Some thoughts about the Jennifer Laycock interview
Tags: 10 Questions, Blogging, SEO
Whew what a crazy week it’s been! First things first though, I want to welcome all the new readers that have been coming by and formally thank you for showing me some love. It’s always appreciated and you’re always welcome here.
This week I got to interview Jennifer Laycock from Search Engine Guide and to be honest, it really has me thinking about my own career in many different ways. I asked about how the search/internet marketing industry is fragmenting off into more specialty services and her answer really hit a nerve with me. She pointed out the importance of understanding your own strengths in what you do for your clients, and honing them into your core skill set. Network with other people in the industry so you can refer work to them (and vice-versa) for the things you are not the strongest in. I think this is great advice we all should be considering going forward.
For me personally, my strengths are in on-page optimization through focused keyword placement, internal linking structuring, standards compliant coding, conversion driven usability and analytics. My graphics skills lack. I can build up links, but I totally dread it. My next endeavor is beefing up my content writing to be more fluid and enticing for visitors. So that definitely leaves me needing to find people I can refer work to. Contact me if you’re interested in us contracting each other out for help.
Otherwise, the interview with her was a tough one for me to write up questions for. It’s not everyday that you get to fire off some questions to a veteran who has some serious street cred. I was wondering if any of you would like to send me questions in advance before my next interview? If so, drop me a line on the contact form.
Next week will be Matt McGee from Marchex which is unconfirmed at the moment. Put on your thinking caps and shoot me an email.
Thanks and have a good weekend!



August 3rd, 2007 at 11:49 pm
“serious street cred” eh? I feel like I need to tie a bandana around the knee of my jeans or something now…
I really do think we’ll see more folks partnering up in loose “mini-agency” affiliations over the next few years. I already see it happening a lot. Many of the big names in the industry that operate on their own are doing this now…a well known organic type sends ppc work to a friend who sends link work on to another friend.
Besides, it’s far more fun to only do the things you enjoy right? Why kill yourself learning about the “icky” side of search if you know someone who enjoys that side?