Why I love SEO

The reason I love SEO is that it helps sort out the security piece in my life: it brings in money.

I realised the power of SEO when I got a cheque for £3430.00 in 2003 for placing a professional speaker (Quinton Coetzee) for a keynote in Wales.

This lead to me starting a professional speakers agency that I eventually sold. In it’s heyday, it was placing 10+ speakers a month at around R15k – R20k per speaker. I used to get 20% of that fee.

I never held a showcase, I did no marketing to speak of except for have a website. The reason it was a success was because I was in the Top 10 of Google for the keywords: motivational speakers, conference speakers, business speakers, keynote speakers, inspirational speakers.

In the day (2003) SEO was a lot easier. To rank for a keyword today is a lot harder because you’re competing with PPC (pay per click) adverts that get the top 5 spots in search. And, you’re competing with smart SEO marketers who know how to get the system to work for them.

But there’s still gold in them hills. It’s just harder to mine it. But it’s still worth mining it.

Powwow Teepees Case Study

Two years ago I helped Powwow Teepees with its online marketing. The company never had an online presence and were selling one teepee a month (12 a year). They took out a page with JoziKids and sales went up a bit.

We decided to build them a website that was properly SEOd. In 2016 the company sold 50 teepees. And, in 2017, around 100 teepees. In 2018 it sold 120 teepees and is set to sell 150 teepees in 2019 if the trend continues.

That’s a 1000% increase in sales. That’s called SEO.

I use SEO for my own business which is professional speaking and training. The two keywords I use to drive business to me is motivational speaker/s south africa and public sales training.

Why don’t you type those keywords into Google search and see if I’m eating my own dog food?

The URLs that should come up for those keywords are www.professionalspeakers.co.za and www.jacquesdevilliers.co.za.

Those keywords should be in the top 10 of Google if you exclude the paid for sponsored adverts. Which in terms of ‘motivational speaker’ come in at a hefty fee. Anything from 15k a month up.

Attend SEO For Beginners on 30 January 2018 from 09h30 – 12h30 at Skoobs Theatre of Books, Montecasino.