Search Engine Journal Show

The most important thing you can do if you are worried about ranking is write content that satisfies intent and fulfills the aspirations of E-E-A-T. –Ben Steele, 09:11

Join us as we talk about the biggest updates to Google Ranking Factors this year, and what that means for you as we head into 2024.

Our very own senior editor of ebooks, Ben Steele, gives you the behind-the-scene scoop on what factors really matter now. More than 200 hours went into researching and gathering our findings on the signals that have been officially declared, at one point or another in time, as Google ranking factors. Ben brings you the impact behind the BIG updates made this year: E-E-A-T, Google's redefining of page experience, the developments around systems and signals, and more.

Listen in as Ben and host Loren Baker, two of SEJ's brightest SEO professionals, talk Google Ranking Factors. Discussion designed for search professionals and marketing managers planning for next year.

Notable:

Suppose you do build content that is comprehensive enough to display authority in your experience. In that case, the aspiration is that content will float to the top regardless of more manipulative tactics. –Ben Steele, 10:14

When people have asked me what's our secret to ranking content at SEJ, I've always told them the publish button because we've been building this brand, this entity, and this trust for 20-plus years. –Loren Baker, 13:48

Google is evaluating links more qualitatively. Keywords are still huge, but the number doesn't matter anymore. It's about the way you use them. –Ben Steele, 22:30

[03:30] - Google ranking factors 2023: What's changed and what remains? [10:14] - Keywords and links vs. content and E-E-A-T in today's SEO. [22:30] - Google's qualitative approach to evaluating ranking factors. [27:39] - Building E-E-A-T for smaller sites to compete with big brands. [29:42] - Generative AI content's ranking performance post-updates. [37:24] - Long-term success with E-E-A-T and user intent. [43:27] - Curation as a strategy against generative AI in SEO. [46:52] - How to access the Google Ranking Factors ebook.

Keeping your nose clean, don't engage in the quick win strategies that are technically spam because Google has come out and straight up said if it's defined as spam under our guidelines, relevancy doesn't matter. –Ben Steele, 33:33

Curation is something you can lean into as a small business. There is still going to be a demand for human curation. –Ben Steele, 43:27

You can become a trusted source of curation for your audience... that's one thing that language models are not good at: being a source of well-curated information that you need right now. –Ben Steele, 44:29

Those factors of E-E-A-T will be critical for inoculating your business from the negative impacts of AI implemented by big platforms... the experience and the trust. –Ben Steele, 45:53

Resources:

Get the Ranking Factors ebook: https://bit.ly/3tFXB53

Subscribe to our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3Q64Cni

Connect with Ben Steele:

Ben Steele, the Senior Editor at SEJ, boasts profound expertise in digital content. Though he didn't initially aim to become an SEO strategist, the skills he acquired for his role, combined with his self-initiated research into digital marketing, unveiled his genuine passion in this field.

His experience in professional theater not only refined his work ethic and leadership abilities but also fostered other invaluable attributes such as creativity.

Now, at SEJ, Ben contributes to their ebooks, consistently providing fresh perspectives and strategic content advice. Through his SEO endeavors, he artfully weaves the nuances of human experiences, journeys, and expressions into enlightening lessons for others.

Connect with Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/writerbensteele/

Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal:

Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker

Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker

Everyone who touches your website is on the SEO team. The problem is that most people don't know they're on the team. An "always on" mentality regarding SEO can help mitigate risk and protect rankings.

Since there's no 'easy' button for a technical audit, join us for this special spotlight episode to learn how 24/7 monitoring can help you see everything happening on your site at any moment.

Go beyond SEO and bring together teams focused on compliance, know when people go rogue and when other teams make changes. Addressing them quickly as they happen can help your rankings and growth.

Conductor's Patrick Reinhart joins me on the SEJ Show to dive into the importance of continuous SEO monitoring and how Conductor can help you work smarter, not harder.

Patrick will walk through common problems with SEO and how you can proactively fix them before rankings are impacted. You'll also learn how real-time SEO auditing can streamline your process.

