We all know about SEO, but Ash Nallawalla literally wrote the book on it. If you’re deep into SEO, you have likely heard many classic pieces of information and have formulated your own ideas about what SEO and digital marketing SHOULD be. Ash’s book, however, is here to tell you that you might just be wrong. I’ve had the chance to read ‘Accidental SEO Manager’ and here’s why you should, too:
The Value of the Book Is the Value of SEO
‘Accidental SEO Manager’ tackles the concept of SEO from a whole new angle that most people rarely mention: selling the value of SEO. The techniques and strategies of doing SEO are well-known by now, but like anything, they’re subject to change and evolution. You can read blog posts and watch videos about the know-how of SEO, but getting the experience from working within a corporate environment or even just as a freelancer can widen your scope dramatically. Ash Nallawalla has taken this in mind and explains how to express your value to your higher-ups or your clients while managing your day-to-day life.
It’s easy to get sucked into the whirlwind that is SEO, especially if you’re doing it on your own. ‘Accidental SEO Manager’ dares to ask the questions few do, such as “What are the red flags when you hire a new consultant?”, “What types of SEO are valuable financially?”, and “What types of SEO are valuable in terms of the progress your organisation or clients can make?”
A Super Simple Guide to SEO
Nallawalla’s book tackles all of these masterfully with simplicity and attention to relevant detail. Even though it’s a meaty book full of information, everything is spaced out to allow you to breathe and comprehend more easily. This book is perhaps the closest you can get to genuine peer support between SEO professionals, as it acts as a guiding, benevolent hand, giving advice on how to conduct yourself in a way that will be understood by people in your organisation who may not understand the value of SEO.
Value is a major keyword in the world of SEO because a lot of what we do is trying to make businesses understand why we need their input or trying to make potential clients see the value of what we can do for them. This book lays all of these details out in a very realistic way that doesn’t simplify SEO to just hitting keywords, but it doesn’t complicate it either.
Ash Nallawalla’s Message in ‘Accidental SEO Manager’
In an interview I conducted with Ash Nallawalla, he explained that his goal is that people in SEO will rise higher up the ranks in large companies. Again, this book looks at SEO from the eyes of management and corporate which is very useful if you’re just starting out in an agency. Ash wants to see people with a responsibility for SEO at C-suite level, so not quite at board level but higher than they are currently.
Digital marketing is such a wide business now with so many intricacies and idiosyncratic tendencies for different companies and countries that we need a reference like ‘Accidental SEO Manager’ to get exposed to what we need to keep up with. For example, Ash has mentioned that in Australia, SEO and its responsibilities are the duties of the product team, not the marketing team. Something as simple as this could expand your SEO horizons dramatically.
Takeaway
Overall, ‘Accidental SEO Manager’ is simply a brilliant reference for anyone in SEO. It advocates for people in SEO to be given more responsibility and with that comes power, which is the opposite of what Uncle Ben said to Spider-Man. So, the book is definitely worth checking out. It’s also quite valuable if you’re buying SEO or hiring a reputable SEO agency with its large guide to buying SEO. As the book has inspired me, it will very likely inspire you, too.
Last Updated on June 17, 2024
