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Don’t Touch Me, You’ve Got ‘Kudos’ Bill Slawski!
By Kimberly Bock | February 5, 2008
I don’t think it’s a big secret that I had a mad crush on SEO By The Sea’s Bill Slawski and it has become mutual. (at least it’s not a secret anymore, thanks to Jordan Kasteler!)
But, I have wanted to interview Bill for a while now. not because I think he’s the sexiest man on the planet (inside and out) but because he’s taken great strides in improving the quality of SEO, search engine research, world resources, and human lives.
So, I asked and he accepted.
This is the scoop behind the the mentor and the man…
**I‘ve already blogged about you and posted a few things that give mention of you and SEO By The Sea but I was hoping you’d let me get a better scoop. Do you mind sharing answers of a more personal nature in addition to some SEO related questions?**
I don’t mind at all.
**Ok, great! So, why don’t we start by telling us where you were born and raised..**
I was born in Redbank, New Jersey, and my family and I lived in a neighborhood in Neptune, New Jersey, with a horse farm behind our backyard, and an elementary school nearby that my sister and I used to take a shortcut to through an patch of woods that we both thought was haunted. We moved to another part of New Jersey when I was in second grade, and then to Ohio a few months later. I was in three different second grade classes in the same year. Ohio was a real culture shock, with a change in values, habits, speech patterns, and I liked it. The midwest and the east coast share a lot, but there are some very real differences. I became a big Cincinnati Reds fan, with the Big Red Machine playing in World Series.
**Interruption: Sheesh, I don’t even do sports..but isn’t he just the cutest thing??**
We moved back to New Jersey when I was thirteen, and and I got to experience that culture shock in reverse. I went to the University of Delaware after high school, and have stayed in Delaware since.
**About your K-12 years..what were you like in school? Were you always a smarty pants? What were your interests and social life like?**
I was pretty quiet in school, and while I had friends, moving around a little meant making new friends in new places. I got good grades, and was active in some sports, but most of the time I was happy sitting somewhere reading a book. I made more friends in high school, and wrestled, played soccer, and was on the track team. I was also on the math team, and the chess club. I wasn’t really part of any one clique, or anything like that.
**Inerruption: Math and chess huh? Once again…sexy**
When I was a freshman, they gave a test for some Math Olympics to all of the high school students. They had us in one big room, and gave us the test. Somehow, I finished sixth in the school amongst all of the kids who took it.
**Were you raised in a religious setting? Do you have a religious/spiritual preference?**
My mother and father were both very religious when I was growing up, and worked hard to instill some solid values and spirituality in our lives. We went to church every Sunday, and my mom taught for a while at a Roman Catholic school. But one of the things that I think bothered all of us was the church sometimes seeming to value the economics of the church more than the spirituality.
When I think about religion, somehow I think about the politics of the church. I think that spirituality is something that is part of everyday life, that is reflected in how you treat and interact with other people, in the way you talk to them, in how you listen to them, and in how you try to understand them. Live the teachings of love, of sharing, of giving.
**Interruption: Do you see what I see now? 
**
**What was the first job you ever had?**
Busboy in a local ice cream parlor
**Was the Ice cream parlor called “Sexy Bus boys“?**
I think it was nerdy bus boys :$
**Interruption:They obviously hired the wrong man then** 
**What was the first car you ever owned?**
It was a 1970 Chevy Impala. Big car and fast. It was great!
**Was it a ‘chick magnet‘?**
It probably had a few too many dents and needed a paint job too much for that.
**Interruption:Yea, I thought you’d keep that one on the down - low**
I was a book worm. I really didn’t date in high school at all.
**Did you have a childhood hero? If so, who was it and do you have one now?**
I really liked Mahatma Ghandi when I was growing up. vaclav Havel is who I would call my hero now.
**Why did you choose those particular heros?**
For their strength, and for their peacefulness, for their belief that they could make a stand and overcome, and make positive changes. Ghandi in India, and Havel in the Czech Republic.
My brother and sister and I dressed up for Halloween when I was growing up, and we went trick or treating. One year, I think I was 11, I dressed up as Ghandi. I don’t think anyone knew who I was supposed to be..
But I knew.
**Do you have a favorite song?**
I think right now that it’s Made Up Love Song # 34
**Interruption: Yup, definitely a keeper. Lyrics here**
**Political standing?**
I was officially registered to vote for a long time as “unaffiliated.” I changed that to “independent” with the last election. I’d like to see more options, more parties, more viewpoints enter into politics. I think that too often popular issues get addressed more than important ones, and not enough is done to really represent all of the people in meaningful ways.