One of the hardest things is a conversation with other teams getting people to care. And I think something that always gets someone, the attention is data. –Pat Reinhart, 13:47

The mindset of it being a compliance component and that notification when something is not working can not necessarily change a negative mindset, but get everybody on the same mindset that you're working together for this common goal, which I like. –Loren Baker, 16:59

One of the best things you can do is pay attention to how specific you're being with your content. Specificity is going to be a key factor moving forward. –Pat Reinhart, 26:16

[00:00] - About Pat Reinhart. [05:51] - SEO audit shift to ongoing processes. [07:34] - Always-on SEO mentality explained. [12:38] - Real-time SEO monitoring versus health check-ups. [16:22] - Emphasizing compliance in SEO audits with developers. [17:31] - Realistic goal-setting with dev teams in SEO. [19:31] - SEO strategies before holiday code freezes. [24:41] - AI's impact in SEO and ChatGPT's role. [25:05] - Strategies for Google's search generative experience. [32:58] - Transparency and authorship in SEO content. [35:58] - LinkedIn's importance for SEO professionals.

Resources Mentioned:

• Conductor's 30-30 Webinars: https://www.conductor.com/events/30-30-webinars/
• Searchmetrics: https://blog.searchmetrics.com/us/
• Content King: https://www.conductor.com/contentking-get-started/
• Lily Ray's E-E-A-T: https://lilyray.nyc/e-a-t-expertise-authoritativeness-trustworthiness/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/

It's not about speed or volume. It's more about creating specific content that drives value. –Pat Reinhart, 29:51

LinkedIn has been very helpful to me throughout my career. It's not just my digital resume. It's a community that you can use to your advantage. –Pat Reinhart, 38:12

It's more about process than practice most of the time. –Pat Reinhart, 44:25

Connect with Patrick Reinhart:

Patrick Reinhart leads enterprise digital strategy for Conductor's Customer Success team as Vice President of Services and Thought Leadership. With over 15 years of organic search and digital marketing experience, he helps some of the world's largest brands with organic search initiatives.

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickreinhart/

Connect with Loren Baker:

Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker

Bard is our creative collaborator. It's a place where you can come in and have a conversation with the large language model which really helps you to boost your productivity and bring your ideas to life. –Yuri Pinsky, 02:16

Step behind the curtain and into the world of Google's Bard with its Director of Product Management, Yury Pinsky, in an exclusive conversation with SEJ Editor-in-Chief Amanda Zantal-Wiener.

Hear about the origins and journey to Bard's unveiling, and discover how the team behind it envisions a collaborative future with AI. SEO pros and seasoned digital marketers alike will get an up-close look at the nuances of generative AI and a glimpse at what predictions for what's next.

So prep your popcorn -- grab your notetaking method of choice -- and tune in to learn how to incorporate Google's current and forward-looking AI initiatives into your own business innovation.

[07:11] - The origin of Bard and its market niche.

[13:23] - Impact of generative AI and Bard on SEO and content creation.

[17:37] - Using Bard for audience evaluation in content creation.

[23:54] - Distinctive features of Bard compared to other AI models.

[28:33] - Most interesting prompts seen in Bard.

[33:29] - Future vision for Bard and generative AI.

I'm inspired by this idea that technology can work together with us, and we can bring Bard in as a creative partner in your editorial work or when we're trying to write a document for work or something in our personal lives. –Yuri Pinsky, 09:46

It's a very vibrant, fast-paced, fast moving industry right now. I think some of the unique things we have with Bard are things like the ability to plug into Google tools. –Yuri Pinsky, 23:54

In the sciences and the medical field, there could be lots of interesting breakthroughs in drug discovery in climate applications. How can they use the power of these foundational models to really benefit all of us in some way? –Yuri Pinsky, 25:44

Your ideas still have to be your own in order for AI to work with you best and work for you best. –Yuri Pinsky, 28:33

It is not the end of search. Bard is an experiment. It's complementary to search. It's this conversational collaborator. –Yuri Pinsky, 32:47

Connect with Yury Pinsky:

Yury is a Product Manager for Bard, leading areas including Extensions, Factuality, and multi-modality. Yury is passionate about cutting edge technology and finding ways to bring it to users around the world. Prior to serving in his current role, Yury led product teams around Natural Language and Speech Recognition for the Google Assistant, spent time building wearables in Google [X], and helped build out Google Search on mobile devices.

