Hyder Ali Zaman is a highly accomplished and experienced internet marketing professional with a successful track record extending 13+ years. His ability has helped startups grow into successful business enterprises, drive online marketing strategy in sync with the offline marketing tactics, deliver SEO results, cost effectively manage SEM / PPC / FB Ad campaigns, and use non-traditional yet highly effective organic (SEO) traffic driving techniques to help organizations become successful in any highly competitive online industry in any region of the world.
I was one of the earliest adopters of the internet and the World Wide Web, not only in Pakistan but globally. Back in those days, people did not know much about the internet. However, to me I could see the potential of the internet to actually change the world. I came to know about SEO through my own interest in the internet. For me, SEO has always been a passion to help online businesses succeed. And I strongly believe that when you work for passion, money automatically follows.
2. In the years you have worked in the industry, how have things changed when it comes to improving a site's search engine rank?
Yes, a lot, to say the least. Those old shoddy tricks up the sleeves of the so-called SEO experts to get you to the first page of Google do not work anymore. Google and other search engines have evolved a great deal. In the coming years, you will see a lot of people complaining that SEO is not working (many are already doing it). It is the SEO they know that is not working. Look, SEO is a patience-driven, watch and act kind of endeavor where you keep on adjusting to the changing dynamics. SEOs who are trying to get quick results will not see any success. Areas in which you particularly need to focus in the future include natural link building, social media marketing, blogging, guest posts, and relevant content marketing strategies. Niche-oriented focus would greatly help improve your site's rankings. SEO has finally become something which would only reward people who are willing to work hard and know what it actually means to be an SEO expert.
3. What are some common mistakes you see businesses making with their websites?
Here is my top list of mistakes online businesses really make.
a. They think onsite SEO is just a hoax and they do not really need to think about it much.
b. They spend so much money on paid advertisements, but eventually they run out of money. They should diversify and think about SEO and other ways of generating traffic online.
c. A lot of businesses do not pay any heed to social media marketing when it actually makes a lot of difference. Paid social media advertisement is good, but you also need to find a way to generate leads through other regular updates as well.
d. Old online businesses established for years think that mobile responsiveness is not for them. Google has already penalized such websites, and we are going to see more of that happening.
e. Content does not just mean rewriting everything which is already there. Instead it gives online businesses a way to connect with their customers.
4. What are some of your own best practices?
Here are some of the most important things for me in terms of SEO.
1. Content Marketing
2. Affiliate Marketing
3. SEM & SEO
4. Social Media Marketing
5. Guest Blogging
6. Onsite SEO (deep enough to identify and resolve onsite issues)
7. Offsite SEO
8. Work on domain authority and increase website's authenticity.
9. Evolve my overall SEO strategy in light of the changes recommended by Google and other search engines.
10. Diversify and rely on multiple sources of traffic.
5. What else would you like readers to know about you and your work?
Well, whomever you choose to work with, make sure they are worth their money. Do not work with anyone who does not understand everything and has not been proactively following SEO from the start.
I strongly believe in living up to my clients' expectations, and my work speaks for what I have done in the past. I have successfully helped many startups getting from zero sales to thousands of USDs or even more in revenues per month. I am passionate about my client's website and take every step to ensure that their interests are watched. No matter which SEO expert you wish to work with, always remember that experience has no shortcut. I do not promise my clients to deliver quick results but meaningful results where they can actually see the return on their investments.
Feel free to get in touch with me via email should you have any questions or need SEO consultation for your online business.
Paulo Sousa moved from Brazil to America in 1995. He has always been passionate about computers and technology, and around the same time that he came to the US, he began researching the workings of the internet. Soon he discovered the secret to ranking at the top of search engine results. This discovery made him one of the pioneers on SEO field, when this word still did not exist.
Over time, he became interested in e-commerce and attended Boston University to study web development. In 2010 he started a self-publishing website, www.e-selfpress.com. Since late 2015, he has been revamping and updating this site to provide more resources for customers. Learn more by following e-selfpress on Facebook. You can also learn more about Paulo and his work on http://www.askpaulo.com/.
1. How was SEO changed since you first began learning about it and using it?
When we look back 20 years ago, we did not have the idea of how SEO would change the way to do business online. SEO in those old days was a very simple thing to do, since the search engines then did not have enough technology to evaluate all aspects of the site. Today, the engines acts like a very smart human being, looking at every aspect of the site in order to deliver the best results for the searchers. Today, we have many more areas to work on each site to achieve a good recognition on the engines.
The engines are getting smarter and smarter, acting like a human. But 20 years ago, if you just created a good title for your site, it would be enough. Today, titles still remain as important as before, but they're just a fraction of the game. The engine needs to read your site, and follow the links from and towards to the site in order to understand what is the site is about.
It's very easy for a person who does not know SEO but understands HTML to make a web site and fail to please the search engines with information in the source code of the page.
To succeed today, you have to start with a domain where you have keywords on it, instead of choosing a URL that does not tell anything to the search engine. We always have a solution when we talk to our clients. Of course you can always work on names that do not have keywords in them. If you sell, for instance, mattresses, the ideal URL should have mattress in it. This factor increases your relevance to the engines, and a website with this behavior gets some consideration of the engine doing that.
In short, each business website is evaluated differently, but the evolution has been huge.
2. What interests you most about doing web development work?
First of all, I love to see the happiness of my clients at the delivery of the work. The second beauty of this work is to perform a search and see your results in the top results of search engines. This is a priceless reward.
3. Would you tell us a little more about how you and your wife got into writing and publishing e-books and how you found success in that project?
Before I had even thought about starting my self-publishing website www.e-selfpress.com, I wrote a book about Secrets of the iPad, since Apple did not sell the iPad with a manual. This book became a bestselling book in Brazil. After that success, I decided to create my own publishing platform to help people in Brazil.
With my knowledge on SEO, I received over 70K "likes" on my Facebook page ( www.fb.com/eselfpress) in just one year, and then I knew I was on the right path.
Last December (2015), I decided to invest $96K to rebuild the platform which will be done at the end of September (2016) when I will re-launch the platform with a wide advertising campaign on the internet.
The success came because people were looking for such services in Brazil. I had an entrepreneur here in USA and also in Brazil who came after me offering an investment in my eSelfPress project. I did not accept by that time, since I could handle financially the initial expenses of the project. So I declined, but now, after the new version been made available, I can talk with potential investors about it.
4. Why did you decide to start e-SelfPress, and what are the services you provide?
The decision to start e-SelfPress came after the success of my book "Segredos e Atalhos do iPad" when I discovered that the world was changing the way to buy, sell, write, and read books.
We provide a friendly environment where people can easily understand the concept of how to use our platform. We offer services such as cover design, proof writing, and a free ISBN for those who also buy our services for wide distribution on stores such as Barnes & Noble, Apple Store and more.
5. As someone who provides services to people in many different countries, what would you like people all over the world to know about you and your business?
We are very serious about business, and our goal is always make people happy by giving then the best option to write and sell their books. I know that writing a book is only part of the process: writers need to learn how to market their book.
We have a blog that we will teach writers how to succeed like I did with my book Segredos e Atalhos do iPad. That is going to be a big difference between e-SelfPress and the other guys. We are also going to help people who want to write a book and do not have an idea. We will help them to create content.
