Today, I have the very great pleasure of sharing an interview with Jono Alderson, Special Ops Manager at Yoast. Jono and I used to work together, way back in the early days of SEO - on a project he’d probably rather forget (tune in to the interview for details!).
These days, Jono is a recognised expert in a number of fields. He’s a digital strategist, a marketing technologist, and a full-stack developer with expertise in SEO, web development, analytics, structured data, WordPress...I could go on, but you get the picture!
He’s also something of a superstar on SEO Twitter. If you’re not already following Jono, then I highly recommend it! Apart from anything else, he’s very entertaining in a world that can be quite dry. He’s never afraid to challenge entrenched opinion (he calls it ‘poking the bear’), so you can be sure that a Twitter thread featuring Jono will be anything but boring!
Our chat covered a huge range of topics, from how to help clients understand the way Google works, to the importance of being challenging and disruptive in an industry that can be polarising. I’ve summarised the key topics below, with timestamps to help you find your way around:
- How did you get started in marketing? 0:25
- What does your current role at Yoast involve? 2:04
- What advice would you share with aspiring marketers? 3:20
- What are the top three areas businesses should focus their efforts on? 6:15
- Why do you think businesses still struggle to grasp SEO? 8:15
- What key area do you think businesses and marketers should avoid with SEO? 11:50
- What are the key challenges you’ve experienced when implementing a marketing strategy with brands and clients? 16:30
- What are the key ingredients that should be included in a marketing strategy? 18:15
- What do you think are the most common pitfalls marketers face, and how can we overcome them? 20:45
- What advice would you give your younger self if you were starting out today? 26:45
I’d like to give a massive thank you to Jono for taking part in this interview with me. If you want to know more about Jono, check out his LinkedIn page. If you want to witness him ‘poking the bear’, follow him on Twitter!
For the next in my series of interviews, subscribe to the Let’sTalk Strategy Youtube channel or if you prefer listening on the go, to our SoundCloud playlist. Click that notification bell to watch as soon as the episode drops!
For more on marketing strategy and how it can transform your business, check out my 5* rated book, ‘Marketing Strategy: Overcome Common Pitfalls and Create Effective Marketing’.
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