Outside of work, Yury enjoys spending time with his family, planning his next vacation, and the daily logistics of kids' extracurricular activities.

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ypinsky

Connect with Amanda Zantal-Wiener:

Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Amanda_ZW Connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandazantalwiener/

As platforms evolve, so should our strategies. No one knows that better than Brian Kearney, a prominent content creator who gained over 100k Instagram followers in about a year.

Brian joined me on the SEJShow to dig into his viral success and what it's taught him about discoverability, co-branding with authenticity, and how a unique background can make for some of the best content.

From harnessing the ever-evolving algorithms of digital channels to leveraging the nuance of relatable humor, Brian shared how his journey has culminated in an unparalleled ability to craft resonant content -- and how it can be applied to your strategic success.

—

Based in Boston, Brian Kearney started as a registered nurse, later transitioning into the healthcare and startup sectors. He also ventured into politics and volunteered for local initiatives. As a content creator on Instagram and TikTok, Brian is known for his relatable humor and consistent content quality. His diverse experiences highlight his adaptability and passion-driven journey.

Connect with Brian Kearney:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krianbearney/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@krianbearney

Connect with Amanda Zantal-Wiener, Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Journal:

Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandazantalwiener/

Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Amanda_ZW

SEO and Site Migrations: Common Pitfalls To Avoid

with Arnout Hellemans

Migrations can be time consuming and stressful, even more-so when you don't have company-wide collaboration and alignment, or when you're worried about drops in rankings.

Come learn some myth-busting migration tips shared between our host, Loren Baker, and freelance SEO and analytics consultant, Arnout Hellemans.

Arnout has seen plenty of migrations go bad. Hear actual case studies on what not to do to have better success. Join us for this can't miss episode.

Arnout Hellemans is a freelance SEO and analytics consultant based in Amsterdam but mostly working for clients all over Europe and the US. He just loves solving SEO puzzles. He has been freelancing since 2010 and loves it.

Connect with Arnout Hellemans:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnouthellemans/

X: https://twitter.com/hellemans

Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal:

Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker

Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker

Effective Website Redesigns: How To Avoid Costly Mistakes

With Janet Mesh of Aimtal

Website redesigns are a necessary component for marketers. But with so many elements going into an effective redesign, do you know what to focus on to develop a solid plan from the start?

Join us and hear from Janet Mesh, CEO and co-founder of Aimtal, as she and Loren Baker, our founder and host, break down the ways to effectively launch a website redesign using Webflow and HubSpot, and the factors you need to focus on when redesigning. You'll get tips on honing in on your site's infrastructure using Janet's "do no harm" strategy, to ensure that you have a clear infrastructure plan from the beginning.

If you're looking to make your next redesign efficient and effective, you won't want to miss these tips.

Resources:

Website Strategy Worksheet

Connect with Janet Mesh, CEO and Co-Founder of Aimtal:

Janet Mesh is the CEO + Co-Founder of Aimtal, a fully remote integrated marketing & consulting agency for B2B tech companies like Cisco, Atlassian, Trello, and Prisma Cloud. She is a remote work advocate who, in the past 5 years, has built and run a team of marketers located in 6 time zones all over the world.

Janet has doubled the size and revenue of her agency year-over-year since its inception in 2018 and Aimtal won the Sprout Social 'Always Be Growing' award in 2022 in recognition of this growth. Her passion for integrated marketing with an agile approach is the key to her success, and has led to over a million dollars in sales for her clients in the last year.

