SEO Techniques to Boost Organic Traffic

Summary

In this video script, the focus is on strategies to improve SEO and drive traffic to websites. The speaker emphasizes the importance of updating content regularly to stay relevant and compete with Wikipedia's high rankings. They also suggest creating free tools in your industry to naturally attract backlinks and enhance site authority. Additionally, the discussion touches on leveraging AI for content creation, open sourcing products for lead generation, and expanding globally to tap into less competitive markets. The conversation highlights unique and effective marketing tactics used by a successful ad agency.

Takeaways

• 🔍 The majority of web traffic is concentrated on the first two pages of search engine results, with the first page being the most critical for visibility and clicks.
• 📝 Updating website content regularly is crucial for SEO, as fresh content helps maintain a high ranking, especially on 'money pages' that drive conversions.
• 🤖 The use of AI tools like ChatGPT can facilitate the creation of fresh content at scale, making it easier to keep up with the demand for updated information.
• 🔗 Links continue to be a significant factor in SEO, with high-quality backlinks improving a site's authority and search engine rankings.
• 🛠 Creating free tools in your industry can be an effective strategy for generating backlinks, as these tools can attract attention and be widely shared.
• 💡 Using AI to develop tools can reduce costs associated with software engineering, allowing for more efficient resource allocation in creating valuable resources.
• 🎁 Offering free products or services can be a powerful lead generation strategy, as it provides value upfront and can lead to further sales opportunities.
• 💼 The concept of 'buying' web properties or tools with existing traffic, rather than building from scratch, can be a strategic move to quickly expand reach and monetization.
• 🤝 Establishing partnerships with non-competitive but audience-similar businesses can lead to mutual benefits, such as cross-selling products or services.
• 🌐 Globalization is a key growth strategy, with the expansion into new regions and the localization of content helping to tap into less competitive markets.
• 👥 Building sales teams in foreign countries can be instrumental in establishing a local presence and understanding the unique dynamics of each market.
• 🔎 Sourcing leadership talent in foreign markets involves identifying and recruiting individuals who have a proven track record of success in similar roles within the industry.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the discussion in the provided transcript?

The main focus of the discussion is on strategies to improve SEO, with an emphasis on the importance of updating content and leveraging tools to gain backlinks.

Why is being on the first page of search results crucial for websites?

Being on the first page is crucial because it captures the majority of the traffic, as most users do not navigate beyond the first page of search results.

What is the significance of updating content for SEO purposes according to the transcript?

Updating content is significant for SEO because fresh and relevant content helps maintain high rankings, especially as competition increases with the use of AI tools for content creation.

What is the role of Wikipedia in the context of the discussion about content freshness?

Wikipedia is cited as an example of a website that consistently ranks well in search results due to its regularly updated content, demonstrating the importance of content freshness.

How does the speaker suggest companies should update their content for SEO?

The speaker suggests that companies should update their content on a quarterly basis, focusing on their 'money pages' that drive conversions and receive the most traffic.

What is the creative strategy mentioned for gaining backlinks to improve SEO?

The creative strategy involves creating free tools within an industry that are typically paid for, which over time can generate a significant number of backlinks and enhance the site's authority.

How does the use of AI tools like ChatGPT impact content creation and SEO?

AI tools like ChatGPT make it easier and less expensive to create content at scale, which can help in updating content frequently for SEO purposes, but also increase competition.

What is the speaker's opinion on the current state of software engineering with AI like ChatGPT?

The speaker acknowledges that while AI has advanced significantly, the software engineering aspect still has room for improvement, indicating that human engineers are still necessary.

What is the concept of 'buying' as a strategy mentioned in the transcript?

The 'buying' strategy involves purchasing web properties or tools that already have significant traffic but are not fully monetized, and then integrating them into the business to generate leads and revenue.

How does the speaker describe the globalization strategy for business expansion?

The globalization strategy involves translating and adapting the company's website to local languages and regions, hiring local leaders, and building sales teams to capture leads in less competitive markets.

What is the speaker's approach to sourcing leadership talent in foreign markets?

The speaker's approach involves recruiting from competing agencies, specifically targeting leaders who have been promoted within multiple agencies, indicating their value and potential to replicate growth.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 SEO Strategies: Updating Content and Link Building

In this paragraph, the focus is on improving SEO through content updates and link building. The speaker emphasizes that most traffic comes from the first two pages of search results, with the majority being from the first page. They highlight the importance of keeping content fresh, using Wikipedia as an example of a site that consistently ranks well due to its updated content. The speaker suggests that companies should update their content, particularly their 'money pages', on a quarterly basis to stay relevant. Additionally, they mention the significant impact of links on SEO rankings and propose a creative strategy of offering free tools in one's industry to naturally attract backlinks and enhance site authority.

05:00

💡 Unique Marketing Strategies: Free Tools and Global Expansion

This paragraph delves into unique marketing strategies that have proven effective. The speaker discusses the strategy of giving away free tools to generate leads and act as a loss leader, explaining how this can be a cost-effective way to drive traffic and conversions. They also touch on the benefits of buying web properties or tools with high traffic but low monetization, and integrating them into their business to increase leads. Another strategy mentioned is forming partnerships with companies that have similar audiences but do not sell the same products, leveraging these relationships to upsell or cross-sell products. The speaker also highlights the success of their ad agency in expanding globally, translating and adapting their website for different regions, and building local sales teams to capitalize on less competitive markets.

10:01

🌐 Sourcing Leadership Talent for Global Expansion

In this paragraph, the discussion centers on the process of sourcing leadership talent for expanding into foreign markets. The speaker mentions that they have a dedicated recruiting team that specifically looks for experienced leaders from competing agencies such as WPP and Omnicom. They prioritize candidates who have been promoted multiple times within these agencies, indicating their value and potential to replicate growth in new roles. The speaker also shares that they are in the process of expanding into more countries, with plans to establish a presence in 20 countries and build local teams to drive business in these regions.

Keywords

💡SEO

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine's unpaid results. In the video's context, it is discussed as a critical strategy for driving traffic to websites. Neil emphasizes the importance of SEO by suggesting that being on the first page of search results is crucial for capturing the majority of clicks.

💡Content Update

Content update refers to the practice of refreshing or revising the content on a website to keep it current and relevant. In the script, Neil suggests that updating content is a primary method for improving SEO. He uses the example of Wikipedia's success due to its fresh and updated content, which is why it ranks high in search results.

💡Backlinks

Backlinks, also known as inbound links or incoming links, are links from one website to another. They are considered a signal of trust and relevance, and thus can significantly impact a page's SEO ranking. Neil mentions that links have a big impact on SEO and are a crucial factor for improving a website's ranking.

💡Page Ranking

Page ranking refers to the position of a webpage in search engine results. The higher the page rank, the more visible the page is to users. In the video, it is mentioned that the majority of traffic comes from the first page of search results, emphasizing the importance of achieving a high page rank.

💡Money Pages

Money pages are specific pages on a website that are designed to convert visitors into customers. In the script, Neil advises updating these pages on a quarterly basis to maintain their relevance and drive conversions, which is key to the video's theme of SEO improvement.

💡AI and Content Creation

AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is increasingly being used in content creation to produce large volumes of content quickly. In the video, Neil discusses how AI tools like ChatGPT can facilitate mass content creation, which is a significant factor in the current digital marketing landscape.

💡Tool Strategy

The tool strategy mentioned in the script involves creating and offering free tools in your industry to attract users and build backlinks. Neil explains that by giving away useful tools for free, a website can gain authority and improve its SEO ranking over time.

💡Lead Generation

Lead generation is the process of attracting and capturing interest in a product or service, typically for the purpose of expanding a customer base. In the video, Neil discusses the idea of releasing a product for free as a lead generator, which is a strategy to attract potential customers.

💡Globalization

Globalization in the context of the video refers to the expansion of a company's presence and services into multiple countries. Neil talks about the strategy of translating and adapting the website to local regions, which has been a successful method for their ad agency to capture leads and grow their business.

💡Performance Marketing

Performance marketing is an approach to marketing where the focus is on measurable results. It is mentioned in the script as the industry background of the speakers, indicating their expertise in strategies that yield quantifiable outcomes, such as improving SEO and generating leads.

💡Partnerships

Partnerships in the script refer to strategic business relationships where companies collaborate to offer complementary products or services. Neil discusses the strategy of cross-selling products through partnerships as a way to drive additional revenue, which is a key concept in the video's discussion of unique marketing strategies.

Highlights

Importance of being on the first two pages of search results for high traffic.

Updating content is crucial for SEO, especially for money pages.

Wikipedia ranks high due to its fresh and updated content.

The significance of creating and sharing tools in your industry to gain backlinks.

Utilizing AI tools like ChatGPT to create content more efficiently.

The strategy of open sourcing a product line for free to generate leads.

The potential of using questionnaires with salespersons to gather information from free tool users.

Unique strategies in performance marketing, such as giving away free tools for lead generation.

Buying web properties with traffic but poor monetization to improve business.

The acquisition of Answer the Public and its impact on lead generation.

Purchasing domains with high traffic for business expansion, like the Kissmetrics example.

Partnerships with non-competing businesses to upsell or down sell products.

The effectiveness of globalization and entering less competitive markets.

Building sales teams in foreign countries for business expansion.

Sourcing leadership talent in foreign markets by recruiting from competing agencies.

