\n![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rankwatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/IMG-20170128-WA0011.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\")
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n\nPlease introduce yourself and where you work.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
Please introduce yourself and where you work.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nMy name is Neil Hannam and currently I\u2019m head of Organic Search at Anicca Digital, having worked in a number of roles including SEO Account Manager and Consultant with Anicca in the past three and half years.<\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rankwatch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Neil.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n\nHow do you think SEO has changed over the last 10 years?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nIn one word, dramatically. I think it won\u2019t be long before you can drop the \u2018E\u2019 from the SEO and we\u2019ll just think of it more as Search Optimisation and less about the Engines. Gone are the days of spending time simply trying to game Google algorithms and we\u2019re now at a point where SEO\u2019s realise that the route to long term, sustained organic visibility is to take a proper strategic approach to marketing your business online.
\nWhilst a lot of the ranking signals remain the same, we\u2019re seeing more user-centric elements coming into play such as mobile friendliness, speed and user experience. These changes are helping to spread SEO, thinking beyond search engines and to cross over into other aspects such as user and mobile experience as well as conversion rate optimisation. I think this has prompted a revival in the technical side of SEO too as implementing the new technologies such as AMP and the development of true SEO-friendly websites crosses over far more between SEO and Web Development.
\nAnd obviously, content marketing has exploded but I\u2019d say the last couple of years there\u2019s been a real shift to looking at quality over quantity, which hasn\u2019t always been the case. At Anicca, we\u2019ve adopted a campaign based approach to content marketing that better enables us to assimilate with clients existing marketing activities as well integrating more effectively with other channels.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n\nHow did you get introduced to digital marketing, more specifically SEO?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nI knew nothing so we had a consultant associated with the Leicester Chamber of Commerce come in once every couple of weeks to help us learn. We started with some fairly basic PPC campaigns then looked into SEO and took some very tentative steps into content marketing. Looking back, it was all very basic. I left that company and worked primarily in sales then returned for two years before deciding that I really wanted the opportunity to dedicate myself to digital marketing. That\u2019s when I applied to Anicca Digital. Originally, I interviewed for a PPC role but was told by our current Managing Director that she felt I was far better suited to SEO. Three and a half years later and I\u2019m now managing an SEO team of six with big growth plans for the coming twelve months.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n\nWhat are the services you provide to your clients?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nAs an agency, we offer PPC, Social Media, Analytics, CRO and PR in addition to our SEO offering. However, it\u2019s integrating these channels that really enables a relatively small agency such as ourselves to put together full-service campaigns for some of the large brands we work with. These days, a lot of our projects are quite fluid in that they aren\u2019t primarily one single channel but a mix of services from multiple channels designed to achieve the results a client wants.
\nOf course, we also have SEO-only projects but even these are a tailored blend of technical SEO, content marketing and PR designed to meet the individual needs of each client and their specific objectives. A real growth area for us recently has been in supporting clients and their web developers with site rebuilds, migrations and relaunches to ensure smooth transitions and minimal loss of visibility and organic traffic.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n\nWhat strategy according to you will prevail in 2017 for SEO?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nThere is no one-size-fits-all strategy that will prevail for everyone. Whilst most SEO projects will have some consistent elements to them, the strategic aspects need to be tailored to each client, sector and their place in the market. What I do think is important in 2017 is to stop measuring success based on rankings of specific head keyphrases and to look at levels of organic visibility on a topic or subject level.
\nWe use SEOmonitor<\/span><\/a> as our tracking tool of choice and this allows you to set keyphrases into groups around topics or subjects. This enables us to monitor a wider level of visibility as opposed to just at a keyphrase level. Single keyphrase rankings are far too narrow a measurement on which to gauge success or failure of an SEO campaign.
