Joe Balestrino - SEO Interview Series - Number One

by Darren McLaughlin

August 19, 2006 – 9:41 am

Joe Balestrino joins us for the first in our SEO Interview Series. We’re asking SEOs 6 questions about their practice. If you’d like to participate, we’d love to have you. Please follow the instructions concerning the SootleDir Six Question SEO Interview Series

SEO’s Bio

Joe owns and operates Mr-seo.Com where you can read his articles, hire his services, listen to his podcast or join his forum.

1) I notice you call yourself an SEO/SEM Specialist. Can you tell me how the two disciplines differ?

SEO is the process of helping sites rank better organically. SEM is the process of generating traffic through paid marketing.

2) What trends have you seen unfolding in the last 12 months in SEO?

Yahoo and MSN have been making changes with the intention of becoming more competitive in relation to Google. Look for their algorithms to become more complex in the near future. One way links are what webmasters are seeking now that Google has stated that link exchanges and buying links are not a good way to go.

3) What do you recommend as SEO best practices right now for people looking to rank high in the search engines?

People should stick to the the basics and learn how to optimize title tags, H1 tags, build links, etc before worrying about precise keyword density or more complex issues related to optimization.

4) Do you derive most of your traffic from search engines or other sources? Describe the methods you find most effective.

75% of our traffic comes from search engines. We also do a lot of other advertising, articles and podcasts that help generate traffic. Because of the unique nature of our business, ranking well for organic searches is crucial. For other businesses, however, many methods can be as or more effective. Podcasting is becoming more popular all the time and allows many companies to reach an audience that otherwise might never find them.

5) What would you tell someone who was thinking of entering a career in SEM/SEO? Is there an ideal candidate?

An ideal candidatre is one that likes a challlange and is willing to put in the time to keep abreast of all the changes. He or she should be willing to gain a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t prior to offering services professionally so that client’s sites won’t serve as guinea pigs.

6) What do you think the most important SEO trends will be in the coming 12 months?

By far, the most important trend will be the greater realization that SEO is necessary for cost effective success on the net. Companies who have traditionally only used PPC advertising are starting to realize that SEO can greatly diminish their reliance on paid search marketing, which will only increase in price as time goes on. Small businesses have realized this for quite a while now, mostly out of necessity. If you don’t have a decent PPC budget, you can’t run an effective campaign. If you are organically optimized, however, PPC isn’t always necessary.