What made you want to do the work you do? Please share the full story.
My interest in SEO began when I found out how businesses could leverage search engines to contact consumers without entirely relying on paid advertising methods. When I started out, there were many companies with great products who were having difficulties to be recognized among participants in the digital world, so I wanted to help them fulfill this need. After working in the field for 13 years and witnessing multiple cases of organic search efforts bearing fruits, I decided to pursue my own project and create Space’M Online. The greatest motivation comes from helping eCommerce companies to expand beyond the local market and establish a long-term clientele in the international market.
How is AI changing your business? What changes are you making to adapt?
AI is changing various operations in SEO by affecting the methods people employ during information searches, product comparison, and finding businesses. Space’M is currently working on how it can try to use AI to perform different operations such as research and data analysis, search prospect identification, etc. Nevertheless, my perspective is that posting large amounts of AI-produced content is not really an effective long-term strategy. In this regard, we use AI for supporting our expertise and we try to incorporate human judgment and commercial goals into our SEO processes.
Tell us about a time where you saw a surprising outcome that you did not expect.
An unexpected experience when working with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) was witnessing how the website’s the implementation of minor modifications on the category pages can yield more positive outcomes than completing more sophisticated technical projects. Upon closely analyzing the search statistics, it became evident that the website has been losing a multitude of valuable opportunities as its pages were unable to address the way its customers were searching for the required goods. After tweaking the content and making sure that the pages serve the intended purpose we observed much higher outcomes than the initial expectations.
What is a habit you try to stick to and how has it helped you?
Before I make any decision on SEO, I always assess the effectiveness of the strategies I’ve applied by examining the results data. Such approaches as checking the organic traffic, keyword positions, conversions, and revenue gained allow me to consider my actions and decisions while actually assessing what is going on in the industry instead of just interpreting the statistical data. As a result, I can call myself a more serious strategist who is focused on the real gain instead of just considering such factors as numerous figures.
What achievement are you the proudest of and why?
Nothing gives me greater joy than the realization that Space’M Online has turned into an international SEO agency that has accomplished working on over 500 websites. The knowledge that our contributions have contributed to more than €100 million of revenue generated by our clients is gratifying, as it proves that we’ve created real business value apart from just rankings and traffic results.
What is your favorite book and why?
There is one book that I really admire, and it is The Lean Startup written by Eric Ries. This book has revolutionized my thinking in terms of creating and running a business. The idea of constant testing, learning from what actually works, and making changes accordingly can be implemented in the work of SEO agency. The SEO process requires constant experimentation, so I think that making decisions based on tests is more effective than making them only on intuition.
What advice would you give to your younger self and why?
I would recommend to my past self to focus on the importance of learning practical skills instead of worrying about creating plans too early. Since the world of SEO changes constantly, it would serve me better to continue learning and adapting instead of trying to acquire knowledge all at once. Moreover, I would tell my past self to be risk-tolerant and explore different entrepreneurial opportunities because great, lucrative ideas may exist beyond the zone of comfort.
Who has been your biggest mentor in life (personal or professional) and how have they helped you?
Among the individuals whom I’ve looked up to is Richard Branson, whose entrepreneurial life has fascinated me over time. I admire how he accepts challenges and sees the big picture while creating very powerful customer experiences when building his enterprises. Richard Branson has taught me that running my own enterprise, namely Space’M Online, successfully is not only about my expertise but my ability to explore and act on the opportunities others can miss.
Are you willing to be a mentor? If so, how should someone contact you?
Sure, I am open to providing mentorship for those who are eager to learn more about SEO, develop an online business, or pursue a career in digital marketing. I enjoy sharing my hands-on experiences from partnering with international eCommerce brands as it is real-life experiences that teach many things that classes and books cannot. Anyone interested can connect with me through the Space’M Online website.