Grumpy SEO Guy – Episode 140

Title: Answers To Reddit SEO Questions Rapid Fire
Date: February 11, 2026
Host: Grumpy SEO Guy

Episode Overview

In this rapid-fire AMA episode, the Grumpy SEO Guy answers a wide variety of questions sourced from the r/grumpyseoguy Reddit community. Drawing on 14 years of agency experience, he delivers blunt, no-nonsense insights on private blog networks (PBNs), topical authority, paid links, local SEO, backlink metrics, Google updates, and more. The format is unscripted and brisk, with most responses kept concise, referencing prior episodes for deeper dives. The signature grumpy, direct tone persists throughout, clarifying misconceptions and offering actionable advice in practical SEO.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Value of Private Blog Portfolio Traffic

• Main Point: There's a misconception that only high-traffic sites offer valuable backlinks.
• Insight: "We haven't found that to be true... Only like 50% of the websites on the Internet are using analytics. If you're not using analytics, how do the search engines know how much traffic you're even getting?"
  (01:30)
• Conclusion: Focus on link relevance rather than chasing traffic metrics.

2. Topical Authority & Its Importance

• Main Point: Topical authority is frequently misunderstood or exalted as a panacea.
• References: Listen to episode 132 (SEO Topical Authority, Content Structure, and Cannibalization) and episode 30.
• Quote: “Is it a hoax that we should ignore? ...I have two episodes that talk about topical authority.”
  (03:05)

3. Backlinks in Local SEO & Doubts over Claims

• Main Point: Local SEO operates under different rules, and claims of no-link ranking should be viewed critically.
• Advice: "Just because somebody tells you a thing doesn't mean it's true... In local SEO, factors are different than normal SEO."
  (04:50)
• Reference: Episode 128 (Local SEO vs Regular SEO).

4. SEO for YMYL (“Your Money or Your Life”) Sites

• Main Point: YMYL sites need to avoid spammy tactics but face higher ranking difficulty.
• Blunt Response: “The rules are basically the same. Just don't have them be spammy. It's harder to rank in YMYL, but the rules are basically the same.”
  (06:40)

5. Penalties for Paid Links & Public Blog Networks

• Main Point: Google does penalize for paid/spammy links, especially from public blog networks.
• Advice: "If a backlink service is publicly available, I would avoid it."
  (07:50)
• Reference: Episode 131 (Dangers of Public Blog Networks).

6. Finding Reliable Backlink Sellers

• Main Point: Most sellers are unreliable. That’s why DIY is recommended.
• Quote: “It's supposed to be hard to find a good backlink provider because most of them are not good. So if you're having trouble, that makes perfect sense. You're probably doing it the right way.”
  (09:20)

7. Diagnosing Expired Domains & Tracking Success

• Main Point: You can’t isolate which single domain or backlink is most effective – they all contribute.
• Analogy: "It's kind of like if you buy a pack of candy... You're eating a lot of them. They're all helping."
  (10:30)

8. Age/Parked Status of Expired Domains

• Main Point: No clear answer; history matters more than parked duration.
• Quote: "I don't know if there's a time limit and then Google stops paying attention to the domains or not. Probably pick ones that haven't been parked for that long. But it probably also doesn't matter that much."
  (12:45)

9. Value of Google Search Console Impressions

• Main Point: Impressions are not a meaningful SEO metric.
• Quote: “Nobody cares about impressions... The only thing you should care about is your rank.”
  (15:00)
• References: Episode 35 (If You’re Not Tracking Your SERPs, You’re Not Doing SEO) and episode 59 (Traffic is Not an SEO Metric).

10. “AI SEO”, AEO, GEO & Client Education

• Main Point: No such thing as “AI SEO”; don’t work with clients who chase buzzwords.
• Quote: “We don't take clients who don't understand SEO... In three or six months they're going to fire that agency anyway for not doing anything.”
  (17:10)
• Reference: Episode 115 (SEO, AI and LLMs TXT Part 1).

11. Limit of Link Juice from a Site

• Main Point: Each site has limited “link juice” to distribute.
• Quote: "If websites did not have a limited amount of link juice... you could just rank as many websites as you wanted from the same website, couldn't you?"
  (21:40)

12. Impact of Backlinks on Individual Pages vs Sitewide

• Main Point: Backlinks to a page help the whole website via internal linking.
• Quote: “Backlinks provide or share link juice... If you backlink to a certain page... it is sharing some of that link juice.”
  (24:20)

13. Anchor Text – Explained

• Definition: Anchor text is the clickable words in a link.
• Explanation: “If a link is text... those are the anchor text. So if you say ‘click here’ and that’s the words you can click on, this is your anchor text.”
  (25:20)

14. Coding Knowledge Required for SEO

• Main Point: No coding required.
• Blunt Response: “No.”
  (26:00)

15. Handling Traffic to Non-Existing Pages After Expired Domain Purchase

• Solution: Use a plugin to redirect 404 errors to relevant pages or homepage.
• Advice: Redirect lost traffic to prevent waste.
  (26:25)

16. Important Metrics for Backlink Selection

• Misconception: It's less about specific metrics, more about avoiding red flags (spammy anchors, bad neighborhoods, tightly clustered IPs).
• Key Factors: Avoid domains with spam, gambling, pharma links, bad anchor profiles, or too many links from low number of referring domains.
  (27:10)