\nOn the content marketing side of SEO, I think it\u2019s about time companies really looked at the value and return they get from the content marketing work they are doing. Too often companies are stuck into a plan of posting a set number of pieces a week and thinking that is content marketing. This \u2018post and hope\u2019 approach all too often fails to yield any tangible results that help achieve business objectives. This is content but misses out the marketing aspect. You need to invest at least the same amount of time into promoting your content as you do into producing it. And if you don\u2019t think your content is worthy of the time to promote it, then your content probably isn\u2019t worth publishing in the first place.<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
My name is Neil Hannam and currently I\u2019m head of Organic Search at Anicca Digital, having worked in a number of roles including SEO Account Manager and Consultant with Anicca in the past three and half years.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n\nHow do you think SEO has changed over the last 10 years?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
How do you think SEO has changed over the last 10 years?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nIn one word, dramatically. I think it won\u2019t be long before you can drop the \u2018E\u2019 from the SEO and we\u2019ll just think of it more as Search Optimisation and less about the Engines. Gone are the days of spending time simply trying to game Google algorithms and we\u2019re now at a point where SEO\u2019s realise that the route to long term, sustained organic visibility is to take a proper strategic approach to marketing your business online.
\nWhilst a lot of the ranking signals remain the same, we\u2019re seeing more user-centric elements coming into play such as mobile friendliness, speed and user experience. These changes are helping to spread SEO, thinking beyond search engines and to cross over into other aspects such as user and mobile experience as well as conversion rate optimisation. I think this has prompted a revival in the technical side of SEO too as implementing the new technologies such as AMP and the development of true SEO-friendly websites crosses over far more between SEO and Web Development.
\nAnd obviously, content marketing has exploded but I\u2019d say the last couple of years there\u2019s been a real shift to looking at quality over quantity, which hasn\u2019t always been the case. At Anicca, we\u2019ve adopted a campaign based approach to content marketing that better enables us to assimilate with clients existing marketing activities as well integrating more effectively with other channels.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n\nHow did you get introduced to digital marketing, more specifically SEO?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nI knew nothing so we had a consultant associated with the Leicester Chamber of Commerce come in once every couple of weeks to help us learn. We started with some fairly basic PPC campaigns then looked into SEO and took some very tentative steps into content marketing. Looking back, it was all very basic. I left that company and worked primarily in sales then returned for two years before deciding that I really wanted the opportunity to dedicate myself to digital marketing. That\u2019s when I applied to Anicca Digital. Originally, I interviewed for a PPC role but was told by our current Managing Director that she felt I was far better suited to SEO. Three and a half years later and I\u2019m now managing an SEO team of six with big growth plans for the coming twelve months.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n\nWhat are the services you provide to your clients?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nAs an agency, we offer PPC, Social Media, Analytics, CRO and PR in addition to our SEO offering. However, it\u2019s integrating these channels that really enables a relatively small agency such as ourselves to put together full-service campaigns for some of the large brands we work with. These days, a lot of our projects are quite fluid in that they aren\u2019t primarily one single channel but a mix of services from multiple channels designed to achieve the results a client wants.
\nOf course, we also have SEO-only projects but even these are a tailored blend of technical SEO, content marketing and PR designed to meet the individual needs of each client and their specific objectives. A real growth area for us recently has been in supporting clients and their web developers with site rebuilds, migrations and relaunches to ensure smooth transitions and minimal loss of visibility and organic traffic.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n\nWhat strategy according to you will prevail in 2017 for SEO?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nThere is no one-size-fits-all strategy that will prevail for everyone. Whilst most SEO projects will have some consistent elements to them, the strategic aspects need to be tailored to each client, sector and their place in the market. What I do think is important in 2017 is to stop measuring success based on rankings of specific head keyphrases and to look at levels of organic visibility on a topic or subject level.
\nWe use SEOmonitor<\/span><\/a> as our tracking tool of choice and this allows you to set keyphrases into groups around topics or subjects. This enables us to monitor a wider level of visibility as opposed to just at a keyphrase level. Single keyphrase rankings are far too narrow a measurement on which to gauge success or failure of an SEO campaign.
