The Edward Show Black Hat AI SEO Is Here - And How to Fight Back
E865: A new and growing issue in digital marketing is emerging: black hat AI SEO and the use of fake, AI-generated negative review articles to manipulate how large language models describe a brand.
A Reddit post describes a case where a competitor allegedly purchased a black hat AI SEO service that published false review content across multiple low-quality websites. As a result, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and other LLMs began repeating incorrect, damaging information about the company.
I explain how this happens, why LLMs pick up misleading sources, how query modification and query fanouts work, and what you can do to protect a brand when this type of AI manipulation occurs.
Topics covered in detail: - How black hat AI SEO services generate and distribute fabricated negative reviews - How LLMs source information and why they may cite low-quality or false articles - Why the queries an LLM uses are often different from the user's original question - How to view ChatGPT's real search queries through inspection tools - What a query fanout is and how multiple related searches affect AI outputs - How to identify the exact keywords and queries an LLM is using around your brand - How to publish content that ranks for those modified queries - When burying negative content is more realistic than removal - How to dispute reviews on platforms like Trustpilot, Clutch, and Google Business Profile - How Google's "Report Negative Review Extortion Scams" tool works - Long-term strategies for protecting brand reputation in AI search environments - Legal considerations surrounding defamation and online attacks
⭐️ The Reddit Thread - https://www.reddit.com/r/AISEOforBeginners/comments/1ok5j0w/black_hat_ai_seo_is_here_how_do_you_fight_back/ ⭐️ SEO Pub's Query Fanout Extractor - https://theseopub.com/updated-chatgpt-search-query-reasoning-extractor-bookmarklet/ ⭐️ Report negative Google Business Profile Reviews - https://support.google.com/business/answer/4596773?hl=en ⭐️ Report negative Trustpilot Reviews - https://support.google.com/business/answer/4596773?hl=en ⭐️ Report negative Clutch Reviews - https://support.google.com/business/answer/4596773?hl=en
💎 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 Black Hat AI SEO Attack 02:11 Expert Insights: WebLinkrs Take 03:37 Understanding Query Fanouts 05:26 Practical Solutions and Tools 06:41 Dealing with Negative Reviews 09:48 Long-Term Strategies
The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/
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