Outside of work, you can find Janet trying new restaurants around the world, reading historical fiction novels, and hosting happy hours at home for family & friends.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aimtal_co/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aimtalco/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aimtal/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aimtal_co

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aimtal/

Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal:

Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker

Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker

Using data gathered from 3,890 SEO professionals for our annual State of SEO report, we're ready to give you new insights on the disruptive factors in the industry. From the rise of generative AI to shifting content trends, there are many opportunities to use these new disruptions to your advantage and stay ahead in such a competitive time.

Ben Steele, senior editor at Search Engine Journal, joined me on this SEJ Show to break down the three significant disruptions in the SEO world and the opportunities they present. We examined the process behind implementing generative AI and what AI might look like next year.

Get tactics for communicating your SEO value, tips on new ways to cultivate your audience, and new content creation strategies for facing changing trends.

People noted that generative AI would be the biggest disruptor. However, respondents are largely positive; they feel optimistic about the impact of generative AI and its potential to affect their business's bottom line. I think there's an interesting duality to note there. It's disrupting many things, but people are still excited about it. –Ben Steele, 04:33

You bring up a great point about adapting focus. The industry is incredibly dynamic. With the acceleration of AI, changes in search engine algorithms, and evolving user behavior, SEO professionals need to be agile. They have to reassess and adapt their metric priorities in real time to ensure they're capturing the most relevant data, which translates to business value. That could be the reason we had to revisit the metrics we included in this year's survey. –Ben Steele, 20:29

While I can't predict the future with absolute certainty, what's clear is that the traditional role of an SEO professional is already transforming. SEO is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary. It's no longer just about optimizing for search engines; it's about optimizing for user experience, understanding data analytics, and even having some proficiency with AI and machine learning models. –Ben Steele, 21:15

[00:00] - About Ben.

[03:57] - Top disruptors in SEO.

[04:33] - Has generative AI affected search yet?

[07:07] - User behavior toward new technology: voice search example.

[10:46] - Freelancers moving to permanent positions.

[12:15] - Impact of layoffs in tech companies.

[16:34] - Priority metrics for SEO professionals.

[18:05] - Agency vs. in-house SEO communication struggles.

[22:20] - Importance of click-through rate as a metric.

[27:25] - SEO's role in ecommerce and Google Shopping.

[28:53] - Content's role in SEO.

[29:37] - Top barriers to SEO success.

[30:57] - Communication barriers in SEO.

[32:31] - Frequency of Google updates.

[34:01] - Changes in Google SERPs.

[34:36] - Major takeaways in the SEO report.

[36:46] - Navigating SEO algorithm changes.

[38:03] - Communicating SEO value.

Resources mentioned:

State of SEO 2024 - https://www.searchenginejournal.com/state-of-seo/

An SEO's job is not just to drive traffic; it's to complete that journey all the way down to the checkout. –Loren Baker, 26:08

What we're seeing is a shift in focus. Last year, people were going back to basics and focusing on technical SEO. This year, we're seeing a greater emphasis on understanding audience intent and traffic quality, not just raw numbers, but what this traffic means. –Ben Steele, 22:22

People are no longer convinced by the promise of getting you to page one for any term you want because the question becomes, 'Page one for what? For something that nobody searches for?' –Ben Steele, 38:03

For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/searchenginejournal

Are you looking to keep up with current and effective digital marketing today? Check out https://www.searchenginejournal.com for everything you need to know within the digital marketing space and improve your skills as an internet marketer.

Connect with Ben Steele:

Ben Steele, the Senior Editor at SEJ, boasts profound expertise in digital content. Though he didn't initially aim to become an SEO strategist, the skills he acquired for his role, combined with his self-initiated research into digital marketing, unveiled his genuine passion in this field.

His experience in professional theater not only refined his work ethic and leadership abilities but also fostered other invaluable attributes such as creativity.

Now, at SEJ, Ben contributes to their ebooks, consistently providing fresh perspectives and strategic content advice. Through his SEO endeavors, he artfully weaves the nuances of human experiences, journeys, and expressions into enlightening lessons for others.

