SEO Then & Now: Marshall Simmonds on AI, Dark Traffic , LLM.txt & the Future of Search 🚀

Описание: https://page2pod.com - What happens when the gatekeepers of search stop sending traffic, but still take the content? In this milestone Episode 90, Marshall Simmonds (Defined Media Group) joins us to trace SEO’s journey from white-text-on-white-backgrounds to log-file analysis, AIO, and LLM.txt—plus what publishers must do right now.

He even shares the wild story of spinning up a mirror test server so Google (and others) could pound on About.com to refine their crawlers.

We dig into why watching server logs matters more than ever, how “dark traffic” is back, and why author authority and structured content still win—despite shifting consumption and murky attribution in AI-assisted search.

Marshall also takes us behind the scenes on unlocking The New York Times archive (and why it crushed for traffic and revenue), plus a pragmatic take on AIO monetization, blocking AI training vs. real-time access, and the early but evolving role of LLM.txt.

🧠 In This Episode:
• The About.com “test server” era: letting engines crawl a mirror to improve their bots—what Marshall learned by “watching the watchers.”
• Why log files are mission-critical again as dark traffic surges and LLM crawlers multiply.
• Enterprise-grade log tooling & options: Sitebulb, Screaming Frog, Splunk and what to use when.
• Crawl budget signals hiding in plain sight: the Search Console “Crawl stats” report.
• NYT archive strategy: opening history for scale, membership, and revenue (and why it worked).
• E-E-A-T before the acronym: building human authority into content and authorship.
• LLM.txt today: yes, it’s crawled; no, standards aren’t settled; how teams are exposing it.
• AIO reality check: impressions up, clicks down; what’s converting (and why patience pays).
• Blocking AI training vs. real-time use: robots.txt limits, legal gray zones, and first-line defenses.
• Holistic marketing is better than channel silos: brand, email, social, search, Discover all working together.

If you've ever wondered where SEO has been and where it's headed, this conversation with Marshall Simmonds is essential listening.

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💬 Comment below: How are you adapting your SEO strategy in the age of AI and dark traffic?

Sponsored by Moving Traffic Media (https://www.movingtrafficmedia.com)

🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned
• Marshall Simmonds LinkedIn (  / marshallsimmonds  )
• Defined Media Official Site (https://www.definemg.com/)
• Page 2 Podcast Noah Learner episode (https://open.spotify.com/episode/0i74...)

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Chapters
00:00 Celebrating Milestones and Networking
03:02 The Evolution of SEO and Historical Insights
06:10 Building Relationships with Search Engines
08:51 Log File Analysis and Its Importance
11:43 Navigating the New York Times Acquisition
14:47 Innovating with Content and Revenue Models
17:49 The Spin-Out of Define Media and Client Relationships
20:48 Understanding EAT Principles in Publishing
23:27 Authority and Content Strategy
26:35 The Impact of AI and LLMs on SEO
29:12 The Future of Content Monetization
32:19 The Value of IP in Publishing
35:06 Dark Traffic and Attribution Challenges
38:03 The Role of Robots.txt and LLM.txt
40:41 The Excitement of SEO's Evolution
43:43 Audience Understanding and Content Strategy
46:50 Lightning Round: Myths and Predictions

#SEOHistory #MarshallSimmonds #AIInSearch #LLMSEO #DarkTraffic #EEAT #Page2Podcast #LogFileAnalysis #FutureOfSEO #DigitalPublishing #SearchMarketing