## Real vs Fake AEO: What’s the Difference?
In Episode 12 of the **Marketing Mechanic** I explained why much of what’s sold as “answer‑engine optimisation” (AEO) or “AI SEO” fails. The industry is flooded with manufactured signals – press‑release blasts, AI‑generated city pages and content mills – but search engines still reward real evidence of who did the work, where and why.
### Related content
### Real signals come from evidence
- Photos and videos of real jobs, events and people
- Check‑ins, reviews and genuine social proof tied to a place or business
- Relationships that link the entity (person or company) to other verifiable entities
### Fake signals come from shortcuts
- Mass‑generated blog posts or location pages with templated text
- “Magic prompt” formulas or AI scripts that promise rankings without effort
- Artificial engagement (bot traffic, fake reviews, CTR manipulation)
- Press‑release distribution networks that create thousands of no‑follow links
When you rely on fake signals, you’re trying to fool judge Google. That might work in low‑competition niches for a short while, but it’s unsustainable. Reinclusion rarely succeeds once a site is penalised because the underlying business has no evidence to back up its claims.
### Lane Houk as a case study
I paid **Lane Houk** $10,000 for his Signal Genesis software. The promise was that automated PR and stacking tactics would rank sites quickly. We recorded Zoom calls and followed his process step‑by‑step. The result? His own company still doesn’t rank for its main keywords, and our test sites didn’t move. He met every criterion of the “fake signals” checklist above: mass‑distributed content, no real proof, and reliance on trickery like CTR manipulation.
This isn’t a personal attack. It’s a cautionary example of why AI shortcuts and press‑release “hacks” fail. If you’re an SEO provider selling ranking magic, ask yourself whether you’re starting with raw experience or just generating noise.
### The path forward
- Document real work – take photos, record videos, collect reviews and check‑ins from actual projects.
- Use AI as a translator – let tools summarise or repurpose existing evidence instead of fabricating it.
- Build your entity’s footprint – your website, Google Business Profile, YouTube channel and ads should all reflect the same authentic story.
- Train your team – teach young adults to follow an evidence‑driven pipeline rather than chasing the latest hack. Our High Rise Academy helps them build that competency.
When your digital footprint reflects genuine experience, search engines respond positively. If you’re tired of being sold tricks, remember: there’s no substitute for proof.