Just need to vent and maybe get some advice. I run an appliance repair business, been grinding for 4 years doing everything "right" according to SEO guides:Unique content for each service pageProper schema markupGoogle Business Profile fully optimizedBuilding real local backlinks Getting tons of genuine 5-star reviewsNAP consistency everywhereThen I discover this competitor who's straight up DOMINATING every city in our state with clearly auto-generated pages. Like literally 1000+ pages following the same template:/service-city-state /appliance-repair-[city]-[state] /emergency-repair-[city]-[state]The worst part? Their content is basically identical for every city, just swapping city names. No unique info, no real value, just mass-produced BS. And Google LOVES it! They're ranking top 3 for every damn city.Meanwhile, I'm here spending weeks writing unique content for each location, doing proper competitor and demographic research, adding actual local information... for what?I checked in ahrefs - they built these pages 6 months ago and have been crushing it since. Same DA as me, similar backlink profile.Am I missing something? Should I just give up and do what they're doing? Seems like Google rewards this crap while punishing those who follow their guidelines.What would you do in my position? Keep grinding the "right" way or switch to mass location pages?
Look, I've been on both sides of this - hiring and getting hired on Upwork. And I gotta tell you, these AI-generated cover letters are becoming a huge pet peeve when I'm reviewing applications.Here's the thing: I can spot an AI-written cover letter from a mile away. That perfectly polished, soulless writing style? Yeah, it's like getting a form letter from a robot trying really hard to sound human. And when I see one on Upwork, I usually move it straight to the "probably not" pile.Why? Because:It screams "I couldn't be bothered to write my own thoughts"In my experience, these applications are way more likely to be from people who aren't actually qualified or serious about the jobIt's just... impersonal. Like, I want to hire a human, not ChatGPTNow, I'm not anti-AI. Using AI to polish your grammar or structure? Totally fine. Having it help you organize your thoughts? Go for it. But letting it write the whole thing? That's where I draw the line.The best cover letters I've seen are slightly imperfect but genuine. They show personality, directly address the job requirements, and actually sound like they were written by someone who read the job posting.What's your take on this? Are you using AI for your Upwork proposals? And if you're hiring, can you actually tell the difference?
Ugh, THIS. šListen, it's gotten so bad that almost all my Upwork job postings now get flooded with these AI-written proposals that all sound exactly the same. And the worst part? Some folks don't even bother to check what the AI spits out - I had someone apply recently where their cover letter was responding to requirements I didn't even list!Here's my automatic reject list:Proposals that start with that overly formal "I am writing to express my keen interest..." (Just talk like a normal person!)Those that somehow manage to be both extremely detailed and completely vague at the same timeCover letters that read like they were written by a corporate robot trying to sound humanAnd don't even get me started on Upwork's AI evaluation tool - it actually FAVORS these AI-written proposals! I turned that garbage off real quick.Look, I get it. You're trying to be efficient, save time, whatever. But here's the thing - I'm not looking for perfection. I'm looking for someone who actually read my job post and took 5 minutes to write their own thoughts about it. Even if it's not perfectly polished.Pro tip: If you're going to use AI (which honestly, fine for grammar and structure), at least read what it wrote and make it sound like YOU. Because right now, I'm getting the same cover letter 20 times with slightly different words, and it's driving me nuts.NOTE: And no, starting your cover letter with "BANANA" because ChatGPT told you to doesn't make it better. Yes, this actually happened. š¤¦āāļø