Connect with Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/writerbensteele/

Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal:

Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker

Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker

Have you wondered how to expand your business' reach across different languages and cultures? Do you know what role multilingual and localized content can play in your business?

Naoko Takano, Localization and Community Program Manager for WordPress, joined me on the SEJShow to explore the significance of localization and internationalization in WordPress' mission.

Naoko has been involved with WordPress localization since its infancy and has seen firsthand how multilingual localization has built larger communities around businesses.

Learn the power of multilingual content and what it means for effectively broadening your reach online. Discover tips and opportunities for your business to collaborate across different cultures and how to leverage this power to improve your ROI.

WordPress, being an open-source solution from WordPress.org, your mission is to empower the publisher. –Loren Baker, 06:45

One of the advantages WordPress has is that we have so many different types of languages, and it's possible to add more languages as long as there are translators. –Naoko Takano, 13:49

The mission of WordPress is democratizing publishing. Our mission is to reach all the people using the internet and want to publish, not only in English-speaking countries. So yes, we want to expand beyond. –Naoko Takano, 23:28

[00:23] - About Naoko.

[02:18] - WordPress localization and global growth.

[06:45] - Open source as WordPress.org's growth driver.

[08:49] - The role of translation in WordPress business expansion.

[10:58] - Volunteer-driven operations at WordPress.org.

[12:55] - WordPress plugins vs. enterprise CMS for expanding businesses.

[13:49] - WordPress' multilingual capabilities.

[14:55] - Anticipation of multilingual support in WordPress core software.

[16:07] - Balancing WordPress' multilingual offerings with business interests.

[16:54] - Gutenberg's fourth phase: Multilingual support?

[17:07] - Adapting translation plugins for WordPress' block editor.

[19:54] - WordPress' growth in the Spanish market.

[21:52] - The most active countries in WordCamps events.

[23:12] - The impact of translation on WordPress.org's international usage.

[24:42] - Democratization through cultural collaboration in WordPress.

[26:12] - Localization in WordPress: More than translation.

[30:15] - The future of multilingual WordPress.

[32:48] - The international WordPress community's size.

[34:07] - Site translation and localization for various audiences.

[36:24] - Connecting with the WordPress community online.

Resources Mentioned: https://wordpress.org/

I would like to see a more technology-assisted way for us to read and reach the audience in different parts of the world. That helps us find more engaging content and allows the content provider to reach further than the limitation of their language area. –Naoko Takano, 30:55

We benefit as a community by using the version we are familiar with and providing that to the client. The backend is also translated, which helps people make the plugins usable without the language barrier. –Naoko Takano, 08:49

We, the translation community, always say over 20,000 active people have been translating something within a year or so.–Naoko Takano, 32:52

For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/searchenginejournal

Are you looking to keep up with current and effective digital marketing today? Check out https://www.searchenginejournal.com for everything you need to enhance your knowledge and skills in search marketing.

Connect With Naoko Takano:

Naoko Takano is the Localization & Community Program Manager at Automattic with over ten years of experience in the US. She specializes in software localization and English-Japanese translation and applies her expertise to WordPress support, technical writing, and community organization.

A full-time contributor to the WordPress Polyglots and Community Teams for almost two decades, Naoko works as a Polyglots Global Mentor and General Translation Editor (GTE) for Japanese, aiding translation contributors and enhancing WordPress accessibility across different languages.

Connect with Naoko on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naoko/

Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/naokomc

Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal:

Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker

Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker

No matter what your business specializes in, your website is often the first place potential clients and customers learn about your company. This means visitors can decide about your services within the first few seconds. So how do you hook them?

Fiona Allman-Treen, author of "Website Mastery for Business Owners Who Don't Speak Tech," joins me on the SEJShow and shows you the three key things your website needs to increase your website's visibility, boost your business growth, and convert visitors to paying customers.

Get expert analysis based on Fiona's best-selling book that will show you how to translate the tech-speak around website design and maintain ROI after your website launch's initial excitement is over.

