In this talk I compare the role of a digital marketeer to that of a Resident Club DJ, exploring how different facets of a nightclubs DJ's role relate to the ways in which SEOs improve the visibility and organic performance of a website / business.

1. Be an SEO Superstar
Unleash your inner DJ
NIGHTCLUB DJ
V SEOTwitter: @JonSharman

2. Once upon a time…
There was a DJ called
John Paul
1986-2006
The Dome
Paradise
Majestic
Libertys / Park Lane
Cairo Jax
Club XS
Zuu
Twitter: @JonSharman

3. And don’t forget Corfu!
Twitter: @JonSharman

4. 2006
(4am finish - Coco Lounge, Telford)
Headphones hung up - Decks ditched
So… What now?
Use the skills!
(you’ve learnt)
Twitter: @JonSharman

5. Transition from DJ to SEO:
1986 – 2018
DJ > Print Music Journalist >
Online Music Journalist >
Website Designer & Content Generator >
Online Content Manager > Head of SEO >
SEO Specialist
Twitter: @JonSharman

6. 13 years on…
A respected SEO
With a lot of
Organic success
Twitter: @JonSharman

7. DJ v SEO
Poles apart or more similar than you think?!
Let’s shine a little tenuous
light on the two roles
Twitter: @JonSharman

8. MAIN GOALS - A DJ should:
Attract (improve perception / appeal of night)
Entertain (play the music the customers want)
Retain (keep the floor full / maintaining a regular
turnover of happy people)
Customer Satisfaction (encourage repeat visits)
Twitter: @JonSharman

9. MAIN GOALS - An SEO should:
Improve visibility (SERPs)
Increase traffic (user click through from SERPs)
Improve relevance / engagement
(improve quality of content to suit user requirement)
Encourage return users
(improve user perception of website)
Twitter: @JonSharman

10. Lets “scratch” a little deeper
(under the surface)
Twitter: @JonSharman

11. What a DJ needs to do (to be successful)
Twitter: @JonSharman

12. Find your Audience –
Target them
Decide on the type / style
of music you are going to
be good at playing (and
known for)…
Is there an audience for
the music you want to
play?
SEO = market research /
keyword research)
Twitter: @JonSharman

13. CONTENT is CRUCIAL
A DJ’s venue is in effect their website*
Its dancefloor is where the CONTENT lives
Aim: Engage, Interact and ENJOY
Twitter: @JonSharman

14. DJ RULES For SUCCESS
Always be relevant…
Know and play to your crowd
Don't try to appeal to a larger
(but irrelevant) audience
Don’t go too niche
And never, ever go too cheesy!
Don't try to be something you are not!
Twitter: @JonSharman

15. IMPORTANT NOTE:
I was once offered Pete Tong to play my venue but
his manager admitted that I would entertain them
better as I knew the crowd!
Twitter: @JonSharman

16. The ideal DJ set
(and ‘logical’ SEO comparisons)
Twitter: @JonSharman

17. Structure your night
Group tunes of the
same types within your
set, don’t go random
Equivalent
(Site Architecture)
Twitter: @JonSharman

18. Blend your set
Don't jump all over the place –
let the music ebb & flow
Equivalent
(User Experience / Engagement)
Twitter: @JonSharman

19. Maximise the floor-fillers
(use them at key moments to increase
engagement)
Equivalent
(Internal Linking to authoritative pages)
Twitter: @JonSharman

20. Mixing those tunes
Provide a unique and
seamless experience
Equivalent - (Unique Content)
Twitter: @JonSharman

21. Give ‘em what they want
Entertain customer requests
Equivalent
(Content Generation &
Link Building*)
*A satisfied and happy
customer will recommend
your night!
Twitter: @JonSharman

22. One of the most underused
techniques is…
Use a microphone
Tag your music
(Increase visibility /optimise awareness)
If people don’t know what it is they can’t
buy it or request it
The same with Google - if it isn’t tagged
properly they won’t rank it highly
Twitter: @JonSharman

23. Summary
A DJ’s Primary Role:
To uniquely entertain his/her
crowd for the duration of the
evening
How:
Use all their tunes and
techniques to provide
entertainment, worthy of
repeat custom.
Twitter: @JonSharman

24. An SEO’s Primary Role:
To improve the organic visibility of a website and
increase its success.
How:
By presenting content in a relevant and positive light
Pulling together and linking resources to make it the
best place to resolve a query
Twitter: @JonSharman

25. Shades of Cool
Whilst a DJ is the life of the party, an SEO is just as cool
Adulation isn’t as frequent but a boss with a good SEO
recognises this and is keen to reward them
#justsayin
#seosarecooltoo
Twitter: @JonSharman

26. SEO Benefits : Normal Working Hours
9am to 5pm
8pm to 4am
+ Not surrounded by drunken yobs
Unless at a conference pre-party ;) #happydrunks
Twitter: @JonSharman

27. Your audience is the web
So…
Plug in your headphones
Pick your YouTube playlist &
Release your inner Superstar DJ!
P.S.
Everyone loves MIX TAPES but
DON’T be a BEDROOM MIXER
- be a REAL DJ!
Twitter: @JonSharman

28. Thank you for listening,
hopefully this doesn’t apply:
Twitter: @JonSharman