Thread by @GiordMarco96

Some personal #SEO lessons I learned while studying and practicing.

Updated thread about something that is not so obvious for many people 🧵

Soft skills are extremely important. The first time you hear about them they seem fluff, it's the opposite.

Convincing stakeholders and negotiating are the most valuable skills for my own experience.

It takes time to develop them but it's worth it.

Variety is great. This doesn't just apply to your workplace but your skillset as well.

Exploring new things and going over prejudices involving other disciplines is super valuable learning.

That's why I find it stupid to brag about years of experience, anything can change.

Just because you are good in one industry doesn't mean you will be the same in another one.

I recently started as in-house SEO for a B2B niche I knew nothing about and it was a total shock at first.

After almost 1 year I am still struggling with research. >>>

>>> And that's fine for me. It's a super-advanced B2B niche in different countries with obscure terms, I try to be cold.

There are such scenarios where all you have to do is study the niche and the business.

I don't have any shortcuts.

A lot of content online is outdated or partially wrong. This is natural as SEO is a fast-paced industry and that is why communities are great.

You have multiple opinions and you can test what works and what does not and receive feedback.

I have no actual solution but testing.

Collaboration > Competition. SEO is a big field, collaborating with like-minded people is a great way to improve yourself.

Of course, you should also look for people who do the opposite to have a complete overview.

People may have different experiences.

If you have to plan content it's almost always better if you know the niche.

You may think it's skippable in some cases, I think not. Business/Domain knowledge should go hand-in-hand with SEO expertise.

It's super hard to get knowledge in some niches. >>>

>>> Some SEOs may tell you that testing new niches is good. Imho you can afford to refuse some strange requests.

If the mental strain is excessive I don't even consider the offer. Why should I sacrifice my health for some extra money? >>>

>>> There are SEOs that know a lot of niches and I think that's fine to have your set of expertise.

I find it better to develop real authority on a topic. For me, Pharma and other markets are extremely boring, it would take me ages to understand the basics.

There is no right way, everyone is free to do what they want if it makes sense and brings results for the customers.

This point doesn't exclude ethics, it is referred to your skills/expertise...

... just because you prefer some strategies doesn't mean that what other people do is wrong! A very important lesson that most people seem to miss out on.

A good understanding of basics trumps all. No need to go far if you cannot make sense of simple strategies.

On the contrary, thinking everything is simple will lead you astray. Complex problems exist eh

Doing SEO doesn't mean that UX and CRO are not your responsibility.

I think that you need a minimum amount of knowledge to find what's best. UX and CRO are different fields, though it's highly beneficial to know at least the bare minimum.

When working on a project teach people the mindset, not the tools.

Teach them to listen to customers, to understand pain points, to be strategic and obsessed about customer satisfaction.

Want to teach them the tools? OK, what if something like Google Analytics closing happens?

Working as an in-house SEO is a different beast. You have to handle special problems and communication with management is more important than ever.

Knowing the business is the first thing you have to do when starting.

I am not a fan of in-house SEO. You know, it's an interesting experience and worth a try but it can be super hard.

I prefer to work on other projects as well to prevent stagnation. I should be able to study fun niches and test in different markets.

Tools are... well, just tools. There are better tools or more suitable ones, the concept doesn't change. Strategy and soft skills are not replaceable.

Are you sure you need that flashy SEO tool? Maybe it's all an illusion.

Personal branding and sharing content are awesome. No explanation here, just my personal opinion.

This is the present and future of Digital Marketing.

Data are a must nowadays, we have so many opportunities now. SEO can benefit from #DataScience or related fields.

Be open to new perspectives.

Perfection is a mirage. All I know is consistent testing and research to see what works and what doesn't.

Stop looking after perfection and embrace temporariness.

Publish that article even if it's not super perfect.

Search intent is hard to define in some cases. It's not as straightforward as you think.

And this is super common if you have no clue about the topic. This is another reason why I prefer to work on what I know or understand easily! >>>

>>> I'm a big fan of the generalized specialist. You are specialized in something but weigh some specific skills more than others.

I prefer to focus on data and content, I know how to carry out the other activities but I am not the best out there. >>>

>>> While I may lack the backlinks expertise or web dev knowledge, I can boast a different skillset.

Being honest with yourself is the first step for improvement. I think you can even focus on fewer areas. Do it well and enjoy what you do.

Imho content marketing will be even more important in the next few years. How to compete in saturated markets?

How can we integrate different channels to serve superior content?

AI tools alone are not so powerful to solve these issues (yet).

The most interesting markets are not the ones you may think. Countries in East Asia offer a lot of opportunities and they may be arenas for future competition.

The real question is "Will there ever be saturation?" >>>

>>> Probably not, there are infinite niches. Still, it's possible to claim that some niches will become super competitive.

In some cases, it's even better to participate in existing projects and try to improve them.

Starting from scratch is a nightmare, especially if your competitors are goliaths. In this case, you need to understand how long it will take to cover this "gap".

I am starting to prefer the idea of aged domains or taking part in well-established websites.

Soft skills are not always what you need. They are extremely important but there are times when you just need to do the job.

In other scenarios, it's just luck. I don't think that everything can be predicted and we have full control over our actions.

Don't be hard on yourself.

Imho copywriting and content marketing are the most important subjects to know nowadays. Why?

Great content cannot be automated and some niches require deep expertise. There is no alternative but to have a skilled person.

This includes persuasion and good communication too.