The Spam Avalanche
Two Words on LinkedIn was all it took
It started innocently enough. One post on LinkedIn, casually mentioned the term "SEO consultant." All I wanted was to connect with a few friends that do SEO so I could show them our new dashboard. Oh, but that’s not what I got.
Within 24 hours, my digital life turned into a chaotic mess. My inbox, phone, Instagram, WhatsApp—every channel I use was flooded with spam. It was as if I’d hung a neon sign on the internet that screamed, “Send me your pitches!”
(I did not)
I’ve never experienced anything like this before. My emails—multiple accounts—were overflowing. My phone buzzed every 15 minutes with calls from unknown numbers, offering me “premium SEO service,” website services, marketing, sales, and all else. Even my social media DMs weren’t safe. If there was a way to contact me, someone found it. It was relentless, overwhelming, and frankly, ridiculous.
First of all, where did all these people buy up my contact information, and just how cheap was it to get? Okay, that’s a question for another day.
This got me thinking about the sheer volume of spam and the strategy behind it. These spammers must operate on razor-thin conversion rates—maybe 1% or less. Who in their sane mind would pay for SEO work, after they got flooded with trash messages for a day? These guys are crossed off my list forever. They’re casting a wide, aggressive net, bombarding every possible channel in hopes of snagging a single client, harassing people through every digital nook and cranny. . Is this sustainable?
Contrast that with the top-tier SEO consultants—the ones who don’t need to advertise. We’ve been working with a few on the new version of GA4Hell, getting their feedback on how to 10x the platform. These folks deliver exceptional results, produce insightful reports, and rely on word-of-mouth referrals. A client emails a friend: “Need SEO help? I know someone great!” That’s how the get new business, and they aren’t cheap! These professionals can charge tens of thousands per engagement, while the spammers are likely scraping single dollars.
In my mind, the the difference is stark — quality work builds trust and lasting success; spam just annoys everyone.
It’s wild that this level of digital harassment is even possible. It makes me hope that AI and tech advancements will focus on creating tools that add real value—tools that help us connect meaningfully, not ones that enable faster, better spam. But let’s be real, someone will always find a way to exploit technology for spam. When that happens, we might all retreat to in-person communication, peer-to-peer referrals, and hiding our phone numbers to escape the deluge.
Until then, be careful what you say online.
Two words—“SEO consultant”—ruined my day. If you’re reading this, think twice before tossing around buzzwords, and if you’re a consultant or someone who is building automation to 10x their business, please, don’t be the one blowing up my phone.
Be kind, thoughtful, and operate with integrity.
Very few other things will matter when AI can do any job better and faster. It’s just around the corner.
Kirill.