Website Mastery for Business Owners was needed because [speaking tech] is something that people shouldn't have to do to get a really good website. They shouldn't need to know the ins and outs of the code. - Fiona Allman, 00:59

What attracted me to the web in the first place was seeing that level playing field. It makes a one-man band can sound like an orchestra online, and that's what I love. So it's, it's all about making that happen for people. - Fiona Allman, 01:31

I've always found it nice to just send a text every once in a while and send a follow-up because you never know when someone will leave and go somewhere else. It's just good sportsmanship at the end of the day. Just, "Hey, how's it going?" It's checking in, you know, happy new year, whatever it may be. It doesn't have to be cheesy, but it, it has helped me personally retain or even bring clients back. Just having an open line of communication all the time. –Loren Baker, 20:21

[00:46] About Fiona.

[02:22] Keeping up with recent web design changes.

[03:12] Initial steps in defining a website strategy.

[06:11] Key elements for website visitor engagement.

[13:57] Significance of image selection in customer engagement.

[15:23] Strategies for customer satisfaction and preventing buyer's remorse.

[15:56] Importance of post-purchase customer engagement.

[17:22] Balancing customer connection and salesmanship.

[19:42] Value of communication with returning customers.

[22:57] An insight into Fiona's book "Website Mastery."

[23:00] Advantages of print publishing over online writing.

[24:02] Networking advantages of a physical book.

[25:41] Using "Website Mastery" in client onboarding.

[26:20] Unexpected outcomes of book publishing.

[27:28] Reaction to book rejection at networking events.

[30:49] Advice for non-tech individuals on web design mastery.

Resources Mentioned:

Website Mastery Book: https://www.fatpromotions.co.uk/wmregister/

Fat Promotions: https://www.fatpromotions.co.uk/

You can attract people to your website, but you've got that attraction piece if they don't connect with what they see when they get there. You've got these visitors coming in, like, with decent search engine listings. You'll get that. But if they get there and they don't connect with what they see, it's not going to happen." - Fiona Allman, 06:11

I had one guy who bought a copy, and he put this glorious review on Amazon. He was so kind. And he said, I read it in three days, and I have to work with you. That's it. And it, as it turned out, we ended up going through all the different things that he wanted.–Fiona Allman, 26:56

You want those repeat customers. That's where your engagement gold comes in. When you get those repeat customers, just show them you care. So really what you want to do is, as you say, keep them on the, on your love them up the list. Keep them in your email marketing. Give them regular newsletters, but keep people from pestering them. –Fiona Alman,15:56

For more content like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/searchenginejournal

Are you looking to keep up with current and effective digital marketing today? Check out https://www.searchenginejournal.com for everything you need to enhance your knowledge and skills in search marketing.

Connect With Fiona Allman-Treen:

Fiona Allman-Treen is the Director of FAT Promotions, a digital agency she founded in 2001 to help clients create compelling websites. Also known for her best-selling book 'WEBSITE MASTERY,' she is renowned for her expertise in strategic website design and online systems that drive sustainable growth for businesses and charities globally.

Before launching her web design agency, Fiona spent over a decade in graphic design and marketing. A passionate advocate for entrepreneurship and female empowerment, she founded the Affinity Business Initiative in 2019 to support local businesswomen. Away from work, Fiona's interests include classic cars, red wine, and playing the ukulele.

Connect with Fiona on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fatpromotions-website-design/

Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/fatpromotions

Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal:

Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker

Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker

As WordPress celebrates its 20th anniversary, it is essential to reflect on its roots and explore how its history has shaped ecommerce and what this means for your website.

Paul Maiorana, CEO of WooCommerce, joined me on the SEJ Show for this special episode to reflect on how ecommerce found its way into the WordPress world and how WooCommerce intertwined with WordPress' values and initiatives.

We talked about Paul's 11+ year career with Automattic, his experiences leading WordPress VIP, and what led him to take on the leadership of WooCommerce.