\nOn the content marketing side of SEO, I think it\u2019s about time companies really looked at the value and return they get from the content marketing work they are doing. Too often companies are stuck into a plan of posting a set number of pieces a week and thinking that is content marketing. This \u2018post and hope\u2019 approach all too often fails to yield any tangible results that help achieve business objectives. This is content but misses out the marketing aspect. You need to invest at least the same amount of time into promoting your content as you do into producing it. And if you don\u2019t think your content is worthy of the time to promote it, then your content probably isn\u2019t worth publishing in the first place.<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
In one word, dramatically. I think it won\u2019t be long before you can drop the \u2018E\u2019 from the SEO and we\u2019ll just think of it more as Search Optimisation and less about the Engines. Gone are the days of spending time simply trying to game Google algorithms and we\u2019re now at a point where SEO\u2019s realise that the route to long term, sustained organic visibility is to take a proper strategic approach to marketing your business online.
\nWhilst a lot of the ranking signals remain the same, we\u2019re seeing more user-centric elements coming into play such as mobile friendliness, speed and user experience. These changes are helping to spread SEO, thinking beyond search engines and to cross over into other aspects such as user and mobile experience as well as conversion rate optimisation. I think this has prompted a revival in the technical side of SEO too as implementing the new technologies such as AMP and the development of true SEO-friendly websites crosses over far more between SEO and Web Development.
\nAnd obviously, content marketing has exploded but I\u2019d say the last couple of years there\u2019s been a real shift to looking at quality over quantity, which hasn\u2019t always been the case. At Anicca, we\u2019ve adopted a campaign based approach to content marketing that better enables us to assimilate with clients existing marketing activities as well integrating more effectively with other channels.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nWhilst a lot of the ranking signals remain the same, we\u2019re seeing more user-centric elements coming into play such as mobile friendliness, speed and user experience. These changes are helping to spread SEO, thinking beyond search engines and to cross over into other aspects such as user and mobile experience as well as conversion rate optimisation. I think this has prompted a revival in the technical side of SEO too as implementing the new technologies such as AMP and the development of true SEO-friendly websites crosses over far more between SEO and Web Development.
\nAnd obviously, content marketing has exploded but I\u2019d say the last couple of years there\u2019s been a real shift to looking at quality over quantity, which hasn\u2019t always been the case. At Anicca, we\u2019ve adopted a campaign based approach to content marketing that better enables us to assimilate with clients existing marketing activities as well integrating more effectively with other channels.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n\nHow did you get introduced to digital marketing, more specifically SEO?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
How did you get introduced to digital marketing, more specifically SEO?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nI knew nothing so we had a consultant associated with the Leicester Chamber of Commerce come in once every couple of weeks to help us learn. We started with some fairly basic PPC campaigns then looked into SEO and took some very tentative steps into content marketing. Looking back, it was all very basic. I left that company and worked primarily in sales then returned for two years before deciding that I really wanted the opportunity to dedicate myself to digital marketing. That\u2019s when I applied to Anicca Digital. Originally, I interviewed for a PPC role but was told by our current Managing Director that she felt I was far better suited to SEO. Three and a half years later and I\u2019m now managing an SEO team of six with big growth plans for the coming twelve months.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n\nWhat are the services you provide to your clients?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nAs an agency, we offer PPC, Social Media, Analytics, CRO and PR in addition to our SEO offering. However, it\u2019s integrating these channels that really enables a relatively small agency such as ourselves to put together full-service campaigns for some of the large brands we work with. These days, a lot of our projects are quite fluid in that they aren\u2019t primarily one single channel but a mix of services from multiple channels designed to achieve the results a client wants.
\nOf course, we also have SEO-only projects but even these are a tailored blend of technical SEO, content marketing and PR designed to meet the individual needs of each client and their specific objectives. A real growth area for us recently has been in supporting clients and their web developers with site rebuilds, migrations and relaunches to ensure smooth transitions and minimal loss of visibility and organic traffic.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n\nWhat strategy according to you will prevail in 2017 for SEO?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nThere is no one-size-fits-all strategy that will prevail for everyone. Whilst most SEO projects will have some consistent elements to them, the strategic aspects need to be tailored to each client, sector and their place in the market. What I do think is important in 2017 is to stop measuring success based on rankings of specific head keyphrases and to look at levels of organic visibility on a topic or subject level.
