Ryan Watson from Growth Hacks Ninja
The host of the Growth Hacks Ninja podcast Ryan Watson had been hearing a lot about this so-called “Coolest Guy in SEO”. So he did some research.
When he visited the website of this guy’s company, he became even more intrigued by what he found on the homepage—a lady grabbing a cupcake and eating it in slow motion.
He just knew he had to interview this guy for his podcast! Because, well, he was really curious how he got the title of being the coolest dude in the world of SEO.
Plus, he just couldn’t stop wondering what a cupcake-eating gal was doing on the homepage of an SEO company’s website.
In this podcast episode, Ryan finally gets to have that interview with this intriguing dude to get answers to those mind-boggling questions. And as a bonus, listeners also get to pick up valuable ideas from these two growth hacking ninjas.
But first…
Who is this “Coolest Guy in SEO”?
He is Kris Reid, the founder and CEO of Ardor SEO, a company that specialises in search engine optimisation, reputation engineering, and authority marketing. He and his team are passionate about helping business, entrepreneurs, organisations, and websites to dominate in their respective niche or industry.
Before he started Ardor, this Brisbane native had to go through several ups and downs and travelled all over the world before he found his true passion—SEO and digital marketing.
Indeed, Kris experienced plenty of uncool moments in his life prior to and even during operating his own company. He worked in the finance industry in London, a career that gave him financial stability but not too much happiness and fulfilment.
When the Financial Global Crisis hit, he lost his job. He moved to Russia, but since he couldn’t speak Russian he couldn’t find any job there.
But because Kris is innately cool, he didn’t allow those experiences to keep him from growing. He taught himself and developed an online game. Then he learned how to get people to find his game and play it. That was the moment he started learning about search engine optimisation, keywords, links, content, and so on.
Today, not only is he the coolest guy in SEO, but he is also a growth hacking ninja, budding yogi, and leather-wearing bike rider, among many other cool things.
Are you also intrigued to know more about Kris and his SEO company Ardor? Well, he’ll be happy to answer any of your questions. Just book a date with this cool guy via this link.
Get to Know Ryan Watson of Growth Hacks Ninja
Here is another cool dude who is passionate about learning and becoming better. His podcast show Growth Hacks Ninja focuses on interviewing growth hackers so listeners can learn their techniques, habits, mindsets, tools, and stories on how they became ninjas in their own fields/specialisations.
Aside from producing these helpful podcasts, Ryan is also a digital marketing expert, a leader, and a mentor. He enjoys being a student of life, which is evident in his desire to seek new ways and new people to learn from.
Growth Hacks from SEO Ninja Kris Reid
In this podcast interview, Ryan and Kris covered a range of interesting and sometimes funny topics. They share a couple of laughs and a whole lot of valuable hacks.
Lessons from the Global Financial Crisis
When Ryan asked Kris what he learned from the global financial crisis, Kris answered, “Job security is a thing of the past, something that you shouldn’t be hoping to lean on.”
He also shared that it was a real break for him because he hated working for giant corporations because he was just a cog in a driving machine and wasn’t contributing to society.
How Kris Started Ardor and Managed Its Growth
Kris talked about the beginnings of his company and how he successfully expanded it to the Philippines and Cambodia and pushed its growth. He also shared that his decision to hire an operations manager was a positive move for the business. This allowed him to focus more on sales and in dealing with customers.
What’s the Deal with the Cupcake-Eating Lady on the Ardor SEO Homepage?
According to Ryan, this was a genius way to market the company’s tagline, which is, “With Ardor, you can have your cake and eat it too!”.
Why Ardor Site Audits are Important
One of the services Kris and his team provide is site audits. Kris explained that audits are quite important since they can help you check if your website is actually achieving what you want it to. It shows you if people who land on your site are actually getting answers to their problems. Furthermore, he discusses what other search engine ranking factors and technical aspects a website audit will cover.
The Most Common No-Nos Most Websites are Guilty Of
Both Ryan and Kris agree that creating and posting good content play a huge role in building your reputation as an expert in your niche or industry. However, even if you produce top-quality content but you aren’t marketing it effectively, no one will be able to see it. As a result, the content will be a waste instead of a tool to improve your visibility and conversion rates.
Another point they touch on is how the absence of chat support can also lead to losing potential clients.
What is Kris’s Favourite Marketing Tool?
Ryan agrees 110% when Kris said, “I think that communication is the best marketing tool.”
The two of them discussed how establishing a personal touch with clients, and even your staff, are crucial in this digital age.
Business Advice from Ryan and Kris
Kris shared that there was a time when his company was so focused on expanding that they started to forget to prioritise their customers and didn’t work on developing their products anymore. This caused a downslide for their business. But when they started focusing on taking care of clients and developing products, pretty soon growth and progress followed.
They end the show with these pieces of advice:
“Slow down to speed up” – Ryan
“Enjoy the journey” – Kris
Get More Growth Hacks
Listen to the whole interview and other episodes of the Growth Hacks Ninja podcast to pick up more tips, techniques, and habits to hack your way to greatness. You can also listen to it on SoundCloud or iTunes.
