Lily Ray breaks down why current SEO hacks—like self-promotional listicles, prompt-injection widgets, and scaled comparison pages—are short-lived and likely to trigger a Google crackdown. She argues E-E-A-T is a nuanced, long-term framework, not a checklist, and warns that original data and genuine expertise remain the only durable advantage.

• Google is signaling a crackdown on spammy AI-search tactics—link schemes, prompt-injection widgets, self-promotional listicles—often previewed through subtle changes to its Search Quality Rater Guidelines before core updates hit.
• Prompt-injection widgets that trick AI summarizers into repeating hidden brand pitches are classified by Google as "LLM poisoning" and treated as outright spam.
• LLMs.txt files don't currently affect rankings despite hype; Google frames them as prep for future agentic search, so they're worth minutes of effort but not a growth strategy.
• E-E-A-T isn't a scoring checklist but a fuzzy, multi-signal framework—transparent author bios, expert voices, and site history build the kind of genuine trust that outlasts algorithm shifts, unlike scaled comparison pages or paid "best of" placements.