Justin Davis is a SEO (Search Engine Optimization) expert and internet marketer. He also has a website development company that builds websites for businesses and organizations. He is 31 years old. He travels as often as possible (which is quite a bit). In his spare time he watches documentaries, studies new business trends, hangs out with old friends, goes fishing and camping, visits with family, and studies his SEO (even when he has told himself he is supposed to be working).
Justin is a familiar face in the SEO world and on social media. He is a certified Google partner. His personal goal is perfecting the science of manipulating and removing bad Google search results in favor of his clients. He specializes in identity restoration services and other forms of search engine optimization tactics involved in fixing the search results page on the world's biggest search engine.
I started getting into search engine optimization because I just believe in the power of it. It's marketing that happens in live time, as the person is using a search engine and transcribing their thoughts into keyword phrases. It's at this moment, possibly right before the buying moment, that I want to be in front of the prospect with my product or service. Hence, search engine optimization.
2. What are some of the advantages for a small business when it comes to hiring one company to handle both web design and internet marketing, rather than working with separate firms for each?
I believe that most people in the internet marketing or web design industry generally prefer sticking to one specialty. It's pretty rare that someone is good at both. I personally specialize in SEO, and I have a designer to do all of the design aspects of my websites and ads, and a developer to bring it all to life. That's why I say we are so good at both. But my attention is on marketing. I let the website guys deal everything else.
3. I sometimes see people working hard on creating new content for their websites and not seeing results. What do you see as the secret sauce in terms of content being effective in gaining return visitors to a site?
I think you have to create content that adds value to the user. If they are not coming back, it is probably your fault for not getting their attention again. Did you retain their contact information when they visited your site? Are they part of your e-mail list? When you noticed a surge in traffic what was the source? Did you follow up with more high quality content down that avenue? Question everything, and monitor the results. Duplicate what works, and throw punches in bunches.
4. What added benefits to you bring to your business in being a certified Google partner?
It just verifies that I'm authorized by Google to have a high level of competence in various forms of marketing and how it is seen by Google and other professionals innovating the web. I think it just shows a validated credential. People like to know who they are doing business with. That's why I'm in business.
5. What else would you like readers to know about you and your work?
You can check out my website or call any time with questions on what we do and how it can help your business or organization. Also, check out our blog for updates and interesting topics in the search engine optimization industry.
Samantha Higgins is in charge of blogger outreach for Las Vegas SEO. She has created content strategies for casinos, surgeons, lawyers, and now the new clients under her guidance.
1. Your primary role for Las Vegas SEO is blogger outreach. What is that?
Well, here is the perfect example, ha. Blogger outreach is simply reaching out to people on a human level, connecting with them, and exchanging engaging, interesting content their readership would enjoy consuming for brand exposure and a chance to say, this is us…this is who we are. It's a win win for both the blog and website owner (their readership gets a new perspective), and for the client brand seeking to showcase their expertise and value to the community.
2. Do clients see the value in blogging or content marketing?
Luckily I don't focus on sales, but I tend to always hear feedback that the client was expecting boring results as they had experienced in the past through other article marketing or press releases. Once they start to see the time and quality and effort into their brand message and unique proposition, it really transforms their thought process from a necessary evil to--can we do more of this?
3. Forming relationships and reaching out to bloggers can be time consuming. Is this expensive?
Again, content outreach isn't for every business as it can certainly get expensive relative other inferior forms of advertising online. Some choose to do it themselves, but writing content, reaching out to contacts, and forming connections over social media is a full time job. We have systems in place, and my rolodex is insanely large and responsive because they know the quality of work I bring and willingness to help cross promote.
4. What are typical results from a large-scale monthly campaign?
We typically deal with three months to gauge the success of a campaign. Often we see Google love to see all the new content, and client's rankings begin to increase dramatically, and it makes sense. If you are a company, wiling to educate and inform potential clients of your expertise in your industry, Google and the search engines see this, and want to rank you higher. It's a sophisticated system which often gets complicated, but at the core it's about relevancy and popularity. Our outreach ensures both facets of digital marketing are addressed.
5. How is this better than competing Internet marketing agencies in Las Vegas Nevada?
The owners have been doing this for over ten years, and I've personally been writing and reaching out to press contacts for the last six years. It's just a really rock solid group of people that actually enjoy what they do, which can never be overstated. Client results are really the focus and it starts with a proper promotional strategy rooted in compelling content, which I'm happy to supply, coupled with massive outreach to website owners in Las Vegas as well as contacts worldwide based on your exact target market. To inquire about blogger outreach with Samantha contact:
Content Ray is a content writing agency that delivers ready-to-use content ranging from blog posts to press releases to sales letters and more. It offers high quality content at unmatched prices. Sabih Javed is a co-founder and marketing manager with the company.
1. How did Content Ray first get started?
We (me and Giuseppe Lo Giudice) started Content Ray in November 2015 and finally decided to register it as a business entity in January 2016.
It all started when I was working with Giuseppe on one of his blogs. Due to overwork, we decided to outsource blog post writing and publishing. As we were looking for blog writing services that would help us with getting some blog posts done, we found that most of the content writing services weren't cheap. The ones that were affordable returned content that was not acceptable.
Another major issue that we faced was lack of ordering content instantly, as most of the companies didn't have any online store (or shop).
It was then when we decided to launch our own blog and content writing company that would be cost-effective and allow customers to purchase content instantly from an online shop.
2. What types of content writing services do you offer?
We currently offer six different types of writing services at this moment:
1. Blog writing services 2. Optimized articles
3. Ebook writing service
4. Copywriting
5. Press release writing service
6. Website content
We plan to introduce a few other writing services in the future which include a guest posting service, weekly blog post package, and press release distribution.
3. Would you tell us more about your eBook writing services? Do you write both fiction and nonfiction?
We write both fiction and nonfiction eBooks.
As soon as we receive an order for eBook writing, we assign it to the most suitable writer. We hire a writer or choose one from one of the permanent writers we have on our team. We have five permanent writers on our team, so if a writer from our team has the right experience and skills to take the project, we assign it to him/her. Otherwise we hire a specialist writer and get the eBook written.
4. How do you balance keeping your prices affordable while also supplying good quality writing?
We have kept administrative cost to a minimum because we haven;t overstaffed. We have just seven permanent team members, and this helps us reduce costs significantly.
We have 50 freelance writers associated with our company who are ready to serve our content writing needs. We contact them on an as-needed basis, so you see we are not paying them any salary. This is one major variable that has kept our cost significantly low as compared to our competitors.
We have four different writing plans: Basic, Standard, Premium, and Premium Plus. The quality and thus the price of the written content varies. For instance, junior writers having experience of less than one year write content for Basic plan orders. This bifurcation lets us control the cost.
5. Is there anything else you'd like readers of this blog to know about Content Ray?
Content Ray is not one of those traditional content writing agencies that will deliver poorly written content; instead, it is a registered business that delivers top-notch content to its customers. We offer unlimited free revisions to make sure you get what you actually like.
Content Ray is your business's best friend.
Marc Heighway is an online marketing consultant who lives and works on the south coast of the United Kingdom. He has worked in the industry for over 15 years and specializes in helping law firms generate more business online. He was worked abroad and for some large companies and in this interview offers his insights into the world of online marketing, strategies, and some of his own personal experiences.
1. Could you please give a brief introduction to who you are and what you do?
Thanks for giving me the opportunity! I am English and have worked in the online sector since the year 2000. I currently run a business that provides online marketing services and lead generation to the legal industry. This involves quite a few different disciplines including search engine optimization and in-bound marketing strategies.
