Speaker 1: 0:54

Hello and welcome to. Seo is not that hard. I'm your host, ed Dawson, the founder of the SEO intelligence platform, keywordfupoleasercom, where we help you discover the questions people ask online and learn how to optimize your content for traffic and authority. I've been in SEO and online marketing for over 20 years and I'm here to share the wealth of knowledge, hints and tips I've amassed over that time. Hello and welcome back to SEO is not that hard. It's me here, ed Dawson, as usual, and today I'm going to be talking about a guy called Martin Lewis. Okay, if you don't know who he is, I will explain as we go along.

Speaker 1: 1:29

And it all comes from last night, when I was just sat at home. And you know you do occasionally you flick through your you know, through your stats, your analytics, to see how your sites are doing, and I just noticed that I was seeing a big spike in traffic across three of my sites last night. One's focused on mobile phones, broadband and energy. These are all UK based sites and, yeah, traffic had all of a sudden across, across all three, doubled around about 8.30pm and I was like this is weird, what's going on? I mean it's not unusual sometimes to see traffic spike on one or the other, one of them for a particular reason, maybe something in the news or maybe a broadband supply has gone down, something like that. But to see it across all three sites was really really. I started looking into it because, as you do when those things happen, I was thinking you know, have I been hacked? Have I been scraped? Has someone managed to footprint it? Now what's going on? Couldn't see anything unusual. The traffic looks genuine coming from Google. I just couldn't get it.

Speaker 1: 2:34

And then about half an hour later I realized this guy, martin Lewis. Now he has a TV program in the UK and his programs are all about consumer finance, how to save money on your utilities, and things like that. And he'd done a TV program all about how to get better deals. It's a new year. He calls it his bill buster how to get better deals. It's a new year. He calls it his bill buster how to save money on all your bills. And he'd been talking about mobile phone bills, broadband bills and energy bills. And he had driven a whole load of traffic to Google, a whole load of people going to Google and searching on these topics. And it's amazing, you know he has this. Martin Lewis has this uncanny ability to drive consumer behavior almost instantly and it's amazing, you know he has this.

Speaker 1: 3:17

Martin lewis has this uncanny ability to drive consumer behavior almost instantly, and it's not just me. There will be plenty of other affiliate marketers and site owners who have noticed a surge in traffic whenever he mentions a topic they cover and it's a testament to the sheer influence this guy has. So, for those of you outside the uk, you know, or if you've been living in a rock in the uk, you know martin lewis. He's the man behind moneysavingexpertcom and he's often referred to as the uk's consumer champion or money saving expert. Now, he originally started moneysavingexpertcom back in 2003 with what he claims was just 100 pounds and he built it into a loyal following by sharing free, practical advice on saving money and eventually he sold this site for tens of million pounds I think it was 87 million, plus 60 million in performance bonuses to MoneySupermarketcom, who are one of the biggest price compression websites in the UK. But he's still heavily involved in the site. He's still the face of that site. He's involved in consumer advocacy charities course, presenting his tv show, because he originally was a financial journalist before he got into web, before he got into affiliate stuff now his tv shows, they they have millions of viewers because people genuinely trust him.

Speaker 1: 4:31

And from affiliate or an online marketing angle, this is where it's really fascinating, because when he talks, people act. They don't just watch passively, they go online, they search, they click, they buy. And if you've got any kind of offer that's aligned with the topics he's discussing, at any time you will see traffic come in. So what's the secret, you know, to his influence? How does he manage to have, um, this ability to drive such phenomenal traffic and trust?

Speaker 1: 4:56

Well, here's a few things that stand out right. First of all, he's got a very consumer first approach. So he's not just flogging random products. He's not just trying to get people to click on links. What he is really focused on how, to, how an offer or a deal benefits the consumer. Now, that kind of authenticity that builds trust, because he's not just going for what serves him best, he's trying to genuinely find what serves the consumer best. Second, he's very transparent. So on moneyofsavingexpertcom, he openly discloses how the site makes money through affiliate deals and advertising, but he keeps the editorial and the commercial size of the site separate. So he will be honest about which links will earn the money which won't, and they never base any advice on what's going to make them the most money. So this openness fosters credibility with people.

