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SEO Interviews - Get to know the real Mark A Preston

Listen to some of the various SEO, marketing and business podcasts, webinars and shows Mark A Preston has been interviewed on, to get to really know the real Mark.

Business Story of the Week (Mastering SEO) hosted by Joshua Laurie

Questions Joshua Laurie asked Mark A Preston on Business Story of the Week

  • What initially drew you to the world of SEO back in 2001?

  • How do you overcome challenges when teaching SEO?

  • What separates your unique perspective on SEO when coaching businesses?

  • Why is SEO high impact considering the effort required?

  • How do you get into the technical aspects of SEO to get Google to work for you?

  • How do you navigate the SEO journey?

  • How do search engine algorithms work?

  • Do keywords still matter in SEO?

  • Does Google rank the purpose of your content?

  • How do you navigate the constantly changing landscape of SEO?

  • How should businesses change their SEO strategy to stay ahead?

  • What does the future of SEO look like?

  • Where does Mark A Preston stand in the mist of the world of SEO?

  • What are your future aspirations?

The Agency Growth Lab Podcast (Mastering Client Growth) hosted by Rohin Dua

Questions Rohin Dua asked Mark A Preston on The Agency Growth Lab Podcast

  • How did you shift from being a mechanic into SEO?

  • Do you drive leads in both the UK and USA?

  • What are the most effective strategies for SEOs to bring in new business?

  • Do agencies need to use PPC to generate quality leads?

  • Do agency owners need to pay for LinkedIn Premium in order to drive leads through that channel?

  • What do SEO agencies need to sell?

  • Is it useful for agency owners to attend local networking groups?

  • How do you structure client growth plans to generate scalable results?

  • What are your thoughts on agencies who over promise?

  • What are the best agency practices for client retention?

  • Is AI going to start wiping out SEO agencies?

  • How should SEO agencies approach content?

  • What advice would you give to someone with minimal capital who is just starting a new agency?

  • What is the best lead generation tactics for brand new agency owners?

The GYFT Show (Money Matters) hosted by John Burns

Questions John Burns asked Mark A Preston on The GYFT Show (Money Matters)

  • What is you most unwise expenditure you've made in your business life?

  • What is the most productive expenditure you've made in your business?

  • Was there ever a point where you thought, do I have the money to put food on the table?

  • Was there a time in business where you had to make people redundant?

  • What advice do you have for people who are thinking about starting their own business?

  • Where do you see business owners throwing money away in poorly executed expenditure?

  • What advice do you have for entrepreneurs who want to invest in SEO and paid Ads?

  • Where do you see your business growing and developing over the next 12 to 18 months?

  • If someone has a massive mortgage but wants to start a business, what advice would you give them?

Training SEO Agencies To 8/9 Figures hosted by Charles Floate

Questions Charles Floate asked Mark A Preston on Training SEO Agencies To 8/9 Figures

  • What's your background, Mark?

  • What are your thoughts on AI when it comes to SEO?

  • Is AI going to replace a lot of human writing tasks?

  • How can agencies future-proof themselves moving forward?

  • What are the most common things that agencies are getting wrong?

  • Do the agency SEO team need to be involved in the pre-sales conversations?

  • Should agencies get their various teams to work together more?

  • Do you see much value in doing reward based systems for agency employees?

  • How important is it for agency teams to get along with each other?

Make Marketing Great Podcast hosted by Alain Machado

Questions Alain Machado asked Mark A Preston on the Make Marketing Great Podcast

  • What does Mark A Preston do?

  • What made you become fond of SEO?

  • When did you start in SEO?

  • Did you have to learn SEO by yourself when you first started?

  • Is there anything in your background prior to SEO that has helped you to progress forward within the SEO industry?

  • How do you go about looking at SEO from a mindset point of view?

  • What do SEO clients actually want?

  • What would you say to those SEOs who are struggling to stay motivated?

  • Have you adjusted your SEO training due to AI?

  • Have you come across any businesses who are scared of AI?

  • What would you say to individuals who are looking to get into SEO?