2. I know that you worked abroad for a few years--what's your insight into that experience, and do you have any advice you can give to other people thinking about doing the same?
Sure. Before I ran my own business, I was the European online marketing manager for an American company called Garmin. They moved me over to Switzerland to manage all their online marketing, and I ended up living in the north of the country.
It was a fantastic experience for my wife and me. We would wake up and see the Swiss Alps from our bedroom window each morning, traveled extensively, and tasted a very different way of life. If any of your readers are given a similar opportunity, then I hope they grasp it with both hands.
3. Could you tell me a little more about your own business and what exactly it is that you do?
For the last few years, I have run SEO agencies serving a wide range of clients. Many of our clients have been personal injury lawyers and personal injury solicitors. It made sense to start specializing in that field, because I think that you can bring a lot more value as a specialist marketing agency to companies in a particular field.
So with that in mind, recently the parent company of my SEO agencies that I own, FIMA Digital, has started to exclusively work with personal injury firms, in particular the field of online lead generation. On the FIMA Digital website there's a lot more information about how this works.
We provide specialist solutions to them, and help generate millions of pounds of business into the industry each and every year.
This also involves aspects such as an affiliate program which you can read more about on our corporate website. That lets other suppliers jump on board with us and start monetizing their content to visitors which can then go into use the services of the UK solicitors and accident claims companies that we partner with.
4. What does a typical day involve in your offices?
Currently, it seems to involve a lot of phone calls from our clients. My role is really to be the main point of contact for the firms using our services, providing the specialist knowledge to them, whilst the employees of FIMA then action the strategies that I have helped to develop.
No one day is the same.
5. How it the world of online marketing changing, if at all?
Good question. I think that search engine optimization in particular is changing, and has undoubtedly become more difficult over the last two years. This has meant that a lot of the old agencies who didn't really understand it have started to drop off.
Consequently, there is a demand for more specialist support, which is how I view FIMA Digital and how our proposition fits with the aspirations of our clients.
6. One more question! Do you have any tips for aspiring online marketers and have any advice on what they could do?
I started out with SEO, building my own websites which I then ran through affiliate marketing channels. This is a great way to start if you want to dip your toes into the industry. I also think that it's very worthwhile now looking into paid search, because ultimately you don't want to have all your eggs in one basket as can often be the case when relying just on organic search traffic.
Dan Anton is an Army veteran who has found success as an online marketer and SEO expert. After experiencing a a combat injury in 2008, he found a new career online--in fact, within six months, his online business had made him over a million dollars. See a full list of Dan Anton's military achievements and awards at http://dananton.com/awards-testimonials.
1. Before you were known as one of the best online marketers in the world, you were in the Army. Can you tell us a little about your military life?
When the towers fell on September 11, 2001, I was 21 at the time and ready to graduate with honors from Mount Clair State University. This event altered my life forever; I decided right then and there that I was not only going to become a soldier, but I was ready to defend America and aggressively pursue anything that threatened her existence.
I didn't want to just "join"--I wanted to test myself, which is why I became an Infantry Army Ranger, and retired as a Major, completing two tours of combat duty in Iraq. I received two bronze stars for combat related actions, but on my last deployment my convoy was hit by an IED, badly injuring my spine, which directly led to my next career, online marketing.
2. You primarily focus on SEO, and software. How does it work?
SEO is short for search engine optimization. One of the lessons I learned from the Army was systemizing and streamlining processes. Creating large websites, optimizing them, and promoting them is more akin to a science than random happenstance. Of course, the human element is critical, which is why experience and the right team in place is critical to success.
Simply put, I develop SEO software and services that deliver results.
3. How useful is your computer science background for your career?
I've always been fond of working with computers and technology. Even before going to Officer Training School, I studied Computer Science. Fast forward to today: it's invaluable as it allows me to not only see problems from a "coder" perspective but also intelligently lead and critique our development team. Considering the bulk of our business is software based, college helped prepare me well.
4. What was your first venture online?
I've been making money online since 1999, when I use to sell informational guides for video games such as World of Warcraft and sell used video games online. My military career always came first, so I had to back burner a lot of ideas until I had more time and more money. In 2006, around the time of Myspace and social networks popping up, my brother and I created a social network for gamers. We had thousands of loyal members but just didn't have the big venture capital required to launch a massive website to rival Myspace, Facebook, Reddit, etc. It taught me a great lesson on scaling properly, cash flow, and focusing on services to help others, versus trying to be an island and achieve success alone.
5. Do you have advice for anyone looking to switch careers?
Never switch careers because you are picking the lesser of two evils. There are so many different ways to make money and/or help others, so you should really sit down and think about what type of person you want to become, and not force a decision. In my case, I knew my military career was over, but a new, growing passion pulled me towards helping business owners achieve even more success. The more you attempt to help others, the more you will see a new career unfolding before you as a service is a need, and if it's a need it can become a fine-tuned skillset to earn a living as a career and not just a job.
If you are a business owner and wish to reach out about our Atlanta SEO brand, follow the website and contact form.
Andrew Hendricks grew up in southern Mississippi, and he now lives in Davis, California where he manages his team at Human Creative Content where he is editor-in-chief.
In his own words: "I founded HumanCreativeContent.com to help my clients make the Internet a slightly less crappy place, one website at a time." Learn more about the ways that Human Creative Content supplies written and visual content to websites by checking out their creative services page.
1. For you as a writer and a reader, what distinguishes human-focused web content from other content that's out there?
Too many people have come to the philosophy that because you can publish instantly on the web, web content matters less. With the continuing shift to all-digital media, this is an oddly myopic view, considering there is a HUGE demand for high-quality, thoroughly edited content that is entertaining to read. Just because a story isn't printed on dead trees doesn't mean your reader wants it to be any less entertaining.
2. What would you say are some common misconceptions that small business owners have about SEO?
SEO is a process, not a thing. If someone is selling you "SEO," there's a good chance they have no idea what they're talking about, or more likely, they're hoping you don't. SEO is Search Engine Optimization--it means making your content able to be understand by Google. It doesn't mean writing nonsense, keyword-pumped articles.
The biggest misconception business owners have is thinking that getting their blogs respected by Google is the goal. That is just an aspect of getting your content seen by the viewer, and THAT is what matters. Google can tell if your link was viewed for half a second or 30 seconds, and it treats the two VERY differently.
3. Is it really so difficult to get visitors for a new website, or are people making things hard for themselves without realizing it?
People are focusing on the wrong things. I see this so often--it's not that so many of these website owners are lazy, but you can spend hours and hours trying to funnel traffic to your website, and if you have a fundamental lack of understanding regarding what type of reader you want, then you're really just talking past each other. It is hard to write web copy that doesn't sound like an infomercial or a carnival barker, even if your business is a totally legitimate one.
Getting coherent, concise copy to explain your website is the #1 most important step in even beginning to optimize your web presence and try to get viewers. You want to make sure they have something to view first.
4. What do you enjoy most about your job?
I have found the transition from freelance hustler to Editor-in-Chief very satisfying, but not for the reasons I would have thought. Now owning my own business and publishing platform, I am the first paid gig and portfolio piece for many new talented writers. Being that first leg-up is very rewarding.
