Mastering the Art of SEO Automation | Jake Labate from The SEO Guy

Ernesto Quezada: Pathmonk is the intelligent tool for website lead generation. With increasing online competition, over 98% of website visitors don’t convert. The ability to successfully show your value proposition and support visitors in their buying journey separates you from the competition. Pathmonk qualifies and converts leads on your website by figuring out where they are in the buying journey and influencing them in key decision moments. With relevant micro experiences like case studies, intro videos, and much more, stay relevant to your visitors and increase conversions by 50%. Add Pathmonk to your website in seconds. Let the AI do all the work and get access to 50% more qualified leads while you keep doing marketing and sales as usual. Check us out on pathmonk.com. Welcome to today’s episode. Let’s talk about today’s guest. We have Jake from his own agency, the SEO Guy. How are you doing today, Jake?

Jake Labate: Good, Ernesto. How are you doing?

Ernesto: I’m great. Thank you so much for asking. And, well, let’s kick it off with a little bit about yourself, your company, and some clients. We want to know what it’s all about, what the SEO Guy has to say. So, tell us a little bit more in your own words, Jake.

Jake: Sure. Yes, I’m an SEO specialist turned AI software misfit. I’m more of a consultant at this point. I took the work that I do, the implementation work for clients, documented it, and I’m in the process of finalizing a group of AI automated processes to implement them. So it’s very cool, a lot of code, still in the works, but yeah, it’s very exciting.

Ernesto: Definitely great to hear that. So our listeners can get a good understanding of your agency, Jake, what would you say is the key problem that you like to solve for clients?

Jake: Well, I’d say clients know they need SEO. They know what it is, they’re sold on it, they’re willing to spend money, but they don’t know more than that. They don’t know what a good strategy looks like or what exactly should be done. They know there’s a content aspect and a technical aspect, but they don’t really know much more than that. They see these reports from agencies or run a software report, but they don’t fully understand it as much as they do social media or website design. My goal is to clarify that, build SEO, sales, implementation, and reporting processes, and clean that up. It’s a whole strategy with a lot of documentation so clients know exactly where they are. That’s the sum of it.

Ernesto: Perfect. Awesome. Is there a certain vertical segment or an ideal ICP that you like to work with?

Jake: Sure. I have my key client, Hooray Agency in Irvine, California. They are specifically a hospitality marketing firm, handling hotels, hotel chains, resorts, things like that. In the last year or so, I’ve been primarily focusing on that client. So their clients are my clients. The hospitality space is what it’s been recently, definitely.

Ernesto: The industry keeps on growing. The more that technology advances, the more people can see where they can go. It’s awesome to hear that. What would you say is a top client acquisition channel for jakelabate.com? Is there a certain strategy that you use to get more clients?

Jake: Well, I definitely need to do, ironically, some SEO work on my own site. Currently, my site serves as a repository for my advanced projects. It’s not really something people are searching for, so it doesn’t get a crazy amount of organic traffic. When there’s a prospective client, I’ll share it, and they can see the projects and what I’m working on. That’s the key function of it at this time.

Ernesto: Definitely. All right, perfect. Is there any tool, tip, or method you would recommend to our listeners for SEO or website lead generation?

Jake: Yes, data is your friend. Some agencies are really good at performance marketing, making data-driven decisions, which is good. But I’m continually surprised by how large some agencies are and how poor the decisions made from that data can be. It’s something people miss. There’s plenty of data, but you have to sort through it to find what resonates with people and build more of that. So, rule number one is to pay attention to data. I think people miss that a lot.

Ernesto: Definitely would agree. Thanks so much for sharing that. Let’s switch gears a little bit and talk about you as a leader. What are some key tasks you focus on in your day-to-day work?

Jake: In the last year or so working with Hooray, I’ve focused on three things. Implementation work, documenting the processes I use, and building and refining AI software tools to automate those processes. It’s about implementing work and then building processes to automate it. Every day, I work towards automating the tasks I’m doing. It’s pretty cool to see what I should be building based on what I’m doing.

Ernesto: Definitely. Awesome to hear that. How do you stay up to date with all the news, marketing trends, and strategies? Is there a specific channel you like?

Jake: I’m going to give you an unconventional answer. The content I consume may not make sense at first. It’s about interacting with the world. If I propose something to a client and they don’t pick it up, the valuable information for me is understanding why. I have a meditative practice of being aware of what I’m doing and how things are going. That feedback helps me learn. I consume tons of content, but being aware of what you’re doing and how it affects conversations and results is crucial. You can learn a lot from that, affecting everything in marketing, business, and professional life.

Ernesto: Awesome. Great to hear that. Thank you so much for sharing. Let’s jump into our next section, which is our rapid-fire question round. Are you ready?

Jake: Sure. Fire away.

Ernesto: Awesome. First off, what is the last book that you read?

Jake: I’m more of an audiobook guy. The last book I read was “12 Rules for Life” by Jordan Peterson. He’s a well-known psychologist. It’s a mix of life, communication, and philosophy. Very interesting. I’m big into psychology and philosophy.

Ernesto: Great read for our listeners. Next, what is one thing you’re focused on the most at the moment?

Jake: Mapping my processes. When I’m doing work and documenting it, I jot down every factor I consider or parameter to a decision so that when the software is built, it can account for that. It’s about making sure the software is complete. That’s where my attention is right now.

Ernesto: Great to hear that. If there were no boundaries in technology, what would be one thing you want to fix for your role as a marketer today?

Jake: Marketing is often seen as a task, but it’s a meditative and expressive thing. Data plays a big role. If there’s a way to allow the creative marketer to utilize more effort or go deeper into creativity, the results would be better. Not every creative idea is great, but a lot of marketing is task work. I’m a big fan of tools like Whimsical for mind mapping. Anything that allows marketers to do more creative work would be helpful.

Ernesto: Definitely important. Next, if there’s one repetitive task you could automate, what would that be?

Jake: I’m looking forward to VR and Neuralink by Elon Musk. A lot of what I do involves switching between programs, which is not creative work. VR or Neuralink could ease the barrier between how people and machines interact. Automating tasks like exporting data or cleaning data would be helpful.

Ernesto: Perfect. Good to hear that. Lastly, if you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself if you were to restart your journey as a marketer today?

Jake: Find out what you like to do and try to express that through your profession. I’ve had different professional avenues, building a resume, but now I wake up excited because I get to build what I love. It’s a cliché, but doing what you like means you never work a day in your life. That would be my advice.

Ernesto: Great to hear that. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. We are coming to the end of the show, Jake. Before we end, what is one thing listeners should remember about your company?

Jake: I’m secretly a consultant. People hire me for marketing tasks, but I give them many things to work on. Some love it, some don’t. If someone works with me, we’ll get into the weeds, figure out the marketing strategy, and address any kinks in the process. Be ready for that.

Ernesto: Perfect. Thank you so much for that, Jake. I appreciate you being on today’s episode. To our listeners, thank you for tuning in. We’re looking forward to our next episode at Pathmonk Presents.

Jake: Thanks, Ernesto. Good talking to you.