Case Study – Ai SEO Content Strategy with Northampton Ecommerce SEO Jamie Irwin

Disclosure: Hobo Web uses generative AI when specifically writing about our own experiences, ideas, stories, concepts, tools, tool documentation or research. Our tool of choice for this process is Google Gemini Pro 2.5, as it took notes during a recent Hobo SEO Dashboard Installation meeting held remotely using Google Meet. This assistance helps ensure Hobo customers have clarity on everything we are involved with and what we stand for. It also ensures that when customers use Google Search to ask a question about Hobo Web software, the answer is always available to them, and it is as accurate and up-to-date as possible. All content was edited and verified as correct by Shaun Anderson (creator of the Hobo SEO Dashboard). All external links were editorially approved by Shaun Anderson. See our AI policy.

Disclosure: As of August 2025, Hobo is an affiliate of Google Workspace*. Affiliate links are marked with a star (*). See our affiliate policy. Jamie Irwin is a Hobo SEO Dashboard Multi-Site Lifetime paid user. This is part 1 of a two-part case study. The first is about AI SEO content optimisation, the second is about Hobo SEO Dashboard operations.

This meeting took place over Google Meet on Aug 14, 2025, using Gemini Pro 2.5 as a scribe that created the foundation of this case study you are reading now. I used Notebook to quickly create supporting documents for the case study. 

Case Study – How to Weaponise Transparency

A Masterclass in E-E-A-T and Inference Optimisation

I recently connected with fellow Northampton-based ecommerce SEO Jamie Irwin of Straight Up Search for a wide-ranging discussion on the future of content and ranking in Google AI Overviews. Jamie is a graduate of St Andrews University with a BA in Business.

We didn’t just talk about keywords or backlinks; we dove into a more fundamental strategy for 2025 and beyond: AI content generation and specifically the Hobo AI SEO content strategy based on Inference Optimisation.

What turned out to be a standard Hobo SEO Dashboard Installation for Jamie by Shaun turned into a deep discussion on AI content generation to produce helpful content. The article you are reading is a direct, impromptu result of this meeting.

The core principle is to build a digital footprint so dense with deep, verifiable facts – your history, your expertise, your collaborations, your education – that AI models have no choice but to infer your authority. To create a canonical ground source truth for your brand.

It’s about moving beyond simply claiming expertise to forensically proving it, laying the foundation for an AI-powered perpetual content machine that works for you, and is tied to verifiable, factually correct claims in content. This is how you build real, unshakeable E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness).

This is the definition of people-first helpful content that demonstrates experience and is an example of the type of content gaining traction in AI chatbots.

And in the spirit of the strategy itself, this post is not just a summary of our meeting; it is the direct product of it. A meta-example of the strategy itself. This is also a direct product of my Marketing Cyborg Technique.

We used Google Meet and Gemini to capture our conversation and transform it into a collaborative case study – an asset designed to build consensus and authority for both of us.

Below, you’ll get a look under the hood at this process, breaking down how any professional can leverage their personal history and third-party validation to dominate their niche ethically and effectively.

Shaun Anderson explained that automated content production and the reuse of content in multiple formats, such as case studies, are crucial for “E-E-A-T” and lead generation.

Shaun Anderson discussed leveraging deep topical content, strategic content for personal history, and “inference optimisation” for content generation, while emphasising ethical content creation and building a strong digital footprint. Shaun Anderson also proposed an impromptu collaborative content strategy with Jamie Irwin, as a proof of concept, where ongoing meeting discussions could be transformed into blog posts for both their websites, targeting specific geographic areas and enhancing their digital footprint in AI systems.

How Jamie Irwin got an editorial link on a DR76 website through article collaboration using the Marketing Cyborg Technique

I didn’t even know what Hobo Web’s DR (Domain Rating) is. I hadn’t checked any third-party tool in almost a decade. I knew it was high, and Jamie confirmed it with a quick audit looking at Ahrefs (DR is their own metric, and it judges the authority of a site online).

A DR76 is a very highly rated site, no argument. It’s confirmation that the long-term marketing strategy I employed over two decades ago to get links from trusted sites worked.

Any third-party domain rating is fairly disconnected from the Google Quality score, though, and having purposely unpicked a lot on the Hobo site over the last few years in destructive tests for my tools, and letting it generally fall into disrepair, I am addressing the final parts of a full repair over the next 3 months, to bring the site to its highest E-E-A-T rating as possible.