  • What can the people do about learning SEO who struggle to network?

  • How do you talk to businesses who are thinking if they should invest into SEO?

  • What are the biggest challenges you have faced with businesses to convince them to invest into SEO?

  • How do you set expectations with SEO clients?

  • What have you found to be the biggest weaknesses within agencies when you train their team?

  • Do you think SEO teams within agencies start to lose sight due to having tunnel vision?

  • How did you get into becoming an author and teaching others SEO?

  • What gives you a good kick out of the SEO industry?

  • How do you help individuals grow their career and move up the ladder within SEO?

  • What are you top three SEO tips for 2023?

UNmiss Live Show hosted by Anatolii Ulitovskyi

Questions Anatolii Ulitovskyi asked Mark A Preston on the UNmiss Live Show

  • Who is Mark A Preston?

  • How can an SEO find keywords that help with sales?

  • If you have a list of thousands of keywords to choose from, how do you prioritise that list?

  • What SEO tools do you use to kind quality keywords?

  • How can SEOs use AI tools in a smart way that will help them?

  • What type of prompts do you use in ChatGPT?

  • How do you use your whiteboard within your SEO training sessions?

  • What are your methods of teaching SEO?

  • How can an SEO perform link building that is more specific and focused?

  • What is the biggest SEO mistake you have done in the past, and what did you learn?

  • If you was just stating out in SEO today, how would you approach it?

untitled SEO podcast hosted by Andrew Laws

Questions Andrew Laws asked Mark A Preston on the untitled SEO podcast

  • What does an SEO mindset coach do?

  • Why do SEOs need to move away from having a checklist mindset?

  • Does having SEO perfection in technical SEO hold things back?

  • What should you prioritise for a new SEO client?

  • What questions should you be asking a new SEO client?

  • What do you need to be thinking about when it comes to SEO?

  • Is the business owners passion a good foundation for SEO?

  • Is generating a high number of leads for a business a good thing?

  • What SEO holistic things do you need to think about?

  • Can SEO be done in isolation?

  • Should your SEO tasks be dictated by what Google say?

  • How important is it for an SEO to work with good businesses?

  • How do you approach coaching within SEO?

  • What do SEOs need to be mindful of when it comes to using SEO tools?

  • What are your thoughts on SEO educational material?

  • When it comes to content, what should SEOs be mindful of?

  • Do you think SEO will eventually dissolve and not be a thing?

  • What are your thoughts on unethical manipulation SEO tactics?

  • How did you discover a love of public speaking?

  • Have you had any formal training to become a professional speaker?

SEO Video Show hosted by Paul Andre (DRE) de Vera

Questions Paul Andre asked Mark A Preston on the SEO Video Show

  • In 1 minute or less how do you get on page 1 of Google?

  • How did you first get into SEO?

  • What made you interested in SEO?

  • How did you learn SEO? 

  • What were your SEO resources when you started out? 

  • Who are the SEO people you followed when starting out?

  • What is SEO mindset?

  • What are some tips to move towards with the SEO mindset?

  • How do you typically go about finding new prospects for SEO services?

  • What are the most important pre-sales questions when vetting a new potential client?

  • When presenting SEO services to potential clients, what strategies have you found to be most effective?

  • Can you walk me through your process for closing a deal with a client interested in SEO services?

  • In your experience, what approaches have you tried in the past that have not been successful when it comes to selling SEO services?

  • When calculating the ROI for a client's SEO investment, what factors do you typically take into account?

  • What are some different revenue models that you have utilized or encountered in the SEO industry?

  • How do you determine the appropriate price point for your SEO services?

  • When approaching a new prospect, what steps do you take to establish a connection and build rapport?

  • When creating SEO packages, what factors do you consider when setting the price?

  • How do you identify potential clients who understand the value of SEO and are willing to pay for it?

  • When working with clients who may not fully appreciate the benefits of SEO, how do you educate them and help them see the value in your services?

  • How do you ensure that the expectations of your clients are aligned with what you can realistically deliver through your SEO services?

  • When pitching your SEO services to a potential client, what kind of reaction do you typically receive?

