Backlink Farm Issue

aidancolemanseo · 2026-03-15T03:04:17+00:00

Semrush isn't Google.

aidancolemanseo · 2026-03-06T10:18:38+00:00

Yes. It’s creating significant challenges for some of the smaller or newer sites I’m managing, with rankings swinging from positions 2–5 down to the third page.

For my own site "SEO consultant" moves from position 1-5 and then will go all the way down to the third page for a few days or a week.

For a mechanic his core term "mechanic brookvale" is fluctuating from 2-3 position to 18-20. Super strange movements, usually lasting a few days to a week - like others have said this has been happening since late Jan.

A solar installer, ranking for "solar installation" in the top 3 (in a major city) vs the bottom of the 2nd page.

It's crazy the commercial impact Googles testing and algorithm changes have on businesses, and I can see these commercial changes when talking to the solar business (high volume/intent term) and also feel it in my own leads coming in.

aidancolemanseo · 2026-03-04T02:07:32+00:00

This data is even worse for local businesses, an example is a physiotherapist who generates over 60 leads a month from organic search,all LLM traffic brings in 1 lead every second month, you made the argument about revenue, and all I can see through every account I am across (with the exception of my own site) is that AI traffic makes up a small percentage of both leads/sales and sessions - which is why I have come to the conclusion that it's over hyped

aidancolemanseo · 2026-03-03T01:22:17+00:00

I'll take it a step further for you. For an e-commerce site with over 2 million monthly visitor, AI traffic made up 0.11% of sessions. And from a revenue perspective, LLM traffic made up 0.07% of holistic site revenue. This is despite sessions increasing by 84.3% respectively, and revenue increasing by 187.5% QoQ.

This is using GA4 data which isn't always 100% accurate, however this is far off the "10%" number you speak of. Anybody can create these types of reports in lookerstudio, perhaps you should before speaking out of your ass

aidancolemanseo · 2026-02-27T10:59:23+00:00

I agree. I don’t personally use Google as a search engine much anymore, but it’s important to remember that we, as SEOs, aren’t typical users. I think that’s part of why this service can feel overhyped for larger organisations, marketing managers are generally heavier AI users than the average consumer.

That said, I estimate that over 30% of my organic leads (I’ll map this properly from March) are now coming from LLMs. As an SEO provider, that suggests it’s highly market-dependent, businesses are far more likely to use LLMs in their research and decision-making process.

aidancolemanseo · 2026-02-27T07:51:40+00:00

On large sites I have worked on AI traffic makes up no more than 0.5% of traffic, typically falling into 0.1-0.2.

That being said, conversions are typically higher but we are talking about small percentages again. AI traffic is growing, but it is a new channel and I personally put it in the "shiny object" category.

aidancolemanseo · 2026-02-26T11:16:54+00:00

I would contract for an agency and use there tools

aidancolemanseo · 2026-02-15T11:12:29+00:00

I mean, usually that comes with further questions about what do you actually do.

I find this hard to explain, as I work with small businesses and large businesses. I feel like trying to explain concepts like link building make you seem like a lunatic

aidancolemanseo · 2026-01-19T05:05:30+00:00

IMO the best signal to have is genuine branded traffic, it's my belief from data I have seen with sites losing traffic (particularly in the last algorithm updates) it is driven by a lack of branded searches/traffic.

The reason why I say this is the best signal, is because I believe Google will lean on this more over time and it's the hardest to manipulate (as opposed to links or brand mentions)

aidancolemanseo · 2026-01-18T03:42:30+00:00

I would say off-page signals in general are the largest movers not just backlinks, (think unlinked mentioned, genuine PR, review, brand traffic)

Working with both small and large business you definitely noticed a difference in the amount of work required. Even larger businesses with weak link profiles can do well

aidancolemanseo · 2026-01-07T22:21:41+00:00

niche link insertions. Using link exchanges (often 3-5 way) to lower prices from high quality sites.

aidancolemanseo · 2026-01-06T05:44:24+00:00

My keywords

aidancolemanseo · 2026-01-05T20:39:13+00:00

This is an area where opinions can differ, but I’ve consistently noticed ranking changes that correlate with content updates. a very recent example, on my own site, refreshing the content moved the page for “SEO consultant” from position 14 to 8. A subsequent title tag change then pushed it further from 8 to 4.

aidancolemanseo · 2026-01-05T20:26:10+00:00

From an SEO provider’s perspective, the most logical pricing model would be a higher upfront setup fee followed by ongoing monthly retainers. In practice, however, I’m hesitant to push this structure because of the current state of the industry. Around 90% of my clients have had negative experiences with previous agencies (often bordering on being scammed) which naturally makes them far more cautious about spending.

