SEO Done Right with David Pagotto

With all the recent SEO industry chat, it cast my mind back to a sit-down chat with one of the best operators in the game, David Pagotto from SIXGUN we had almost 6 years ago to the day (where does the time go!?).

With more people getting into their own businesses/agencies, we had a chat about what it's like to be a business owner in the digital marketing and SEO space as well as how to get into the industry for those with an interest or just getting started.

Importantly though, and what I got from this chat was the importance of digital, DONE RIGHT. Something that a lot of churn and burn agencies don't quite grasp and where a lot of regular punters are being dudded.

Let me know what you think once you've had a listen in the comments.

Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gxrZN8id
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gjPwDFY

Summary:

In this episode of the Digital Marketers Podcast, Rye Smith interviews David Pagato, the founder of Six Gun Digital Marketing agency from Melbourne. The conversation covers SEO (Search Engine Optimization), digital marketing and how to grow an agency.

David shares that he entered the digital marketing space more than 10 years ago, learning quickly that a website alone doesn't guarantee success, but rather the marketing of the website matters. He says that if SEO is done effectively for a client, it can significantly drive traffic, and improve their business.

Regarding the growth of his agency, David reveals that before he fully ventured into running his agency, he had already built momentum with a number of clients. He attributes the initial growth of Six Gun to this momentum and believes starting a business without it can be challenging.

Key Takeaways:

1. SEO can influence significant results for a client, leading to an increase in traffic on their websites.
2. For starting a new business or agency, having initial momentum is crucial.
3. Word-of-mouth referrals and high-quality work are key contributors to business growth.
4. As businesses grow, exploring external marketing strategies and employing Business Development Managers can be beneficial.

The podcast discusses the importance of recurring revenue for small businesses and agencies, emphasizing the value of cash flow, specifically for those in the digital marketing landscape. There is a mention of businesses falling into traps of relying on a constant stream of jobs when they could strategize for consistent income, such as retainers. The guest suggests agencies could offer recurring services like website maintenance and hosting, or partner to offer services like SEO and Google Ads. Implementing direct debit systems like Easy Debit could improve cash flow as it automates payments. The guest also discussed balancing work and personal life as an agency owner, underlining how it's important to love what you do. He admitted to spending most of his time working but listed playing guitar as a personal interest.

Key takeaways include the critical role of recurring revenue for businesses and the need for strategies to ensure stable cash flow. Automation of payments can simplify processes and save time, and it's crucial for business owners to love what they do, given the demands of running a business.

The podcast features a discussion surrounding the digital marketing industry, with a focus on SEO and a company's purpose behind it. Key takeaways include:
– The recent removal of Google's average position has not greatly affected the guest's clients, mostly due to the fact that they use their own tools for precise measurements.
– The guest emphasizes the importance of focusing on organic search for SEO, pointing out that link-building is an area notably difficult for people to scale and tackle effectively. He does share a successful strategy that involves platforms such as "source bottle" and "harrow". These platforms allow you to interact directly with journalists and others which could result in a backlink from their publications, leading to increased visibility.
– There's a consensus that learning and honing SEO skills inside an agency environment can be highly beneficial due to the intense, everyday exposure to running campaigns. The guest mentions that such an immersive experience helped them fill various knowledge gaps in their skills.

In conclusion, the session stresses the importance of understanding and implementing organic search strategies in SEO, the relevance of link building, and the value of gaining skills in an agency setting.

The podcast discusses the importance of practical experience and mentorship in SEO and digital marketing. It highlights the value of working at an agency, describing it as high-pressure and high-stress, but also an incredible learning experience where one can gain exposure to hundreds of different clients and scenarios. It mentions the thriving SEO community in Australia as a great source of knowledge, and suggests multiple resources for learning SEO, including courses, events, and content from established SEO experts. The podcast also emphasizes that the foundation of SEO hasn't drastically changed over the years; the focus remains on building high-quality content that engages users. It also advises businesses to consider performance as a vital metric when judging an agency and emphasizes the importance of perseverance as SEO results often take time to materialize.