  • Can you walk me through the process of putting together a contract for an SEO project?

  • How do you become an SEO professional?

Rankable Podcast hosted by Garrett Sussman

Questions Garrett Sussman asked Mark A Preston on the Rankable Podcast

  • What is your perspective on the SEO industry?

  • What role do you play at this point after being in the SEO industry for over 20 years?

  • What conversations are you having with people that are stopping them from communicating on social media?

  • Should SEOs be blocking out negative and disrespectful conversations on social media?

  • How has the business side of SEO changed over the past five years?

  • Do you think that the perception of SEO is changing at C-Suite level?

  • What is the common SEO perception at large corporate organizations?

  • Are you seeing any sort of theme or any real changes from the C-Suite when it comes to understanding the value of the marketing channel?

  • What should new SEO teams who work in-house be thinking about?

  • What are the first steps for a Head of SEO just joining an organization?

  • How do you handle barriers within an organization when it comes to getting your SEO recommendations approved?

  • How should Head of SEOs be communicating with the C-Suite?

  • Has the CMOs perception of SEO changed?

  • SEO takes time, so what do you do if the CMO says "we need results quick"?

  • What can a Head of SEO do if they face budget constraints due to economic downturn?

  • What does the Head of SEO need to do in order to get buy-in (budget) from the C-Suite?

  • What are the top 3 of something you love?

  • What is your best SEO or marketing win?

  • What are your top 3 SEO tools?

  • What is your best SEO trick or tactic?

  • What do you love most about SEO?

  • What are your best learning SEO resources?

  • Who are the top three SEOs or marketers that you most look up to?

  • What is your number one cause or charity that you want to promote?

Marketing Dribble Podcast hosted by Rob Boyle & Jonny Kenyon

Questions Rob Boyle and Jonny Kenyon asked Mark A Preston on the Marketing Dribble Podcast

  • What do you do in the SEO industry?

  • Do you talk to other SEOs who think they are an expert until they talk to you?

  • Why is mindset important when it comes to SEO?

  • What made you gravitate towards SEO?

  • Did you used to have over one hundred websites?

  • How has SEO changed since you started out compared to now?

  • What excites you about SEO now in 2023?

  • What does the future of SEO hold because of AI?

  • How can businesses use AI to improve their SEO?

  • What are some of the biggest mistakes you see at the moment in the SEO world?

  • Is it a good thing to add content to your website and make the text the same colour as the background?

  • What are some beginner SEO tips for people who are just thinking of coming into SEO?

  • Do you think new SEO executives are under pressure to just tick a box?

  • Does the right SEO mindset need to start at the top?

  • What is one golden nugget on how to drive more organic traffic?

  • If Google gave you free range to make any changes, what would they be?

  • As an SEO specialist, who do you follow and what resources do you read?

Democratizing SEO Podcast hosted by Austine Esezobor

Questions Austine Esezobor asked Mark A Preston on the Democratizing SEO Podcast

  • How did you enter this very interesting and dynamic industry?

  • Why did you regret starting your own agency?

  • What was SEO like back when you started over twenty years ago?

  • Why do CMOs need SEO training for their wider marketing department?

  • What are the different ways your SEO training helps brands?

  • What does business development SEO mindset mean?

  • Should brands focus more on PPC or SEO?

  • How can the CMO of a brand sell training for their marketing team into board level?

  • In your experience, how long does SEO take to show results?

  • Have you always thought a little differently towards SEO, or is it something that has changed throughout your SEO career?

  • What prompted you to write your book, the business side of SEO?

  • If you were to write another book, what would it be about?

  • What is holding you back from publishing a novel?

  • Do you think SEOs focus too much on techniques and technical, rather than understanding the business and soft skills side?

  • Do you think that a lot of SEOs focus their energy on the wrong things?

  • What should a brand who are looking to hire their first in-house SEO be mindful of?

  • Do recruiters need to understand SEO if they are recruiting for SEO roles?

  • What frustrates you the most about the SEO community?

  • What makes you stay in the SEO industry after two-decades?

