Episode Details

E1094: I talk with Léo Poitevin, an SEO who spent years in iGaming, CBD, and some of the most competitive search niches online.

Léo has been testing how to influence ChatGPT recommendations, AI search visibility, and traditional Google rankings using tactics that come from aggressive affiliate SEO.

We get into how SEOs are using third-party listicles, backlinks, Reddit, review pages, and brand mentions to influence what ChatGPT recommends when someone asks for the best company, product, or service in a category.

This is a very tactical episode on where SEO and AI recommendations overlap.

We talk about:
- How Léo went from iGaming SEO to running his own agency
- Why competitive niches like gambling and CBD produce aggressive SEO tactics
- How external "best of" listicles can influence ChatGPT recommendations
- Why ranking on Google still matters for AI visibility
- How ChatGPT may use Google results, query fan-outs, and source consensus
- What makes a third-party listicle more likely to get picked up by AI
- Why putting your client number one everywhere may start looking suspicious
- How Claude and other AI tools may filter out obvious SEO spam
- Why linking out to competitors may make a listicle look more trustworthy
- How Reddit is becoming more important for AI recommendations
- Why Reddit manipulation is harder than most SEOs think
- The risks of buying Reddit comments, upvotes, and aged accounts
- Why Trustpilot and reputation signals can override SEO manipulation
- How ChatGPT checks reviews before recommending a brand
- Why some brands get mentioned by AI even when others rank higher
- Whether AI tools actually follow links or just keep doing query fan-outs
- Why "too much SEO" can make a site, page, or brand look less trustworthy
- The difference between manipulating rankings and building a real brand
- Whether white hat or gray hat SEO can still work in iGaming and CBD
- Why long-term brand building may be the strongest SEO strategy

Léo also shares how he thinks about buying placements, choosing sites for listicles, structuring comparison pages, using backlink marketplaces, and testing what AI tools actually pick up.

⭐️ Léo Poitevin on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leo-poitevin/ 
⭐️ Léo Poitevin on 𝕏 - https://x.com/LeoPoitevin 
⭐️ Léo Poitevin's agency, Astrak - https://astrak.agency/ 
⭐️ Léo Poitevin's backlink marketplace, Linkavista - https://linkavista.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 Meet Léo Poitevin
01:57 From Black Hat to AI Influence
02:46 Listicles That Shape ChatGPT
05:46 Buying Listicle Placements
08:14 Picking Sites and Metrics
10:30 Writing Listicles Without Spam
15:33 Titles H1s and Structure
25:27 Reddit Manipulation Reality
29:35 Buying Comments and Subreddits
33:07 Too Much SEO and Brand Trust
35:46 Multi Channel SEO Signals
37:12 Helpful Content Update Fallout
39:51 Branding Beats Manipulation
40:57 White Hat Pages That Last
44:29 SEO in Regulated Niches
48:28 How AI Picks Winners
54:14 Trustpilot Reputation Battles
58:37 Customer Support as Growth Hack
01:02:24 iGaming Spam Tactic Patched
01:05:43 Backlink Strategy Playbook
01:09:23 Agency Focus and Wrap Up

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