What makes SEO work exciting?
For many, it’s about weighing Google’s key ranking factors or cracking the mysteries of the search algorithm.
For some, it may be about helping businesses grow and prosper in the digital age.
But for Shay Harel, CEO and founder of Rank Ranger, it’s been able to work with a talented team in a growing space.
Last May, leading digital intelligence companies Rank Ranger and Similarweb teamed up to provide search marketers with enterprise-grade SEO capabilities to better understand keyword performance.
“We believe our approach to search rankings and monitoring complements Similarweb’s keyword analysis capabilities and best-in-class traffic data,” Harel said in a statement. blog post Announcing the acquisition.
In this Q&A interview, he shares more about Rank Ranger’s partnership with Similarweb, as well as his thoughts on keeping up with Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) capabilities and developing SEO talent.
A fresh start for Rank Ranger
RankRanger is now part of the Similarweb family. What excites you most about this merger?
Shay Harrell: “The synergy between the company and our people. The opportunity to work with such a talented team – it’s a way of uncovering digital marketing insights beyond what we can offer – is fantastic.
By combining Similarweb’s best-in-class data with our own products, we open up a never-ending path of innovation and new solutions for SEOs and digital marketers. “
The dynamic nature of SEO
What is your favorite thing about working in SEO?
Shanghai: “It’s simple: it’s never boring. In an ever-evolving industry, there’s always something new to learn and master. It’s a very exciting space.”
How do you see the RankRanger brand and product evolving over the next three years to keep up with changes in the industry and search algorithms?
Shanghai: “Every week, Google challenges the industry by updating and changing SERP features and the way it builds organic results. Today, it’s more dynamic than ever.
A few years ago, we set ourselves the goal of making Rank Ranger a best-in-class tool to track and capture these changes in order to adjust and integrate them into our reporting suite.
Today, our unique SERP Feature Tool is the most comprehensive source for journalists and marketers to understand any changes or trends Google is making behind the scenes.
It provides a true bird’s eye view of SERP feature data. “
Speaking of change, what less-used SERP features do you think marketers should be better using?
Shanghai: “I highly recommend looking at FAQ/How-To spaces and sub-intents for keywords, as Google is introducing nested levels of questions and topic follow-up responses.
It’s important to continue to track these changes, and what we’re seeing is that Google is testing these new features on mobile devices before rolling them out to desktop search.
The Things to Know SERP feature is a perfect example of this evolution, from featured snippets to nested sub-intent answers where different pages (domains) can be displayed.
Now, it’s basically a variation of Featured Snippets that gathers answers from several different sources.
Changes like this open up more space for SEOs to optimize for more specific intent and succeed in the newly created space they haven’t yet invested in. “
Thinking about leadership
How do leaders in our industry develop strong candidates to lead future organizations?
Shanghai: “First, it’s important to set challenging but achievable goals. They should push candidates outside their comfort zone and encourage them to reach their full potential.
When these goals are achieved, leadership should recognize that performance.
It’s great to applaud the high achievers inside. Do it socially even better!
I would like to see more leaders offering mentoring and one-on-one mentoring to impart their expertise.
Finally, I would say that leaders should have confidence in their candidates. Create a culture where they can do the job you hired them and not be questioned at every turn. “
Any tips for finding and retaining top SEO and related talent in a competitive environment?
Shanghai: “Marketing managers and executives should view their SEO plans as a mid- to long-term strategy.
Start following today and it will provide your brand with a massive source of traffic. They need to recognize that SEO managers empower the entire team, providing insights on different opportunities to connect with consumers in authentic ways.
Companies should seek to provide the right rostrum for SEO managers on their teams and promote SEO managers to leadership positions wherever possible – because of their ability to connect all aspects of your marketing and bring your company closer to your customers.
After all, a successful marketing campaign will guide content creation and highlight areas for improvement in design and web development.
All in order to provide the best experience for customers. It can be said that it all stems from search engine optimization. “
More resources:
Featured Image: Courtesy of Shay Harel; Modified by author, August 2022