Podcast Summary: Grumpy SEO Guy – Episode 133

Title: SEO FOR COMPLETE BEGINNERS (and a Grumpy SEO Guy Interview)
Date: December 10, 2025
Host: Grumpy SEO Guy

Episode Overview

This episode is a comprehensive, no-nonsense introduction to SEO, specifically tailored for newcomers overwhelmed by the confusing and often contradictory advice in the industry. The host, drawing on 14 years of SEO agency experience, breaks down the basics of SEO from definitions to actionable strategy, promises to strip away the myths, and emphasizes only what actually moves the rankings needle. He also explains what SEO is not, clarifies common misconceptions, and offers practical advice to avoid wasting time, money, and effort.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What is SEO and Why Does It Matter?

• Defining SEO:
  “SEO is the process of getting websites to rank at the top of the search engine results for your keywords.” (02:11)
  • Keywords: Anything someone types into a search engine (“dishwashers”, “how to fix a computer” etc.).
• Why care?:
  The higher your site ranks for a keyword, the more visitors you get.
  “If you are the number one result, you will get more visitors than every other person who is ranking for the term.” (04:01)
• Goal:
  Get your website into the #1 spot on page one for your relevant keywords.

2. Organic SEO vs Pay Per Click (PPC) Ads

• Organic Search Results:
  Free, based on “ranking factors”; SEO is how you influence them.
• PPC Ads:
  “Ads are not search engine optimization, okay? Do not be confused. They are different.” (07:51) You pay for each click, unrelated to SEO performance.
• Caveat:
  “Some people will try to confuse you by saying, ‘We offer search engine optimization’ and then they'll start talking to you about ads. That person is either confused or misleading you.” (08:18)

3. The Four Essential Variables for Ranking (For ‘Normal’, Not Map-Based/Local SEO)

(See [07:45]–[19:40])

1. Avoiding Penalties

• Penalties come from breaking search engine rules—usually attempting to manipulate results.
• If penalized, “your website will disappear from the first, you know, 5, 10, 15, 20 pages. Basically, you won’t be found.” (10:10)
• “Not getting a penalty is the top priority.” (10:22)

2. Content

• What’s on your site: mostly words and pictures.
• Myth Busting:
  “There is a belief that somehow having good quality content [on your site] will make you rank higher. It will not.” (12:09)
  • Search engines can’t directly assess content quality.
  • You should still write good content for users, but “search engines can’t tell the difference” just by reading it.
• Advice: Try things for yourself – “Just because I tell you something doesn’t mean that it’s true. I mean, it’s true to the best of my understanding and experience, but that doesn’t mean it’s true, right?” (12:36)

3. Relevancy

• “Relevancy just means what is the topic of your website?” (13:56)
  • Achieved easily: Put content about the subject you want to rank for.
  • Example: Write about refrigerators to rank for refrigerator keywords.
• Backlinks can also contribute to relevancy if the anchor text matches the keyword/topic.

4. Authority

• Authority = Backlinks:
  “Whenever a website links to you with a backlink, they are providing you a bit of authority.” (18:06)
• Not all backlinks are equal; the more authority the linking site has, the more you gain.
• The biggest challenge in SEO: “The hardest part of SEO is getting authority.” (19:14)
• Four ways to get backlinks, covered in other episodes.

4. What is NOT SEO / Not a Ranking Factor

(See [24:07] onward)

• Website Design:
  “There is no way that you can build your website that will make it rank higher, okay?” (23:58)
• User Experience (UX):
  “If people have a good time on your site, if they have a bad time on your site, doesn’t matter.” (24:15)
• Site Loading Speed:
  Only a factor if your site is very slow (“like a minute to load”). Marginal improvements (e.g., from 4 to 3 seconds) don’t matter. (25:01)
• Dwell Time:
  “Dwell time is not a ranking factor.” (25:30) An entire episode explains why it can’t be.
• Content Quality:
  As above, not a direct ranking factor.
• Takeaway:
  “Much of what people say is SEO is actually not SEO. They will give you advice that doesn’t work ... They are not ranking factors.” (26:54)

5. How To Track SEO Progress

• SERP Tracker:
  “You need to use a tool called a SERP tracker ... that every day will search the search engines for your keywords and see where you rank.” (27:25)
  • Example tool: SERPFox (first 10 keywords free).
  • Purpose: Like a stock chart for your rankings.
• “That is the only way to track your progress.” (28:08)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On expertise and being grumpy:
  “Let me tell you why I'm grumpy today. I'm grumpy today because it's very hard for beginners to get good SEO information.” (00:39)
• On penalties:
  "Not getting a penalty is the top priority." (10:22)
• On content quality:
  “The one sentence explanation is that search engines cannot tell the difference between good content and bad content … so they have to use other methods that we’re going to talk about in a minute.” (12:18)
• On relevancy:
  “It’s very, very easy to get relevancy. All you have to do is post content – words and pictures – about a topic. Super easy.” (14:00)
• On authority and difficulty:
  “The hardest part of SEO is getting authority … The majority of your energy that you spend doing SEO will be getting authority, whether that’s trying to get backlinks from other people or building them yourself.” (19:14)
• On focusing your efforts:
  “As somebody doing SEO, your job is to focus on ranking factors ... If something does not help you rank higher, it is not a ranking factor.” (23:43)
• On tracking results:
  “You need to use a tool called a SERP tracker ... That is the only way to track your progress.” (27:25, 28:08)

Key Timestamps

| Time | Topic | |----------|--------------------------------------------------| | 02:11 | What is SEO, Definition and Keywords | | 04:01 | Why Ranking High Matters | | 07:17 | Organic Results vs. PPC Ads | | 09:50 | Purpose of SEO | | 10:17 | Four Ranking Variables Intro | | 10:22 | Penalties Explained | | 12:06 | Content and the “Quality” Myth | | 13:56 | Relevancy Explained | | 15:27 | Backlinks/Anchor Text and Relevancy | | 17:22 | Authority and How Backlinks Work | | 19:09 | The Real Challenge: Getting Authority | | 23:43 | Ranking Factors vs. Non-Ranking Factors | | 25:01 | Site Loading Speed, Dwell Time, etc. | | 27:25 | SERP Tracking and Measuring Progress |

Final Advice to Beginners

• Don’t waste time on design, UX, or over-optimizing site speed for SEO.
• Focus on:
  • Avoiding penalties
  • Having relevant content
  • Building authority with backlinks
• Use a SERP tracker to measure real progress.
• Don’t take anyone’s word (even the host’s) as gospel—test things yourself.

Additional References

• Penalties, Backlink Building, Dwell Time, and Local SEO episodes referenced—find links in the episode description.
• Interview with Grumpy SEO Guy on the Content Manager Podcast (link in description).

This summary distills the episode’s core advice and structure in the host’s direct, myth-busting style, designed for newcomers seeking real results in SEO without getting lost in industry noise.