I’m going to stay off social media this week. There’s so much shady shit in the SEO industry. It’s depressing. The number one thing you can do in this business is focus on yourself.
I’ll be honest: I feel like I’ve gotten way behind at times. But those who have been here for the long haul know that I make it up ten times over every single time. Tardiness was my downfall throughout my education. I’ve always been late. That said, I always showed up and swung for the fences, knocking it out of the damn park once I arrived.
I’m an extremely confident individual because once I sit down at this machine and pull the trigger, I’m able to support my family. I’ve done it for almost two decades.
How It All Began
My journey started with a beat-down computer that I found on the side of the road. Someone had thrown it away. I brought it into my back bedroom, and the journey began.
In those early weeks, I was paying people to perform development work that I couldn’t understand. But here’s the key: after I paid them, I had them train me and show me exactly what they did. I spent countless hours at 2:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m., 4:00 a.m. It didn’t matter. The sacrifices I made definitely took away from time I could have spent with my child or my significant other.
But I was excited. I was ambitious. I was driven like never before. It was like I had just discovered a pot of gold. The internet. This new way to make a living. It was here for me, and it would always be here for me.
The Reality of Two Decades in SEO
Not too many SEO people on Facebook have been involved with SEO as long as I have. Most of the old dinosaurs have retired or sailed away by now.
Myself? I held the responsibility of raising two children on my own without a wealthy family or mommy and daddy’s money to back me up. I am the most loyal, giving person in this business, but I will quickly bite your head off as well. Why? Because I have been through it all and seen it all, and this industry is full of bum losers, copycats, and people who don’t even have clients, yet they’re boasting about how they have the next great thing in SEO.
Nobody, and I will say this with my full confidence, NOBODY is making anything so terrific that you must pull out your checkbook and purchase it today. Most new products suck and perform things you can do on your own with a little studying and AI.
The Bottom Line
Focus on yourself. Put in the work. Ignore the noise. That’s how you survive two decades in this industry.