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Grumpy SEO Guy

by Grumpy SEO Guy

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."

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Episodes

  1. Should You Use AI Content in 2026 - Episode 145

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy Should you use AI content? What people have told me. What I do. Search engine land article: https://searchengineland.com/ai-generated-content-google-search-experiment-472234 ahrefs article:...

  2. Can You Rank Without Backlinks? (SHORT VERSION) - Episode 144

    4 cases where people say they can rank without backlinks. Is this correct? Do you actually need backlinks? Penalty episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElGAxpB8q1A Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy

  3. Bad Answers to A Popular Question - (SEO Is Not About Your Website) - Episode 143

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy It's not "what can I do to my website?" It's "how does my SEO compare to my competitors?" There is very little you can do to your new websites to improve your SEO. Because that's not how SEO works. Luckily for you, we…

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  4. Trying To Build Backlinks? Avoid Linkfarms - Episode 142

    Learn how to identify linkfarms and why they are bad. Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy

  5. Negative SEO (High Level - What It Does) - Episode 141

    We might do a part 2. Patreon What is negative SEO? What is the purpose of negative SEO? Referenced Episodes: The Difference Between Good Backlinks And Bad Backlinks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFHg6XwPha4 The Difference Between Good Backlinks And Bad Backlinks Part 2...

  6. Answers To Reddit SEO Questions Rapid Fire - Episode 140

    Questions: Do PBN sites need traffic? Topical authority? Local SEO clicks without links? Is YMYL different than regular? Have you seen Google penalize a site for paid links? How do you find good link sellers? How do you know which PBN sites are working better? Parked domains reset authority? New...

  7. Why Are There No Good Examples of PBN Sites? - 139

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy Concepts covered: Why I don't share our sites Why I don't share a generic site How to make your site Why number of words in the excerpt doesn't matter, etc. Referenced episodes: How to Build a PBN Part 1 Domain Acquisition:...

  8. The Reason You Aren't Ranking (It's Probably Not a Problem With Your Site) - Episode 138

    Sorry the mic sounds weird. No idea what's transpiring. Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy Principles covered: Beginners don't understand that a big part of SEO has nothing to do with YOUR website. SEO is not something YOU do to YOUR website. SEO is not a...

  9. 4 Reasons You Built Backlinks and They Didn't Work - Episode 137

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy The 4 reasons you build backlinks and they do not help: You have too little authority You built bad backlinks You have a problem with your site You are not relevant Mentioned episodes: the 4 Ways to Get Backlinks -...

  10. Questions To Ask An SEO Agency To Hire Them

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy You might learn: Does the person understand SEO or do they just sound smart? Three types of SEO agencies Their goal is to impress you, your goal is not to impress them Questions to ask Are their answers logical or are they...

  11. New Topics

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy How to email me Topics for new episodes

  12. SEO Backlinks For Beginners - Episode 134

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 2:00 what is a backlink? 2:03 What is a link? 2:25 What is a backlink? 2:38 What is an internal link? 3:00 Why are backlinks important? 3:16 Authority comes from backlinks 3:30 Why do you need authority? 3:46 What are the 4...

  13. SEO FOR COMPLETE BEGINNERS (and a Grumpy SEO Guy Interview) - Episode 133

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 2:32 What is SEO? 2:41 What are keywords? 3:17 Why do SEO? 4:00 What is the goal of SEO? 6:50 PPC (pay per click) is different than SEO 7:20 How ads (pay per click) work 9:08 The 4 variables you must manipulate to rank high…

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  14. SEO Topical Authority, Content Structure, and Cannibalization - Episode 132

    Please help keep this podcast free: patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 1:54 What is topical authority? Episodes that talk about relevancy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErBbW69GYYs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS-Fh3QXB8A 2:03 What is relevancy? 2:29 How do you get relevancy? 3:21 Why does this…

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  15. The Dangers of Public Blog Networks - Episode 131

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 2:01 Private blog network vs. public blog network 3:54 Things that can happen to a public blog network deindexed penalized link farm Episode that talks about link farms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Wg3kxzfUaw 4:50 If...

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

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 2:51 he purpose of link directories 3:45 A main problem: they're copies of each other 5:07 Suspicious names 6:12 Same IP address Episode that explains IP addresses:...

  17. 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...

  18. Bonus Episode - Episode 129

    0:35 The problem with Episode 128 and why it didn't come out at the planned time 1:12 How to email me 3:30 The reasons your rank is declining and how to tell and how to fix it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPtGQ8xQyhA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivSogvXY6FA 4:30 The 4 things you need to...

