Shaun Anderson

Linkbuilding tip for those in it for the long term: Build links by linking out. Simple. The more you link out to good sources, the more links you get.

🚨 Forgive me, I normally reply to all comments and DMS on here but I am a bit busy with work the next month and Ive a lot of messages. I will respond, just need to dig in for a while.

“Hobo: Beginner SEO 2025” - Free PDF you can download now.

Use a mobile-first approach for design and content, and optimise page load speed tiimes

Beginners: Optimise for Core Web Vitals like loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability to improve user experience and boost your search rankings

New: Hobo Technical SEO 2025 (free ebook)

QBST is Google's internal name for what SEOs have been describing for years using terms like "co-occurring words," "topical authority," and (less accurately) "LSI Keywords."

The title tag is very important for SEO even today. Learn everything about it:

"If you're clearly indicating who created the content, you're likely aligned with the concepts of E-E-A-T. We strongly encourage adding accurate authorship info" Google 2025

AI is like an “omniscient, eager-to-please intern who sometimes lies to you“:

SEO = "Mind your P*s and Q*s", "Know your A, B and Cs", "Dot your I's" and "Cross your T*s". Offically.

Topical authority is no longer a theory. The Google leak reveals the siteFocusScore, which algorithmically measures your site's niche focus. Stray too far from your core topic (siteRadius), and you dilute your authority. Specialization isn't just a strategy; it's a score.

"Some users might not even notice the MC because it is under a long list of Ads." Google QRG 2014

Publisher Input is Inherently Distrusted: Google’s systems are designed to actively source and test alternatives for the content you provide, from titles to meta descriptions.

Hobo SEO Dashboard V4 is out now. DM me for the offer link!

Earn clicks on pages that link.

Sudden, massive spikes in link acquisition, especially those concentrated around commercial, exact-match anchors, are highly likely to trigger Google's defensive filters.

A link building strategy based on one-off “campaigns” that generate a batch of links on pages that quickly become dated is fundamentally flawed.

An exact-match anchor placed on a completely irrelevant page is not just a wasted link that will be ignored; the documentation suggests it can be actively harmful to a site’s rankings.

If you have enjoyed the recent posts, you will like my new Youtube playlist: The Google Leaks: The Content Warehouse API Leaks / DOJ Vs Google Trial

Replicability Is a Key Factor: A key insight from the leak: the contentEffort score assesses replicability. If content is easy to reproduce, it’s considered low-effort. Original data is your best defence.

I did not expect to write all these but there you go.

New: Hobo Technical SEO 2025

On Youtube The Google Leaks: The Content Warehouse API Leaks / DOJ Vs Google Trial

"Inference Optimisation". Make your site the "canonical source of truth" to feed AI models your facts and create new content from those facts.

The Hobo SEO Quadrilogy. 4 SEO books based on the DOJ trials and content warehouse leak.

The "Sandbox" Theory Is Vindicated: Vindicated by the leak: the "sandbox" is real. A hostage attribute is used "to sandbox fresh spam," confirming new sites are temporarily suppressed.

Topical Authority Is Measured Algorithmically: The Google leak reveals topical authority is now a mathematical score. siteFocusScore measures your niche dedication, while siteRadius penalises content that strays off-topic.

User Clicks Validate Quality: The Google leak confirms the NavBoost system uses goodClicks and badClicks to validate quality. User clicks are the final verdict; if users aren't satisfied, you get demoted.

A Direct Response to AI Spam: Revealed in the leak: Google's contentEffort score is its counterattack on AI spam, using qualitative analysis of depth and originality, not just word count.