5. What is your best advice when it comes to creating a website that people will want to visit again and again?
They used to say "content is king," and that's still true, but all content is not created equally. I don't mean just SEO-oriented blogspam, which has its own problems, but any good website should have content that is tailor-made to the brand and that clearly and coherently explains what the website is, who it services, and why it is a good thing that it exists. This sounds very basic, but you'd be surprised how many people skip this process entirely.
Matt Anton is an online marketer with a current focus on SEO, also known as search engine optimization, creating products and services to help clients rank their businesses in Google.
1. You and your brother spent a long time learning-by-doing before starting your own company. What ultimately was the tipping point that led you into going into business for yourselves?
The tipping point was when I had a corporate job as an online marketing manager of a billion dollar travel agency, and I realized the companies we were outsourcing to, i.e. the SEO agency and PPC agency, were not doing a whole lot to earn the amazing amounts of money the travel agency was paying them. I loved the corporate job at first because I wanted to really help with my knowledge and passion, but the red tape and middle man mentality really left me wanting more. Around the same time, my brother Dan Anton was injured from a combat IED in Iraq; he is a retired Army Ranger Major having completed two tours in Iraq, receiving two bronze stars for valor in combat. He didn't want to be a desk general, and so he started to get more serious about our online marketing efforts. From 2006-2011 we were both part-time online marketers, though we made some money with it. In 2011, the corporate rat race was over, and Dan and I were ready to take the plunge and provide services to other marketers.
2. How would you summarize the scope of your business and how you help people?
Our mission is to help businesses achieve more success, and the vehicles were currently use to get there are focused around SEO, search engine optimization, and social media marketing. Dan and myself played video games constantly growing up, so we always love to figure ways around systems, test them, break them, and thrive at them. SEO and online marketing is just a game, and we love it, and there is no better feeling in the world than helping others, so it's a true win-win.
3. Why is it important to hire a professional SEO consultant rather than only taking a DIY approach to online marketing?
I believe if you hire someone you should always have a basic understanding so you don't get taken advantage of; however, the economy runs smoothly because everyone has a specialty. You wouldn't expect your local butcher to change your oil and fix your broken arm. If you have a real business, you need to have a real SEO consultant/service behind it; otherwise you will be dividing your efforts.
4. What are some things that people can do for free to help build reputable backlinks to their websites?
A great user experience. It sounds cliche that a quality website and content means a lot, but it truly does. In my younger years, I assumed all it took was the right mass media machine and all would work out. While it's probably easier to promote a decent product with mass marketing, few of us have this type of budget, so the easier solution is to create a great product (website/content) and have effective marketing behind it. Reaching out to others and begging sounds good in theory, but it's a waste of time. Would you want to link out to someone begging you for a link? Relationships are good, but they are founded on trust, and that starts with your reputation, which is directly linked to your internet presence and content.
5. For people who have always wanted to be entrepreneurs but have never quite managed to take the leap, what's your advice?
Keep your day job. I lived in my parents' basement more or less for years while I worked odd jobs saving up the funds to start. The thing about services is you don't have to invest much money at all to help someone else; most services can be time consuming, not capital consuming, so do it before or after your regular full/part-time job. It will make you appreciate it more, and not having a job while you work on your journey will make you desperate and take unnecessary risks and decisions. You'll know when you are ready when your workload begins to exceed hours available, and then you go down the outsourcing/delegation rabbit hole.
Based in Maryland, Charles Silberman is a physical education teacher who currently teaches P.E. to 800 elementary school children every week. He has been teaching for over ten years. When he's not teaching, Charles is working as a freelance writer, specializing in SEO content. He also writes a monthly column for the Maryland Association of Health, Recreation, Physical Education, and Dance, and his articles and blog entries have been published on a variety of websites. Charles also enjoys writing poetry. Learn more about him by visiting his educational portfolio.
Most recently, Charles has found a venue for his freelance work on the website, Fiverr. Check out his Fiverr profile and available gigs at https://www.fiverr.com/silberma1976. You can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook. His current offerings include SEO-optimized and well-researched web content, product reviews, data entry, and custom-written poems. Here's a video about his writing work.
1. What inspired you to set up a seller's account on Fiverr?
As a teacher, I am lucky I get to do something I love every day: help positively mold the lives of our youth. However, that does not come with the highest salary, so I am always looking for ways to help make some extra cash to pay student loans and save for retirement.
I came across Fiverr while reading an article on how to make extra income. The article described the site and what it took to get started. I decided to look into it, and I saw it was a legitimate option to earn extra cash for my skills.
In my professional work as a teacher, I have been able to use my writing to help advance my field. I have written articles that have been published in state and national publications and websites relevant to health and physical education. In addition, I have written curriculum, and I have presented at local and state conferences on my subject matter. I have always loved writing, and I was ecstatic to be doing education-related writing projects.
There came a point where I not only wanted to monetize my writing, but also use it to help others achieve their goals in advancing their passions along the way. I saw Fiverr as a way to do this.
2. How do you decide what gigs to offer, and what do you feel makes your work unique?
I decide what gigs to offer based on my strengths and things I have found success in. As I mentioned already, I love to write! I am good at it, too. So I decided that my first few gigs would be my writing gigs. I started with a poetry gig, and then added two SEO content gigs. One is for SEO website content. And one is for SEO article content. But I really will write most content or articles. These gigs are entry points, and I find people usually see you're good at a skill, and they will ask for you to use it to do other projects besides the one specific to the gig.
Another gig I have is for teaching people how to make money and earn rewards through online surveys. This is because I have been doing online surveys for a little over a year with booming success. I have earned $2400 in Amazon gift cards and about $800 in cash, and been able to test and keep many products such as cereal, blenders, shoes, and so much more. I know there are people out there who could use some extra cash and gift cards. I have seen it from helping friends start with online surveys to find their own success. That led me to turn it into a Fiverr gig. I just know there is a single parent out there or another teacher like me who could benefit from this service.
What makes my work unique is that every gig is based on a skill where I have found success. I am not trying to mislead anyone. I am an honest, hardworking person, who is taking his successes and using them to try to help others find similar success. You could say in a sea of people looking for a quick buck, I am genuine about my intentions, and my experience and work I produce shows as much.
3. Would you tell us a bit about your day job and how you balance it with your freelance work?
I am a physical education teacher at an elementary school. I have been doing this for 12 years, and I have routines and rituals that help keep me organized and productive at my day job. This allows me to leave my work at work. I also work a second job part-time to help pay down my student loans. So, I am busy to start with. I am able to maintain a balance through routines.
I dedicated a certain day and amount of time to each endeavor. I have set days I work my second job. I schedule in my Fiverr work along with any personal occasions. I use the weekends to catch up, and if I cannot take a gig, I will negotiate what I can handle or be honest and not take it.
In addition to scheduling, taking time for me helps with the balance. I make sure to set aside days and times to exercise and socialize. These times help me keep grounded and productive in other areas of my life.
4. How did you first become interested in writing poetry, and what makes for an interesting poem, in your opinion?
I have been writing poetry since I was 14. It started as an outlet for some teenage angst, and grew from there. I used to keep notebooks of poetry, and I would share it with my dad who always gave me positive feedback on it. So, it was more for personal reasons then anything else.
I put it away for a while as I grew. But I turned back to it time to time, especially during tough times. I have always had a natural ability to sit down and express myself in poetry in a way I cannot verbally. Over the years, I started to use my poetry for local community organizations, to give to colleagues as end of the year gifts, or to publish along with the nonfiction writing I did for the publications related to my profession.