You'll also hear about the core community spirit that lives in the foundation of WordPress and how this has impacted WooCommerce's mission for its users.

You won't want to miss this critical look back from someone who has been there through countless steps along the way.

The difference, though, in governance is really important, which is that nobody owns WordPress. It's stewarded by the WordPress Foundation and a nonprofit that owns the intellectual property and everything around WordPress. That's guided by Matt Mullenweg, its founder, co-founder, and still project lead. But the governance model is different. Whereas with WooCommerce, Automattic wholly owns WooCommerce. It's still an open-source product that uses the GPL license, free software, the same as WordPress is. Still, we effectively fund all of the development of WooCommerce. –Paul Maiorana, 14:36

WooCommerce is a global platform for sure. So we have customers in every country. There is such great support for localization. Translations and localization are a massive part of that, not just in terms of people providing those translations but also on the other side. It's how merchants can build a localized experience for their shoppers. –Paul Maiorana, 20:57

That's the beauty of open source, right? We're able to get leaner and meaner than some of our competitors. We've adequately federated this ecosystem of independent software developers, agencies, freelancers, and web hosts. These folks come together to produce a WooCommerce site and a quality product. Our interests are aligned, which ultimately makes for a better customer experience. –Paul Maiorana, 23:02

[00:00] - About Paul.

[03:28] - WooCommerce's origin & Automattic integration.

[07:01] - Purpose of WooCommerce development.

[09:38] - WooCommerce's market share.

[13:27] - Developer engagement with WooCommerce.

[17:10] - Exploring WooCommerce extensions/integrations.

[20:57] - WooCommerce & localization strategies, shopping support, lean model & open-source contributions.

[24:14] WooCommerce's Solution to ecommerce challenges.

[26:23] Commerce platform fragmentation issues.

[27:40] Future commerce trends: Smartphone preference.

[29:37] Growth potential in the WooCommerce ecosystem.

[30:42] WooCommerce success stories.

Resources Mentioned:

• Woo Express: https://woocommerce.com/express/

• Showcase of WooCommerce Merchants: https://woocommerce.com/showcase/

• Woo's In-House Developed Extensions: https://woocommerce.com/product-category/woocommerce-extensions

• Recent Woo Blog: https://woocommerce.com/blog/

• WooCommerce Merchant: https://www.tinywoodstove.com/

• Tonal: Success story mention who uses WooCommerce as their ecommerce platform: https://www.tonal.com/

We think we've got a real advantage and opportunity to, through WooCommerce, provide a solution that developers love, but also to provide a more opinionated package of WooCommerce and extensions integrated with a hosting solution to provide something that's much more turnkey and simple and just more intuitive for a merchant to get up and running with. –Paul Maiorana, 26:23

The ability to start with something simple like Woo Express, or something like that, just out of the box simplified shopping environment. And then as that company grows and as they go down the paths of more and more and test more and more marketing channels, making that easier to grow from a core as opposed to having everything thrown at you at once and trying to figure it out sounds like a very logical solution. –Loren Baker, 30:09

We're making some decisions and saying, this is the best way to do that. These are all separate. Each of these features represents a different extension in the WooCommerce ecosystem today. And we're bringing that all together into a preconfigured solution so that it's easy, and again, people can start selling without having to build. –Paul Maiorana, 27:40

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Connect With Paul Maiorana:

Paul Maiorana is the CEO of WooCommerce, an open-source eCommerce platform, where he leverages his expertise in open-source development, content management, and WordPress, among other specialties. His leadership has contributed significantly to WooCommerce's growth and innovation in the online retail sector.

Before WooCommerce, Paul built a formidable portfolio of professional experience focusing on open-source technology and software solutions. His understanding of the industry and his technical expertise have positioned him as an influential figure in pushing the boundaries of ecommerce.

Connect with Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmaiorana/

Follow him on Twitter:https://twitter.com/pmaiorana

Connect with Loren Baker, Founder of Search Engine Journal:

Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/lorenbaker

Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenbaker