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

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 -   / 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/

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