I decided that it was worth sharing that gift with others through Fiverr. If I could write a poem for someone who wanted to communicate something special to someone special, it would be worth it.
5. As someone who has participated in the Fiverr community as both a buyer and a seller, what keeps you coming back to Fiverr--and what would you say to people who haven't yet given it a try?
I keep coming back to Fiverr because it works. It is something that is easy to get started on with little up-front investment time-wise or financially. The tools they provide help you grow and manage your gigs. You will find people on the site with exceptional talents you would not otherwise find. It is a one-of-a-kind place.
As a buyer, I can get a second set of eyes on written work for my profession. For example, I had written a book proposal that I wanted to send to publishers, and I found a Fiverr seller to help edit it. So far that has paid off, as the book is garnering some interest with a major Physical Education and Health publication. As a buyer, Fiverr give you access to people that can help further your goals in life.
As a seller, I stick with it because it is paying off. I have seen steady growth in my gig purchases since I started two months ago. I honestly wrote Fiverr off after a month of no gig purchases. Then one order came, then another, then another, and now I am a level one seller all of a sudden. It is extremely gratifying to not only get paid for something you love to do, but to get such positive feedback on your work is a thrill. To know people like what I do and that it is helping them is an amazing feeling.
The big reason I stick with Fiverr is because I feel a part of a worldwide community of like-minded people. I have worked with and communicated with people from all over the world. From London to Louisiana, I have met some very kind and endearing people doing wonderful things. I have learned new things about new places, and I have learned more about life on Fiverr because of the kindness of the community.
I would tell newcomers to reach out for help and stick with it. When I started, I had someone who was sort of mentoring me on how to be successful on Fiverr. He really helped me so much. And now he has given me work as I have given him work. Other Fiverr sellers have helped me with advice, too. Being patient was the biggest piece of advice I got. So, to someone new to this, I would say, reach out to experienced sellers for help, follow the advice that they and Fiverr give you because it works, and be patient as it takes time to see results.
Lastly, I would caution that you have to know that you are starting a small business when you start on Fiverr. Keep that in mind as you build your gigs over time. You will have to consider marketing and social networking.
Rafi Chowdhury is the founder & CEO of Chowdhury's, co-founder of myCampusHacks, and an experienced digital marketer and chess coach based in Memphis, Tennessee. He helps companies in Memphis grow their revenue by directing targeted visitors to their websites. A graduate of the University of Memphis, Rafi Chowdhury holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. He is the owner of numerous awards and accomplishments including Shelby County Chess Co-Champion and winner of the Mid-South Psychology Conference, and he has been ranked among the Top 100 best young chess players in the nation. He has appeared on Commercial Appeal, ABC News, and United States Chess Federation, and has recently been featured on The University of Memphis Magazine, Startup Dhaka, and numerous other blogs and magazines. Rafi is currently working as a Digital Marketing Specialist at Total Concept Graphics in Memphis and consults with other local businesses about their marketing campaigns.
1. How did you first become interested in digital marketing?
I got into it when I was marketing my chess projects via Facebook. Then, I was interested in trying to increase my social following, so I learned more about social media marketing in the process. But it was not until I launched my personal blog, www.rafichowdhury.com, that I really began to understand what digital marketing is all about. I began experimenting on that site and learned a ton of stuff in the process about how to get traffic.
2. Does your academic background in psychology come in handy in your work with helping people get more traffic for their websites?
Most definitely. I use psychology all the time to figure out exactly what will appeal to a user. I begin by figuring out who the customer is. Then from there, I try to learn as much about the customer as possible and their behaviors online. Only then, I go about figuring out things such as the best platform to advertise to them, what sort of content to create, how to design the proper sales funnel, etc. Creative marketing is really nothing more than applied psychology, if you think about it.
3. What's the importance of getting local when it comes to building an online presence, and what are some specific ways that you help local businesses in the Memphis area?
You want to start local simply because it's usually low-hanging fruit for most businesses. If you are a local business and you can effectively dominate search engines for local searches better than your competitors, you can seriously grow your business. Google is taking local searches into account a lot more these days. In fact, Google is putting heavy efforts to get Google + to become even larger, so Google is now giving some special ranking privileges to those companies who have a large Google + circle and are sharing good content on their Google + and Google Local business pages.
When you do on-page optimization, focus on local keywords and focus on local on-page optimization. Try to rank for long-tail local keywords while taking into account commercial intent keywords. So, for example, the keyword "carpet cleaning facts" may be something a user is searching for when they are looking for more information about how they can clean their own carpet. On the other hand, the keyword "cheap carpet cleaners" is a commercial intent keyword since this user is probably later on the in the sales cycle and has already done his or her research and now is ready to hire or find an affordable carpet-cleaning company in his area. So, a small business owner (carpet-cleaning company, let's say) who wants to rank for local searches, may want to invest in the keyword "cheap carpet cleaner Memphis, TN," for example, if he wants to get business in the city of Memphis.
This is the kind of research I do to find out exactly the kind of keywords a business may want to target. I use Google Webmaster Tools, Google Adwords, Google Keyword Research tools, MOZ, and other analytics platforms to gather this kind of data. Once I have done keyword research and found the proper keywords to target, I then find out where the customers are and create unique content to market to these customers. It's really a lot more complex than this, but I don't want to bore everyone with all this technical stuff!
4. How would you define the role of chess in your life?
It has helped me in networking and learning self discipline, but most importantly, it has taught me how to do long-term planning and decision making. Almost every decision I make now, I think about how it might affect me in the future. I really do think this is one of the most essential qualities to have in order to stay focused. You have to always be able to see the forest through the trees no matter how complex the present situation gets. Chess has taught me that, along with like a million other things. If nothing else, it paid all my bills starting from early high school until now! Although no longer active in national tournaments, I still sometimes play in an occasional tournament casually or hop online for some speed chess games.
5. If you could give just three pieces of advice to anyone who is wanting to grow their business, what would you say?
1. If you do not have an online presence, you need to. Build a mobile-responsive website for your business.
2. Focus on creative marketing for growth hacking purposes. Be as transparent with your target market as possible. Remember, people buy why you sell them, not what, so be sure to sell them the vision first.
3. Content is King. This is the information age. Those companies who give out the best pieces of information for free will establish themselves as the top dogs within their particular niche. Target your niche and just give away as much free content as you can. Then, focus on how you can turn these visitors into paying customers. You have to be willing to experiment and learn (and be creative!).
It always makes me happy when an internet marketing company has an informative, content-rich blog. To me, it demonstrates that the company is sincere and really knows how to do their job well. Akado is one such company. Founded in Finland just over ten years ago, Akado offers services in SEO, online reputation management, and more; they also offer services in Russian.
When I visited the site, the most recent article was a thoughtful piece about the differences between manual and automated SEO. In short, automated is cheaper, but manual is more likely to return results because you actually have someone sitting down to write meaningful content and to work on creating quality links.
I was also interested in a recent article on online reputation management for doctors. This makes a lot of sense to me because I know that when I get a referral to a new physician, I look the person up online. Even one bad review online can create a reduction in patients choosing a doctor. It really is a different world today where "word of mouth" can easily become distorted.
If you're interested in increasing your visibility online in Russia, Akado's site has some relevant articles for you. I learned about the popular Russian search engine, Yandex, by scrolling through the posts on the site. There are several articles on Russian SEO and how to reach the Russian market more effectively.
