A summer interview with… Greg Jarboe (@gregjarboe): “Conduct a search on YouTube”

There are many great search-experts out there. We decided we wanted to give some extra attention to some of them. Therefore we will be interviewing some of these experts. During the entire summer you will be served with short interviews with influential people in the industry. You will be seeing interviews with the likes of Joost de Valk, Marcus Tandler, Chris Sherman, Mike Grehan and Danny Sullivan, and off course our bloggers! Be aware that some interviews will be published in the newsletter!

Today: One of the (or the?) biggest online video experts out there: mr Greg Jarboe of SEO PR.

1. Can you introduce yourself in one paragraph?

I am the president of SEO-PR, which provides search engine optimization, public relations, social media, and video marketing services. I am also the author of YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day, a faculty member at Rutgers and Market Motive, a correspondent for Search Engine Watch, and a frequent speaker at industry conferences.

2. What are you doing this summer?

When I’m not working on behalf of my clients, teaching courses, blogging, or speaking, I’m watching the Boston Red Sox. And on weekends, I’m watching the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and wishing that the USA had as many points as the Netherlands.

3. What is the most hottest subject in search at the moment, what should every SEO be looking into?

The hottest subject is the Google MayDay update. But, we don’t use auto-generated pages or content farms, so it hasn’t impacted our clients. So, every SEO should realize that MayDay underscores the need to create original and unique content of genuine value.

4. What do you think is the “state of search” at the moment, is the industry doing good?

The “state of search” is strong. The industry is doing very well. But social media, including Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, are doing even better. So, a lot of attention is focused on “the new new thing.” But, as I mentioned in a post today, “Search engines continue to be the primary way Internet users navigate to key industry categories.”

5. What is your favorite website, apart from your own?

I confess, it’s YouTube. Have you seen “Gandalf Goes to the World Cup“? Or, have you watched “BP Spills Coffee“? Have you checked out “SWAGGER WAGON“?

6. Can “social marketing / media” and search survive apart from each other?

Sure, but that’s like asking if either one could survive alone on a desert island. We don’t live on an uninhabited desert island. So, they more interesting question is how do you leverage search and social together? I recently wrote an article for Technorati entitled “Flap of Butterfly’s Wings in Social Media Sets Off Hurricane in Search for Business.” It tells the story of how one company and its agencies used social media to sell a new $140,000 product.

7. What’s your search tip for the summer?

Conduct a search on YouTube. It’s the world’s 2nd largest search engine. Find out whose video is ranked #1. This could be your biggest threat or your biggest opportunity.

Related posts:

1. Optimising or optimizing for videos on YouTube: Greg Jarboe explains
2. Li Evans interviews Greg Jarboe and Eric Garulay at SES San Francisco
3. A summer interview with… Lisa Myers (@lisadmyers): “I’m “baking” a baby”
4. A summer interview with… Crispin Sheridan: “pepper your social media content with your search keywords”
5. A summer interview with… Marcus Tandler (@mediadonis): “Infographics – they work pretty well these days”