕏 - https://x.com/gaganghotra_ ⭐️ Gagan Ghotra on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gagan-ghotra/ ⭐️ Gagan Ghotra’s website - https://gaganghotra.com/ 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:27 AI Content and Google's Response 01:47 Manual Actions and Algorithm Tweaks 03:31 Press Releases and AI Influence 08:30 AI Mode and Search Result Manipulation 20:10 Community Building and SEO Strategies 46:28 SEO Consequences and Brand Integration 47:41 Targeting Bottom of Funnel Use Cases 50:32 Building a Quality Brand 52:03 Reputation Management Tactics 53:54 AI and Review Gating 55:57 The Future of SEO and AI Tools 01:08:50 Preparing for AI in Marketing 01:14:09 The Role of Brand in Marketing 01:18:21 Conclusion and Final Thoughts  The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #seotips #performancemarketing #digitalmarketing

E834: Is “AI SEO” (a.k.a. GEO - Generative Engine Optimization) actually a thing… or just another hype bubble? I break down a viral LinkedIn post outlining 10 reasons why GEO isn’t real - and why so many marketers are wasting time chasing AI SEO strategies that don’t move the needle. You’ll learn: - The truth behind AI Overviews and their real search visibility - Why optimizing for ChatGPT or Perplexity doesn’t make sense - How to use comparison pages and review strategies that work for both SEO and AI models - What’s just hype vs what’s proven to get traffic, leads, and customers If you care about ranking in Google, staying ahead of AI, and doing SEO that actually works, this one’s for you. ⭐️ The 10 reasons LinkedIn post - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jacarson85_10-reasons-why-geo-the-ai-seo-acronym-activity-7383403719012352000-vYER/ ⭐️ Fake publication dates influencing AI - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7381667464750989312/ ⭐️ ChatGPT user statistics - https://fonzi.ai/blog/chatgpt-user-statistics ⭐️ Search engines vs AI stats - https://datos.live/report/state-of-search-q2-2025/ 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Introduction to GEO and Episode Overview 00:51 Debunking GEO: 10 Reasons Why It's Not a Thing 03:46 SEO Strategies That Work for Both SEO and AI 07:43 Effective Comparison Pages for SEO and AI 10:26 Leveraging Customer Reviews for SEO and AI 12:00 Conclusion and Course Promotion The Edward Show. Your daily digital marketing podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #generativeengineoptimization #searchengineoptimization #digitalmarketing #performancemarketing

E833: Online reviews are one of the most important ranking and conversion factors in digital marketing - yet most businesses ignore them. Reputation management experts Duane “DJ” Sprague and Scott Brandley break down how they helped a national brand turn a flood of bad reviews into $190 million in new revenue - and how you can use the same strategies to improve your SEO, visibility, and trust online. We cover everything from how to bury negative results in Google search to how to build long-term brand credibility with real customer feedback. If you care about SEO, brand reputation, or conversion optimization, this episode is packed with practical insights. Topics discussed: - How reviews directly influence Google rankings and click-through rates - The importance of verified third-party reviews for SEO and brand trust - A full breakdown of how schema-optimized Q&A content can rank for featured snippets - Why negative reviews can increase conversions when handled correctly - Proven systems for managing and distributing reviews across multiple platforms - How to use video reviews, press releases, and user-generated content to dominate search results - The difference between open vs. verified review sites - and which ones to focus on - Step-by-step advice for recovering from a bad reputation or negative press - Real-world SEO case studies showing thousands of percent growth from review optimization - How AI and search engines use brand mentions to measure authority This episode reveals the lesser-known side of SEO - where online reputation, authenticity, and trust signals decide who wins on page one. ⭐️ Free Book - Reputation King - https://www.reputationking.com/download/ ⭐️ Shopper Approved - https://shopperapproved.com ⭐️ Search-Optimized Q&A Tool - https://results.shopperapproved.com/qa ⭐️ Duane “DJ” Sprague - https://www.linkedin.com/in/duanesprague/ ⭐️ Scott Brandley - https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-brandley/ ⭐️ Matthew Stafford on the podcast - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmaKHu269Cg 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Introduction to Online Reputation Management 00:37 Crazy Review Management Stories 01:10 The Importance of Reviews in SEO 03:06 Q&A Tool for SEO Optimization 12:05 Effective Review Collection Strategies 21:11 Leveraging Video Reviews for SEO 36:16 The Importance of Negative Reviews 40:15 Addressing Negative Online Reviews 40:38 The Power of Positive Reviews 41:59 Frequency and Recency in Reviews 43:11 Leveraging Video and Social Media 44:39 AI Search and Brand Mentions 46:11 The Revival of Press Releases 53:35 Responding to Bad Reviews with Empathy 56:44 The Role of Phone Support in Conversion 01:01:39 Cash Flow Optimization for E-commerce 01:02:46 Preventing False Declines and Chargebacks 01:10:45 Increasing Branded Searches 01:15:08 Conclusion and Free Digital Book Offer The Edward Show. Your daily digital marketing podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #searchengineoptimization #digitalmarketing #ecommerce #performancemarketing