Akado's blog is officially known as its "news" page, and the articles are archived by year. Check out the articles from 2015 here, the articles from 2014 here, and the articles from 2013 here. It is definitely worth browsing these archives if you have even a passing interest in how you can improve your web presence and search ranking.
I'm always interested in learning more about search engine optimization, so it's good to find a company that does SEO work and maintains a blog on the topic where people like me can read up on the latest information in the field.
OOm in Singapore provides SEO services and publishes info about their work on their blog.
One topic of note to those with an interest in increasing or maintaining their website's rank in the search engines is the methods of adapting to search engine updates. The most recent post on the OOm blog at the time that I visited addressed this topic and discussed how to avoid cheap and easy "fixes" and instead maintain a calmer, longer-range perspective. As the post points out, search engine updates actually addressed issues that are common sense when you think about finding quality content--do you want to read short, keyword-stuffed articles? Probably not!
Other blog posts address how to build the best site you can build, both in terms of readers wanting to read and return to it and in terms of the search engines ranking your site well. The bottom line is that you need to think of your readers to produce solid content that can help your site in Google and the other search engines. To quote one of the OOm posts: "Be honest in building your site... Your audience is smart so take care of them."
OOm offers a lot of different services for people who are looking to improve their websites. They offer SEO, search engine marketing, social media marketing, and more. They can help you create quality content, and they can help you create click-worthy banner ads. Really I think that reading their blog gives you a good idea of their mindset, and I appreciate their balanced, honest perspective.
In the end, creating a good site requires an investment of sincere effort. Who is your audience, and what do they want to know? These are the kinds of questions that OOm will help you ask. Their site demonstrates their aesthetic by providing useful information in an easy to navigate format.
Ryan Eagle is a successful serial entrepreneur who got his start building websites and selling virtual items for Diablo II. With his network of websites, he began expanding into AdSense and affiliate marketing income. After many years of running online businesses, he shifted into importing/exporting through his business, Response Commodities, and he continues to pursue other "tangible" business opportunities. Ryan also has a strong interest in doing philanthropic work.
1. When you first became interested in computers, what was it specifically about the internet that made you direct your efforts there (rather than, say, writing software)?
To be honest, I don't know what exactly attracted me to the internet, computers in general, or business! I was generally a normal kid otherwise--I played sports, rode bikes, loved camping, and preferred to be outside. I've been using computers since Windows 3.2 although I remember I really gained more interest when I was in 4th grade. Since I was a young kid, my role model was Bill Gates, and I always admired his work and what he was able to accomplish from his life. When I was in 2nd or 3rd grade I had dreams of building my own software company called "EagleCOM."
When I moved back to Chicago from Texas, I remember the first winter I endured and I couldn't go outside. I spent the entire winter on the computer learning the ins and outs. When I was in 5th grade, I made my first website from scratch by reading HTML for Dummies. When I was 14, I made my first money online. When I was 16, I was catapulted into massive success from websites that I had created and never looked back.
2. Why did you decide to shift your career from affiliate marketing and ad-based income into a "tangible business"?
I started doing affiliate marketing in 2005, and after closing my last affiliate marketing based business I wanted a challenge. I didn't want to default to my comfort zone knowing that it would make me quick money fast. I wanted to develop new businesses in new sectors that were a challenge to me; I wanted something new; I needed a new challenge.
3. In your experience, what are some of the challenges for someone with a long history in online business to move into a very different field?
For me, the biggest challenge was basically starting from scratch and learning something from the ground up. I learned huge lessons from my last companies that I pulled into new businesses, but when transferring to completely new sectors, it was quite the challenge. At times, I wanted to jump back and get right into affiliate marketing again for the quick money, but I remained determined. I refused to give up, and like every time in the past, it paid off.
4. How do you currently balance your time between your companies and your philanthropic work?
To be honest, I could do a lot more than I currently do. I take the easy road out by doing things like donating my money rather than actually getting involved. Instead of committing funds to specific foundations, I've been trying to invest into individuals by paying for scholarships and things along those lines. This question reminds me that I need to get a lot more involved, both financially and physically.
5. You describe materialism as being a good motivator, but what would you say keeps you grounded--or to put it another way, what makes you happy at the very end of the night when reflect on how your day went?
Material things are far less important to me than they used to be. At the end of the day, all of those flashy things are simply metal objects or clothing with cool symbols on them--they come and go, just like money itself. Nowadays, I live a lot more modestly than I used to, and I prefer to keep a lower profile than I ever have because all of that does nothing but build a false ego. At the same time, I don't deprive myself of the rewards of working hard--it's just not as important to me.
To keep grounded, I pray to God and give him thanks for anything that I've been given. I also value my relationships with others far higher than anything material. My family, my girlfriend, and my true friends mean more to me than anything I can buy. They are the ones that stick through the tough times--and like any person I’ve endured those times, too.
Thank you for taking the time to interview me! I really appreciate the opportunity.
Mohammed Alami is a SEO strategist and e-marketing consultant based in Montreal. He is very experienced in SEM (search engine marketing) as well as SMO / SMM (social media optimization and marketing), and he holds a master's in e-commerce. He is just launching a new website, Mozalami.
1. How did you first become interested in e-marketing and SEO?
After launching TEXILOG in Morocco in 2004, I began specializing in web marketing in 2007. Of course I began with the creation of websites, web design, and flash animation, etc. I did a variety of work within the web agency that I had started. But I quickly realized that the return on investment (ROI) was the main KPI (key performance indicator) for measuring the success of businesses' internet projects. So I got interested in SEO, which is the safest way to drive traffic. It has a major advantage compared to traditional marketing techniques: its price. It's not cheap, but it's definitely affordable!
2. What can readers expect to find on your new site, Mozalami?
The site is dedicated to SEO and internet marketing services, and includes web marketing advice and strategies for e-commerce. Social networks are no exception as I do some consultancy in this area, too.
At the same time, Mozalami is my new blog. The name is the contraction of "MOZ" (for marketing optimization) and my name "Alami." So it will be also my SEO journal. Readers can subscribe to my feed and follow me on social networks to get the latest news, information, and analysis of search engine optimization strategies and tactics that drive results.
3. I feel like SEO is a bit of a moving target. What do you think? Is SEO always changing, and if so, how can business owners and/or webmasters keep up with the best practices in the industry?
This question is really interesting. Indeed, a few years ago, the EMD (exact match domain) and PMD (partial match domain) were the way to go ahead and create a big SEO signal to Google via keywords contained in the domain name. So as an example, years ago I launched two websites: Referencement-site-montreal.com which has long been positioned as first on the keyword "Montreal SEO" and Marketing-internet-montreal.com which was first on the keyword "Internet Marketing Montreal" (in French). Now, however, I'm including the content of both sites under the new domain Mozalami.com to avoid this kind of hack.
The only constant in SEO is change. Since we know that, everyone in this field should keep reading blogs and articles from industry to stay up to date. That's why Mozalami can be great resource for beginners and even advanced search strategists looking for the basis of SEO art and science.
4. What is the importance of positioning your business locally when it comes to SEO?
I'm also an expert in local SEO, having participated in bundling the yellow pages Canada's local product for SMBs. So I know that it's crucial that Mozalami shows prominently in search results when search intent is local like "SEO Montreal." My job is to conduct strategies for my clients but also to make sure best practices are applied to my own website. SEO unfortunately has no entry barrier, and anyone can claim to be a SEO guru or expert, whatever the title they choose. But there's a great way to avoid inexperienced SEO service providers: just ask for references and results against KPIs.
