This is part of the say something nice about an SEO/SEM series - feel free to nominate someone over here.
Paul Shapiro is 28 years old and live in Boston with his wife, although he is from New Jersey. Paul is one of those technical folks in the community that loves to try things out. If an SEO says something to be true, he tests it. If Google announces a new technical feature, he tests it. He is always willing and even eager to share his results with the community. Plus, he is always willing to do so on any platform, be it social, blogging, on stage or other venues.
I just love folks like Paul because they have the chops and inspiration to try new things and they even look forward to seeing failure in those attempts. You often see this attitude from newer SEOs or newer people in the industry - heck, it reminds me of my early days when I did tons of SEO experiments and studies - less so these days. So when folks like Paul come in and do it with such class, it makes me super happy.
He is super active on Reddit, promoting the industry and the reputation - which is a hard thing to do on Reddit. He really produces value in the form of content and data and science to an SEO industry that really needs it.
Saijo George nominated Paul and wrote:
He publishes some of the best technical SEO articles and runs the BigSEO community on reddit. In a world filled with shitty blog posts that rehashes the same info in different ways, Paul's articles are always a treat to read. Have learned quite a few things from him.
Paul Shapiro Bio: Paul Shapiro is currently the Director of Strategy & Innovation at Catalyst where he focuses on finding new and creative ways to leverage search data and insights to drive business results. Before his Strategy & Innovation role, Paul was a Catalyst Organic Search Director and led the SEO strategy for 13 Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 brands, and has served in other agency roles. He is a regular contributor to several industry publications such as Marketing Land and Search Engine Land and helps run the /r/BigSEO community on Reddit. As of late, Paul has focused on evangelizing technical SEO, even starting the TechSEO Boost conference, a conference dedicated solely to technical SEO.
Favorite thing about the SEO community? SEO is a relatively small industry, and people tend to be really good-natured, caring, and willing to help one another. That's a really nice thing. Whether it be during times of need or in developing your business, there are a lot of people that have your back and are willing to help if you're willing to listen. I've made some great friends over the years, and many of them happen to be SEOs.
One piece of advice to the SEOs out there? Never stop learning. SEO is part of the larger web ecosystem, but it's only one part. The whole thing is wild, awesome, and complex. Take the time to learn things like basic web development and the foundations of traditional marketing. If it helps, build something as a mechanism for your learning. It's fun and will pay off in the long run.
Favorite things in general? I'm a complete horror movie addict. I love them all, from Giallo to b-movies to the avant-garde ones. I also enjoy studying ancient civilizations and even have a small collection of antiquities. Aside from that, I'm a big reader of science fiction and fantasy novels.
My favorite color is gray, but that sounds depressing, so I'll also add that I really like green and orange. Those are brighter colors.
What you want to be known for in the SEO space? I guess I'd like to help bring technical SEO into more prominence, and by doing so, helps businesses succeed online. But that aside, I’d like to be known as someone who genuinely cares about others in the industry and someone who despite loving the nitty-gritty of SEO, is able to bridge the gap between other marketing disciplines.
To learn more about Paul check out his personal blog, follow him on Twitter or connect with him on LinkedIn.
This is part of the say something nice about an SEO/SEM series - feel free to nominate someone over here.
