The Future of Guest Blogging and SEO with John Rampton

It’s time for another internet marketing interview, and this time we have John Rampton, who has had a ton of success in the world of online marketing and pay per click. One of the many exciting things about John is that he actually moved from Utah to Silicon Valley where he gets to live the true internet lifestyle and mingle with some of the biggest names in the industry, while also running mega funded ppc campaigns with some of the largest brands in the world.

1.) Personally, we’ve been go friends for a while and have worked on a bunch of projects together. Can you give everyone else a quick overview of what you do and how you first got started in the world of internet marketing?

Well, first off I’m a pay per click guy for Maple North that loves to blog about everything PPC on PPC.org. I also am the Editor for Search Engine Journal where we cover everything that is going on with the search engines and how you can get your site ranked. In addition to everything, I work with Zac on Blogging.org a site dedicated to help bloggers around the world.

2.) Being in the heart of Silicon Valley, what are the biggest advantages you have versus people who live in different areas of the country and world?

I’m around things that are happening. I see friends becoming millionaires and raising millions of dollars. There is a lot of money in Silicon Valley. If you have a good idea and can get some traction, you can raise a couple million no problem. I’ve got Google, Facebook, Yahoo, HP, Oracle, Salesforce, Twitter and 1000’s of other big companies in my backyard. The talent here for people is amazing (though it’s hard to find someone not working on their own thing).

3.) It seems like there are huge conferences and networking events every week in California, what are some of your favorites and must attend events?

I personally love Startup Grind, they have them in most big cities around the world as well. They are by far the best places to learn from Entrepreneurs that have made it. You should check them out and attend one of their meetings. There are many other big conferences as well including every Tech Crunch event known to man as well as any conference out there typically has a SF show. (except affiliate summit, weird)

4.) As a master of SEO and pay per click marketing, what are your thoughts on the future of guest blogging and how will Google start taking action against spammy blog posting just for the intention of getting back links?

Guest blogging will change over the coming months, I see bio links as being slapped and devalued. I also see the places you blog as going down without credibility. You need good content, if you don’t have killer content, you site will start to get devalued.

5.) There is no doubt that guest blogging and content marketing is still a powerful took, and even if/when Google does take action, what can bloggers and online marketers do to keep themselves safe and continue to contribute content to quality web sites?

Make sure you’re blogging on sites that are relative to your niche. Don’t just post your content on any old site. Also, make sure that the site you’re posting on are legit sites with good links pointing to them.  In the next few months Google will go after crappy sites and ping them.

6.) If and when guest blogging does get the smack down from Google, what are some alternative methods for legitimate link building solutions for site owners?

I don’t think guest blogging will ever fully be smacked down. I think authority will be smacked down. Work on building up your authority. Build amazing sites that people love interacting with. Build sites that have a slick UI and convert easily.

7.) Many readers of this blog are looking to start their own business and learn to make money online but many of them don’t have the funds to get started. What would you recommend is a great way for some to start a business online with a budget of only $100?

Just start, there are tons of free blogging services out there where you can setup and host your own blog for $1 a month. Find something you’re passionate about and go for it.  Don’t quit as it takes 8-12 months to start seeing anything.  You’ll be blogging 2-3x a day and not see any results, seriously.

8.) Are you currently working on anything exciting and where can readers continue to follow you and read your work online?

Check out my ramblings at PPC.org and Blogging.org. For updates on my life you can also follow me at www.jsrampton.com, Facebook and @jsrampton on Twitter.

A special thanks to John for taking the time to answer our affiliate marketing questions. If you’d like to get in touch with John, be sure to do so through is social networking contacts above.

Don’t forget to also check out our previous weekly interviews.