The GYFT Show hosted by John Burns

Questions John Burns asked Mark A Preston on The GYFT Show

  • How can I ensure my webpages move from obscurity to visibility?

  • How can I ensure my website appears on page one of the search engines?

  • How important is it to understand your client avatar?

  • Is it important to ask questions to your customers and clarify the information?

  • What tools can I use to understand my audience better?

  • What is important when building your website?

  • Do you need to include testimonials on your website to give credibility?

  • How do you need to think about content when it comes to your website?

  • In terms of your website and SEO, how can a consultant stand out from their competition?

  • Are video testimonials more effective than adding written testimonials to your website?

  • How does a video testimonial need to come across?

  • How important is it to have a call-to-action on each of your web pages?

  • What do you need to understand in order to gain new leads through your website?

  • What are your thoughts on Google Ads or other forms of paid promotion to drive traffic to your website?

  • How does Google Ads fit into SEO?

  • How can you ensure you don't waste money through Google Ads?

  • How important is it to regularly update video testimonials on your website to keep them looking fresh?

  • What should I be aware of when it comes to competition levels?

#SEOSLY Podcast hosted by Olga Zarr

Questions Olga Zarr asked Mark A Preston on the SEOSLY Podcast

  • What is your SEO story?

  • What technology were you using to build website when you started back in 2001?

  • What type of industries were you building websites for when you started?

  • Were you doing lead generation or affiliate marketing on the sites you built?

  • What level of traffic were your best sites generating?

  • What SEO techniques were you using twenty years ago?

  • What was your experience with being an agency owner?

  • What type of agency did you run?

  • Is the agency you built still going?

  • What type of companies have you worked with over the years?

  • What type of SEO training do you provide?

  • How do you change the mindset of a marketer when it comes to SEO?

  • What common flaws do you see in your training sessions when it comes to SEO processes?

  • What specific things can SEOs focus on to move the needle?

  • What type of events do you speak at?

  • How big are the events and conferences you speak at?

  • How do you manage to secure new speaking gigs within the business and corporate world?

  • How much do you get paid as a professional SEO speaker?

  • Do you also advise companies on specific SEO problems?

  • What is your book (the business side of SEO) about?

  • What are some of your biggest failures within your SEO career?

  • Do you currently own an agency or are you kind of freelance now?

  • What area of SEO do you like the most?

  • Why and how did you rebrand yourself from Mark Preston SEO to Mark A Preston?

  • How long did it take you to change everything during your rebrand?

  • How does your normal day look like?

  • Besides your own, what other books should SEOs be reading?

  • What are your thoughts on AI and ChatGPT?

  • What will the future of SEO look like because of AI?

  • What area of SEO should we be focusing on this year?

  • What are your thoughts when it comes to new SEO trends?

SEO Career Mastery hosted by SEO For Hire

Questions Josh Peacock and Daris asked Mark A Preston on the SEO Career Mastery

  • What are the common themes that need to be improved when you mentor SEOs?

  • Do you mentor more junior SEOs rather than mid to high level SEOs?

  • When it comes to SEO mindset, do junior SEOs need to have a different mindset than senior SEOs?

  • Have you had a lot of experience hiring SEOs?

  • What was the big thing you were looking for when hiring SEOs?

  • How did you approach training existing SEO team members when you ran your own agency?

  • Do you think providing a great training plan for your SEO team led to a high retention rate?

  • What type of client do you provide your training and coaching services to?

  • How did you grow your digital marketing franchise business?

  • What are your top tips for agency owners?

  • What was your biggest challenge when hiring SEOs?

  • Where do you see the SEO industry heading due to the recession and mass redundancies?

  • Where do you see SEO heading due to AI and ChatGPT?

  • Are you using AI much in your SEO processes?

  • How important is it for SEOs to go to events?

  • Besides the standard SEO conferences, what other type of events should SEOs be attending?

  • How important is it for an SEO to build a personal brand?

  • Is there a specific reason you went down the unscripted route with your podcast?

  • Why did you write your SEO freelancer guide?

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