Acodie Interview Series: Barry Schwartz, Founder of the Search Engine Roundtable

In recent years, we have seen some major updates within SEO. Each Google algorithm update has been closely watched and observed by SEO enthusiasts to build effective SEO strategies that translate into success. SEO professionals must constantly update their website’s SEO strategies for Google rankings and audience engagement. We interviewed the SEO maestro, Barry Schwartz, to learn more about SEO. We discussed some insightful topics with him, from SEO strategies to the recent Google Algorithm leak.

He is the founder of the Search Engine Roundtable and has been serving as the news editor for Search Engine Land. Barry is currently the CEO of RustyBrick, a web service firm based in New York. He has also presented at Google Talks and interviewed several Google search executives. He provided advisory roles for Google, Yahoo! Search, Microsoft’s Bings and several other companies. He has appeared and was interviewed by prominent publications and TV channels such as Reuters, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CBS Sunday Morning, NBC Nightly News, and others. The outstanding community service award from Search Engine Land, the US Search Personality of the Year Award by the US Search Awards, and being included in the list of top 50 most influential PPCers by Marketing O’clock are some of the feathers in his cap. Barry is one of the forefronters of SEO and has served the SEO community for over 20 years. Here is the full interview we had with him.

➢ With the constant updates and changes in Google’s algorithms, what key strategies should digital marketing companies focus on to ensure long-term SEO success for their clients?

It sounds lame but really, stop worrying about Google rankings and focus on your website users. Do what is best for them.  Of course, you need to do the SEO basics, like title tags, content, etc.  But don’t look for shortcuts or tricks, instead, focus on building your own audience so that if one day Google does downgrade your rankings, (a) you still have a loyal audience for your site and (b) Google will look dumb and hopefully fix their algorithm to rank your site in the future. I have been directly through this myself, with my own sites

➢ In your experience, how crucial is content marketing to a successful SEO strategy, and what types of content tend to perform best in search engine rankings?

I don’t think it is that important if you can build your own audience and loyal readership. I mean, they do the content marketing on your behalf.  I never paid for links or content marketing for any of my sites.

➢ As the News Editor at Search Engine Land and a frequent speaker at major conferences, what emerging trends or technologies in SEO are you most excited about right now?

AI. Need I say more?

➢ As someone deeply involved in the SEO community, what are your thoughts on the ethical considerations in SEO practices, and how Should digital marketers balance SEO tactics with maintaining long-term trust and credibility with both users and search engines?

If you go back to my first answer, this won’t be an issue.  Google wants to serve search results that its searchers want to see.  As long as you provide a good user experience with helpful content, you should be okay on both fronts.

➢ Looking ahead, what do you envision as the next big challenge or opportunity for SEO professionals in the next 5-10 years, and how should digital marketing companies prepare for these shifts in the search engine landscape?

AI is big right now and it will continue to grow in importance. How AI changes the search results page is in its infancy now. I do think SEOs will play a large role in making sure AI surfaces your brand and content from your brand.  So just keep building out great content and hopefully the AI search engines will reward it – if not, we are all doomed. 🙂

➢ In your experience, what are some common misconceptions or myths about SEO that you frequently encounter, and how do you debunk them to help businesses make more informed decisions?

There are just too many and most of them stem from SEOs looking for shortcuts and tricks.  Nothing in life is easy and building out a website that performs well with search engines is not easy either.

➢ Recently, there have been reports about the latest algorithm leak from Google. What are your thoughts on this leak, and how should beginner SEOs interpret and respond to such information to ensure their strategies remain effective and ethical?

For beginners, I think the Google API leak can be dangerously distracting and set those folks off on the wrong path.  For those seasoned in SEO, I think it is useful to validate some specific thoughts and ideas. But honestly, we don’t know what in those documents are used today, how much they are weighted and so forth. But going through them, it just shows you how important all the items in my first response above are.  So build for the user.

➢ In an era where data privacy and user consent are becoming increasingly important, how do you foresee the balance between leveraging user data for personalized search results and maintaining user privacy? What strategies should businesses adopt to navigate these challenges while still optimizing their SEO efforts?

This is becoming more and more of a challenge with all the privacy regulation around the world.  It is becoming almost impossible to personalize your efforts for the users because of these regulations.  I’d be cautious about using personalized data for this without speaking to a lawyer who understands your region and your business. SEO should not be impacted by any of this, to be honest.

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