The importance of hiring leaders with a history of promotions in their previous roles.

Transcripts

- Maybe if you're on page three,

you're going to get some clicks.

But it's really page one and page two

that are going to gobble up all the traffic, mainly page one.

So now you're talking about there's over a billion results

and 30 pages that get the majority of the traffic.

(upbeat music)

- Hey Neil, so here's a loaded question for you.

What's the biggest thing someone can do

to improve their SEO?

(bells chime)

Neil's thinking. - So.

- Yeah, a camera goes to who's talking.

I just want people to know you were thinking.

Okay, go ahead.

- So what I would do if I was trying to improve my SEO,

a lot of people say links, and links have a big impact.

And I'm going to give you two answers.

I'm going to give you the answer, the first one is going to be

for the majority of the websites out there,

and the second one is the little bit creative

that most people don't do.

So the first one would be update your content.

You can do a search on Google for anything.

So I'm here in the United States.

"Auto insurance."

I'm just going to actually do a search right now, okay?

I can probably even share my screen too. Why not?

I'm going to share my screen because it lets me.

So check this out.

This is the term "auto insurance", all right?

You can see here there's 301,000 people in the United States

that searched auto insurance in the last 30 days.

You guys can see my screen?

- Yep. - Yeah.

- Check this out.

1.18 billion results.

All right, so basic math 1180,

one, two, three, one, two, three divided by 301.

That means for every person they're searching,

there's 3,920 unique results, right?

And with ChatGPT and AI and all this kind of stuff,

you're going to get people creating more content at mass scale.

It's never ending.

But where do most people go?

Page one.

All right.

And my team always makes a joke.

People hide dead bodies on page two

because no one clicks there.

That's page three.

So maybe, maybe if you're on page three,

you're going to get some clicks.

But it's really page one and page two

that are going to gobble up all the traffic, mainly page one.

So now you're talking about there's over a billion results

and 30 pages that get the majority of the traffic.

And the reason I say updating content

is if you search for anything on the internet,

most keywords have a Wikipedia ranking.

The reason Wikipedia does so well

is because the content is fresh.

And none of you guys on the screen here today

or anyone listening wants to search on Google

and be like, "Yeah, I want to read about digital marketing.

"Yeah, this article from three years ago was amazing."

Like, no, you want something that's up to date and fresh

so you know it's relevant and practical for you.

So the biggest thing that companies should be doing

that they're not doing is updating their content

on a quarterly basis for all their money pages.

And when I mean money pages,

the pages that are driving conversions,

getting the majority of the traffic,

that have the relevant audience.

So that's the big thing that I think most companies

make a mistake on.

And we see this at our ad agency all day long.

That has a massive impact.

The second thing, if I had to list the second thing,

and this is creative,

links still have a massive impact on rankings.

With people creating content mass scale with ChatGPT

or Bard or Ubersuggest, AI-Writer or whatever, Jas,

whatever tool people want to use,

content is getting more commoditized

and it's really cheap to create anyways

in the first place, even before ChatGPT.

But the big thing is how do you get more links?

And most people believe that the best way to get links

is through content and infographics

and a great product and service.

What we found the best way to get links

is you take a tool in your industry.

Whatever industry you are, there's tools for it.

Even in fitness, there's calculators

and all that kind of stuff.

You take tools that people are used to paying for

and you create them for free

and you just release them out in the wild,

and over time they just build a lot of back links,

which makes your overall site have a higher authority

which causes you to get higher rankings.

- All right. - I like the tool strategy.

I think that's really great.

- And with ChatGPT,

you don't even have to build the tools as much.

And when I say "as much",

I'm meaning you don't have to pay people as much.

(interviewer laughs)

- The software engineering

on ChatGPT is still pretty shitty.

It'll get there, but-

- It built a game of "Pong" in 60 seconds.

It can do a lot for you.

You'll still need some engineers to help you out,

but you can do a lot more with less money these days

because of AI versus before.

- Yeah, I really love that.

We were actually talking about open sourcing

and releasing one of our product lines for free at Ringba-

- We were talking about it literally last night, yeah.

- Yeah, literally last night at dinner

we were talking about, like, we were looking

at how much money we make in revenue,

how much the team's making in commission on it.

And we hit our sales team this morning

and just said to them, "You know what, guys?

"I think it would be really interesting

"to release this product absolutely free for the industry."

It'll be a great lead generator,

it'll be a great loss leader, you know?

And the cost on it is fixed

and the infrastructure to support it is extremely cheap

and we have to have it anyway,

so it's like the perfect storm of a tool,

almost like a calculator or something.

It has real cost to it,

but then you can kind of force the people who want it

to go through a questionnaire with a salesperson.

Like, what do you do? What are you using?

