- What is your magic ingredient in an effective SEO strategy?
The magic ingredients are study and the constant updating, self-training and the desire to experience to find the right alchemy among the many elements that make up this discipline.
When I started dealing exclusively with SEO, I attended and won the “SEO Training 2012” contest. They were saying that they “did not have the time” to carry out a winning strategy. I remember coming back home the night after a day of work, and devote myself to this project until the night. It takes passion, and passion always makes the difference.
- What do you think is the main mistake to avoid when doing SEO?
Not being far-sighted and not having an overview of the project from the very beginning: creating a website without a precise SEO strategy (and not only) in mind or without having clear goals and KPIs to achieve is one of the most common mistakes.
- What will be the future of SEO?
None of us has the crystal ball, but there are several clues that suggest some scenarios in the near future.
For some years now, Google has provided more and more responses and details directly in the SERP (try searching for “Series A”, “Weather Milano”, etc.), avoiding users clicking and landing on other websites.
This means that SEO specialists will have to be able to create more and more interesting content and intercept more specific searches to make the user visit their website, going beyond the synthetic response provided by the search engine
Mobile (smartphones and wearables) devices, through vocal search, will enable the web and SEO Mobile to continue their “explosive” growth in terms of traffic coming from this kind of devices and varieties of search queries on Google.
Apps can be downloaded directly from search results pages, and thanks to “instant apps” they will not be downloaded anymore. At that point, SEO application optimization (in addition to app indexing and ASO) could become an integral part of an SEO consultant’s workflow.
Navigation speeds will become more and more a key factor, as highlighted by the recent spread of AMP pages on both Google and Facebook.
This last point could lead to an increase in search engines: I keep seeing the future of Google, but I would not underestimate the intention of Facebook itself to become a search engine.
- How would you describe the Italian SEO market?
There are two rather antithetical aspects that characterize the Italian SEO scenario.
On the one hand there is more awareness and knowledge of what SEO is actually. This awareness leads to greater competition that can only do well in our industry.
On the other hand, there is too much content and/or items of little value: lately, due to Google Panda updates, anyone who can write well-written content and knows what Title and Description tags are calls himself a SEO specialist…as if that were enough!
However, I believe that it is a natural evolution that has already occurred in other countries (like USA) and that we have to accept as part of a growth phase.
- What do you think is the proper training course for an SEO consultant?
Until 5-6 years ago, formal training courses were almost non-existent; those who started at that time, like me, were mainly self-taught. And this has meant that, by natural selection, only the best survived: among my most trusted colleagues there are those who have trained back at that time like me. Today, however, there are codified academic texts that can be a good starting point… but to become a SEO Senior you obviously need much practice and experience as well as the desire to get involved in all sorts of SEO-related activities.
- What are the main difficulties you find in your business?
As a coordinator of an SEO department, the main difficulty is finding really trained, knowledgeable people. That is why we have a very strict selection process in Pro Web Consulting and we make a great deal of interviews before a new resource comes on board.
Conversely, I do not find it difficult to get in touch with customers: if you prove to be competent and work in their interest, the customer perceives it and establishes a positive relationship of trust and confidence.
- What piece of advice would you give to a junior SEO?
My advice is to consider yourself as the beta version of a “product”: a delicate phase in which you should listen to tips and suggestions and keep an open mind. This is the only way through which you can improve.
This attitude can be good for anyone, not just juniors. Personally, I try to learn from anyone who has an idea different from mine – never underestimate anyone’s knowledge, whether they are collaborators, friends, family, customers, suppliers.