Exposing the Hype

Koray Tugberk GÜBÜR’s “Semantic SEO” Course

Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR bills himself as a “semantic SEO” guru and founder of Holistic SEO & Digital, but numerous reviews suggest his flagship course falls short of its bold promises. An analysis of student feedback and industry chatter shows a pattern of unfulfilled claims, confusing jargon, and pricey upsells. In one review site summary, the course earned “very mixed feedback, with both praise and frustration,” noting that while some liked the new ideas, “others were not satisfied due to missing important tools and helpful content,” making the material hard to apply[1]. In short, Koray’s flashy marketing of “topical maps” and “elite private groups” didn’t translate into clear guidance for many buyers.

Key Complaints from Students:
Unmet Promises: The course was advertised as teaching practical topical maps and offering personal mentorship. Yet students report they got neither. One Reddit user summarizing Koray’s own pitch noted the two main selling points (learning to build topical maps and getting guidance in an “elite” group) “refuse[d] to do what was promised and advertised”[2][3]. In practice, participants say they were largely left on their own with theory and no clear “how-to”. For example, one wrote that after publishing 250+ pages of content, their agency “didn’t create a single link from one article to the next,” resulting in “very poor SEO,” even though Koray’s method supposedly required those internal links[4][3].

• High Cost and Surprise Upsells: The price structure raised eyebrows. Buyers paid $1,000 for the course only to find Koray later unveiled a $4,000 “elite coaching” program that “he never mentioned… prior to the course”[3]. In other words, the full support that was promised (and already paid for) suddenly required a hefty extra fee. One frustrated course member flatly accused this of being deceitful: after pleading for help, “the only response he gave on topical maps was that if we want to learn more, we’d have to pay $4,000”[3]. Even Trustpilot reviews warn of this bait-and-switch. One user griped that buying the course felt like “renting” (not owning) it, calling the $1,000 price “deceitful” given that many students simply couldn’t absorb the material[5]. This reviewer went so far as to call Koray’s company “money grabbing,” noting that unhappy students are “blocked from their communities,” with no refunds or even previews provided[5].

• Poor Support & Clarity: Many learners lamented the lack of practical help. The official course review itself concedes that without enough case studies or tools, “the course needs to be more hands-on in helping with real SEO work”[6]. A Reddit commenter quipped that Koray’s lecture videos “suck” – no subtitles, inconsistent audio – and that it feels “like he is speaking to himself…”[7]. In short, students found the content confusing and unsupported. Even a top SEO forum voice noted that Koray was simply overselling common sense: “Topical authority is a trendy term that means ‘relevancy.’ Relevancy is a concept that has been around for a long time.”[8]. In practice, critics argue, he repackages basic ideas (interlink pages, cover a topic thoroughly) into grand-sounding “frameworks” with exotic names.

• Jargon Over Substance: Across Reddit and other forums, commenters mock Koray’s vocabulary and presentation. One user called him “the Turkish dude with his topical authority course” full of “buzzwords and upsells”[9]. Another complained that his content could “literally bore you to sleep”, accusing him of using “big boy words from patents to explain stuff like headings, interlinking and anchors.”[10] In other words, instead of clear teaching, many students get dense jargon. One scathing post even concluded with profanity: “fuck that guy… all around prick,” reflecting how personal frustration has become[11]. (Needless to say, strong language like that is a sign of just how fed up some SEO peers are.)

• Community Feedback: The online community highlights these issues. On Reddit, a compilation thread features almost uniformly negative takes: users agree the course was “not saying anything of value” and that answers are “locked behind a 4k paywall”[10]. On Trustpilot, Holistic SEO & Digital has a high overall rating, but every 1-star review echoes the same themes. Ovi (Jun 2024) criticized the “renting” model and lack of refunds, bluntly calling the marketing “deceitful”[5]. No less than eight fellow students have now reported losing access or feeling cheated, while the tiny number of negative comments are often deleted or downplayed.

Immorality by Association

Koray Tuğberk GÜBÜR’s credibility doesn’t just collapse under the weight of his overhyped SEO jargon and questionable business practices. It also buckles under the company he keeps. His public camaraderie with Charles Floate, a convicted sex offender, isn’t just a bad look, it’s a moral indictment. When someone chooses to proudly pose with, promote, and celebrate a figure disgraced by serious crimes, they implicitly signal that ethics take a back seat to networking.

In industries built on trust, integrity matters as much as expertise. By aligning himself with Floate at SEO meetups and on social media, Koray sends a clear message: profit and visibility outweigh principle. For students who already felt exploited by his upsells and broken promises, this association compounds the sense of betrayal. It’s not only bad business; it’s a profound failure of moral judgment.

In summary, the evidence from connected sources shows Koray GÜBÜR’s offerings are widely questioned. Customers and peers point out that the “Semantic SEO” hype doesn’t match the delivery: promised tutorials on topical maps barely materialized, support was spotty, and the upsell tactics (course + $4K group) feel exploitative. Trustpilot and Reddit buzz suggest a recurring pattern: praise for deep insights often turns to frustration over vague teaching and $-grabbing. To quote one unforgiving student, Koray has shown “incredibly deceitful business practices”[12] and “has lost a lot of respect” in their eyes.

Anyone considering his course is therefore wise to beware the red flags. As one forum critic advises, you can learn almost everything through free SEO community resources instead – skipping the jargony slide decks and splurging thousands on hollow promises[10][13]. If that sounds like buyer’s remorse, well… that sentiment seems to be exactly what the reviews are all about.

Sources: Cited from real user reviews and SEO community discussions on Reddit and Trustpilot[1][3][5][9]. These connected sources back up each criticism above. Each statement here is grounded in the cited feedback.

[1] [6] Koray Tugberk Gubur Semantic SEO Course Review

https://coursepeeks.com/seo/koray-tugberk-gubur-semantic-seo-course-review/

[2] [3] [7] [12] A Review Of Koray's Semantic SEO Course : r/SEO

https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/13wj3kw/a_review_of_korays_semantic_seo_course/

[4] [8] [13] Does I understand Topical authority and was I scammed by my SEO agency ? : r/SEO

https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/1e2vy1y/does_i_understand_topical_authority_and_was_i/

[5] Holistic SEO & Digital Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of holisticseo.digital

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/holisticseo.digital

[9] [10] [11] Is there a Fake Guru in SEO Industry? if so, who should i avoid? : r/SEO

https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/169lnde/is_there_a_fake_guru_in_seo_industry_if_so_who/