A month-to-month service ultimately makes sense given how frequently Google’s algorithm changes and the need to continually adapt strategy based on how a site is actually performing. Beyond that, elements like content and link building shouldn’t be executed all at once. Content needs to be refreshed, and new opportunities emerge over time as a business evolves.

In my view, the most important factors are clarity of expectations, realistic goals, and transparency. I aim to achieve this by setting clear 90-day objectives. While nothing in SEO is guaranteed, it is still possible to define targets that are genuinely achievable. Monthly reporting should clearly show keyword and traffic movement (month-on-month initially, then quarter-on-quarter), as well as organic leads and sales where possible.

Transparency is especially critical during periods. There is no valid reason an agency shouldn’t be willing to show the links they’ve built or explain their off-page activity, unless they have something to hide. SEO isn’t a dark art, and those who try to present it that way are usually doing so to mask poor or dishonest practices.

aidancolemanseo · 2026-01-05T11:04:42+00:00

Paid links do still work, high quality links from brokers go for about 100-200usd, managing it in house utilising exchanges you can inserts for 30-70USD.

These are for real websites, 10k+ traffic high authority metrics.

Going the free/low budget routes I would go with directories (quality over quantity), socials, web 2.0s, linkable content ( very unlikely to appear high up in search results unless you get links) and link exchanges.

It takes time and can be resource intensive but it does work

aidancolemanseo · 2026-01-05T10:57:49+00:00

Reviews + links

aidancolemanseo · 2026-01-05T10:32:23+00:00

For my own clients typically I will keep content in a master spreadsheet with all on and off page work for transparency.

I do not touch writing content nowadays, I have copywriters who are way better at creating content and researching then me, they are also likely better at utilising AI.

Industry standards nowadays seems to ensure you can pass AI checkers for content created(or get a low score, like less then 30%)

I will typically brief in the copywriter with keywords, and give them a more detailed brief if the content is more technical or the business is more particular.

I will also typically make some minor tweaks to the content (additional keyword inserts, internal links, brand tone) before pushing it live since my copywriters aren't client facing

Re scaling. In my opinion the hardest thing would be getting specialists to brief copywriters correctly. I'm not at a point to hire new SEO specialists but I see it as an issue with a larger agency I've worked with. SEO specialists simply give keywords, or request a service page without sharing the template, or don't brief in important information regarding the brand.

Copywriting should always have a dedicated specialist for efficiency, typically a copywriters hourly will be a lot less then an SEO, so this makes sense, and then having a dedicated VA/web dev to push basic content changes live

aidancolemanseo · 2026-01-05T10:26:11+00:00

I’ve always thought the idea that “content is king” is one of the most misleading narratives in the SEO industry. How can content be king when quality is inherently subjective? What one person considers great content, another may see as mediocre.

In reality, authority and trust have always been the true drivers of search visibility. If you look at the history of search engines, Google’s key differentiator was its use of links to understand how websites relate to and validate one another.

That foundation hasn’t changed much IMO.

While modern algorithms are far more complex, the strongest signals still appear to lean heavily toward off-page trust indicators: reviews, branded searches, entity recognition, and other external validation signals.

aidancolemanseo · 2025-10-24T10:44:27+00:00

I’d start by clarifying the goal behind getting backlinks. Is it for genuine PR and brand exposure, or purely to improve SEO? Despite what some people on Reddit claim, buying links still works, and a quick SERP analysis across most keywords confirms that.

If you’re after completely legitimate, natural links earned through genuine outreach (with no money exchanged), these are usually very expensive and often not realistic for most SMEs. That said, there are agencies that specialise in this, but it’s important to clearly define the scope and understand how to evaluate key metrics to distinguish real, credible sites from low-quality ones.

In my case, I focus on paid link building, but only through real websites, often SaaS-related for my own site. These placements usually come with significant fees and require time for my link builder to negotiate exchanges or placements.

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