3 Awesome Underground SEOs That You Should Be Following by @thewillrobins

Online is chaos. Rarely is there a “truth” to SEO.

You never know what agenda or propaganda is behind people’s advice. I prefer to read perspectives from people who have done it. I follow their actual work and that vouches their services.

I want to introduce you to a few “underground” SEO geniuses. They have great articles, content, and even large Facebook groups. They do “sell” a lot of services. That is why they are so good at what they do. They make a living at it.

If you’re looking for low-risk tactics, then this may not be for you. You should look at these marketing posts.

If you want down and dirty tactical marketing advice that is dark hat qualified then let me introduce you to a few blogs.

Click To Tweet This: If you want down and dirty tactical marketing advice that is dark hat qualified

Underground SEO 1: Matt Diggity, A Results Focused SEO

The first is Matt Diggity. He focuses on results. His motto stands out to me. I love reading experiments and case studies.

His blog, Diggity Marketing, features a mixture of case studies and information blended with everyday problems. His blog stands out because he is speaking to his target audience.

He doesn’t dress anything up. He doesn’t safeguard information in case someone is reading it. He showcases everything and runs case studies on it.

Here are my favorite post from his site:

• Conversion Rate Optimization for SEOs: This 2,000-plus word post breaks down various case studies. The entire post is riddled with memes, which make me chuckle a bit. The point is clear that A/B testing is a must. He even has a video embedded on how to set up tests using a tool.
• How to Properly Track and Manage Backlinks: This post showed me why trusting services to keep up with my backlinks was a bad idea. It made a huge impact in how I kept up with “logs” of backlinks. He has a spreadsheet to track your links that he offers in the post and a video to walk through how to use it.
• How to Steal the Featured Snippet in 3 Simple Steps: This post is pretty epic. The title tells you enough, but I actually pulled this off and increased traffic to one of my sites. Definitely worth the time to read through it.

Matt does a great job of keeping you entertained with memes and catchy phrases while writing. SEO is a bit boring at times, let’s face it.

If you haven’t ever read any of his info then you may find yourself challenged when you do. He practices a bit of “greyish” SEO. He sells links, runs PBN’s, and has a whole category for penalty avoidance. He does A/B test everything and is super detailed.

Underground SEO 2: Daryl Rosser, a.k.a. Lion Zeal

Daryl Rosser has so many channels where he publishes information it’s hard to keep up. He’s what I’d call an “SEO reporter.” The coolest thing is that he focuses on results as well.

If you’ve never read or heard of Rosser, then I would start with his YouTube channel. He has more than 40 interviews with SEOs. They break down strategic points and software they use. It is a wealth of information all for free.

Daryl’s blog, Lion Zeal, is also amazing. Again, if you don’t like somewhat risky SEO techniques, then you may not appreciate Daryl. He is results driven. Everything he writes and puts out is “field tested.”

Most of my favorite content from Rosser is on his YouTube channel. His ability to conduct a well thought out interview is much like that of Tim Ferriss. He gets the person talking and points them in a good direction.

One other post of his that I found quite useful was: How To Structure Your PBN Sites To Pass Manual Reviews

This post goes through a few private blog network musts. You have to make your blog network look like a real site.

Underground SEO 3: Stuart Walker & NicheHacks

NicheHacks is a great content-first website that Stuart Walker started over three years ago. While you may not get SEO advice directly like you do on the other two underground SEO sites I mentioned, you will get a ton of value from this site.

NicheHacks has a ton of great articles and stories all over its website. Their content and case studies are amazing. They have tutorial and breakdowns about how to choose a niche.

The reason I love this site so much is actually for the opposite effect. I use it to define my niche better. When I already know the product but have to define it down to the user. Those users are my target audience.

If you apply that, then your SEO will skyrocket. Your new-found target audience will react more and your link outreach is easier.

My favorite post From NicheHacks:

• 3 Year Progress Report: This is a play by-play of their traffic and top ranking content. It is amazing to me to see a great website take off like this one did – more than 1 million visitors.

Besides that one post it is hard to narrow down this site. It’s packed with content. Every article is well-written and thorough.

I would definitely look at these categories – SEO, Email Marketing, Case Studies – and pick whatever posts stand out to you.

Bonus: 3 More Underground SEO Resources

There are a few other notable SEOs that I wanted to mention. I won’t go as in-depth on each one, but their content is fun to read and educational as well.

1. Matthew Woodward – I remember when I first read this site. He had such an in-depth piece of tiered link building. He also showed how to “properly spin” an article. It was amazing content. His posts and case studies are amazing.
2. Gaps – This is a cool story and information packed website that everyone will enjoy. I am a sucker for bootstrapped stories with case studies and examples.
3. Black Hat World – I know the name scares a lot of people off. I said the internet was chaos right? Black Hat World has a ton of good information and services in their forum. They also have a ton of crazy as well. Look into anything you read or find here (and don’t tell others you even go there).

Summary

I love finding great content with new perspectives. SEO is such an ever-changing landscape and so much “information” is propaganda. When you combine the learning with case studies it has helped me cut through a lot of “advice.”

We all just want to rank our sites, right?