**I’d like to touch on a few of your interests that would be easily tagged in the ‘activism‘ category..
I am impressed with your response to the movie “Blood Diamond“. I know you’ve been very busy with work related duties and haven’t had an opportunity to pursue certain things that have brought on a passion for change reagrding this, but could you tell me more about what the movie triggered in you and what you’ve begun as a result?**
For a long time, I’ve felt that trying to make positive change in the world is something that can be best accomplished by acting locally, by getting involved with the community around me. But there are some issues that are bigger than that, that people do have to stand up to, and spread awareness of, and learn more about. We take so much for granted that we shouldn’t, and the movie showed one part of our lives that we should now more about - how commerce here can mean harm to others around the world. We need to learn, and understand, and if the best way we can do that is by reading newspapers from other parts to the world, learning about history that we don’t know, and sharing what we find out, then that can help spread awareness. I think that’s important. I’ve started a site to do that. I hope that I can get it to grow, and to be seen by others, and to make them think and take action too.
**What stimulated your interest in SEO and where did you turn for guidance/education?**
I had been working on a website for a couple of friends, and part of that was maintaining and improving the site, and trying to make it more visible. The sister of one of those friends was working for Digital Equipment Corp, and she sent him an email one day, with a link to Altavista, which had just launched. He forwarded to me, and we started looking at what it might take to be included there.
The roots of that interest probably came earlier, when I was in law school, and had to do a lot of research with electronic databases. Learning how to help that Web site get found in Altavista, and then Google, and Hotbot, and so on was a challenge, and it was fun. For guidance and education, I often looked for Tutorials and FAQ pages, and tried to read as many different articles as I could.
I didn’t start out looking at forums much, but was invited to participate in a couple by a friend - one involving small business, and another on web site promotion and usability. I learned alot from asking and answering questions. One of those forums turned into Cre8asite Forums, where I found myself surrounded by some fairly well known, and very knowledgeable people who shared their experiences, and what they had learned. Presently, I follow a large number of blogs through RSS, and try to get involved in discussions on Cre8asite to learn. I also spend a lot of time looking at search related patents and white papers.
**Interruption: Bill just stopped me for a second to send me a link to this jerks site. He is using Bill’s photograph and is claiming an unverifiable address that is a digit or two away from Bill’s! He calls himself “Joe Great”. Boooo!**
**What prompted SEO By The Sea and what’s the story behind the title?**
Loren Baker and I wanted to have a conference that wasn’t located in some big city, so we came up with the idea to have one in Havre de Grace, Maryland. I was looking out the window when we were talking about it, and saw some sails on the Bay, and the name came to me. I set up the website pretty much just for that conference.
**What do you do for a day job other than blogging?**
I do SEO on a number of sites, including keyword research, site analysis, and recommendations. Some consulting on technical problems with sites, too.
**What are some of your volunteer efforts?**
I’m an administrator for a forum that people can come to and ask questions, including asking for reviews about their sites. It’s not a paid position, and I enjoy most when people who are just starting out can see a positive impact on their sites after visiting.
I’ve worked a little with my local main street association, trying to help them get a best idea of how to present themselves online, and work with the web.
**In matters of career and personal life, what are your goals for the future?**
My work goals for the future are to explore how the industry changes, and try to be proactive in meeting those changes. My personal goals also involve learning and trying to grow as a person, and as a family member, and as a friend.
**What reading/learning material do you suggest for SEO newbies trying to make a go of it?**
Some of the really early papers on pagerank are really worth looking at, because they lay out a lot of the hopes and ideas that inspired Google. They are almost ten years old, but a good start anyway because they put things in perspective. Paying attention to sites like Search Engine Land, and Search Engine Roundtable is a good idea too, because they provide a nice overview of search related news and discussions in forums.
The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine
The PageRank Citation Ranking: Bringing Order to the Web
The webmaster guidelines from the search engines are also a great thing to look at, mainly because they give you an idea of what the search engines expect. The major search engines also have official blogs that share some interesting information. A number of employees of search engines also blog. The most well known, and most informative and easy to understand is Matt Cutts blog at
Matt Cutts: Gadgets, Google, and SEO
There are a good number of other SEO blogs that can be helpful, and exploring those to find ones that you like, and want to read regularly, and subscribing to their RSS feeds is highly recommended.
