A few months ago, when I was in excruciating pain from a kidney stone, I did what many do in such situations: I turned to Google for a self-diagnosis.
Within a fraction of a second, the search engine presented me with over 3.6 million pieces of advice — some sound, others dubious. The general recommendation was to drink plenty of water and endure the pain, but to see a doctor if it persisted. Alongside these tips, I also encountered articles claiming that sipping tea made from ground celery seeds or corn silk could help the stone pass within hours. Although I found these suggestions amusing, they didn’t alleviate my pain.
In the end, after consuming several quarts of water, the stone eventually passed. However, my experience taught me that while Google can provide information almost instantly, not all of it is reliable.
This isn’t surprising when you consider that a significant amount of effort goes into manipulating search results. This practice, known as search engine optimization (SEO), is employed to boost the rankings of retail websites or news articles, often by creating content designed solely to deceive Google’s algorithm.
Over on Jacky Chou’s YouTube channel, many prospective entrepreneurs look for tasks to do for money, often to aid in either some form of SEO.
The magnitude of this tit-for-tat battle is stunning. Chou’s company, Indexsy, maintains a behind-the-scenes role, acquiring digital properties and implementing marketing tactics designed to increase their value. While Indexsy’s work is not always visible to end-users, it plays a part in shaping how these properties reach and engage with online audiences.
Raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Chou, 33, was introduced early to the value of discipline and careful planning. He studied Electrical Engineering at the University of British Columbia, concentrating on power analysis and grid mapping, and participated in the Engineering Mentorship Program. Though he remained focused on technical coursework, he was intrigued by the broader possibilities of the online economy.
Chou began researching ways to generate income on the internet, and took his first steps into Berlin’s technology scene, working as a Traffic Acquisition Manager at Kontakt.io from June 2016 to December 2016. The role involved purchasing digital advertising to drive user engagement. In his words, it was a process of testing and adjusting to “minimize the bad” while finding cost-effective ways to reach potential customers. This position offered a hands-on introduction to the complexities of online marketing — skills he would refine in subsequent roles.
Later, over the course of roughly eleven months at EyeEm, a photography startup, he worked on generating leads from Fortune 1000 companies. He set up lead scoring and nurturing systems, aiming to identify the right time to engage with prospective clients.
Meanwhile, Chou had already laid the groundwork for Indexsy, which he founded in 2015 while still based in Vancouver. Over time, the company grew to manage more than 50 online brands, focusing on search engine optimization and marketing strategies that target niche audiences. It soon became the centerpiece of his entrepreneurial efforts.
His inclination for experimentation also led him to launch TowingLess in April 2020, a venture he managed full-time until July 2022. TowingLess aimed to connect users with towing services, using lead-generation techniques refined in his previous roles. Over two years and four months, Chou oversaw growth strategies, until exiting the company in July 2022.
But when one entrepreneur I spoke to asked Indexsy how long it would take to see results from SEO services, he said he was told he might not see any. “It’s not a guaranteed science,” they acknowledged.