Speaker 1: 5:51

Thirdly, his he uses very plain language content. So you know, for a lot of people financial topics can be very confusing, very boring, but he tries to break them down into actionable steps with relatable stories. So he'll do things like, say, hey, meet Jane. Here's how she switched her broadband and saved £120 in a year. You could do the same in 10 minutes. And those real life kind of examples resonate deeply with people. So he's not just talking about um hypotheticals, he actually does that ability to turn it into people's stories and that what. That's what makes other people feel, oh well, if that person can do it, so could I.

Speaker 1: 6:28

And fourthly, he repeats himself a lot. Okay, he the repetition and reinforcement. So you'll hear him talking about energy switching, broadband deals and credit card tips over and over and over again. And now you might think this is repetitive and to some people it might find it completely repetitive, but this is how he built a recognizable brand and he helped new audiences catch up with tried and tested strategies. So a lot of what he's been saying he's just been saying for years and years and years and years. He does update it when legislation changes, when things change, but generally he's got a very small repertoire that he talks about. But he just talks about it again and again and again and that gets through it. That repetition gets into people's heads.

Speaker 1: 7:13

So what are the lessons that we can draw from this? I'm not saying we're all going to go out there and suddenly make you know eight, seven million pound sites that we can sell and all this you know. But there's definitely things we can learn from him because he's very, very good at what he does. So here's the kind of things I think that we should take from what he does. So, firstly, he always goes for quality content over quick sales. So prioritize genuine, helpful advice.

Speaker 1: 7:41

So if you're writing about broadband, compare real user experiences, offer practical tips and be transparent about pros and cons of each deal. So consumers will reward you with loyalty. If you're honest with them, they'll trust you as being honest and they will then convert. Secondly, you want to build authority and trust. So with any kind of advice, trust is the currency. Martin Lewis has spent years building a reputation for honest guidance. Okay, so as affiliates, we should aim to become the go-to sources in whatever niche you're working in, offering more than just promotional fluff. You want to. You want to build the authority, build that trust. Thirdly, storytelling and this is one where I feel I could do so much better. But anyway, if you look at his stuff, you'll see, you'll notice that he always includes case studies, personal stories. It's not just you can say 50 pound here or 20 pound there. It's look how clear, not 50 pound off a monthly bill. Here's how you can too, and having stories helps people place themselves in the same scenario and see how they could do it.

Speaker 1: 8:42

Fourth is consistency. Martin's content is consistent and frequently updated. This is crucial for seo too, but it's also crucial for consumer, because they want to see up-to-date deals. They want to see up-to-date advice. So while, as I said, you know he repeats himself a lot, but when things change like, say, the process for how you change broadband suppliers changed a lot over 20 years. Change like, say, the process for how you change broadband supplier has changed a lot over 20 years, but the general advice on changing to save money is the same as 20 years ago. It's just the how you, how you go about this. The move has changed. He updates his content about how you can move supplier and gives people the pitfalls, the problems, the downfalls amongst each different way of doing it, but he keeps it up to date and is consistent in his message.

Speaker 1: 9:25

Okay, let's tie this back to seo, because, after all, you know, this is a serious, not that hard. So what can we take out of this seo wise? Well, now, this this applies to, obviously, any content martin lewis creates. But if you've got a similar kind of person in your industry, they might not be as big as martin lewis is in the uk when it comes to finance, but you might have in your industry someone, an influencer, who drives um, drives the narrative. Okay, in whatever it is the you're working with, how can we look at this into? Invest here? What? What best practices should we consider? So obviously, leverage relevant keywords. You know, if you know, that that mart Martin is discussing broadband or energy, make sure that you've got basic on-page SEOs aligned with these terms. You're not going to drive broadband traffic if you're not talking about broadband, obviously.

Speaker 1: 10:17

Secondly, create pillar content. So this is why I've always talked about content, about writing in-depth guides on your topics. So not just quick top five deals pages, that kind of thing, but the evergreen kind of content I've talked about in previous episodes that you keep updating. This is what's going to position you as the authority. Okay, this is your top authority piece. Capitalise on timeliness, on the timely buzz that's generated.