Questions that they're just going to be obligated to answer

instead of that you have to fish out

because they're getting something of high value for free.

So I really, really like that strategy.

And I'm curious, since we're on that topic

of unique strategies, you know,

you grew up in the performance marketing industry.

Harrison did, Josh did, I did.

I'm curious, what are your some of your favorite

super unique strategies that you've used over the years

that are like non-typical asymmetric,

most people would would've never thought to use it?

But like, what are some of the cool strategies you've used?

- Yeah, so the strategy that you just talked about,

we use that heavily, give away stuff for free

and sell them into something more.

Our agency is decent at scale, right?

We're a nine-plus figure revenue a year company,

and 40-plus percent of our leads

used to come from our free tools.

Now at our size and scale, a lot of our business

comes from word of mouth, referrals, RFP

because we're five-plus years old

and people know we're in the space now.

So that strategy has been really amazing for us.

Another strategy that's been amazing is buy.

So instead of build, we look for companies

with web properties or tools that get a lot of traffic

but don't monetize other than through AdSense

or no monetization.

Buy them, pop on Legion on there and then sell them.

We did that again last year.

In February we bought another tool

called Answer the Public for 8.6.

It was doing, they said it was doing 100 a month in profit,

but they had very little to no employees on it.

So when you add employees,

it really wasn't doing 100 a month in profit.

We started capturing leads as well,

and so far starting to play out well for us.

Another strategy, and going to stay on the buy topic,

one of my old startups was called Kissmetrics.

They struggled a little bit for fundraising.

The company ended up pretty much just going belly under.

And what ended up happening is, is they needed money

but the website got a lot of visits,

like a million-plus a month.

So I offered them a half a million bucks

to just buy the domain.

They can still keep the word Kissmetrics.

I can use it as much as I want,

but I have access to the domain and whatever I want to do,

and that worked out really well.

It caused our agency to get way more leads

because they had our ideal traffic base.

Another strategy that I like doing,

and this one's boring and ugly and I don't know why

a lot of people don't do it.

If you're selling toothbrushes

and someone else is selling toothpaste,

you should upsell it or down sell,

whatever you want to call it,

their product upon checkout and vice versa.

And we consider that partnerships.

Not really like affiliate marketing,

but just straight up partnerships.

(bell chimes)

That drives a ton of revenue for us,

and people take those like boring channels for granted,

and we find them to produce tons of revenue

if you can just find people

who don't sell the same product or service as you

but they have similar audiences.

Another strategy that we've been doing for years

that's like just been fishing with dynamite

is globalization.

So at our ad agency we've announced, I think,

I don't know how many regions we have announced,

but we're in 16 countries where we've hired leaders.

We'll be in 20 countries, and then pause for a little bit

and then work on getting a lot of them up and running.

To keep in mind, last year we're only in six regions.

So we've added a lot of countries that we're in,

which means you have leaders and headcounts

and they build teams.

So what we've been doing is translating our website

and transcribing it to other languages

and adapting it to the local regions, collecting leads.

Most of these regions aren't competitive,

and that's been driving a lot of business for us.

And then speaking at local events

and building up relationships locally and yeah.

- So are you building sales teams

in these other countries then too or-

- We are.

Every country. - That's awesome.

- Is it a brand pack- - When I was an affiliate-

- or is it wholly owned? - that's kind of what I did.

I just took stuff out to other countries,

so I love that you're doing that in the agency model.

That's super cool.

- Yeah, majority of people are not in the United States.

We tend not to do a franchise model.

We want to own it all.

We do have partners in two regions in Brazil and India.

We had some locals that own a fraction of those businesses

early on that help us out.

Eventually, we'll probably just buy out their stake

and we'll own 100 percent of everything.

But yeah, this model has been working out really well for us

and we've been having fun doing it.

- I'm really curious,

how do you source the leadership talent

in a foreign market like that?

- Oh, we have recruiters that work for us full-time.

We have a big recruiting team.

So all we do is, or big is relative.

Compared to Microsoft, we're actually very, very tiny.

They probably have more recruiters

than our overall employee count.

I'm making a guess there,

but you guys get this-

- You're probably right.

- Yeah, so for us, what we'll do is we'll look at people

who work for competing agencies, okay?

But like WPP, Omnicom, and we'll look for the leaders

who have ran their agencies.

And we look (bell chimes)

for those leaders who have been at multiple agencies,

have continually gotten promoted at multiple agencies

and been there for a while,

because that means they were valuable

to the agency if they got promoted.

So if you're at two competitors

and you continually got promoted,

that means they all both saw you as very valuable

and they're happy with you.

So the moment you hire them,

they usually are able to replicate

the same type of growth and the same kind of outcome.

It just takes a lot of time,

but we found it to work really, really well.