This interview is with Prabin Yonzon, SEO Consultant & Founder at T-Shaped Marketing.

Prabin Yonzon, SEO Consultant & Founder, T-Shaped Marketing

Prabin, welcome to Featured! Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your journey to becoming an SEO expert?

I began my career in web development with a startup. Given the limited resources, I had to broaden my skill set beyond web development to create a user-friendly website that could drive sales. This led me to delve into areas such as SEO, CRO, analytics, and other aspects of digital marketing. Although I explored various areas, I found SEO particularly interesting, and I’ve been working in SEO since early 2014. To build confidence, I worked on several small projects before applying for a position at a leading digital marketing agency in New Zealand. Starting as a Technical SEO Specialist, I eventually led the SEO team for approximately 3.5 years before transitioning to work independently.

What sparked your interest in SEO, and what were some of the key milestones in your career that solidified your expertise in this field?

SEO isn’t rocket science, yet so much science goes into it. Everything you do requires tremendous research, data analysis, strategic thinking, technical understanding of the web, creativity, and experimentation. The whole process is very fulfilling. And that’s what sparked my interest in SEO.

I wouldn’t necessarily call these milestones, but I believe a few key decisions have contributed to my solid SEO expertise:

1. I spent several years doing both web development and SEO simultaneously. This experience has been invaluable, as it allows me to understand the technical aspects behind the scenes and communicate effectively with web developers. This has greatly expedited the implementation of SEO strategies, and I can also handle some implementations myself when necessary.

2. Working in an agency has exposed me to a wide range of clients. So, there are very few uncharted territories. This means I don’t have to limit myself to a specific type of clientele.

You mentioned that Google values valuable content over keyword stuffing. Can you share an experience where you had to convince a client to prioritize content quality over outdated SEO tactics?

One common question during client meetings and SEO training sessions is, “Suppose I am writing a blog of x words. How many times should the keyword be repeated in the content to rank on the first page?” My go-to approach to answering the question is to forget about word count and keyword repetition. Instead, imagine you are an expert presenting at a conference for a certain amount of time. Consider what you would cover, how you would present it, what media you would use, what examples you would provide, what questions you might get during the Q&A session, and how you would answer them. Write your content in the same way. Then, make some refinements for SEO, and you’ll have a great piece of content.

Building on the idea of GBP optimization, what are some common mistakes businesses make that could hinder their visibility on Google Maps and Search?

The three common mistakes businesses make that could hinder their visibility on Google Maps and search are:

1. Lack of a business description or a poorly written business description.

2. Inconsistency of NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) information and opening hours in GBP (Google Business Profile) and on their website.

3. Incomplete information about their services or products. Quite often, the information has to be manually uploaded, and businesses get lazy.