Arron Wall is the leading expert in the field of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). His book, entitled SEOBook, is the #1 ranked book on SEO and has sold thousands upon thousands of copies and has been used as a textbook in graduate level marketing classes. His site, SEOBook.com, is ranked 179 on Technorati and his receives more daily traffic that problogger.net and shoemoney.com. (Sorry Darren and Jeremy)

I was lucky enough to talk with him and get his insight into SEO and his personal feelings on a few related subjects. Enjoy.

#1

jemmille.com: You say on your website, “I know the world is much larger than I or the US, but I only started to do well as I stopped listening to what leaders told me, and fell out of the social framework and rat race most people are stuck in.” What changes did you make and how did they lead to you writing the SEOBook ?

Aaron: The biggest changes were just not listening to naysayers and believing that if I did what I was interested in eventually money and happiness and all that stuff would work itself out. The first version of my ebook was trivial and not very good, but over time I kept learning and due to my continued study of the topic and many iterative revisions the book got a lot better over time.

#2

jemmille.com: You are only a year older than me and that leads me to wonder how someone so young has become the leading expert a topic that has become SO important for any person trying to “make it” on the web. Where did you start your research? Did you learn by trial and error based on your own experiences.

Aaron: I read books on all sorts of marketing topics, went to conferences, participated in forums, moderated forums, created content sites, tested stuff (ie create content and build links and see what happened), blogged, and have many good friends who are smarter than I am…we learn a lot from each other.

Age really doesn’t matter that much on the web. Its more about having great marketing timing and just being passionate and working hard, IMHO. With the web if you are open to market feedback the market timing is always perfect for some idea. My mom had a strong work ethic and I am obsessive, so that is where the other bits come from.

#3

jemmille.com: Although you were know throughout the industry before 2005, your name shoot to the forefront when you were sued by Traffic Power. Although the case was dismissed, it created quite a stir among the blogging community for its potential implications regarding bad-mouthing people or companies on a personal website. What has happened since then, both personally and web-wide with regard to this issue?

Aaron: That lawsuit cost me about $40,000, which was my entire yearly income in 2004 or 2/3 of my income in 2005. That was a big risk, but some of my friends refused to let me back down, and it turned out well for me by giving me a lot more exposure. Since then I believe Traffic Power may have went out of business, and the domain name 1P.com was sold at auction for around $20,000 this year. I have also seen other companies try to bully some of my friends http://www.seobook.com/archives/001638.shtml and my friends did the same thing I did…fought it and won.

#4

jemmille.com: Am I correct in saying the SEOBook is available as an eBook only? If so, have you every thought about publishing a hard copy and then letting people get updates via your website until the next publication? Do you know what the average return-on-investment is for someone that buys your book?

Aaron: To the first question the answer is yes. I thought about it, but I still prefer the ebook version for the simplicity of only having one offering. Affiliate programs and site structure and all that stuff gets confusing if I have more offerings, and it is much harder to give the money back guarantee needed to move a good volume when you add physical inventory and shipping costs to the equation.

The average ROI is probably both skewed toward the edges and hard to know. Some people have called me and told me they quit their jobs to work on the web for themselves full time, others have paid me many thousands of dollars for site reviews, some have asked me to fly half way around the world to train their team or go party with them, and others have emailed asking for a refund.

A marketing book only has value if you read it, are willing to work hard, and keep experimenting and learning. I think some guides lead people astray while others try to help. Based on my low refund request rate I would guess that most people who find my book feel it provides good value to them.

#5

jemmille.com: What are your thoughts and feelings about using software like WebPosition and Internet Business Promoter (IBP) to increase your sites traffic? Are the really effective? What is your, if any, recommendation for analytics software?

Aaron: I think most SEO software that tries to do everything is not worth buying. I avoid the all in one tools, as I think they lead people astray. As far as analytics software goes, Google is nice if you don’t mind giving them your data.

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If you would like a copy of Aaron’s book, which I think every site owner or internet marketer should have, click here.

This is the first in a series of interviews with some of the top SEO experts and professional bloggers in the world. I will post a new “5 Questions With…” every 2-4 weeks. Digg! this for sure.

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