Google Is Breaking SEO: Permanent Manual Actions, AI Search & the Rise of Black Hat

E941: Edward is joined by Charles Floate and David Quaid for a deep, technical conversation about what is actually happening in search right now - and why many long-held SEO assumptions no longer hold.

We discuss a growing pattern of manual actions that appear to be permanent, rejected reconsideration requests even after large-scale cleanups, and why some businesses may never fully recover organic traffic from Google. From enterprise sites to small publishers, the rules are shifting fast.

The conversation moves into AI search, ChatGPT visibility, Reddit's dominance in the SERPs, and how Google's own behavior is pushing SEOs toward tactics that were once considered off-limits.

This is not theory. It's based on live examples, experiments, client data, and firsthand experience.

Topics covered: - Why manual actions are increasingly permanent and what that means for long-term SEO strategy - What to do when reconsideration requests keep getting rejected - The risk of relying on a single branded domain for all organic traffic - Multi-domain strategies, exact match domains, and when they still work - Why Reddit now occupies multiple positions on page one - How Reddit SEO is being used to offset traffic losses from Google updates - The difference between SEO and AI search optimization - How ChatGPT, Bing grounding, and source consensus actually work - Why most AI visibility still depends on traditional SEO foundations - The real role of links in modern SEO and AI surfacing - Common SEO tactics that no longer move rankings - Underrated techniques that still produce results - Internal linking mistakes that kill performance - Why "just write good content" is not a strategy - How misinformation and tribalism are hurting the SEO industry - The growing gap between white hat theory and what actually works - Who is winning right now: white hats or black hats - and why

This episode is intended for SEOs, founders, CMOs, and operators who want a realistic view of search in 2026, not recycled advice or surface-level commentary.

⭐️ David Quaid on 𝕏 - https://x.com/DavidGQuaid ⭐️ David Quaid on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidquaid/ ⭐️ David Quaid's agency - https://primaryposition.com/

⭐️ Charles Floate on 𝕏 - https://x.com/Charles_SEO ⭐️ Charles Floate on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesfloate/ ⭐️ Charles Floate on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@CharlesFloate ⭐️ Charles Floate on Facebook - https://facebook.com/thecharlesfloate ⭐️ Charles Floate's PressWhizz - https://presswhizz.com/

💎 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 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:22 Manual Actions and Permanent Bans 01:08 SEO Strategies for Corporate Clients 02:09 The Risks of Relying on a Single Domain 10:48 The Power of Reddit in SEO 18:44 Challenges in the SEO Community 31:02 Experimenting with AI and SEO 46:07 Link Building Strategies and Challenges 46:30 Cool Link Acquisition Stories 50:10 PressWhizz Revolutionizing Link Building 56:38 SEO Techniques: What's Worth It and What's Not 01:13:20 Understanding YMYL and Its Impact 01:25:22 Maximizing SEO with Short Pages 01:26:17 The Power of Internal Linking 01:27:06 Link Building Strategies and Challenges 01:28:04 The Evolution of Link Building Costs 01:29:38 Adapting to AI and SEO Changes 01:32:03 Common Internal Linking Mistakes 01:35:05 Effective URL Slug Changes 01:38:09 White Hat vs. Black Hat SEO 01:48:03 The Role of Private Blog Networks (PBNs) 01:58:52 SEO Consulting and Agency Recommendations 02:05:46 Final Thoughts and Farewell

The Edward Show. The #1 search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#searchengineoptimization #blackhatseo #linkbuilding #generativeengineoptimization