Read on to find out how I am doing that, and how Jamie got that link on a fellow SEO’s site.

• Automated Content Production and Reuse Shaun Anderson highlighted the importance of automating content production and reusing content in multiple formats, particularly case studies for “E-A-T” (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). They explained that client interactions and meetings could be transformed into case studies, demonstrating an organisation’s authenticity (00:00:00). Shaun Anderson also noted that Hobo SEO Dashboard V5 will automate the publishing of anonymised case studies to clients’ websites, ensuring their online presence reflects their current work (00:01:17).
• Anonymised Case Studies for Lead Generation Shaun Anderson explained that in this test content strategy on the Hobo site, case studies are optionally anonymised but can be customised to include names if desired. They stated that these case study pages function as lead generation tools, connecting potential clients with the relevant experts in specific locations. Jamie Irwin observed with some disbelief that this strategy provides a non-paid organic backlink from a high Domain Rating (DR76) website, which Shaun Anderson confirmed as legitimate and editorially approved (00:04:27) – the type of links Google likes. Shaun emphasised that Hobo has never sold links on the Hobo site, and does not accept payment for links. All links on the Hobo site are editorially approved by Shaun Anderson in line with Google guidelines. Paid links are always marked with rel=nofollow. Any links without nofollow on Hobo to external sites are editorial and organically given (the definition of an earned, high-quality link). Being a paid Hobo user does not grant you a link on Hobo at any point. I have a long history of linking to people who help me create my work.
• Leveraging Deep Topical Content for Authority Shaun Anderson discussed the concept of “super topicality,” emphasizing going deep into specific tasks to produce extensive marketing content (00:03:00). They mentioned that their website includes verifiable facts, such as awards and past work with organizations like the NHS, to build authority (00:07:03). This approach, termed “weaponized transparency,” involves proving experience rather than just claiming it, with AI generating content from images and historical data (00:08:34) like photographs and letters, even pre initernet data.
• Strategic Content for Personal History and Mentorship Shaun Anderson shared that their website content, including their art portfolio and history before “Hobo,” is career-related and avoids personal details (00:08:34). They explained that they utilized Gemini to research and create a memorial page for their mentor, Bill Muir, who had largely disappeared from the internet, effectively preserving their mentor’s entity online and showcasing their own mentorship background (00:11:12). This strategy also allowed them to demonstrate their mentor’s identity to AI (00:12:38).

• Inference Optimization for Content Generation Shaun Anderson introduced the concept of “inference optimisation,” where factual information uploaded to a website allows for the auto-generation of content based on trends (00:12:38). They provided examples of how this strategy can be used to rank for specific terms, such as “number one Scottish SEO,” by amplifying third-party claims and integrating them into one’s own blog. Shaun Anderson noted that this method is factually correct and legitimate, even if based on external claims rather than self-proclamation (00:14:00) (00:16:22).
• Collaborative Content Strategy and Third-Party Validation Shaun Anderson discussed how their content strategy involves pushing up colleagues, Shaun recognises at least for their longevity in SEO, and collaborators, while simultaneously enhancing their own ranking (00:17:25) – eg pulling the levers that signify “brand” to Google. They highlighted the importance of leveraging third-party validation, such as mentions by reputable organisations, to create multiple blog posts targeting different keywords. Shaun Anderson emphasised that any form of third-party highlight, even a comment on a well-known site, should be capitalised upon for content creation (00:22:07) and publicisation.
• Ethical Content Creation vs. “Junk Marketing” Shaun Anderson distinguished their content creation approach from “junk marketing,” which involves using AI to promote one’s product as number one without factual basis (00:26:59). They explained their method of feeding Gemini factual documentation about their product (Hobo SEO dashboard) and asking it to objectively rank it among competitors, resulting in an honest, fact-based placement (00:28:28). This “inference optimization” ensures content adheres to facts, making it legitimate (00:29:46).