5. When it comes to getting a website ranked highly in the search engines, do you feel that there are particular concerns that are especially relevant to business owners and webmasters in Canada?
In Canada we face two challenges: our websites are bilingual, and this both dilutes PageRank and makes positioning on double sets of keywords harder. And in the meantime we're competing with French websites in Google Canada French search results. It's unfair as other countries do not have this problem to solve. However, using best practices and especially by applying semantic markup to website pages, we're able to explain to search engines what the website is about and what's the target, and then we have better results in SERPs. Semantic Web (3.0) is one of my passions: expect in 2015 to see a huge surge of these techniques all around the web.
In 2011, John Teevan founded SoshiTech from a small town in Minnesota. Focusing on quality blog content and social networking, the site received just under three million hits in 2013 and has appeared in such publications as Atlanta Business Chronicle and the Sacramento Bee. John currently divides his time between California, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Cincinnati, and St. Louis.
1. What inspired you to start SoshiTech--and how is it like (and unlike!) other blogs?
The technology, blogging, and internet industry in general inspired me to start SoshiTech. It is similar to other blogs in the way it covers certain areas of technology and startups. It is unlike other blogs in that SoshiTech covers a wide variety of topics such as social networking and search engine optimization.
2. Could you tell us a little more about the role that education plays in SoshiTech?
SoshiTech plans to educate people about what is happening in the technology and internet industry right now. Once you visit SoshiTech.com, you will have left the blog with more knowledge than when you first came in with. We try to provide resources that people will utilize in their everyday lives.
3. How do you find contributors for your site?
Contributors will usually contact us through an email with a few writing samples. Once their work is submitted, we will look it over for grammatical errors and publish it as soon as possible. Other contributors are already integrated into our system, and they publish their own posts as they please without having a member of our staff look over the original draft.
4. As a reader yourself, what topics do you personally find engaging?
Personally, I find some of these social networking websites to be pretty interesting. I also really enjoy reading business and finance sections as well. Search engine optimization is a topic which I am currently trying to learn more about.
5. What's your advice to bloggers who hope to learn from your example and expand their own readership?
My advice would be to focus on creating killer content, and everything else will fall into place. It is hard to be ignored when your content is good. Also, social media is a great way to increase your readership without having to spend a ton of money.
Jay Soriano is a serial entrepreneur and founder of SorianoMedia. He has consulted for various companies in Las Vegas including technology startups and small and medium sized businesses.
Jay Soriano's work has been featured by ABC, Startup America, Under30CEO and various technology publications.
1. What is the focus of your company, SorianoMedia?
I started SorianoMedia in frustration with other consulting companies in Las Vegas. I've watched too many local businesses get burned by bad web designers, unscrupulous SEO consultants, and exorbitant ad agencies that I thought I needed to start up a company that actually helps local businesses at a rate they can afford. I do this by staying small; I much prefer the relationship of a boutique marketing firm, rather than the firm with hundreds of clients in its portfolio, most of which are assigned to project managers.
2. Would you tell us a little bit about how you bring your own experience as an entrepreneur to your work with clients, especially in terms of providing them with an "investment" rather than a "cost"?
Great question! If you're a local business and you hire a web designer, that's a cost. Ongoing web development does little to increasing ROI, and if you're not A/B testing--you could be hurting your ROI. Conversely, I focus on helping clients generate a ROI through digital marketing and search engine optimization (SEO). Thus, money that they spend with me isn't a cost--it's an investment.
3. How long have you been living in Las Vegas, and what do you like about the area as a home/business base?
I actually just moved to Las Vegas about two years ago inspired by the growing entrepreneurial scene (#VegasTech). If you've never been here, or even if you have--Vegas is so much more that the Strip. It's not for everyone, but for some it's everything. Vegas is always growing, always evolving.
4. When it comes to indie businesspeople who want to expand their web presence, what are some things that people can do themselves, and what are some things that tend to require some additional help?
I turn down a lot of people who approach me for consulting, especially those on a budget. Instead I advise them of a lot of things they can do themselves, and when they reach a plateau, that's when they can talk to me. For example, I was recently approached by a realtor, who wanted to rank for the search term "realtor Las Vegas."
First off, you shouldn't care about rankings: you really want revenue. What she REALLY wants is more clients, and she thinks ranking for that term is synonymous with more clients. Well, that's an extremely competitive niche, especially in Las Vegas. And people searching for that term are more in a discovery phase, as opposed to people searching for "What are the safest neighborhoods in Las Vegas." The latter is known as a long tail phrase; it's a lot easier to rank for, and you're reaching people who are further along in the home buying process. From there, you can talk about a specific townhome community within one of the safest neighborhoods.
So the #1 thing indie businesspeople can do to expand their web presence is to create content that is useful to their market.
5. If you could give just three pieces of advice to someone who has always wanted to start a business but has never acted on their interests, what would you say?
1. Starting a business doesn't have to mean risking everything. Don't start the next Facebook; make your first $1 before trying to make $1 billion.
2. Connect with like-minded people, other entrepreneurs, others that have been successful in the niche you want to be in, etc. Cut out the people distracting you from your goals.
3. Utilize free advertising. Google ads, Twitter and Facebook ads all offer free advertising that startups can take advantage of. Use this to test the demand of your product or service.
Mark Bowers is the Marketing Director at Southern Retail Services, Inc and co-founder of WeedBiz.
Mark is a former police officer who turned his attention to the cause of cannabis legalization after leaving law enforcement and believes strongly in building a solid network of cannabusiness professionals as a way to establish a foothold in the emerging legal cannabis industry.
1. How did you decide to start a marketing firm for the legal cannabis industry?
Prior to entering law enforcement, I was a tech support supervisor at a large internet service provider. I learned the technical aspects of web development there and continued building and hosting websites throughout my law enforcement career. After about 10 years I transitioned back in to the "real world" and became interested in SEO and PPC marketing, while at the same time discovering the amazing benefits of medical marijuana. What followed was a natural progression of realizing the enormous potential in the legal cannabis industry.
2. What are some of the particular/unique marketing needs for businesses in this industry?
As legal cannabis spreads throughout the United States and Canada, it is losing some of its taboo, but there are still some challenges that are unique to the industry. For instance, in some cases the product or service we are trying to promote has never existed before so it can be a challenge to zero in on the right keywords to target. A good example of this would be the keyword "cannabusiness." Five years ago there were only 48 instances of that term being used on the internet. Today there are over 65,000. So sometimes you have to make up new words and then teach people what you think they should mean.
3. Do businesses in this field tend to need a particular focus on localized SEO to reach customers in their geographic area, or are people finding benefits in casting a wider net as well?
Local SEO is VITALLY important to businesses that rely on foot traffic, like medical marijuana dispensaries, especially in western states where there is heavy competition. With all the noise in legal cannabis markets, it can be really hard to stand out. We make this happen by developing a written local search plan and executing it with perfection. We have also established relationships with some of the leading dispensary locators online. We know which ones are likely to send traffic to your website and provide you with a solid link, and which ones to stay away from.
4. Do cannabis-related businesses run into any legal issues with their websites and other online activities (such as social media) because of federal drug legislation?
