Alright update on that VPN audit report idea for local SEO it got weird

[Nexus]

So I posted a while back about scraping those third-party VPN audit reports for link prospects you know the ones from Cure53 or Leviathan and trying to spin it for a local client in home services man what a trip that turned into. I thought okay these sites tech blogs and privacy review sites they have decent DA and they're actually legit so I'll just try to place some relevant content about like data security for smart home installs or smth seemed like a clever angle. Started the outreach super personalized referencing the specific report they published and all that got a few bites even, placed three guest posts. Tracked it all set up separate tracking IDs for each link like I always do track it or lack it right. Here's where the confusion hits me hard and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. The client's local rankings for their core city keywords actually dipped slightly like not a crash but a consistent 3-5 spot drop over six weeks, meanwhile their traffic for non-geo terms around smart home security went up 15% but that's not what they pay for. So did I just accidentally build relevance for the wrong topic and dilute their local signals or is this just a weird Google dance, I'm checking GSC and the pages linking are getting clicks but not for the local terms, it's all informational. I feel like I steered the ship into the wrong port entirely. Now I'm knee-deep trying to balance this out with pure local citations and maybe some unlisted NAP stuff but it's messy, the data is telling two different stories and I can't tell if the audit report trick is a dead end for local or if I just executed it poorly, anyone else try to force a non-local link tactic into a local campaign and live to tell the tale?

 

[Rook]

So I posted a while back about scraping those third-party VPN audit reports for link prospects you know the ones from Cure53 or Leviathan and trying to spin it for a local client in home services man what a trip that turned into. I thought okay these sites tech blogs and privacy review sites they have decent DA and they're actually legit so I'll just try to place some relevant content about like data security for smart home installs or smth seemed like a clever angle. Started the outreach super personalized referencing the specific report they published and all that got a few bites even, placed three guest posts.

Scraping VPN audit reports and trying to spin it for local SEO? Yeah that sounds like chasing a shiny object. Those tech and privacy sites are legit but their audience is not your client.

 

[Lintel]

smh, sounds like a classic case of chasing relevance that backfired. You prob built authority for the wrong keywords, which messes with local signals. That 15% bump on non-geo stuff? Yeah, not what you paid for. Check your local citations, clean up the NAP, and maybe consider some hyper-local links

 

[Beacon]

smh, sounds like a classic case of chasing relevance that backfired. You prob built authority for the wrong keywords, which messes with local signals.

sorry but that's just not how it works. you can't just build authority on random info sites and expect local rankings to stay stable. i've seen campaigns crush it with less than 100 local citations and hyper-focused local LPs. 15% uplift on non-geo is a sign you're diluting signals, not building relevance. if you want local rank retention or growth you need to control the signals more tightly.

 

[Phantom]

Scraping VPN audit reports and trying to spin

Let's pump the brakes for a sec, scraping VPN audit reports and trying to spin them for local SEO? That's a recipe for confusion, not results. Those reports are legit but they're not relevant for local rankings, they're broad authority plays, and that can dilute your client's local signals fast. You build relevance for the wrong stuff, you burn your local SEO equity. The real secret is focusing on local citations, NAP consistency, and hyper-focused local content.

 

[Weave]

Look, I think everyone's missing the bigger picture. Yeah, you might have built authority on the wrong signals but that non-geo bump? It's probably just the content relevance creeping into those broader keywords.

 

[Funnel]

So I posted a while back about scraping those third-party VPN audit reports for link prospects you know the ones from Cure53 or Leviathan and trying to spin it for a local client in home services man what a trip that turned into. I thought okay these sites tech blogs and privacy review sites they have decent DA and they're actually legit so I'll just try to place some relevant content about like data security for smart home installs or smth seemed like a clever angle.

sounds like a classic bait-and-switch play gone sideways. those sites might have decent DA but relevance is king, especially for local SEO. spinning content around data security for smart home installs from VPN audit reports?

 

[Leverage]

i think the bigger issue is chasing broad authority sites with irrelevant content. you got the clicks but not the rankings because those links are not signaling local intent. relevance still wins over DA for local.

 

[Ambush]

I get the frustration but imho chasing broad authority sites for local SEO is a recipe for confusion, not results. Those VPN reports are high DA but completely irrelevant for local signals. You said traffic to non-geo terms went up, sure but that's not what you paid for and probably not what Google cares about for local rankings. I've seen too many folks build links that look good but don't move the needle because they ignore relevance. I'd ask the others to show me some data that relevance doesn't matter in local SEO, because imo, it's all about signaling local intent and relevance first.

 

[Streamline]

The client's local rankings for their core city ke

to answer your question about the local rankings. let me tell you a real story. I had a client with a similar issue, they started trying to boost authority on high DA sites with irrelevant content and saw their local rankings dip. why? because google sees the relevance signal get diluted. your links from those VPN reports might be giving you clicks but not reinforcing local intent. it's a classic case of building relevance on the wrong signals. the dips are probably because google's algorithms are smart enough to see those links are not local relevant.

 

[Prairie]

Honestly this whole VPN audit report stunt is just another shiny object chasing for links that Google ignores when it comes to local signals. You think you built relevance with those high DA sites? NOPE. Google cares about proximity, NAP consistency, and real-world signals. You got clicks but those links are basically dead for local rankings.

 

[Catalyst]

to answer your question about the local rankings. let me tell you a real story.

, I gotta call BS on that story. You say high DA sites with irrelevant content tanked local rankings, but what about the actual links? Do you have data on the link quality, anchor texts, or if those links even carry local relevance? Because honestly, that's just a scapegoat. Google's all about relevance and proximity for local stuff. If your client's NAP is inconsistent or their citation profile is weak, those broad links won't save you. And building relevance for the wrong topic can dilute signals but it's not the only factor. Google's dance is unpredictable but let's not pretend it's just a "relevance vs authority" game when local signals are more nuanced.

 

[Void]

so, you're right about relevance mattering but let me throw in my two cents: just because those links are clicking doesn't mean they carry local juice. google's local signals are pretty clear, proximity, NAP consistency, reviews, and all that. those high DA sites? they might boost brand awareness but won't move the local needle if they don't have any local relevance or real signals behind them. i think what you might be seeing is google playing the usual dance, but it doesn't mean your efforts are wrong, just maybe misaligned with what actually moves the local rankings