#153 - From Organic Farming to SEO: Greg Heilers Impressive Journey

Apr 7, 2026

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Greg Heilers recounts spending nearly seven years on organic farms and conservation projects worldwide before abandoning a planned culinary internship in Rome to move to Beijing after meeting his now-wife in Guatemala, shifting from “voluntourist” nomad life to building a home and transitioning into digital work.

He describes adapting to China as a foreigner, starting with English and cultural localization editing, then moving into writing and realizing he had entered the SEO content ecosystem, later specializing in offsite SEO and journalist outreach.

Greg contrasts “black hat” ROI-driven tactics with sustainable brand-focused strategies, discusses the costs of manipulating consumers, and explains how AI and platform deals (Google-Reddit, Reddit-OpenAI) reshaped SEO, pushing toward “SEO plus AI search.”

He shares how he manages learning and building time as a business owner, the realities of running an agency, contingency plans if the business failed, misconceptions about living in China, and practical earned-media steps, maintaining consistent brand identity and EEAT signals.

🟪 Timestamps

(00:00) Choosing Beijing over Rome?!

(01:23) Leaving the Nomad Life

(05:22) Culture Shock in China

(07:36) Falling into SEO

(11:01) White Hat vs Black Hat

(14:27) AI Reshaping Search

(20:20) Time Blocking for Building

(25:19) Problem Solving Reality

(29:03) If The Business Vanished

(32:50) China Opportunity And Safety

(39:06) Earned Media First Steps

(41:41) EEAT Explained Simply

(46:21) Connect with Greg Heilers

🟪 About the Guest

Greg Heilers is the co-founder of Jolly SEO, an agency that specializes in earned media. Jolly SEO has helped more than 500 clients earn over 25,000 brand mentions and backlinks, and is now offering Reddit services in 2026 as well!

🟪 Connect with Greg Heilers

Website: https://jollyseo.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregheilers/

🟪 Connect with Gabe Marusca

Website: https://www.gabemarusca.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gabemarusca
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemarusca/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabemarusca/
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gabemarusca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabemarusca
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gabemarusca