An Interview With An SEO God, Meet Charles Floate

An interview with Charles Floate, an SEO expert from the United Kingdom on how he got started, his advice for new people just starting out, his take on algorithm updates and more.

If you’re in the know, there’s been a flourishing scene of young entrepreneurs from a variety of countries showcasing their digital accolades, talents and skills for all to see on Twitter. It has various names, but most seem to like the term “Money Twitter” which refers to the nature of the ability of the social network to teach you how to have a side hustle and thus make money from that part-time skill based work.

The “community”, if that is what you can call it, it’s more like a large sprawled-out hive with leaders at the top teaching varying skills, giving motivational advice and networking their abundant courses, services and SaaS (Software as a Subscription) offerings.

One that stands out though, is veteran digital marketing expert Charles Floate, who has single handedly taken it upon himself to be the sole educator for the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) segment of the Money Twitter web.

Floate has created a vast library of content that is both free and paid, all in the name of helping others become better digital marketers. He offers courses, videos, blog posts and even webinars to teach users how to optimize their websites for search engines, how to use Google Ads, how to create effective content and more. Floate also provides an array of services such as SEO auditing, link building and consultancy.

 When Did You Get Started In SEO? 

Charles: I got started in SEO at the age of 12, helping my family business build an online presence after they’d been taken for a lot of money by a quite infamous web agency in the UK.

I started out with basic HTML and CSS, then moved on to WordPress and eventually SEO. After that, I was hooked and have been doing SEO ever since.

 What Is Your Advice To Those Just Starting Out In SEO? 

Charles: My advice to those starting out in SEO is to first get a good understanding of the basics of how search engines work. Try to learn from one specific source, where you’ll be able to get a rounded education rather than splintering off and getting conflicting advice.  Once you’re confident you can run an SEO campaign, do it! Start by building a test website, it shouldn’t even cost you $20 to get a domain and hosting and begin your journey of trying to rank, which could be literally for anything when you’re just starting out.  From there, you’ll learn the basics of what works and what doesn’t, as well as how to track your progress.

Finally, never stop learning. SEO is an ever-evolving industry and staying up to date with the latest trends and best practices will ensure you’re always ahead of the curve.

 Do The Google Updates (Multiple Per Month) Worry You? 

Charles: No, Googe might be releasing a large number of updates but they aren’t nearly as impactful as they were in the early 2010s and it shows when they’re making significant layoffs and trying to improve efficiency that the algorithm suffers as a result overall.  I’m confident in my ability to stay ahead of the releases and understand what Google is pushing towards based on my over 15 years in the game.

How Would You Spend Your Money On Building A New Niche Site?

Charles: If I was starting a new niche site, I would spend my time and money on the following:

1. Niche Research – The most important thing you can do at the start of a niche site’s life is picking the right niche itself! Make sure you’ve found a niche that your level can easily get into, otherwise it’s going to be an uphill battle and resource intensive.
2. A Topical Content Map –  Once you’ve identified your niche, create a content map that outlines the topics and sub-topics that you’ll be covering. This will help keep your content focused and organized.
3. Quality Content – Content is king, and you need to make sure that whatever content you produce is top quality and engaging for readers. Investing in quality writers or creating content yourself is key here.
4. Optimization  – Make sure each piece of content is optimized for search engines with appropriate titles, meta descriptions, headings, images and internal links. This will help ensure that Google can properly index your pages and rank them accordingly in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).
5. Promotion – Once you have written quality content, it’s important to promote it across various channels like social media and other websites/blogs in order to drive more traffic to your site.

 Would You Buy Backlinks In 2023, When Google Has Claimed To Hit Unnatural Links? 

Charles: Yes, what Google claims and what is reality are two separate things.

Buying backlinks is still a viable option for SEO in 2023, as long as you are buying from reputable sources and the links you’re buying are relevant to your niche.

There are particular link building services you can use too.

 And Finally, What Are Your 3 Predictions For SEO For 2023? 

Charles:

1. A.I. Generated Content – I think the content generation models and tools will continue to improve throughout the year, exponentially, and those that are at the forefront of utilizing it will be able to make huge returns in a very short amount of time.
2. Links – Links will still be a major factor in SEO, but the emphasis will be on quality over quantity. It’s important to ensure that any links you build are from relevant and authoritative sources, as well as being within the context of the content you’re linking to.
3. Entity and Branding – Google’s ability and technology to validate and authenticate brands has been based on entities, and these are only becoming more of a signal now than ever before. It’s now more important to establish your brand as an authority in its niche.

Have you read?
Which are the healthiest countries in the world for 2023?
Best Business Schools In The World For 2023.
Connecting With People On Linkedin: Understand The Ways Of Doing It.
Streamline Your Operations: The Key Points Of ERP Systems by Vangelis Kotselas.
Transitioning Back to the US: A Guide for Returning Expats by Tonya Towles.
Lessons Learned on a 13-Hour Road Trip by Jason Richmond.