We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dan Ansaldo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dan, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

The Search Engine Optimization (SEO) industry is in flux more often than not, but right now, it’s borderline chaotic. A lot is changing, and some trends are beneficial and not so helpful.

For those who do not live and breathe search engines, you probably do not see much, so let me pull back the curtain.

Typically, Google releases a major algorithm update – called a Broad Core Update – every few months, sometimes twice a year.

These algorithm changes usually affect a small portion of websites, so they are pretty easy to stay on top of if you’re doing SEO the right way.

Here’s what 2023 has looked like so far:

– February Product Review Update
– March Broad Core (major) Update
– April Review Update
– August Broad Core (major) Update
– September Helpful Content Update
– October Spam update
– October Broad Core (major) Update
– November Broad Core (major) Update

So you can see why people in the SEO field feel like they are sailing a rowboat across the Atlantic during a hurricane.

How does this relate to industry trends? Well, since the release of ChatGPT late last year, AI has taken this industry (and others) by storm.

Everyone is using AI in some capacity. This is a new trend that started in 2023. We’ve been using AI to some degree for a while (Siri, Alexa, Google Home, etc.), but AI usage has catapulted in 2023.

There is some good that’s occurring, like the ability to perform some tasks a lot faster, but there is also a downside. A lot of people are relying too heavily on AI to create content.

Personally, that’s why I believe Google has released sooo many algorithm updates this year.

I can’t prove it, but I believe Google is trying to dial in on poor AI content that’s unhelpful and remove it from the search results.

So the trend that’s new to 2023 is a significant reliance on AI that I think isn’t going to slow down anytime soon, but I believe we’ll start to see the backpedaling of people using AI less and less to write content because AI cannot bring personal experience into its writing…yet.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

A little bit about me: well, like many people, COVID had a huge influence on my journey. Prior to COVID, I was teaching 8th-grade U.S. History in a small rural town in California.

When it hit, I didn’t have a job to return to, and I transitioned into writing full-time. I’ve always been great at writing and decided to switch careers to that.

To date, I’ve written over 300 articles and over a hundred other forms of writing for small agencies and billion-dollar companies. I’m also a member of the International Association of Professional Writers and Editors Association (IAPWE).

I quickly learned that if nobody read my writing, there was no point. That’s what led me to SEO. I taught myself as much as I could about SEO and then joined Gotch SEO Academy, one of the best SEO academies on the planet, and became an SEO Expert.

Now, I still write, but I love helping businesses increase revenue through SEO. I offer fully managed SEO packages and a la carte options for those who aren’t quite ready for a monthly plan.

Fully managed SEO means I handle everything from optimizing your site to creating content to building backlinks and everything in between. I meet with businesses once a month to go over what happened, and we touch base throughout the month as well.

The a la carte options are there for business owners who aren’t ready for a monthly plan or who don’t have the budget yet, like an SEO Audit or a Keyword Database.

What sets me apart from others is that I’m small. For the most part, it’s just me and sometimes another person. Most large agencies are impersonal and hand the labor off to inexperienced interns.

I handle the work myself and have another trained SEO help me when I need support. Keeping a small, lean team means I can be intentional with your business.

I’m also Christian, and I believe I ultimately report to God for the work that I do, so I put 100% into every project and treat it as if it were my own business.

What I’m proud of is getting businesses to #1 in Google. When I do that, I feel a sense of accomplishment because I know I’m getting them in the best position possible to increase leads, customers, and sales.

When my clients succeed, I do too!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I do not have a large marketing budget right now, so the most effective strategy has been word of mouth. I have a strong referral structure in place.

When my clients refer me to other businesses, they get a solid discount on their current or future SEO packages. It’s a win for everyone involved. My initial client gets a great discount, I get a new client, and the new client gets a reputable SEO company – which is harder to find than you’d think.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

My story is a bootstrap story. I don’t have a great fundraising story to tell lol. I worked on Upwork (and still do, actually) to raise funds so I could create my website and get my business started. Hard work, saving here and there, and here we are. I think my bootstrapping is still pretty common these days for small business owners.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ctrendsmarketing.com/