What is the #1 biggest challenge SEOs face in 2022?

“It’s really keeping up with the way that SEO is changing, and it’s not just algorithms but integrating SEO with everything else that we’re doing in marketing.”

“It’s another thing to develop authority. This really goes beyond backlinks and has to do with a 360 degree of authority for your campaign.” – Dale Bertrand

Dale Bertrand is a technologist-turned-marketer currently running Fire&Spark, a digital agency in Boston that ignites organic search traffic for a range of industries. With 15 years of experience in engineering and AI systems, Dale has helped develop search marketing strategies for Fortune 500 companies and venture-backed startups to analytically solve marketing problems with highly combustible SEO strategies.

When he’s not busy with his success agency, you can find him attending a handful of marketing conferences as a Keynote speaker, helping to train marketing professionals from TripAdvisor, HubSpot and many more globally renowned brands.

JOIN RUSS MACUMBER AS HE SPEAKS WITH DALE BERTRAND ON EVERYTHING PR LINK BUILDING AND HOW TO CREATE A UNIQUE CAMPAIGN THAT SHOWS WHO YOUR BRAND IS.

“We’re really starting with what are we gonna do that’s remarkable in the space and how are we gonna be a community around that.”- Dale Bertrand.

Join us as we hear of Dale Bertrand’s journey to help grow a charitable coffee brand, Fire House, to help support injured firefighters and their families across America. Taking a digital PR link-building focus, we chat with him about this campaign’s beginnings and his tips on how to convey your brand’s remarkableness in your campaign.

The conversation covers:

What drew Dale into SEO (3:50)
Early experiences of SEO (6:52)
Dale’s framework/mindset towards SEO (8:42)
Firehouse Coffee journey (11:26)
Dale’s view on SEO and Digital PR (17: 44)
Initial SEO resources for Fire House Coffee (21:10)
First 90 days with Fire House coffee (21:33)
Planning process for Fire House campaign (25:22)
Major hurdles for Fire House (26:47)
Winning stories from the campaign (28:36)
Key to continue to grow authority (30:48)

Quickfire Vox Pop Q&A

Which previous Google algorithm change still keeps you up at night?

All of them. I live in fear that there’s another one coming.

Gun to your head… which do you prefer: content or links?

Backlinks and authority.

What’s the most effective link-building technique you have used?

PR-related tactics are gonna get you the best links. It’s about questioning what you find remarkable about your brand and what you are doing that’s remarkable about your brand in the marketplace.

Is the skyscraper technique still relevant today?

I believe so. It’s not exactly what we do anymore, but certainly, if you’re in a position where it’s an opportunity, I’d definitely look into it.

What do you love most about SEO?

The interdisciplinary aspect such as technical, non-technical, related to marketing/PR, content and, AI etc. But even more than that, I love the folks I get to meet. I get to have conversations with people who do every different facet of marketing and try to understand how their expertise could benefit an SEO campaign.

How do you apply SEO principles to your daily life?

Most of the grounds on efficient execution and project management, especially when organizing the kids.

WFH life or Office life or Hybrid life?

I’m an introvert at heart, so a solo office life.

SEMrush or Ahrefs?

Both organizations have been good to me, and I use both on a daily basis. They’re always coming out with interesting tools, so you can’t choose. They’ve also both got some amazing tools in the near future that I’d want to be aware of.

Agency or In-house or Combo?

I’ve been both, but I prefer agency life because I want to learn really quickly.

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