SEO. Search Engine Optimization. It’s been called everything from a dark art to a secret recipe for success (and a secret so well-kept that it can only be compared to KFC’s elusive blend of herbs and spices). But whatever you think of it, SEO matters.
68% of all online activity starts with people using a search engine and the top five organic results on Google account for 67.60% of all clicks (per Brightedge). So, being slow to SEO will make your business a no-go – you’ll be losing out on a huge demographic of potential customers, subscribers, or readers.
It’s also because of SEO’s significance that it’s become one of the easiest industries for chancers to exploit. Seriously, who hasn’t opened LinkedIn and been bombarded by 10 different ‘experts’ all contradicting one another and offering a solution… if you take their expensive course?
This is why people like Neil Patel are s(e)o important.
Actually, it was a good thing Neil Patel lost a million dollars…
Like another famous Neil before him, Patel took one small step for himself and a huge leap for SEOkind when he started out in digital marketing aged just 16. The best thing that could’ve happened was he failed. Did the world really need another jarringly successful teenager? No. But more than that, it inspired Neil to dig further into the what, how, and why of digital success.
By charging in full of youthful confidence but without the proper skillset behind him, Neil lost over one million dollars. But what he learned from that would prove to be invaluable – the foundations of a marketing empire.
How Neil Patel went from zero to SEO hero
The key to Neil’s success is that he focuses on sharing a regular cadence of informed content, covering everything from breakout topics like AI to evergreen sales strategies and customer-centric insights.
Rather than putting the focus on sales pitches and a bombardment of products, the core role of Patel’s informative YouTube videos and website blogs is to act like more of a bridge than a business – he bridges the knowledge gap between search engines and businesses of any size. (And then, yes, you can sign up for some more tangible plans and tools – the man’s got bills to pay, after all).
With easily digestible videos filled with helpful visual aids and calls-to-action, Neil proves the power of authorship and authority. He isn’t just the brains of the business, he is the face of it. And through that branding, SEO beginners, intermediates, or experts looking to keep up know to expect quality when they see his trademark thumbs-up thumbnails and video bites.
Kneel before Neil: what we can all learn from the marketing guru
He doesn’t just talk the talk, he’s walked the walk – and continues to do so. He’s happy to share his own stories of failures and successes, but it’s gone beyond that.
Through his brand, he shares marketing strategies, industry chatter and genuine, actionable advice that helps businesses of all sizes go forth and grow.
NeilPatel.com, is one of the most popular marketing blogs across the globe, with over four million visits in August 2024 alone. His YouTube channel (with 1.3 million subscribers) offers educational videos on everything from writing blog posts to essential tips every digital business person should follow. His podcast, ‘Marketing School,’ co-hosted with Eric Siu, gives people even deeper dives into strategies and industry trends which they can access whether they’re commuting to the office or having a break on the treadmill.
In short, he understands what kind of content visitors want to hear and how they want to consume their content.
His platforms also allow him to be both a proactive and reactive figure on anything that might be useful to marketers and businesses. If he needs to hop on a trending topic, he can.
The fact he’s set himself up to deliver on all fronts in such an agile way is part of the genius – and why video and podcast software should be foundational to anyone hoping to capture some of that magic.