\nWe use SEOmonitor<\/span><\/a> as our tracking tool of choice and this allows you to set keyphrases into groups around topics or subjects. This enables us to monitor a wider level of visibility as opposed to just at a keyphrase level. Single keyphrase rankings are far too narrow a measurement on which to gauge success or failure of an SEO campaign.
\nOn the content marketing side of SEO, I think it\u2019s about time companies really looked at the value and return they get from the content marketing work they are doing. Too often companies are stuck into a plan of posting a set number of pieces a week and thinking that is content marketing. This \u2018post and hope\u2019 approach all too often fails to yield any tangible results that help achieve business objectives. This is content but misses out the marketing aspect. You need to invest at least the same amount of time into promoting your content as you do into producing it. And if you don\u2019t think your content is worthy of the time to promote it, then your content probably isn\u2019t worth publishing in the first place.<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
I knew nothing so we had a consultant associated with the Leicester Chamber of Commerce come in once every couple of weeks to help us learn. We started with some fairly basic PPC campaigns then looked into SEO and took some very tentative steps into content marketing. Looking back, it was all very basic. I left that company and worked primarily in sales then returned for two years before deciding that I really wanted the opportunity to dedicate myself to digital marketing. That\u2019s when I applied to Anicca Digital. Originally, I interviewed for a PPC role but was told by our current Managing Director that she felt I was far better suited to SEO. Three and a half years later and I\u2019m now managing an SEO team of six with big growth plans for the coming twelve months.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n\nWhat are the services you provide to your clients?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
What are the services you provide to your clients?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nAs an agency, we offer PPC, Social Media, Analytics, CRO and PR in addition to our SEO offering. However, it\u2019s integrating these channels that really enables a relatively small agency such as ourselves to put together full-service campaigns for some of the large brands we work with. These days, a lot of our projects are quite fluid in that they aren\u2019t primarily one single channel but a mix of services from multiple channels designed to achieve the results a client wants.
\nOf course, we also have SEO-only projects but even these are a tailored blend of technical SEO, content marketing and PR designed to meet the individual needs of each client and their specific objectives. A real growth area for us recently has been in supporting clients and their web developers with site rebuilds, migrations and relaunches to ensure smooth transitions and minimal loss of visibility and organic traffic.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n\nWhat strategy according to you will prevail in 2017 for SEO?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nThere is no one-size-fits-all strategy that will prevail for everyone. Whilst most SEO projects will have some consistent elements to them, the strategic aspects need to be tailored to each client, sector and their place in the market. What I do think is important in 2017 is to stop measuring success based on rankings of specific head keyphrases and to look at levels of organic visibility on a topic or subject level.
\nWe use SEOmonitor<\/span><\/a> as our tracking tool of choice and this allows you to set keyphrases into groups around topics or subjects. This enables us to monitor a wider level of visibility as opposed to just at a keyphrase level. Single keyphrase rankings are far too narrow a measurement on which to gauge success or failure of an SEO campaign.
\nOn the content marketing side of SEO, I think it\u2019s about time companies really looked at the value and return they get from the content marketing work they are doing. Too often companies are stuck into a plan of posting a set number of pieces a week and thinking that is content marketing. This \u2018post and hope\u2019 approach all too often fails to yield any tangible results that help achieve business objectives. This is content but misses out the marketing aspect. You need to invest at least the same amount of time into promoting your content as you do into producing it. And if you don\u2019t think your content is worthy of the time to promote it, then your content probably isn\u2019t worth publishing in the first place.<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
As an agency, we offer PPC, Social Media, Analytics, CRO and PR in addition to our SEO offering. However, it\u2019s integrating these channels that really enables a relatively small agency such as ourselves to put together full-service campaigns for some of the large brands we work with. These days, a lot of our projects are quite fluid in that they aren\u2019t primarily one single channel but a mix of services from multiple channels designed to achieve the results a client wants.