• Building a Digital Footprint and Consensus Optimization Shaun Anderson advised Jamie Irwin to leverage their formal education and professional history, such as a Bachelor’s degree in business and management, by documenting it on their website and LinkedIn profile to build “E-A-T” (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) (00:31:10). They emphasized beefing up content on LinkedIn, especially for business-related degrees, and consistently publishing facts across platforms to create a strong “digital footprint” and optimize for consensus (00:32:19) (00:39:51). Shaun Anderson also noted that Gemini now accurately reports his 25 years of SEO experience based on published facts, an increase from their previous “over 20 years” claim (00:33:37).
• Leveraging Testimonials and Strategic Content Duplication Shaun Anderson recommended centralising positive testimonials and duplicating the best ones across various sections of one’s website, such as the “about” page, or company history page in addition to the dedicated testimonials page (00:41:19). This ensures that AI models ingest these positive endorsements, contributing to a stronger consensus about one’s expertise or experience. Shaun Anderson also shared that they actively use Gemini 2.5 Pro for transcribing and deep research, enabling them to automate content creation based on facts (00:42:27) and 10X people-first content production.
• Brand Association and Content Generation Shaun Anderson discussed the strategic branding of “Hobo,” chosen for its unique meaning – a man looking for work and willing to travel – and its punk connotations from their youth, helping to disambiguate their name from others (00:43:48). They explained that this deep factual content allows AI to generate detailed bios and answer questions about them, supporting a perpetual content generation machine targeting better keywords (00:36:11). Shaun Anderson noted that this approach, detailed in their book “AI SEO 2025,” focuses on factually correct content to ensure longevity and helpfulness, avoiding “junk marketing” tactics (00:46:33).
• Collaborative Content for Geographic Targeting Shaun Anderson proposed a collaborative meta-example content strategy with Jamie Irwin, where discussions about expert-level AI and SEO content strategy could be transcribed and spun into blog posts for both their sites, targeting specific geographic areas (00:52:19). This approach leverages the power of Google Meet and Gemini to create legitimate, real-time content that demonstrates their expertise and geographic reach, enhancing their digital footprint and consensus in their respective locations (00:53:50). Shaun Anderson confirmed that they provide editorial approved links and do not sell them, ensuring the legitimacy of the backlinks provided through this collaborative process (00:56:42).
• Dashboard Sales and Automation Strategy Shaun Anderson explained that dashboard sales are tied to human connections and conversations rather than simple purchases (00:57:51). He is targeting a market of smaller agencies and independant SEO consultants because the traditional agency model is under pressure, and he aims for a fully automated and “agentic” operation, which will also benefit others using his dashboard (00:58:47).
• Content and Meeting Structure Shaun Anderson proposed that the current meeting serve as a content exploration, with a follow-up meeting dedicated to dashboard specifics (00:59:52). He plans to use the transcript from this meeting to create an example of AI SEO content creation, which will be shared with Jamie Irwin, demonstrating the process and allowing for review and agreement on published content (01:00:48).
• AI and Google Ecosystem Shaun Anderson discussed the impact of AI overviews on content traffic, noting that they have diminished the need for certain types of content that previously drove significant traffic (01:00:48). He emphasized his commitment to building within the Google ecosystem, including using Gemini for content creation, due to its security, privacy, and cost-effectiveness, particularly for coding within Google’s framework (01:04:19).

Suggested next steps

• Jamie Irwin will use any third-party validation to create ten factually correct blog posts targeting different keywords on their site.
• Jamie Irwin will duplicate their best testimonials on their about page, in addition to the testimonials page, to ensure AI ingestion.
• Jamie Irwin typed “Shaun Hobo” into the Gemini app and conducted deep research to understand the optimisation process for his own name.
• Jamie Irwin will receive a content sample for their blog with instructions on how to achieve consensus and this unique case study.
• Shaun Anderson will take Jamie Irwin through any questions about the dashboard in the next meeting.
• Shaun Anderson and Jamie Irwin will agree on what content stays up on their respective sites at all times.

FAQ For This Case Study

What is “Weaponising Transparency” and how does it relate to AI content and SEO?

“Weaponising Transparency” is a strategy focused on building an extremely dense and verifiable digital footprint of factual information about an individual, company, or entity. The goal is to provide so much credible, deep, and interconnected data – covering history, expertise, collaborations, and education – that AI models (like Google’s Gemini) are compelled to infer authority and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T: Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). This goes beyond simply claiming expertise; it involves forensically proving it with verifiable facts, enabling AI to generate accurate, authoritative, and perpetually self-optimising content that reflects true E-E-A-T.

What is “Inference Optimisation” in the context of content creation?

Inference Optimisation is the process of strategically uploading factual, verifiable information to a website and across a digital footprint to allow AI models to automatically generate content based on these facts and prevailing trends. Instead of directly stating claims (e.g., “I am the number one SEO”), it involves providing evidence (e.g., third-party mentions, awards, collaborations) that leads AI to infer and articulate these claims on its own. This method ensures content is factually correct, legitimate, and can be used to rank for specific terms by amplifying verified third-party endorsements and integrating them into one’s own content.