17. Local SEO Factors vs Regular SEO

• Differentiators: Google My Business (GMB), reviews, and proximity.
• Quote: “Proximity means how far away... you can't game that... besides those, it's kind of like local SEO and regular SEO are kind of similar.”
  (28:30)

18. Estimating “How Much SEO” is Needed to Rank

• Main Point: Can somewhat estimate, but SEO is imprecise compared to PPC.
• Advice: “Do some SEO and see if it’s helping... you can’t really know ahead of time with total accuracy.”
  (30:30)

19. Why No Public Examples of Good PBNs?

• Risks: Revealed sites get burned, clients identified, templates copied.
• Quote: “If we shared a site, that site would never be... used again because it would be labeled as a pbn.”
  (31:10)
• Reference: Episode 139 (Why Are There No Good Examples of PBN Sites).

20. Tech Stack Without PBNS + Non-Paid Backlinks

• Advice: Authority is needed to rank—most free strategies involve outreach, guest posting, relationship building.
• Reference: Episode 106 (Four Ways to Get Backlinks) and Episode 49.

21. Keyword Research for Money Sites

• Summary: “Keyword research is mostly competitor research and it takes a long time.”
  (35:05)

22. Evaluating Other People’s SEO Methods/Services

• Rule of Thumb: If it fits with authority and relevancy, it probably works; if focused on “dwell time” or superficial metrics, it doesn’t.

23. Tracking Results: Focus on SERPs

• Key advice: “Your position is the way that you track your progress in SEO.”
  (37:10)
• Reference: Episode 35.

24. WordPress Plugins for SEO

• Principle: Identify the actual problem and pick plugins accordingly. Avoid everyone using identical plugin stacks to prevent footprints.
• Example: Use plugins that redirect 404s, but don’t reveal specific plugin names.
  (38:05)

25. Expired Domains & Google’s Newer Policies

• Summary: The issue is more about topic relevance (e.g. not turning a medical site into a casino) than a new policy per se.

26. PBN Themes, Builders & Footprints

• Advice: “Don't use the same themes on all your sites. That's footprint.”
  (41:20)

27. Backlink Decay on Expired Domains

• Perspective: It's normal for websites to gain and lose links over time—don’t overreact.
• Quote: “That happens to every website. ...Don't worry too much about it.”
  (42:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Impressions as an SEO Metric:
  "Nobody cares about impressions... we don't care about impressions because it doesn't have anything to do with SEO. Really, the only thing you should care about is your rank." (15:00)

• On Working with Difficult Clients:
  "If somebody thinks there's a difference between A, A, E, O and geo, or like, whatever, right? Whatever AI SEO acronym you want to use... we don't want them as a client because they're going to be... difficult to work with." (17:10)

• On Diagnosing Which Domain Backlinks Help:
  "It's kind of like if you buy a pack of candy... You're eating a lot of them. They're all helping." (10:30)

• On DIY Backlinks:
  "It's supposed to be hard to find a good backlink provider because most of them are not good. So if you're having trouble, that makes perfect sense. You're probably doing it the right way." (09:20)

• On Not Overthinking Expired Domains:
  "You're overthinking it. And also you shouldn't be using Google Search Console on your private blog sites anyway." (13:45)

• On Link Juice Limitation:
  "If websites did not have a limited amount of link juice... you could just rank as many websites as you wanted from the same website, couldn't you?" (21:40)

• On Footprints:
  "Don't use the same themes on all your sites. That's footprint." (41:20)

Useful Timestamps

• 01:30 — Private Blog Portfolio Traffic
• 03:05 — Topical Authority
• 04:50 — Local SEO and Backlinks
• 07:50 — Paid Links & Penalties
• 10:30 — Measuring Success from Expired Domains Analogized
• 12:45 — Expired Domain Age and Authority
• 15:00 — Impressions vs Rank as Metric
• 17:10 — AI SEO, Client Selection
• 21:40 — Link Juice Limitation
• 24:20 — Backlink Impacts Sitewide
• 25:20 — Anchor Text Explained
• 26:00 — Coding and SEO
• 28:30 — Local SEO Key Factors
• 30:30 — Estimating Required Backlinks
• 31:10 — Why No Public PBN Examples
• 41:20 — Preventing PBN Footprints
• 42:00 — Link Decay on Expired Domains

Final Takeaways

• SEO remains a nuanced, context-driven field. Standard formulas rarely exist; adaptability, skepticism, and unwillingness to cut corners distinguish long-term winners.
• Most 'easy fixes' in SEO are illusory—especially shortcut services or trendy acronyms.
• DIY is the only surefire way to get trustworthy backlinks, as reliable sellers are extremely hard to find and most public services will get your site penalized.
• Track what matters: SERP positions, not vanity metrics like impressions or traffic alone.
• Don’t overcomplicate things: Many common anxieties (like parked time on expired domains or losing backlinks) are overthought by beginners.
• Avoid footprints and shortcuts in PBNs: Variety and discretion are vital.

For more details on any subject, check referenced episodes or connect with Grumpy SEO Guy via Reddit or email.
Contact: hellogrumpyseoguy.com | Reddit: r/grumpyseoguy

Episode 140 proves classic Grumpy SEO Guy—efficient, cut-to-the-chase, and focused on debunking SEO myths and bad practices.