E924: I sit down with Lars Lofgren and Jacky Chou to talk about what's really happening inside search right now - not the PR version, not the Google blog version, but what people running sites, ranking pages, and making money are actually seeing.
We dig into why white-hat, content-driven SEO feels like it's collapsing for a lot of people, while black-hat operators, parasite SEO, and forum spam are quietly having one of their best years ever.
This isn't a theoretical conversation. Lars and Jacky work directly inside these systems. They see what ranks, what breaks, and what keeps working after updates.
If you run a website, a SaaS, a content business, or an affiliate site, this episode explains why things could feel harder than they used to - and why some people are still doing extremely well.
What we cover
- Why MozCon felt depressing while black-hat conferences felt optimistic
- How Google's Helpful Content updates changed who wins and who loses
- Why technical SEOs and parasite SEOs are outperforming content-first sites
- How forums, Reddit, and Facebook groups are being used to manipulate rankings
- Why casino, VPN, and adult niches still dominate traditional search results
- How listicles, review sites, and media publishers control AI recommendations
- Why Forbes keeps ranking for everything, even after being hit
- How AI Overviews and LLMs pull from Google's front page
- How easy it is to make a fake brand show up inside ChatGPT and other LLMs
- Why Trustpilot, Reddit, and listicles matter more than backlinks right now
- How some publishers recover while others stay permanently buried
- The HouseFresh case study and why public pressure actually works
- How parasite SEO works on newspapers and Google News sites
- Why many white-hat SEOs feel stuck while black-hat operators scale
- How founders should build brands in an LLM-driven world
- Why social, video, and personal brands now beat pure SEO
This episode is for anyone who:
- Runs a content site
- Does affiliate SEO
- Builds SaaS or online tools
- Depends on Google traffic
- Wants to understand how AI is changing search
- Feels like rankings and traffic don't make sense anymore
⭐️ Lars Lofgren's website and newsletter: https://larslofgren.com/
⭐️ Lars Lofgren on LinkedIn (tell him you came from this podcast and he'll accept your connection): https://www.linkedin.com/in/larslofgren/
⭐️ Lars Lofgren on 𝕏: https://x.com/larslofgren
⭐️ Jacky Chou on 𝕏 - https://x.com/indexsy
⭐️ Jack Chou's website - https://jackychou.com/
⭐️ Jacky Chou on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@indexsy
💎 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 White Hat vs. Black Hat SEO: A Tale of Two Conferences
01:15 The Impact of AI and Google's Algorithm on SEO
02:10 Black Hat SEO: Thriving in the Current Landscape
04:43 Forbes and the Content Quality Debate
07:57 The Rise of Technical SEOs in the LLM Era
09:23 Gaming LLMs: New Tactics and Strategies
22:21 The Golden Age of Forum Spam
23:04 The Power of Masterminds and Private Communities
35:29 Reddit Manipulation and the Coding Bootcamp Scandal
41:47 Starting Local: Leveraging Facebook and Reddit
42:55 AI Influencers and Monetization Strategies
44:09 AI Content and Detection Challenges
44:45 AI in SEO: Misconceptions and Strategies
47:36 Google Algorithm Shifts and SEO Tactics
49:12 Niche Sites and Content Strategies
01:00:46 Trustpilot Reviews and Black Hat Tactics
01:07:12 Social Media Strategies for SEO and Branding
01:19:53 Concluding Thoughts and Final Tips
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
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