Writer, scientist, professor, and practitioner of search optimization, Steve Wiideman lives, breathes, and eats SEO, SEM, and inbound marketing. He is the author of SEO Strategy & Skills, a college textbook through Stukent. When he’s not leading his team of SEO consultants for franchise, multi-location, and e-commerce brands, he’s a cheeseball romantic, entertaining dad, and world traveler with a passion for life; embracing culture and diversity. 

While serving as an adjunct professor at UCSD and CSUF, Steve’s also building the Academy of Search, while volunteering time to help improve transparency and industry standards as an agency trainer.

In this episode, Dean Newlund and Steve Wiideman discuss:

• Why transparency is important 
• Owning your mistakes 
• Practicing transparency in hiring 
• Focusing more on the value you give 

Key Takeaways:

• People won’t feel bought into something if they don’t know what the something is 100%. Make sure that there’s transparency in the organization with your team and with your clients. 
• Whenever you mess up or something doesn’t go well, it’s important to own it. Be honest, be genuine, and be sincere. You don’t have to make such a big show about it, but you have to be vulnerable and admit what you did wrong internally and if necessary, externally as well. 
• A good practice when hiring is to ask the person if they could talk about stories of them working with other people. If they could talk about it, then it’s a really good sign. If you still feel uncomfortable, ask for more points of reference. 
• Focus on being the best and having the most value to give, not just on being SEO-noticeable. Because if you are the number one result, but the information you give is basic and bland, eventually, the stats are going to catch up and your true search rank will show. 

“If you’re afraid of your competitors taking your business, then you’re not doing as good as them and you need to step up your game. Because in the digital marketing world, especially in SEO, your job is to be number one. Nobody goes to page two of Google. You’ve got to be so competitive that the competition comes to you.” —  Steve Wiideman

See Dean’s TedTalk “Why Business Needs Intuition” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEq9IYvgV7I

Connect with Steve Wiideman:  

Website: https://www.wiideman.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/seosteve

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/seosteve

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wiideman

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

Connect with Dean:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgqRK8GC8jBIFYPmECUCMkw

Website: https://www.mfileadership.com/

The Mission Statement E-Newsletter: https://www.mfileadership.com/blog/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deannewlund

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

Email: dean.newlund@mfileadership.com

Phone: 1-800-926-7370

Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla
  
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You’re the expert. Your podcast will prove it.