Get to know Ben Reinitz, SEO Specialist, Cardwell Beach

My name’s Ben Reinitz and in addition to my role as a SEO specialist and consultant I lead the SEO practice at Cardwell Beach, a digital agency that’s focused on generating tangible financial results for clients. I’ve been engrossed in the SEO and Digital Marketing world for years now. I pride myself in being able to leverage that experience, knowledge and insight into the industry to help clients grow their web presence, improve brand awareness and build a strong foundation of sustainable and consistent growth for their businesses.

Whenever I come across this question I usually answer that depends “how much time do you have?” The truth is I could go on for days just discussing the evolution of SEO over the past year or two so needless to say it has changed significantly. Google’s continuous efforts to provide results that are more accurate and efficient has helped shape the industry into what it is today and forced us to re-define our roles. The combination of changes in the search landscape and the way searchers interact with it has forced a shift in where our priorities should be and how we go about achieving our objectives. Being able to pivot with what search engines (and searchers) consider important has never been more relevant.
While some things have not changed like having high quality links do still have value, between major (and minor) algorithm updates, the use of personalization and search history, changes to how local results are displayed, the rise of mobile and voice searches (and so many others), now more than ever being able to really get into the mindset of potential visitors and offering a strong, easy-to-convert experience once they get there plays a defining role in our success.
Where years ago our priorities were more on keywords and quantity in today’s SEO climate it requires a strong focus on searcher intent, user/search experience and overall quality. Although it should be noted that while our approach has deviated, fundamentally our goals have not changed all that much and when executed correctly actually serve to complement what Google is trying to do. Just like Google we’re all trying to offer the best UX possible for searchers or potential visitors and it’s become our job to make sure they know our site fits those criteria better than what’s out there.
When looking back over the last 10 years I like to think the main takeaway is there are no shortcuts or quick fixes. For those sites that want to be around for the long haul; SEO isn’t a sprint but a marathon and we should be working to build sustainable growth the right way or potentially face the consequences. I’ve found that by maintaining this mindset when changes do happen (and they will) it’s more of an asset for those who are ready to benefit from it than something to fear.

My very first job out of college was for a small SEO agency and I never looked back. Aside from being a part of an expanding industry that would only become more important what initially drew me to SEO was the duality of technical focus and client interaction it offered. It requires a strong balance of both that I was looking for; where I was able to help clients grow their business and then explain to them how I did it. Over time and as the industry evolved I began to appreciate how SEO became more of an ‘umbrella’ term that can also play a big part in other areas that involve user-site interaction. It’s not enough for us to be knowledgeable in one area rather SEO involves constantly expanding our knowledge base and venturing into new topics, which keeps everything fresh and interesting.
The other part of SEO that really spoke to me was the fact that every campaign for every site is different with its own strategies, set of goals and even challenges. Getting to delve deep into each market, fully understanding what visitors (and Google) are looking for in that space and then developing and executing a strategy for it gives SEO an edge over some of those more monotonous jobs. Something I think is very important when deciding on a career and a big reason why I’m still here all these years later.

We offer a full menu of results-driven digital and traditional advertising and marketing solutions. Our SEO services incorporate both onsite and offsite strategies for clients of all sizes, types and demographics. When it comes to SEO there’s no “one size fits all” approach so we tailor our services based on each client’s industry and unique marketing objectives.
While it would be tough to list all of the ways we drive traffic with SEO, tactics could range from a heavy focus on local optimization services to sites that benefit more from a focus on offsite services like targeting influencers for Product Reviews. Then there are those services that more often than not are almost universal like mobile optimization, acquiring high quality links, developing and promoting targeted content and the list goes on. In short, a successful campaign incorporates a number of moving parts, each one important in its own right but where our focus would be and where it would be of most value would depend on the nature of each site. So if you’re approaching every campaign the same way you’re probably doing something wrong.

There’s really no one answer for this as every site should customize their strategies for their demographics, industry and unique digital marketing goals however conceptually I think more and more sites will realize the importance of moving away from targeting individual keywords to having a strategy in place where they are optimizing for relevant topics (spanning over a range of keyword/searcher variations). Consequently, we should see brands finally shy away from using rankings as a primary metric to evaluate site performance and instead using groups of relevant-terms to get a better sense of topic-based performance and more as a ‘compliment’ to Traffic. This has been the case for a little while now but will only grow as Google continues to make adjustments to better assist users and the growing numbers of voice search.
From more of a practical standpoint I’d say there are basically three fundamental principles not going anywhere anytime soon; making sure you have a strategy for targeting high quality links, you have (and continuing to contribute) topic-focused content that fulfils searcher intent and creating the best possible user (conversion-oriented) experience.
Breaking this down further making sure you’re always taking into account new and upcoming trends into those strategies can be equally as important. For example things like offering a fast and intuitive mobile experience or optimizing for Google’s increased usage of Rich Answers would all play an important role in the coming year.

Start with the fundamentals, avoid short cuts and never stop studying or trying to expand on what you know. In an industry that’s always evolving ‘knowledge’ (along with some experience) can be an invaluable asset. This is especially true in SEO that as we just covered, at this point encompasses so many other areas and where really understanding user intent as well as search engines has never been more important. Bringing that perspective and being able to work alongside teams working on other areas of the site has become a prerequisite that you should be ready for.
Just to offer an example: Anyone can tell you what things like meta tags are but it’s taking the time to really understand how to do the necessary research for terms that would yield the best ROI and how to take into account its potential impact on CTRs that’s going to separate you in an already competitive field. Whether it’s adding a personal touch to your outreach emails or how much you know; making sure you stand out from everyone else is something you should always have in the back of your mind and will play a big part in defining how successful you’ll be in SEO or any path you choose.