E832: HouseFresh went from 1,000 clicks a month to over 200,000 clicks a month - a 4x increase from their peak before Google’s Helpful Content Update destroyed their traffic. I break down exactly what happened, what HouseFresh did right, and why their recovery has the entire SEO world debating whether it was “real SEO” or just Google fixing its mistake. You’ll learn: - How HouseFresh rebuilt its traffic after the Helpful Content Update - The power of brand signals, UX, and off-site marketing - Why podcasts and YouTube appearances can supercharge your SEO - The truth about E-E-A-T and what actually matters in 2025 SEO - My personal take on the HouseFresh vs. Google debate Whether you’re an SEO, a digital marketer, or just trying to grow your site - this episode will inspire you not to give up and to keep building your brand. ⭐️ HouseFresh - https://housefresh.com/about/ ⭐️ Gisele Navarro’s LinkedIn breakdown - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7381783915742674944?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A%28activity%3A7381783915742674944%2C7381803248032305153%29&dashCommentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_comment%3A%287381803248032305153%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7381783915742674944%29 ⭐️ The debate around HouseFresh’s recovery - https://x.com/ichbinGisele/status/1977130773762465904 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Rebounds and Recoveries 00:28 HouseFresh: A Case Study in SEO Challenges 00:55 The Impact of Google's Helpful Content Update 01:59 Strategies for SEO Recovery and Growth 06:36 The Debate: SEO vs. Algorithm Correction 09:20 Conclusion: Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #helpfulcontentupdate #searchengineoptimization #contentmarketing #digitalmarketing

E831: How to create “best X” articles the right way - not just to rank in Google, but to influence large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. This is a five-point framework for how B2B marketers can use “Best X” content to build credibility, earn mentions, and generate sustained rankings that actually stick. You’ll learn: - When “Best X” articles make sense (and when they don’t) - How to position your brand without hurting trust - Why fair competitor comparisons improve dwell time and rankings - How this strategy snowballs into mentions and authority - And how it all connects to LLM visibility in 2025 If you care about SEO, topical authority, and how AI is reshaping search - this one’s for you. ⭐️ Ross Hudgens’ five-point framework - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7381696942961152000/ 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Introduction and Guest Announcement 00:14 Understanding Best X Articles for SEO and LLMs 01:19 Key Strategies for Ranking Best X Articles 03:38 Psychological and Practical Benefits of Best X Articles 04:00 Snowball Effect and Credibility in Best X Articles 05:43 Design and Neutrality in Best X Articles 08:30 Conclusion and Podcast Updates The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #generativeengineoptimization #searchengineoptimization #performancemarketing #marketingstrategy

E830: We break down Pieter Levels’ programmatic SEO strategy - the approach behind his projects like RemoteOK, NomadList, PhotoAI, and InteriorAI. Most people who try programmatic SEO end up creating thousands of low-value pages that add no real benefit for users. Those pages waste crawl budget, bloat the site, and often end up damaging overall SEO performance. Pieter Levels took a completely different approach. His pages are unique, valuable, and directly useful for what people are searching for. We cover: - Why most programmatic SEO fails - The “usefulness” factor that makes Pieter’s pages rank - The connection between audience engagement, backlinks, and domain authority - How to scale programmatic SEO safely If you’re thinking about doing programmatic SEO yourself, start small, focus on value, and make sure you have engagement and links in place before scaling. Growing too quickly with weak pages can set you back much more than it helps. This discussion is a reminder of what makes search engine optimization interesting: when done thoughtfully, it scales useful content to meet real needs. ⭐️ The breakdown on 𝕏 - https://x.com/mehrab_build/status/1970446760305926423 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Introduction to Programmatic SEO Issues 00:19 Pieter Levels' Successful Programmatic SEO 01:35 Understanding Programmatic SEO 02:34 Case Study: RemoteOK 04:07 Case Study: PhotoAI 05:48 Case Study: NomadList 06:29 Pieter Levels' Insights and Community Questions 08:08 Conclusion and Personal Insights The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #programmaticseo #searchengineoptimization #indiehacking #buildinpublic