Over the last year the Obama administration has softened their stance on cannabis operations that follow state laws. This summer the Justice Department issued the Holder Memo, which basically said dispensaries that are above-board and follow both the spirit and the letter of the laws in states where cannabis is legal have nothing to worry about. That doesn't mean the potential for prosecution is not there; it just says if you follow the rules, you should be OK. Besides that, many of our clients don't sell cannabis; they provide ancillary products and services to the cannabis industry that are not illegal under federal law.
5. What is the best way for someone who is interested in selling medical marijuana to get into the industry?
As the trend for legalization and decriminalization moves east (cannabis is currently legal either for recreational or medicinal use in 20 states and the District of Columbia), we are seeing new rules being devised by state officials that make getting into the business a lot more difficult. For instance, if you wanted to open a dispensary in California five years ago, all you needed was about $10k and a half pound of good bud. But the eastern states don't want a free-for-all, so they tend to set the bar much higher. For instance, it is believed that "ganjapreneurs" who want to open a dispensary in Illinois in 2014 will need to have close to $500k on hand and go through a grueling vetting process for what really amounts to just a handful of permits.
My number one piece of advice once you are sure this is the industry you want to be in is to lock down a reputable dispensary consultant. They are going to cost you a lot of money (figure on at least $50k in states like Illinois and Massachusetts), but the payoff can be huge, so you definitely want someone that knows what they are talking about to guide you.
Marc Heighway is the owner of SEO Expert Bournemouth, one of the leading SEO agencies on the south coast of the UK. His company offers SEO services to Bournemouth businesses and companies that want to achieve higher search engine rankings and improve their online visibility. Learn more about Marc's services in the following video.
1. In your career, how did you first get into working with SEO?
I first started building small websites back in 1998 when the Web was a very different place. Google didn't even exist, and the search engines that did were quite easy to manipulate to make your website get listed high in the rankings. When Google came along a few years later, things began to change, and suddenly it became a more of a science to get your website ranking high. With more and more businesses coming online, the competition for search space increased which meant the theory and strategy behind SEO became much more specialist.
As I continued to build websites in my early twenties, it became clear to me that if I wanted these websites to succeed, then I would need to become very proficient in SEO myself. Over the years, I worked with a network of fellow SEO enthusiasts who shared new ideas and strategies on search engine optimization, continually testing new approaches as Google continued to roll out their incremental algorithm updates.
From a professional perspective, I was working full-time for an American company called Garmin; they are the leading GPS and satellite navigation company globally. I was their Online Marketing Manager for Europe and was living and working in Switzerland for a few years, managing a European web team. This gave me some excellent opportunities to test various SEO techniques with the team in what is a very competitive market. We were able to do this across multiple languages and countries which really gave some invaluable insights into SEO.
2. What are the benefits to companies when it comes to working with a SEO company local to them?
A local SEO company, such as Expert SEO Bournemouth, has an advantage over larger SEO companies because they know local business and local people. They should also have a good network of local contacts, all of which can be invaluable when it comes to finding relevant and local back-linking opportunities which are all part of the mix when it comes to achieving better search engine listings.
Also, you can't beat face to face regular contact with a client. Most of the clients Expert SEO Bournemouth work for, and also those of the FIMA Digital parent company I manage in Southampton, were first met over a coffee for an informal chat. My team build solid relationships with our customers--the ethos behind Expert SEO Bournemouth is that it serves as a strategic partner for clients rather than a traditional outsourced SEO company.
3. Why does SEO keep changing so much?
Unfortunately there are also some very unscrupulous people working in the search engine optimization business who try to play the system to get results. This kind of approach to SEO is known as "black hat" in the industry. The culprits tend to find a loop-hole in the search engine ranking calculations, and then abuse that. A couple of years ago you could rank a website by sending thousands of back-links to it, no matter what the quality or relevancy. This of course, meant that spammers could easily rank a website above a genuine business which offered a visitor true value.
Google has thankfully caught on to methods like this, and because of that is continually updating how search engine listings are calculated. This means that even for reputable SEOs, the way the search engines rank content is changing regularly.
Not only that, but the way in which users expect to find search results are changing. Social media is a very relevant factor nowadays, and over the coming year users will probably start to see search results based on social factors as well--so for example, if your friend recommends a business, then it might have some preference in the listings that you see.
In truth, there are many current factors influencing the current state of the search engines and SEO. As technology advances and the way in which we demand and view online content changes, then the landscape will continually shift. Expert SEO Bournemouth are thankfully at the coal-face of those changes and are constantly adapting working practices and strategy to benefit our clients.
4. What particular specialties does your company offer?
As a search engine optimization company we perform all the typical functions you would expect from an SEO agency. What I believe sets us apart from the competition is the expert level of knowledge we have and also the fact that we focus purely on SEO. SEO isn't part of larger portfolio of services that we offer--it's the only service we offer. It's not diluted with other digital marketing disciplines. The reason is quite simple: SEO is what our staff are trained in and they only use the most cutting-edge and advanced SEO techniques. I genuinely believe that you won't find a more dedicated and knowledgeable group of SEO people on the south coast of the UK which is why I am so proud of the team.
For local businesses we become an extension of their company and a real trusted asset. A lot of the companies we are currently working for are very focused on local listings. Google now offers up more relevant search results based upon where a user is located. As an example, this means that if a user searches for "web design," then they will get results including local web design agencies. This means more of our clients want us working on getting their local search engine rankings optimized, including influencing factors such as Google Places, business listings, and physical address citations.
5. If you could give just three pieces of advice to small business owners when it comes to working on their website and developing good online content, what would you say?
Firstly, try to think inside the mind of the customer. Try to think about what they need and what they might be searching for. Do your research, because once you know that the customer wants, then it becomes a lot easier to develop content for them. If your online web content reads like it's been developed for a search engine, with keyword stuffing, and over optimized SEO content, then it's not going to read well to a customer. Search engines are now not as easily fooled by this approach either, so keep it natural, keep it compelling, and make sure that it is unique quality content.
Secondly, I deal with so many businesses who developed their website and simply cut and pasted their corporate brochure online. Whilst of course this is going to be a far quicker and cheaper approach then developing bespoke web content, it is a huge mistake. From a user experience perspective, the way in which users read on-screen content and the way they read a printed page is vastly different. Online web content needs to be broken up with headings, smaller informational chunks, bullet points, numbered lists, and so on. This enables the user to scan for the information they need and read the web page a lot easier without the dreaded "click back" when you might lose them to a competitor.
Finally, invest in SEO. That should encompass on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and a social media strategy. The old adage "if we build it, they will come" could not be further from the truth when it comes to the highly competitive world of the Web. Your website needs to be optimized so it stands the best chance of beating the competition in search.
When Phyllis Garland told me that people often refer to her as the WordPress Lady or the Blog Whisperer, well, I had to check out the website for her business, Garland Web Services. Based in San Mateo, Phyllis reaches beyond her local client base through webinars which offer training designed to help simplify your experience using WordPress.
A lot of independent entrepreneurs and small business owners (myself included!) hear a lot about WordPress but haven't made the leap and given it a try. Phyllis wants to show you that it's not really that hard--and beyond that, a WordPress site can serve a lot of different purposes. We all think of WordPress as being a great blogging platform, but it's also a clean and simple design for a more static website about your business (or nonprofit, or art project, or family genealogy page or...!).
