What I've learned in 16 years of SEO, plus 13 years of running a digital marketing agency.

1. What I’ve learned in 16 years of SEO
(+ 13 of running an agency)
@kevgibbo

2. A reminder of what 2003 looked like...
@kevgibbo

3. During this time, I was a 21 year old
student on a web design placement year
@kevgibbo
Summary =
● I had recently failed my 2nd year at uni and
just repeated the year...
● I wasn’t very good at web development, but
could play football for their 5-side team
(which I’m sure is what got me the job)...
● I got my first taste of agency life, supporting
work with national + global brands - Epson,
Corus Hotels, CP Hart.

4. But what really got me hooked, was SEO
@kevgibbo
● I learned more in this year than 4 years
combined at uni...
● The first website I optimised for Google was
for penis enlargement!
● I launched a number of affiliate sites, making
money from Google AdSense… anyone need a
“mesothelioma lawyer”?
● By the time I went back to uni, I was more
interested in making beer money from my
own projects and using my .ac.uk webspace
to rank in Google...

5. ● I founded an agency in 2006,
SEOptimise - year 1 in Australia,
year 2 in Oxford...
● Over the next 6 years we grew into
a professional company, doing
real work for great clients!
● In 2012 I moved to London to form
a new agency, focused on SEO
and content marketing - which
became Re:signal.
● We had a lot of fun in between!
Fast track 16 years...
@kevgibbo

6. Enough about me...
Time to combine:
➔ SEO learnings
➔ Business growth lessons
@kevgibbo

7. 1) Always start
with why
@kevgibbo
In 2003, we optimised
website’s to make them
more accessible to
search engines, so that
our clients can make
more money.
Why we do this hasn’t
changed today.

8. 2) The only constant is change
@kevgibbo
Don’t just look at what works
today, you have to consider
where things are going...

9. 3) Tactics will always evolve, but the
fundamental strategy is still the same
@kevgibbo
Since I’ve been doing SEO, the 3
pillars have always been:
1. Technical SEO
2. Content
3. Reputation

10. ●
4) Speed is hugely
important, but
make sure you’re
going in the right
direction first
@kevgibbo
● The biggest ranking factor is
doing.
● It’s not just about having the
right idea, but knowing how
to execute quicker than your
competitors.
● But you need to have the
right strategy first.

11. ● My most impressive case studies
have never been huge one-off spikes.
● It’s month on month (on month), on
quarter, on year success that
compounds and grows into much
more meaningful success.
● It’s the same with business. The
spikes are easier to celebrate, but it’s
often not the gamechanger.
5) Understand the value of compound
interest
@kevgibbo

12. 6) 10,000 hour rule is real, keep going...
@kevgibbo
Whenever you say you can’t do
something, add “yet” onto the
end of your sentence.

13. Whether in business, SEO or life - if
you want to get somewhere you
need a plan to make it happen,
otherwise it’s just a wish.
7) If you don’t know where you’re going,
don’t complain about where you end up
@kevgibbo

14. 8) If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it… is terrible
advice
@kevgibbo
“Ain’t broke” is hardly a
signal of quality.
Innovation comes from
continuous improvement,
if you want to go from
good to great, you can’t
stop just because it’s
working...

15. ● If there’s something you’re not
happy with, change it...
● If your rankings are going down,
figure out why and fix it...
● If your business is failing, do
something differently to improve it…
9) No one’s coming to save you
@kevgibbo
You can make excuses, but it
won’t change the result unless
you make something happen.

16. 10) The proudest
moments aren’t the
flashy ones. It’s
when you can look
back over years
and decades and
say “I did that”.
@kevgibbo

17. Best advice I’ve heard:
1. What’s your goal?
2. What’s the easiest way to
hit it?
11) Why make things any more
complicated than it needs to be?
@kevgibbo

18. 12) It’s just as
much effort to
aim big, as it is
to think small.
@kevgibbo

19. 13) You’re not entitled to
stay number 1
@kevgibbo
There’s no such thing as won or lost,
just winning and losing...

20. 14) Don’t lose sight of what’s really
important to chase short term dreams
@kevgibbo

21. 15) Fear of failure is
a bigger risk than
just going for it...
@kevgibbo

22. Take time to be grateful
for what you’ve got,
embrace the ups and
downs, and appreciate
what you’ve achieved to
get here.
16) Looking back is important to reflect
on where you’ve come from
@kevgibbo

23. Thank you!
Kevin Gibbons
kgibbons@resignal.com