Speaker 1: 10:41

So, if Martin's show airs on tuesday night, consider having special you know social media posts or blog entries ready to go. Okay, if you've got affiliate links for relevant, for a relevant deal, and share it. You know at this time, you know people are going to be searching at the moment on these things. And, longer term, build your eat, your or your eat. So your experienceAT, so your Experienced, expertise, authority and Trust. We know Google is looking for EEAT. So, provide credentials, link to actual sources, be transparent about affiliations, all the kind of things that will build trust. Look at things like that.

Speaker 1: 11:21

So, finally, I just want to talk about how we can replicate the kind of success that martin has. Okay, now. Okay, I'm not suggesting we're going to get to have our own tv show getting the kind of level of traffic he has, but there's certain things that he's doing anyone can do. Okay, you don't have to have a massive audience to do this, but you can engage your audience better if you follow the, if you follow these, these tips, okay. So, first of all, engage your Use your newsletters, your social media short videos, anything you can, to engage and listen, to talk to your audience, answer questions, address their pain points. It goes back to what I've always said answering people's questions is the key to success here.

Speaker 1: 12:05

Secondly, always focus on genuine value. So provide deals or tips that truly help. If you, if you become known within your industry as a person who always has the best advice, the best research, your audience will grow. Use the human touch. Thirdly, don't be afraid to share user success stories or your own personal experiences. Okay, that's exactly what makes my in style so effective.

Speaker 1: 12:28

The fourth stay relevant. Keep up to date with your industry changes, new deals, policy shifts, that kind of thing. You know, if an energy regulator changes the rules or broadband provider comes out with a huge discount, you need to share these things as soon as possible. Time, and this is really key. So I did say that was less than we're going to talk about, but I've just realized there's something else, and that's obviously there are some Pitfalls account that we need to sort of avoid. Okay, so just before you can run out and do everything.

Speaker 1: 12:55

Think about these potential pitfalls, okay. First of all, overpromoting. If all you do is push affiliate deals the highest paid ones without regard for quality, this is where you'll lose credibility. So don't overpromote things just because they're good for you. Be very careful about that. Secondly, neglecting to be transparent. So if your audience feels that you're misleading them or finds out you're not upfront with your affiliations, then your trust can plummet and you do not want to lose that trust. Trust's really hard to gain. The last thing you want to do is give that trust up. And thirdly, stale content. You know up. And thirdly, stale content. You know deals come and go. Content needs to be kept up to date as things change. So you know if you're including outdated um deals that it's just going to really frustrate your audience. You don't want to do that again because that will just tank your trust and tank your SEO. So I hope that was useful.

Speaker 1: 13:46

You you know a guy like Martin Lewis. He has got an entire production team, a massive on-air platform. It's very hard to replicate and get his level of success, but the core lessons apply to anyone. You know the stuff that he does isn't actually rocket science. It's taken him well over 20 years to get to where he has, but it's he's not doing anything overly clever, he's just being very consistent and sticking to his principles and the standards that he's set and it's worked incredibly well for him. So these kind of things you can also do. You may not get to his level very few people will but it's not going hurt. There's nothing that he does that is going to hurt what could improve your engagement with your audience and then in the long run, how you monetize and the financial success you'll get from it. So yeah, thanks for listening in and until next time, keep optimizing, stay curious and remember SEO is not that hard when you understand the basics. Thanks for listening. It means a lot to me.

Speaker 1: 14:55

This is where I get to remind you where you can connect with me and my seo tools and services. You can find links to all the links I mentioned here in the show notes. Just remember, with all these places where I use my name, that ed is spelled with two d's. You can find me on linkedin and blue sky. Just search for ed dawson.

Speaker 1: 15:09

On both you can record a voice question to get answered on the podcast. The link is in the show notes. You can try our seo intelligence platform keywords people use at keywords people usecom, where we can help you discover the questions and keywords people are asking online. Post those questions and keywords into related groups so you know what content you need to build topical authority. And, finally, connect your Google Search Console account for your sites so we can crawl and understand your actual content, find what keywords you rank for and then help you optimise and continually refine your content. Targeted, personalised advice to keep your traffic growing. If you're interested in learning more about me personally or looking for dedicated consulting advice, then visit wwweddawsoncom. Bye for now and see you in the next episode of SEO is Not that Hard.