**In closing, what advice do you have for us newbies?**
Try to learn a little more everyday, about SEO, and about how to work with potential clients, and after a little while you may be surprised by how much you actually know.
**Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to share these things with us.**
You’re welcome.
Topics: Interviews |
February 5th, 2008 at 1:07 am
At what point in this interview did you two jump on top of each other?
February 5th, 2008 at 1:15 am
Um…er…uh…well…
February 5th, 2008 at 2:07 am
looks like love is in the air
February 5th, 2008 at 2:31 am
No doubt joan…
I love everything that he stands for and is a part of.
I can’t believe my luck and I don’t intend to let him get away either.
February 5th, 2008 at 5:14 am
Oh, how I remember those Havre de Grace days so well
Hey Bill, want to have an SEO by the SEA - on the Gulf?
February 5th, 2008 at 6:13 am
Thanks for doing that interview, Kimberley. Bill is a very deep pool and you’ve revealed some aspects that weren’t too visible before. You’re obviously both having fun. Way to go.
February 5th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Barry: When I finally got past the whole “Golly gee, he’s just so sweet and cute” thing, I was so impressed with the layers of his mind and heart, that I just had to let others know there’s more to him.
As there’s more to ALL of us in these parts.
I think that learning these things about Bill has expanded how I view others as well.
We are all unique and have much to offer in our own way.
Seeing things in this light has made my learning more comfortable because I do not feel as intimidated in the communities I travel in.
Hopefully, others that read this will feel the same, enabling them to open up more.
February 5th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Despite the fact that I found this to be kind of creepy (sweet, too, but mostly creepy)… uh, congratulations.
But seriously, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer person.
February 5th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Fantastic interview on the absolute most fascinating man in search today…Kimberly, you’re a very lucky woman.
February 6th, 2008 at 5:50 am
Thanks Julie. I’m sure you’re right about him..
February 6th, 2008 at 9:17 am
You two are just too cute :).
February 7th, 2008 at 5:39 am
Melanie,
Creepy! I don’t understand why you wrote what you did but it’s thoughtless, rude and unprofessional.
February 7th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
With all the bad things going on in the world today, there’s really nothing better than reading about two people who are nuts about each other. Honestly, this was one of the sweetest things I’ve ever read and I appreciate it…it’s uplifting, it’s adorable, and I wish you both the best.
February 7th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
John: Awe shux.
Bill: Yea, she’s got issues.
Julie: He makes me feel adorable and sweet. I was just sitting here thinking about my love for the colors red and black. That’s why I chose this site’s template. But lately it seems I’ve developed different tastes. notice here lol
We dance well together.
March 6th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Hello Kimberly,
I hadn’t checked back to see Bill’s response to my comment but he just now made me aware that it came across as really rude and I wanted to apologize to you (and Bill). It’s a probably a little late for this, but I didn’t mean how it was taken.
As a very private person myself, the idea that the community is so small and so tight that the details of your relationship were outted (on Sphinn I believe) and that a public record of your adoration is out there for everyone to see for all eternity is — to me — kind of scary… hence “creepy.”
It was a poor choice of words and it’s unfortunate that this misunderstanding stayed unaddressed for so long.
Again, I’m sincerely sorry that I’ve offended you and I hope this hasn’t made you more reluctant to be as open on your blog going forward.
Melanie
March 7th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Melanie its funny that you should say that since YOU are the one that is proudly ranking for http://learningseobasics.com/archives/294
June 23rd, 2008 at 6:49 am
So are you guys married yet? =p Anyways, great interview and thanks for the newbie tips! Can you tell me the website you mentioned where you answer SEO questions and review their websites and stuff? I would love to have some recommendations/site review from you. Not only is Bill a great SEO, but also a really great person, you are one awesome man. Hope I can get some feedback from you guys just E-mail me. THANKS!
-p.s. you guys would make a great couple = ]
Fast Carss last blog post..Most Fuel Efficient Cars
June 24th, 2008 at 11:54 am
You may have to give me some time to respond to your review request. I have many new projects under way. I wouldn’t be able to give your site the attention it deserves.
A crowd you can trust for a website review (free) would be the SEO Refugee crew.
PS: “you guys would make a great couple = ]”
Bill and I are now an ‘item’ and are great together. Marriage? To be continued..
Thanks for taking time to comment..(By the way, do you have a real name??)
June 25th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
My real name is Tim. Thanks for valuing my comment.
June 25th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Nice to meet you. You bring value to this blog. The gratitude is mutual.