How does the “Weaponising Transparency” strategy utilise AI tools like Google Gemini?

The strategy heavily leverages AI tools like Google Gemini for various purposes:

• Scribing and Content Generation: Gemini can act as a scribe during meetings (e.g., Google Meet), capturing conversations and transforming them into the foundational text for case studies, blog posts, and other content assets.
• Research and Entity Establishment: Gemini can be used for deep research to fill in gaps in personal or professional history, such as creating memorial pages for mentors who have limited online presence, thereby establishing connections and demonstrating experience.
• Content Automation: By feeding Gemini factual documentation about products or services (e.g., Hobo SEO dashboard), it can objectively rank them among competitors based on facts, avoiding unsubstantiated “junk marketing.”
• Bio and Content Generation: A robust factual digital footprint allows AI to generate detailed bios and answer questions about an individual or entity, supporting a continuous content generation machine for better keyword targeting.
• Transcription and Research: Gemini 2.5 Pro is used for transcribing discussions and conducting deep research, enabling automated content creation based on verified facts.

What is the distinction between ethical content creation using this strategy and “junk marketing”?

Ethical content creation, as described, is rooted in providing verifiable, factually correct information. It focuses on proving expertise through evidence rather than merely claiming it. For example, when generating content about a product, factual documentation is provided to AI, which then objectively assesses its standing among competitors, leading to an honest, fact-based placement. In contrast, “junk marketing” involves using AI to create promotional content that asserts a product or service is “number one” without any factual basis or verifiable proof. The core difference lies in the commitment to truth and verifiability in the former, and the lack thereof in the latter.

How does building a strong “digital footprint” contribute to E-E-A-T?

Building a strong “digital footprint” involves consistently publishing and documenting verifiable facts about one’s education, professional history, awards, collaborations, and testimonials across various online platforms (e.g., website, LinkedIn). This dense network of interconnected, factual content provides AI models with abundant evidence of expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. For instance, documenting a Bachelor’s degree, awards, or work with reputable organisations (like the NHS in the UK) helps AI infer legitimate E-E-A-T, making content more credible and discoverable. The more facts an AI can ingest and verify, the stronger the consensus it forms about an entity’s authority.

How can collaborative content strategies enhance digital presence and SEO?

Collaborative content strategies, such as transforming joint discussions (e.g., via Google Meet and Gemini) into blog posts for multiple websites, can significantly enhance digital presence and SEO. This approach:

• Leverages Third-Party Validation: It allows for the co-creation of content that naturally incorporates and amplifies third-party mentions and collaborations, which are highly valued for E-E-A-T.
• Expands Reach and Keywords: Content can be spun to target different keywords and geographic areas across collaborating sites, broadening visibility.
• Provides Legitimate Backlinks: When conducted ethically (e.g., editorially approved links, not paid ones), it can generate valuable backlinks from high-authority sites.
• Demonstrates Expertise: The process itself of creating real-time, legitimate content from expert discussions inherently demonstrates the participants’ expertise.

What is the role of testimonials and personal history in this content strategy?

Testimonials and personal history are crucial for building E-E-A-T and informing AI models:

• Testimonials: Centralising positive testimonials and duplicating the best ones across various relevant pages (e.g., “about” page, in addition to a dedicated testimonials page) ensures AI models ingest these positive endorsements. This contributes to a stronger “consensus” about one’s expertise, leading to better AI inference.
• Personal History: Strategically documenting career-related personal history, education, and professional milestones (e.g., a Bachelor’s degree, past work with notable organisations, mentorship experiences) provides verifiable facts. This deep historical data allows AI to generate more detailed, accurate, and authoritative bios and content, showcasing genuine experience and background. The goal is to establish an “entity” online for both the individual and their connections (like a mentor).

Why is building within the Google ecosystem emphasised in this strategy?

Building within the Google ecosystem, including using Gemini for content creation, is emphasised due to several benefits:

• Security and Privacy: Google’s ecosystem offers robust security and privacy features, which are critical when handling sensitive information.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Utilising integrated tools can be more cost-effective, especially for specific tasks like coding within Google’s framework.
• Alignment with AI Overviews: As AI overviews diminish the need for certain types of content that previously drove significant traffic, aligning with the dominant AI ecosystem (Google’s) ensures content remains relevant and discoverable within evolving search landscapes. The strategy directly addresses how to optimise for how Google’s AI will interpret and present information.