As the Voxmedya team, we continue our interview series with the leaders of the digital marketing industry with Mert Erkal, the founder of Stradiji. Erkal, the founder of the SEO and Digital Performance Agency Stradiji, that produces digital marketing strategies for companies of all sizes, ensures the implementation of these strategies and increases the awareness of the brands it serves online and offline, made special explanations for Voxmedya.
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# Who is Mert Erkal? How would you describe yourself?
# Do you have a memory that you can never forget during your professional life?
# Are there any periods in your life that you call “my turning point” or “breaking point”?
# As an SEO expert, what do you think about the place of coding in the digital marketing world?
Voxmedya: First of all, thank you for accepting our interview offer. In today’s world, where those who keep the information increase, you contribute to the development of the sector with your quality content. You share the information you have gained for many years in the name of digital marketing on the Stradiji blog and many other channels. Therefore, we will ask you questions that we think are important for our inspiration rather than technical questions.
Mert Erkal: Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to convey my knowledge and experience of digital marketing to a wide audience.
Voxmedya: Who is Mert Erkal? How would you describe yourself?
Mert Erkal: I was born in Istanbul in 1974, I am originally a shipbuilding engineer. To me, life is all that happens to you when you dream of some dreams. My life was shaped in this way.
I have a wonderful wife and a beautiful son. I read a lot, I write a lot. I studied Astrology for 3 years and I always make use of Astrology seriously in important decisions in my life.
Voxmedya: How did you step into the sector? Have you had an inspiration that led you to work in this field? Why especially SEO?
Mert Erkal: I left my workplace as a professional blogger for 10 years, then I met SEO in the process. The reason I like SEO is that it is a very dynamic area and I have to learn something constantly. There are also spiritual pleasures of seeing the concrete value of your work and adding value to your customers’ business.
Voxmedya: How do you work your discipline, how do you plan your time and how can you stay up-to-date? What resources do you use?
Mert Erkal: I get up at 5:45 every morning. First, I meditate for about 15 minutes. Afterward, I am preparing my mind for the intense pace of the day by reading books for 15-20 minutes. Then, I plan the works of the day in order of importance.
To me, time is very precious and today’s people have a serious problem in thinking and focusing on one job at a time. I think I have made a lot of progress in managing time.
Mainly Google Webmaster Blog, Search Engine Journal, Search Engine Land etc. we follow the sources. Sometimes we read articles according to specific needs. I have been collecting all the articles I have read and archived in the last 4 years in a Flipboard magazine, you can follow the articles I have read and archived in this link: https://flipboard.com/@merterkal/stradiji-seo-magazine-384o6ufmz
Voxmedya: We are curious about the founding adventure of Stradiji. For what purpose was Stradiji established, in which position and where does it aim to be in the future? Can you talk a little bit?
Mert Erkal: I have been providing SEO Consultancy service with the Stradiji brand for about 10 years. In fact, I had the chance to meet SEO after leaving my 10-year professional business life with the love of being a professional blogger. Of course, it would be nonsensical to compare the point we have reached with SEO in 2009. because everywhere was mulberry 🙂
In the process, SEO has evolved from Search Engine Optimization to Search Experience Optimization. As Stradiji, we have started to provide consultancy services in the last years where SEO has come, along with SEO in the areas of user experience and conversion optimization.
I do not think that our business will be taken over by artificial intelligence in the very near future. On the contrary, I think that we can do much more useful work thanks to artificial intelligence and the data insights it provides. As Stradiji, our goal is to provide our customers with much more useful insights and suggestions based on the blessings of artificial intelligence and the depth of data analysis. In this context, we take the time to test different vehicles every week and add them to our portfolio. We do not have to worry about having many customers, it really works and we have set ourselves as a priority to acquire customers with whom we can speak the same language. Providing consultancy services abroad is another priority.
Voxmedya: Do you have a memory that you can never forget during your professional life?
Mert Erkal: After the Google algorithm update called “Medic Update” that took place in August last year, I will never forget to choose the land to suddenly drop the traffic (let’s say turbulence!) And then stabilize the site. Such painful experiences teach you a lot 🙂
Voxmedya: Are there any periods in your life that you call “my turning point” or “breaking point”?
Mert Erkal: At the age of 35, when I work in a very good job, I suddenly decide not to become a professional blogger, and for this reason, I left to waste 10 years of experience. And then, when I am about to search for a salaried job search at the end of the road, I think it is a milestone for me to start consulting with SEO and start providing counseling.
Voxmedya: As an SEO expert, what do you think about the place of coding in the digital marketing world?
Mert Erkal: I do not know how to write code. I know very good digital marketing experts who do not know how to code. Writing code is of course a surplus, but not necessarily a good digital marketer for me. Having said that, if there are young friends who want to specialize in a technical field like Javascript SEO, I would recommend that they at least master basic Javascript coding.
Voxmedya: We are in an effort to share what we learned as a team with the industry, and we think we are on the same frequency as Stradiji. In this context, are there any key points that you would recommend for blogs that want to produce content for the industry or that continue to write?
Mert Erkal: We haven’t been able to publish a new blog post for a while. We are in a very intense tempo and we are making radical changes on our site. Soon, we will continue to produce content both with the new interface of our site and with new and different topics.
I can recommend that they enrich the text-based content in their blogs by producing content in different media such as video and podcasts and see this as a kind of investment in the future.
Voxmedya: With the increasing use of voice searches, Voice Search Optimization is among the most talked-about concepts. What do you think about the future of voice calls and assistants? What optimizations will be required except for classic SEO operations?
Mert Erkal: We have a very comprehensive article on our blog titled SEO Roadmap for Voice Searches. I strongly recommend this article to those who are interested in the subject.
The impression I got by distilling from 10 years of experience and Google trends; Google is increasingly answering more search queries in the search results environment (voice searches, etc.). In a few years, he can become a kind of personal assistant. So if you are the owner of a website or the manager of a digital project, you may have to face the following problem in a few years; Google will start sending less organic traffic to your site every year. Therefore, it will be essential to create a brand whose direct traffic increases regularly. For this reason, it will be very important for you to evaluate your site through the eyes of the user and provide them with options to come back to your site.
Voxmedya: Virtually every corner we started hearing, machine learning, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, internet of things, etc. How do you see the future of the industry with the more widespread use of technologies?
Mert Erkal: I think the future of the industry will shift to data analysis and experienced SEO professionals will make a serious difference in this process. For this, it is necessary to invest in artificial intelligence and follow the trends very well.
Voxmedya: Finally, what advice would you give to juniors who have just stepped into the industry and digital marketing enthusiasts working in the sector?
Mert Erkal: Based on the previous question, I can recommend that they research digital marketing tools that work with artificial intelligence and experience some of them. For those interested in SEO, we have a blog post titled How to Become an SEO Expert on our blog. I recommend them to read it. Speaking and writing English very well will add value to their professional lives.
The original of this interview was published in Turkish in May 2019 in Voxmedya.com.
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