Art Enke has recently been hired as the Director of SEO Services here at Vertical Measures and we are happy to have him! While he’s only been here for a few weeks, he’s certainly taught us all a thing or two since he’s joined us. In this post, I put together a list of questions for Art to give us all a better idea of his background in the SEO world and his role here at VM.
BB: So how did you get started with SEO? When was that moment that you decided you wanted to join one of the fastest growing industries in the world?
AE: I’m an entrepreneur at heart and got started in SEO in 2004 by building a few personal eCommerce sites. I got addicted when I started generating sales by merely posting unique content and properly targeting keywords.
BB: What is it about the industry that you’ve really grown to love?
AE: I really love how successful SEO isn’t at all about gaming the system or doing anything secretive. Successful SEO campaigns are all about building trust through relevancy, earning backlinks and building successful brands that people want to talk about. There are many great SEOs in the industry. My approach comes from personal experience managing over 300 SEO campaigns and by first testing new strategies on personal sites that continue to generate sales daily.
BB: If you could talk rankings and off site stats with any person in the world, who would it be and why?
AE: I’ve grown to admire Rand Fishkin (SEOmoz) because I connect with his common-sense, user-focused approach to SEO and his branding prowess.
BB: What are some trends in SEO that we should be watching for in 2013? What are some things that we should stop?
AE: More semantics and natural approach to on and off-page site optimization. User engagement and branding have always been important but these will more important than ever in 2013. Stop doing anything that doesn’t translate to good user experience, engagement or conversion. To be specific, STOP stuffing meta titles with non-semantic keyword lists, STOP using the meta keywords tag (does anybody use this anymore?) and STOP allowing duplicate content to go unchecked in light of all the Google Panda updates.
Art has met quite a few people in the online industry. Here he is pictured with Bob Parsons, founder of Go Daddy.
BB: How are you adjusting to the sunny city of Phoenix? You’re not from around here I understand…
AE: Coming from Colorado, I’m ready for warmer weather. Also I’m a family man so naturally I’m a Disneyland junkie. I like the quick road trip to Anaheim and San Diego from here.
BB: What do you like to do in your spare time? I hear you’re an avid mountain biker.
AE: Yes I love mountain biking, waterskiing, ATVs, camping, fishing and hanging out with my family (preferably near water).
BB: If you could talk to any historical figure about anything, who would it be and why?
AE: Winston Churchill. I’m fascinated with WWII history and how Sir Winston was able to keep a sense of humor and inspire hope, even during hopeless circumstances.
BB: What are you most looking forward to accomplishing in your time with VM?
AE: There are many things I’d like to accomplish here but I’d especially like to see VM get on the map and be recognized as of the top-tier SEO agencies in the country, because we’re generating some truly outstanding content and helping clients achieve great rankings.
Art will be leading the webinar next Thursday entitled Prepare for Panda 2013: How to Destroy ALL Your Duplicate Content, so be sure to register here.