ShareWe’re delighted to announce that we have a new addition to our SEO team. Christian joins us with a wealth of knowledge about all things SEO, and has already got stuck in helping our clients with their rankings.
We caught up with Christian to find out how he has got on in his first few weeks, and why SEO is an important part of any business strategy.
Welcome Christian! What’s your first impression of Coast and why is it different to other places you have worked?
My first impression of Coast was very positive, from my first day everyone has been friendly and welcoming.
What stood out for me is that there’s a real sense of team spirit. I have only been here for a few weeks, but I have already seen how quickly people pull together and share knowledge to complete tasks. This allows everyone to learn from each other and means that work gets completed quickly and to a high standard.
The other thing I’ve noticed is how clear and organised everything is. The structure allows for everyone to work efficiently and make the most of their time.
I also like the social side of things; there are a lot of events and opportunities to socialise and have a laugh with colleagues. After spending most of the last two years working from home, this is very welcome!
What is it about SEO that makes you so passionate about it?
I’m passionate about SEO because it often requires you to think outside the box to get the desired results.
Each website presents a unique set of challenges, and no two SEO campaigns are really the same. It’s very rewarding when you see positive results, but as any SEOer will know, you never get long to sit back and admire your work.
I have a content writing background and I’m an avid reader, so I like the role that written text and language plays in SEO. Using different variations of keywords, optimising content for readability and creating engaging headlines and CTAs are just some of the aspects of on-page SEO I particularly enjoy.
These might seem like subtle changes, but they can have a significant impact on the overall experience, and with SEO, all the little things really do add up.
What would you say to a business considering implementing SEO as a strategy?
The best time to start an SEO campaign was six months ago, the second-best time is now!
The pandemic caused shops to close for months at a time, which drove huge numbers of traffic onto online platforms. This really highlighted the importance of having a website that ranks well for your priority keywords and is optimised for converting traffic into sales.
Without a clear SEO strategy, it’s going to be difficult to compete with other businesses that have optimised their websites.
Even if you do get traffic, it’s important to regularly review your data and understand how users are engaging with your website. This will reveal opportunities to make it easier to navigate your platform and provide users with what they want, which ultimately is the goal of their search.
In my experience, businesses that take on SEO as a strategy often find that it helps them in more ways than they expected. It’s not all about ranking higher on the page; SEO can boost your other marketing efforts, help with brand awareness and build trust and credibility for your company.
SEO may not be the flashiest marketing strategy, and it certainly doesn’t produce results overnight! But it’s a silent driving force working behind the scenes to steadily increase performance and help you get the most out of your website.
I may be biased, but I’d say it’s one of the most important marketing strategies a business can implement!
What do you think are the benefits of using an expert agency to manage a business’ SEO strategy?
The main benefits are that you get a service that goes above and beyond your typical SEO package, there’s more to SEO than updating meta titles (although this is still important!).
Expert agencies will use a range of tools to extract data that can then be reviewed to gain an accurate reading of their client’s current performance, as well as a direction of where to go next.
Not only do expert agencies know how to plan and implement the best strategies, but they’re also always on the lookout for further improvements. Is there an upcoming algorithm update? A seasonal event that you can produce a new piece of content for? Or perhaps there’s an opportunity to piggyback off a current trend and gain valuable backlinks to your website.
SEO is a constantly shifting landscape that requires good strategy and a proactive approach. With expert agencies, you know that every avenue will be explored, and you won’t miss out on any tricks.
This will all be taken care of for you, leaving you to focus on other aspects of your business, with the knowledge that your search performance is in good hands.
What does the future of SEO look like?
I believe the future of SEO lies with the user experience (UX). Gone are the days of keyword stuffing and creating content for content’s sake. Search engines are now too clever to be easily duped, so it’s time to start focusing on other areas to make improvements on.
Some aspects of SEO already cross over into the realm of UX, and I think this is a trend that we’ll continue to see. The actual experience and journey users have on a website is important with SEO, as search engines consider things like bounce rates and time spent on a page.
So, SEOers might find themselves having to think a bit more about user experience when planning their strategies. This is just another example of how SEO evolves over time, which is what keeps it exciting for me as there’s always a new skill to learn.
Find out how our SEO team can optimise your website today, call our friendly team to get started!
