Is it what SEO really is ?

[DiamondMiller]

I have enrolled in a digital marketing learning program . My mentors are teaching me SEO like this : We take someone's else post about 'how to connect with [ airlines name ] airline " . Replace our phone number on the post . and then share URL of our post on very old , laggy and shady websites and guestbooks. I am total newbie guys , Idk what SEO actually is and how it works and what's even the point of doing what we do .
I feel so drained almost soul dead by doing this type of tasks . It would be better if you guys can discuss how you started.

Thanks in advance to every person who commented and guided me .

[lappetma]

Hey, I totally get how you’re feeling right now. When I first started with SEO, I also felt overwhelmed by the “spammy” side of it — especially with tactics like link-building through shady sites. But as I dug deeper, I realized that SEO is actually about creating value: optimizing content so it helps people find what they’re looking for. The real key is focusing on quality — whether it’s writing content that’s helpful, getting real backlinks, or ensuring a positive user experience. If you're not feeling good about the approach you’re learning, it might be worth exploring different strategies or even talking to your mentors about shifting to more ethical SEO practices. Keep going, and don't lose hope! It gets better as you learn more.

[kornas111]

Hey, I see what you are talking about coz that approach sounds more like link spamming than real SEO. True SEO is about creating valuable, original content, optimizing your site structure, improving user experience, and earning genuine backlinks from relevant sources. It’s not just about copying posts or dumping links everywhere. For outreach and research I use tools like linkedIn scraper [https://www.linkedhelper.com/blog/linkedin-scraper/] that can help you identify potential partners or sites for collaboration more efficiently, but even then, the focus should be on building real connections and relevance, not just grabbing data. SEO is really about strategy and quality, not shortcuts.