Today I have the pleasure to talk with Chris Dyson, director of the SEO company Roots Web Solutions based in Leeds, UK. So, have fun with another episode of “Meet your SEO” series. 

When did you enter the SEO world, and why ?

I guess like most people it’s something I fell into. I’d helped family and friends set up websites since about 2001. Around the start of 2006 I set up a music blog using WordPress and started learning SEO. I managed to rank my blog for several high traffic terms so I set up another and another. Before I knew it I was making more money online than offline with affiliate offers and adsense. In the middle of 2008 I was made redundant from work, so, I started to help others make money online too. Last year I sold most of my sites and dedicated more time to providing SEO services to local businesses.

A great tip about onpage optimization?

Use a unique Title for every page!! It’s so damn easy. The amount of times I start a site audit and the same title and meta description is on every single bloody page is ridiculous.

So, yeah, wannabe web designers and developers make sure every page has a unique title. Oh, and, while I’m at it please stop putting the website logo in <h1> tags.

Thanks xxx

The most stupid thing people believe about onpage optimization?

KEYWORD DENSITY! If you are trying to rank a page keyword density is not important. In fact keyword density is a stupid metric. Hey Google look at me I have a ridiculously high keyword density. If I ever wrote an SEO guide I would make stop messing about with keyword density the second chapter after title tags. So, yeah, anyone who thinks keyword density will improve their on page SEO needs to rot in keyword density hell. Or at least read an SEO article published after 1999, when keyword density well and truly died. RIP keyword density.

A great tip on how you build links?

The most stupid thing you heard about linkbuilding?

Links on High PR sites are the only one’s that matter! Argh! If you look past the fact PR is not the best link metric for link analysis you are missing a golden opportunity.

If you stop looking at links as purely a way to move up the Google rankings and as a way to increase traffic and brand awareness you will find even more great link opportunities.

Look beyond the Domain Authority and PageRank and look at other factors too e.g. # of Twitter Followers, RSS Subscribers. Or better yet why not use a service such as http://www.directoryofezines.com/ and pay for your article to be sent to someone’s huge mailing list. Those are links your competitors can’t reverse engineer.

If you have to explain what you do at a 10 year-old kid , what are you gonna say?

You know when you Google something….. I make sure you find the cool shit!

What do you drink when seoing?

I generally drink:

• Mouthful of red wine
• “Lighter fluid”
• Double gin
• Finger of cider (with ice)
• Finger of cider (with ice)
• Finger of cider (with ice)
• Glass of sherry
• Two big chugs of sherry
• Mouthful of sherry
• Sip of sherry
• Double whisky
• Mouthful of whisky
• Mouthful of whisky
• Mouthful of whisky
• Mouthful of whisky
• Splash of whisky
• Single Teachers
• Double Teachers
• Double Teachers
• Single Teachers
• Sip of sherry
• Three fingers of ale
• Sip of red wine
• Gulp of sherry
• Small glass of red wine
• Sip of red wine
• Half glass of red wine
• Sip of something white (gin & bitter lemon?)
• Sip of red wine
• Sip of red wine
• Gulp of red wine
• Gulp of red wine
• Finger of red wine
• Finger of red wine
• Gulp of red wine (“’53 Margeaux”)
• Gulp of red wine (“’53 Margeaux”)
• Gulp of red wine (“’53 Margeaux”)
• Gulp of red wine (“’53 Margeaux”)

or diet coke.

What do you think about SEO community?

I like the fact that SEO’s are willing to help each other and share information. It’s very rare in business that people are so open. I also like the fact we can have a laugh about what we do and some of the blogs and memes circulating recently are refreshing.

Have you ever worked sober?

Not since I ran out of brandy in 2009… It was a bad, bad day.

If you weren’t an SEO, what would you like to do ?

I’d be the real life Tony Stark. I’d be super rich and have a flying suit that shot lasers!! I would also be genetically engineering a Unicorn in my spare time.