Jeff Romero: The Value And Importance Of SEO

For someone new to marketing, SEO might have a very simple surface value. It stands for Search Engine Optimization, and has something or other to do with keywords. And while this simple understanding is more than most laymen have, it barely scratches the surface of what SEO really means to most businesses, particularly professionals in marketing, advertising or media. 

With the rapid digital acceleration of the past decade, coupled by the effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic, more businesses are operating online than ever before. And SEO has never been more vital to the success and survival of their business. SEO is crucial to the visibility of a brand’s website, products and message. It helps reach a targeted audience that might be searching for or interested in a specific service or product online. 

There are a lot of platforms where SEO propels the success of a business, including options like Google, DuckDuckGo, Bing, Qwant, or Startpage. Jeff Romero of Octiv Digital has a lot of faith in both the organic marketing potential of SEO, and the creative marketing strategies it inspires many businesses to adopt.

Who Is Jeff Romero?

Jeff Romero is the co-founder of Octiv Digital, which he founded alongside his colleague Tyson Bell. Octiv Digital specializes in local and enterprise SEO strategy, paid search management, web development and analytics consulting for small-to-midsize businesses in various industries. 

Jeff’s primary talent lies in SEO. As a strategist and web developer, Jeff dedicates his SEO skills to the execution of high-performing SEO campaigns, extending to online platforms  like search, shopping, video and other media. He uses his combination of web development knowledge and SEO savvy to design user-centric experiences, while also helping business owners and other creatives better understand the framework of a digital strategy built on a data-driven approach.

Jeff’s Views On Major Media Platforms

If SEO is your specialty, you likely spend a lot of time considering the fluctuation and influence of major media platforms, particularly as new platforms seem to appear on a daily basis. 

In an interview with Pinchforth, Jeff was asked to reflect on the effectiveness of major media platforms. Jeff commented on how he believes that major platforms like Facebook have lost a degree of effectiveness, mostly as a result of the massive level of competition within the space. This jump in competition could be attributed to how easy these platforms make it for users to consume and create content or advertisements. 

It’s not hard for any content creator in the present day to create a new Facebook page, and while that’s wonderful from a consumer point of view, it also contributes to the sheer saturation of content competition advertisers are facing. This is why Jeff chooses to approach SEO in a more creative light.

Why SEO Matters

The organic nature of SEO is possibly the most essential element in the way it works. Jeff loves this aspect of SEO because it forces businesses to initiate an authentic strategy in order to target and engage their audience. It calls for fewer gimmicks and more facts. 

Jeff highlighted the importance of honest SEO, particularly as the pandemic set in across the globe. With many people locked inside their homes, they went online to find goods or information more than ever before. SEO helped them find it. Businesses worldwide transitioned into more digitally-framed operations. SEO helped them reach clients and continue working. The change in the way the world worked, shopped and socialized ultimately made SEO much more incremental in our survival, growth, and success. 

The simplest way to convey the importance of SEO is summed up in the trendy catchphrase, “Content Is King.” This line illustrates the crucial role content plays in making the world go ‘round, and the fealty business owners must pay to it. Businesses must produce a certain amount of valuable content, but more than that, it’s got to have a level of SEO to it to be truly effective. If content is king, SEO is the royal guard.  

Jeff’s Advice For Marketing Leaders

When asked what advice he would lend to fellow marketers, Jeff once again highlighted the importance of SEO. He notes that SEO has the potential to generate the greatest amount of leads and conversions in online marketing, especially when it's implemented alongside other strategies like email campaigns. Crafting organic SEO that truly flows organically with the nature of a brand’s content is absolutely critical. And if the content is true to the mission of the business or brand, then traffic will follow 

In addition to championing his love for SEO, Jeff also took a moment to look back on his younger self, and how he would emphasize the importance of coding along with that of learning Javascript. But that musing came back around to SEO, as he reflected on the central point of content creation: audience connection. When it comes down to reaching and engaging your audience, nothing is more important than authenticity. And honest, focused SEO confirms that. It would appear that Jeff Romero is right on the ball when he stresses his passion and admiration for content and why it truly is king.