I know interviews are the latest "craze" in the SEO world, but this one is different - and special. Ammon's knowledge goes deep into the core of what marketing is - appealing to consumers and businesses and driving them to your brand.
Ammon Johns: Looking far too respectable...
Here's a few notable quotes from the interview:
Anyway, the short version is that quite a few people found my advice useful and I developed a good reputation. I’ve a fairly long history in the SEO industry therefore, and more than a few people have been kind enough to name me as one of their early inspirations. Many of those in turn have gone on to inspire others and so it continues. Knowledge really is the one thing where the more of it you share out, the more you have to share.
Have you ever seen how few SEO companies really do any serious level of R&D? No wonder they are all having such a hard time finding good staff to hire. It is important for any SEO company that is in for the long-haul to stop relying on getting all its ideas from forums and articles. You need to devise, test and develop new strategies continually. You need to train your own future staff to enrich the overall pool of SEO talent available.
There’s a ton of information out there. Some of it is accurate. Some of it is out of date. Some of it was never right in the first place. The ‘secret’ is not only in knowing the accurate and useful information from the dross, but even more in knowing how to make it useful and intelligible. Nobody should be suffering lack of information – information overload is far more common and expected.
Take 10 minutes and read it. I promise you'll feel enlightened and smarter at the end.
Rand, What a wonderful, informative, really incredible interview! I have four 1” binders filled with great articles and forum posts, and I think this article might be the best I’ve read. Ammon really gave the big picture of SEO/M, which is tough to focus on when you’re a small firm.
I’m glad you asked the question about advice for the small-mid size SEO business and how to make their services and mindset more inclusive. He laid it out that even if you’re a small firm, “It is absolutely vital to understand broader marketing, so you understand the context of the SEO campaign.” Until a few weeks ago, I didn’t know the difference between SEO and SEM, but between your e-mail to me a few weeks ago, and this article, I feel like a light bulb went on and I get it.
This was no light-reading 10-minute article. I printed it out to read in bed the other night, and it is heavy duty filled with serious concepts. It is a blueprint. It’s a recipe. I’m reading through it again and highlighting the most important points, which is most of the article. I liked his detailed explanation about the SMART objectives.
Ammon is a generous soul. Three years ago, Black_Knight spent a lot of time helping me figure out how to create an external JavaScript file and how to write the include code in the HTML file. I was a member at cre8asiteforums only one day and he gave freely of his time and knowledge.
Just a few quotes from that post:
After trying the advice of several people, including Ammon’s, I wrote, “Hey Thanks. I'll try what you said, although I hate to say it, but I'm close to giving up.”
Ammon wrote, You're so nearly there now Risa that it really wouldn't be worth giving up.
You'd be like the guy who swam across the English Channel to France but after struggling for hours to swim three-quarters of the way, decided it was too far, and so gave up and swam back ...
If everything else fails, just show me the original page code where the JavaScript is still on the page, and I'll give you precise step-by-step instructions for the whole process so that you'll be able to do it easily, (and be able to repeat it whenever you might want to in future too). Okay?
You really would not believe the detailed instructions he gave me. If you want to see the post go here.
After 13 screens of code, he wrote, That's it really. If you have any questions, just ask, but I'm pretty sure that by following those easy steps (hope I didn't make them sound to confusing) you're now fully accomplished in how to make an on-page javascript into an external javascript.
I followed everything he wrote and it worked and I wrote, “Oh my goodness, Black Knight, YOU ARE THE MAN!!!!
That was so nice what you did I can't believe it. I never received such comprehensive, step-by-step instructions, with all the logic laid out.
He wrote, Glad it is all working now, Risa.
You're very welcome to the help. That's what forums like these are all about.
I assure you, it’s a genuine pleasure to have helped you to accomplish this, and your joy in the accomplishment is its own reward.
I hope that you'll visit us here at Cre8asite often, not only whenever you need further help, but also to help others in turn, even such simple help as giving feedback on sites in the website hospital is always appreciated by the webmaster. We all need a little help from time to time, and surely that's what any community, virtual or other, is really about.
Ammon is a great guy, a great teacher, and a true inspiration.
Thank you for such a wonderful article. You should re-publish it somewhere to get it maximum exposure.
Best regards, Risa
Thanks so much Rand for conducting this interview! Ammon is one of the best (Internet) Marketers in this planet, each one of his posts at cre8asite and elsewhere is a real lesson. I'm glad to see such people sharing their incredible knowledge with us.
This is a great quote...
"Remember: there are lies, damned lies, and (other people’s) statistics."
Tom Sellek is in internet marketing now ?!
Is that who he matches to on MyHeritage.com? I'm gonna check that out...
Great, great stuff. Thanks to both of you for this. The parralels between SEO and general marketing make me think that one will be swollowed up by the other at some point. But for today, it's great to see a high profile with the rich experience Ammon has brought to those of us that are still new to the game.
That one trick pony stuff really got me thinking...