Goodbye SEO Shortcuts! What I Learned the Hard Way

Hey everyone! Long time no see—or should I say long time no post? I hope life’s been treating you all well during my little hiatus. As for me? I’ve been doing pretty great, and I’m genuinely thankful for that. A lot has happened over the past few months—some really exciting stuff, actually.

For starters, I managed to squeeze in trips to both Italy and Spain (and let me just say, Italy was a very pleasant surprise—what a stunning country!). Now, I know what some of you might be thinking: “Ah, so he’s been globetrotting and completely ignoring work, huh? Just leaving the blog to gather dust?” Well... yes and no.

Let’s not forget we’re living in the era of AI—where things that once took weeks can now be done in hours if you’re leveraging the right tools. And believe me, I’ve been doing just that! I’ve been putting AI to work on design updates for my site (specifically the event pages and their elements) and supercharging my SEO efforts. But let me tell you: if you think AI is a shortcut to SEO success, buckle up, because I’ve got a story for you.

The SEO Shortcut Myth

Remember that buzz about some AI-powered website scaling their blog content and pulling in hundreds of thousands of visitors? Sounds dreamy, right? Except... they forgot to mention one tiny detail: they were probably knee-deep in PR and link-building efforts as well.

Now, I’m not here to throw shade, but their story inspired me to try scaling my own content using AI. After all, if they could do it, why couldn’t I? So, with my Tripadvisor-for-locals-style website (helping locals find unique, non-touristy things to do in their cities), I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.

Things started off great—I managed to rank my site for some solid keywords like “fun things to do in London” and “things to do in London for couples.” That serotonin boost? Oh, it was real. I thought I’d cracked the code. Naturally, I assumed ranking for something semantically related, like date ideas in London would be just as easy.

Spoiler alert: It wasn’t.

I hit a wall. No matter what I tried, that page just didn’t rank the way I’d hoped. Frustration set in, and my response? Launch even more pages. I kept telling myself, “If the AI content guys could scale their way to success, so can I!” But the harsh reality? SEO doesn’t work like that.

The Real SEO Game

Here’s what I learned: there are no shortcuts in SEO. Sure, AI can help you move faster, but it’s not a magic wand. You can’t rely on content alone. SEO is about playing the long game—it’s a mix of great content, PR, internal linking, external linking, and a ton of persistence.

It’s not just about putting out pages and hoping they’ll stick. It’s about putting in the work, monitoring your strategies, and staying consistent. I had to learn this the hard way, but I’m glad I did.

Why I’m Still in the Game

Despite the setbacks, I’m still here, still creating, still refining my process. Why? Because even when the results aren’t what you hope for right away, SEO is worth it in the long run. If I can stick it out, you can too.

So, here’s my takeaway: don’t get discouraged by the slow pace. Don’t fall for the myth of shortcuts. And if you’re struggling to rank that one page or post, remember—SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep at it, and the results will come.

Thanks for sticking around and reading this. Hopefully, my story saves someone else a headache or two. Let’s keep learning, growing, and ranking—together. 🚀