AI Sites Get Smacked: Google’s August Spam Update, AInvest’s Crash & How to Actually Win SEO

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Sep 12, 2025

Gagan Ghotra, an SEO expert known for his insights on Google Discover and e-commerce strategies, shares valuable tips on navigating the changing SEO landscape. The discussion delves into the implications of Google’s August Spam Update, revealing how it impacts AI-driven content and the importance of topical focus. Gagan also emphasizes the power of user-generated content and practical strategies for optimizing images and merchant feeds. Learn why niching down can outperform broad approaches, along with how to effectively engage with Google Discover.

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INSIGHT

Topical Focus Wins In Discover

Google Discover now favors narrowly topical sites over broad generalist publishers.
Focused topical depth beats being a 10-topic generalist for Discover visibility.

ANECDOTE

The AI Invest Meteoric Rise And Crash

AI Invest skyrocketed from ~275k to ~9.5M Google clicks then crashed back near 1M after updates.
Edward and Gagan discussed whether the drop was accidental exposure of low-quality AI finance content or enforcement catching up.

INSIGHT

Technique, Not Just Content, Is Judged

Google judges technique used to generate content, not only on-page quality.
That shift means AI can be acceptable if not used as a mass-production technique.

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E800: Gagan Ghotra joins the show.

We break down Google’s 2025 August Spam Update, the meteoric rise and sudden drop of AInvest, and a practical playbook for what actually works in SEO right now.

Gagan and I share fresh insights on Google Discover, scaled content abuse, UGC dominance (Reddit/TikTok), image SEO that drives conversions, and why niching down beats going broad.

In this episode: - Google’s August Spam Update: winners, losers, and why topical focus wins - AInvest’s surge to 9.6M clicks - and the crash: accident or inevitable? - Scaled content abuse vs “AI content”: what Google actually punishes - Discover strategy: why generalist sites are getting sidelined - UGC’s edge (Reddit/TikTok) and what Google is really rewarding - E-commerce SEO right now: Merchant Center setup, images that convert, CRO - Image SEO that works: contextual alt text, file-name nuance, and layout choices - Press releases, AI Overviews, and shaping brand perception (ethically) - Long-game SEO vs “hit it this month” expectations

Action plan (quick hits): - Niche down: build topical depth; avoid “10-topic” generalist sprawl - Fix Google Merchant Center feeds: validate variations, attributes, and availability - Show the product: swap generic hero images for real screenshots/use cases - Alt text that ranks: write context-aware descriptions tied to on-page copy - Measure UX: heatmaps/scroll maps (e.g., Microsoft Clarity) to shape layout - Own UGC: aggregate and structure USEFUL community content on your domain

If this helped, drop a comment with your biggest takeaway and share this with a friend who still thinks “more pages = better SEO.” 🙃

Also… this is Episode 800 - 800 days straight. No skips. Thank you for riding with me!

⭐️ Gagan Ghotra on 𝕏 - https://x.com/gaganghotra_ ⭐️ Gagan Ghotra on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gagan-ghotra/ ⭐️ Gagan Ghotra’s website - https://gaganghotra.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 00:42 Current SEO Trends and Google Discover 04:10 Impact of AI on SEO 06:51 AI Generated Content and Spam Policies 18:02 User Generated Content and SEO 32:54 SEO Volatility and Business Perspectives 41:40 E-commerce SEO Opportunities 50:38 Innovative Image Optimization Techniques 52:14 Microsoft Clarity for SEO Insights 54:03 Parasite SEO Strategies 57:23 Black Hat SEO Tactics and Risks 01:02:49 The Impact of Google's Helpful Content Update 01:10:12 SEO in the Age of AI and Social Media 01:34:05 Concluding Thoughts and Future Insights

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

#searchengineoptimization #seotips #generativeengineoptimization #digitalmarketing