E829: The supreme art of the marketing war is to subdue your competition without fighting. I share the dark combative side of SEO - the shady tactics some marketers use to hurt competitors instead of helping themselves. From negative SEO attacks that tank rankings, to Reddit bans that can erase a brand’s online presence… these are real, dangerous, and surprisingly easy to execute. You’ll learn: - What negative SEO really is (and how it works) - How marketers get competitor domains or brand names banned on Reddit - Real-world examples and experiments that prove it’s still happening in 2025 - The best ways to protect your site and reputation from these attacks This episode isn’t about using these tactics - it’s about understanding them so you can defend yourself. ⭐️ Negative SEO: How You Can (But Shouldn’t) Harm Your Competitors Rankings - https://seosherpa.com/seo-experiments/ ⭐️ Does negative SEO exist in 2025? - https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1mdp1h4/does_negative_seo_exist/ ⭐️ Banned on Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1o1zyc0/reddit_seo/ ⭐️ Should You Use Google’s Disavow Tool in 2025? - https://youtu.be/NHt0qNjJ6ss ⭐️ Local SEO in 2025: What Actually Works (w/ Joy Hawkins) - https://youtu.be/pZ9HZu4qFWY 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Introduction to Negative Marketing Tactics 01:12 Understanding Negative SEO 03:55 Real-World Examples of Negative SEO 05:31 Protecting Against Negative SEO 06:33 Negative Tactics on Reddit 09:56 Conclusion and Final Thoughts The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #negativeseo #blackhatseo #searchengineoptimization #digitalmarketing

E828: Direct mail has quietly made a comeback. In a world crowded with emails and digital ads, physical mail is getting attention again - and delivering real results. Wilson Zehr joins the show to break down how to easily do direct mail campaigns. He’s been doing direct mail since 1999 and built a technology company that makes sending physical mail as simple as sending an email. Wilson explains how direct mail has evolved, why it now performs better in some cases than digital marketing, and exactly how to set up and measure your own campaign. We discuss: - How direct mail works in today’s digital landscape - How to find and target the right mailing list - The costs, ROI, and tracking methods that matter - When to use postcards vs. letters - Real examples of businesses using direct mail effectively If you’ve ever wondered how physical mail still fits into modern marketing, this episode breaks it down step by step. ⭐️ Zairmail - https://www.zairmail.com/ ⭐️ Wilson Zehr on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wilsonzehr/ 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Evolution of Direct Mail in the Digital Age 00:34 Zairmail: Bridging Legacy and Digital 01:40 Speedy: A New Direct Mail Application 02:37 The Appeal of Direct Mail 03:26 Basics of Setting Up a Direct Mail Campaign 04:50 Finding the Right Contacts for Direct Mail 06:59 Success Factors in Direct Mail Campaigns 08:57 Practical Examples and Niche Markets 15:57 Cost and ROI of Direct Mail 26:03 Comparing Direct Mail with Digital Campaigns 26:35 Challenges of Email Marketing 27:31 Effectiveness of Direct Mail 28:22 Combining Direct Mail with Digital Funnels 30:42 Case Studies and Examples 31:35 Targeting New Movers for Local Businesses 35:18 Automating Direct Mail Campaigns 38:17 Crafting Compelling Direct Mail 46:29 Innovative Direct Mail Campaigns 49:41 Conclusion and Final Thoughts The Edward Show. Your daily digital marketing podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #directmail #ecommerce #marketingstrategy #marketing

E827: I rank the top social media platforms by how well they show up on Google - and break down what people call parasite SEO. You’ll learn which platforms perform on Google search and how to use videos and written posts on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Reddit, and more to rank without a website. We’ll cover: - The difference between parasite SEO and transparent brand posting - Why YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok crush traditional blogs in search - How Reddit, LinkedIn, X, Threads, and Medium fit into the SEO mix - Keyword placement tips that actually make your social posts rank Whether you’re a creator, marketer, or business owner, this episode shows you how to get found on Google using the social platforms you already use. ⭐️ Lars Lofgren’s LinkedIn Post: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7381730058840977408/ ⭐️ Top domains visited from US desktop traditional search engines - https://datos.live/report/state-of-search-q2-2025/ 💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/ 00:00 Introduction to Ranking Social Media Platforms on Google 00:06 Understanding Parasite SEO 01:03 Top Social Media Platform: YouTube 02:23 Second Best: Instagram 02:44 Third Place: TikTok 03:47 Fourth Place: Reddit 06:35 Fifth Place: LinkedIn 06:54 Sixth Place: Threads 07:28 Seventh Place: Medium 08:16 Eighth Place: X 09:15 Conclusion The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/ #parasiteseo #searchengineoptimization #performancemarketing #digitalmarketing