  19. Local SEO vs. Regular SEO - Episode 128

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 2:08 Local SEO vs. Regular SEO 2:07 Map The episode about penalties: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElGAxpB8q1A The episodes about the 4 things you need to rank: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_5kChCMQHQ...

  20. SEO Ranking Factors - Episode 127

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 2:09 What is a ranking factor 2:34 Why do you do SEO? 3:55 Many of the things people do are not SEO 4:16 Why did your impressions fall? 4:45 Definition of impressions 6:51 Why did your traffic fall? Episodes that answer this...

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

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 1:22 Announcements 2:19 The four things you need to rank Episode talking about types of penalties: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElGAxpB8q1A 4:28 Relevancy Episode covering anchortext:...

  22. SEO Works Like High School Popularity - Episode 125

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 0:57 Reminders (How to contact me with questions) 2:14 Authority is basically like high school popularity 3:10 What makes somebody popular in high school? 5:56 What makes a website rank? 7:15 The 4 things you need to rank...

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

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 2:26 Why is my traffic decreasing? 3:02 Traffic is not an SEO metric 3:13 Traffic is a function of monthly search volume and your rank 3:59 JUST BECAUSE YOUR TRAFFIC DECREASED DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE AN SEO CONCERN Episode…

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  24. 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/grumpyseoguy 0:55 Reminders 2:44 An AI reminder AI episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw0CGhhpNeY 3:34 Authority comes from backlinks 3:58 SEO is like running in a race 4:30 There's always a website in first position, etc. 5:04 We…

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

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 2:26 The 4 things you need to rank 2:56 episode 2 talks about multiple types of penalties Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElGAxpB8q1A 6:14 SEO is a competition, not a checklist 6:29 SEO is not about doing everything...

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

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 1:07 Reminders 2:35 SEO is no barriers to entry 5:18 EEAT 5:44 This website from Google says EEAT is NOT a ranking factor https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide 6:06 Content is King 6:45…

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  27. A Review of Episodes 101-119 - Episode 120

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 1:41 How to set up an SEO Zoom advisory Call with me 2:22 Episode 101: SEO: The Ethics of Linkbuilding 3:05 We tell how SEO works, not the way you need to do it 3:23 The 4 ways to get backlinks 4:50 Episode 102: SEO is…

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

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 0:54 Reminders 1:18 How to plan an SEO Zoom Advisory Call with me 2:25 Avoid paying anybody to do anything related to AI right now 2:43 llms.txt does not get you listed in llms 2:52 The AI and llms.txt episode...

  29. The High DR Backlink SEO Scam EXPOSED.- Episode 118

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 1:23 How to plan a SEO Zoom Advisory Call with me 2:48 Definition of dr 3:17 DR doesn't mean what people think 3;55 Low DR backlinks can be good, too 4:19 Here's the episode about Marketing SEO Spam 4:35 anchortext…

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

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 1:37 Schedule an SEO Zoom Advisory Call with me 2:30 HCU audits are scams 3:10 RIGHT NOW AI SEO is the same as regular SEO 4:01 Zero people have shown proof that AI is stealing their traffic 4:30 No one has shown a website...

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

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 1:42 Schedule an SEO Zoom Advisory Call with me 2:06 The first reason (not enough authority) 3:45 You need enough authority compared to your competition 4:02 The second reason (they are spammy) 4:46 The third reason (other...

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

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 1:48 How to arrange a Zoom SEO Advisory Call with me 2:48 Is AI going to replace SEO? 3:49 Is AI really stealing your SEO traffic? 5:06 Most AI articles are clickbait 5:38 No one knows how AI works for SEO 5:57 AI services…

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

    Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy 1:30 Reminders 2:06 How to arrange a Zoom SEO Advisory call with me 2:23 SEO AI Preview 4:07 We are thinking about doing videos 5:39 The 4 things you need to rank 9:17 Why you need backlinks 10:01 This is how authority works...

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

    1:56 How to do a SEO Zoom Advisory Call with me BACKGROUND 3:01 What is authority? 3:14 What are the 4 things you need to rank? 3:57 Pagerank 4:43 Different SEO tool's authority calculations THERE IS MORE TO IT THAN DOMAIN RATING 6:29 A high DR website can be bad and a low DR website can be...

  35. SEO is NOT Conversion Optimization... - Episode 112

    01:14 Reminder 01:48 How to arrange an SEO Zoom Advisory Call with me 01:59 Question for listeners 02:35 The episodes that annoy listeners and why - Traffic is not an SEO metric, and if you're not tracking your SERPs, you're not doing SEO 04:08 Why people will get frustrated with this episode…

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  36. How to Make a PBN (Correctly), a Review - Episode 111

    1:10 New episodes 1:36 How to arrange an SEO advisory call with me on Zoom 4:38 The reason we're making this episode 5:30 The reason SEO can't be taught in 10 minutes 6:17 The difference between a private blog network and a private blog portfolio 7:24 Do NOT link your sites together 7:42 In...