\nOf course, we also have SEO-only projects but even these are a tailored blend of technical SEO, content marketing and PR designed to meet the individual needs of each client and their specific objectives. A real growth area for us recently has been in supporting clients and their web developers with site rebuilds, migrations and relaunches to ensure smooth transitions and minimal loss of visibility and organic traffic.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nOf course, we also have SEO-only projects but even these are a tailored blend of technical SEO, content marketing and PR designed to meet the individual needs of each client and their specific objectives. A real growth area for us recently has been in supporting clients and their web developers with site rebuilds, migrations and relaunches to ensure smooth transitions and minimal loss of visibility and organic traffic.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n\nWhat strategy according to you will prevail in 2017 for SEO?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
What strategy according to you will prevail in 2017 for SEO?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\nThere is no one-size-fits-all strategy that will prevail for everyone. Whilst most SEO projects will have some consistent elements to them, the strategic aspects need to be tailored to each client, sector and their place in the market. What I do think is important in 2017 is to stop measuring success based on rankings of specific head keyphrases and to look at levels of organic visibility on a topic or subject level.
\nWe use SEOmonitor<\/span><\/a> as our tracking tool of choice and this allows you to set keyphrases into groups around topics or subjects. This enables us to monitor a wider level of visibility as opposed to just at a keyphrase level. Single keyphrase rankings are far too narrow a measurement on which to gauge success or failure of an SEO campaign.
\nOn the content marketing side of SEO, I think it\u2019s about time companies really looked at the value and return they get from the content marketing work they are doing. Too often companies are stuck into a plan of posting a set number of pieces a week and thinking that is content marketing. This \u2018post and hope\u2019 approach all too often fails to yield any tangible results that help achieve business objectives. This is content but misses out the marketing aspect. You need to invest at least the same amount of time into promoting your content as you do into producing it. And if you don\u2019t think your content is worthy of the time to promote it, then your content probably isn\u2019t worth publishing in the first place.<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
There is no one-size-fits-all strategy that will prevail for everyone. Whilst most SEO projects will have some consistent elements to them, the strategic aspects need to be tailored to each client, sector and their place in the market. What I do think is important in 2017 is to stop measuring success based on rankings of specific head keyphrases and to look at levels of organic visibility on a topic or subject level.
\nWe use SEOmonitor<\/span><\/a> as our tracking tool of choice and this allows you to set keyphrases into groups around topics or subjects. This enables us to monitor a wider level of visibility as opposed to just at a keyphrase level. Single keyphrase rankings are far too narrow a measurement on which to gauge success or failure of an SEO campaign.
\nOn the content marketing side of SEO, I think it\u2019s about time companies really looked at the value and return they get from the content marketing work they are doing. Too often companies are stuck into a plan of posting a set number of pieces a week and thinking that is content marketing. This \u2018post and hope\u2019 approach all too often fails to yield any tangible results that help achieve business objectives. This is content but misses out the marketing aspect. You need to invest at least the same amount of time into promoting your content as you do into producing it. And if you don\u2019t think your content is worthy of the time to promote it, then your content probably isn\u2019t worth publishing in the first place.<\/div>\n
\nWe use SEOmonitor<\/span><\/a> as our tracking tool of choice and this allows you to set keyphrases into groups around topics or subjects. This enables us to monitor a wider level of visibility as opposed to just at a keyphrase level. Single keyphrase rankings are far too narrow a measurement on which to gauge success or failure of an SEO campaign.
\nOn the content marketing side of SEO, I think it\u2019s about time companies really looked at the value and return they get from the content marketing work they are doing. Too often companies are stuck into a plan of posting a set number of pieces a week and thinking that is content marketing. This \u2018post and hope\u2019 approach all too often fails to yield any tangible results that help achieve business objectives. This is content but misses out the marketing aspect. You need to invest at least the same amount of time into promoting your content as you do into producing it. And if you don\u2019t think your content is worthy of the time to promote it, then your content probably isn\u2019t worth publishing in the first place.<\/div>\n