The name Matthew Woodward is already a brand in SEO. His tutorials have helped thousands of people all over the world to make their websites well optimized for search engines. I’ve asked Matthew a few questions about SEO because he's very good at this sort of things.
You’ve got 8 awards, 180k+ subscribers and a lot of experience. So, I guess you can answer a short question: Can SEO be as easy as some people say it is?
SEO at its core is fairly simple. You need to find out what the search engine algorithm wants and then manipulate the website to those factors. Once you understand how to do that, then you need to be willing to invest the time and/or money to focus on those ranking factors. I wouldn’t say it is really easy but it certainly doesn’t need to be difficult either.
How often do you meet people who’re using SEO methods that don’t work anymore? And what are those strategies that waste the time of small business owners?
The main thing I come across is people who are pushing hard on SEO but the foundations of their site are extremely weak. It’s like they are trying their best to bring in as many people as they can, to a website that sucks. Most people struggling with SEO seem to have skipped the part where they create an awesome website with valuable content that people want to visit.
I bet you’re receiving lots of questions from your subscribers, so what’s the most frequent one? Maybe it’s a type of pain that you have a magic pill for?
I get asked to review people’s websites all the time because they are struggling to get traffic and climb up the SERP’s and the answer usually goes back to my previous answer. They have thrown together a website quickly and after building lots of links don’t understand why they aren’t getting the expected results.
Is it possible for you to predict the failure or success of a project after a brief with a client?
You can make predictions based on data and research yes. No guarantees can be made but certainly an educated guess. It’s important to remember that SEO is ever-changing, so what works right now might not work next month.
What advice can you give to a website owner who is looking for an SEO specialist: what are tips to distinguish good SEO specialist from a bad one?
Well, I guess the proof is in the puddin’. Look for testimonials and service reviews from real people to get an honest opinion about the SEO specialist or SEO agency. Check out their case studies to see how they approach SEO and the results they get. Usually, if an SEO agency is cheap and makes guarantees, that’s an instant red flag.
Is there any secret SEO tip that you’d like to share with our readers? There’s a lot of guys who do SEO for their websites on their own. So I’m sure that they are waiting for a guru insight with bated breath.
I think I need to dispel the myth that there is a shortcut to SEO and that SEO guru’s know lots of secrets you don’t. If you want to have a successful website then the only secret to SEO is hard work or pay someone else to do it for you.
I believe that this interview will motivate you to invest energy to make your business better day by day.
If you have your SEO tips or cases, don’t hesitate to share it in the comments section below.