  37. How to Track Your Progress In SEO - Episode 110

    Reminders Announcement What is the purpose of SEO? The SERP Tracker we use. A secret bonus you can do with a SERP tracker Three things to look for in a SERP tracker

  38. Good Content Is a Myth, and What UFC and SEO Have in Common - Episode 109

    01:32 Email me 02:00 Success email from an SEO advisory client who started her own agency and is getting nice results for her clients 04:22 Quality of content is not a ranking factor 04:44 How to be smarter than everyone else in SEO 05:00 Song analogy check this one 0:700 Example of bad content...

  39. What Are Those Spammy SEO Links Everyone Seems to Be Getting Constantly? - Episode 108

    You've seen them. Everyone has seen them. Let's talk about them. Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy

  40. You MIGHT Get a Penalty. Maybe. - Episode 107

    Do things you're not supposed to and you get a penalty. Sometimes. Maybe it's uncertainty built into the algorithm. Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy

  41. There are 4 Ways to Get Backlinks. Here They Are - Episode 106

    There are 4 ways to get backlinks. 1) Do nothing 2) Buy 3) Guest Post and Link Outreach 4) Build Your Own Sites and Use Those Learn which one might be best for you. Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy

  42. There Are 4 Things You Need to Rank. These Are What They Are With Examples - Episode 105

    No Penalties. Why you should avoid them and different types of penalties. Content. What it does and does not do. Relevancy. What it is and how to get it. Authority. What it is and how to get it. And how they all play a role in search. Please help keep this podcast free:...

  43. Doin' SEO: A Day in the Life. And a Question From Patreon, PBNs and OBL - Episode 104

    Being an SEO Consultant: Wake up Do you need to rise at 4am? Time in email Time in meetings SEO employee vs SEO entrepreneur Backlinks, content, research. Answer to a Patreon member's question: At what point do PBN outbound links start becoming diminishing returns? Three answers: What number of...

  44. Be Careful of This SEO Buyer Scam - Episode 103

    How the scam goes and what you should say if you're a seller and someone asks you this. And a preview of the discussion about why free SEO audits are worth what you pay for them. Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy

  45. SEO is Simple, Not Easy - Episode 102

    Finding good backlinks is hard. What you need to rank. SEO is not a checklist. An economic comparison with SEO. Why you're not the CEO of a company. Why you're not ranking. SEO is a competition. $9,000 for 90 backlinks vs $10 for 100,000 backlinks. Why you can't buy $1 backlinks on a $1,000…

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  46. SEO: The Ethics of Linkbuilding - Episode 101

    People say acquiring backlinks is bad. Thoughts? Topics covered: The 4 things you need to rank. The 4 ways to get backlinks and their ethics. Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy

  47. Massive SEO Lecture, The Details From the Previous 99 Episodes - Episode 100

    All the information from each episode. Lots to share. Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy

  48. The SEO Industry - Episode 99

    There are no certifications. There are no degrees. An example of overoptimization, and a quick discussion of penalties. SEO changes. Why SEOs complain whenever there is an algorithm update (EVERY TIME). HCU audits (REALLY???). What shady agencies do. Why I do a podcast. SEO actually exists. The…

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  49. Questions to Ask an SEO Agency - Episode 98

    Why there are no (good) SEO certifications. The most important question you should ask.. Why you should always demand specifics. Content is not a ranking factor. DEMAND SPECIFICS. Ask them to explain SEO to you. DEMAND. SPECIFICS. Ambiguity = scam Internet marketing and SEO have a rotten…

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  50. Back to Basics - What is SEO and How Do You Rank? - Episode 97

    What is SEO? How is SEO different from conversion optimization? Why traffic is not an SEO metric (and what is)? Why content is not king. The four things you need to rank. Please help keep this podcast free: https://www.patreon.com/grumpyseoguy

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

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."

HOSTED BY

Grumpy SEO Guy

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Grumpy SEO Guy have?

Grumpy SEO Guy currently has 147 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Grumpy SEO Guy about?

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."

How often does Grumpy SEO Guy release new episodes?

Grumpy SEO Guy publishes regularly with 147 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.

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You can listen to Grumpy SEO Guy on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts Grumpy SEO Guy?

Grumpy SEO Guy is created and hosted by Grumpy SEO Guy.
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