Steven Henley Jr. (SEO Specialist)

Steven Henley Jr. is an SEO Specialist who operates out of Chicago, Illinois.

Born in the Windy City on the notoriously perilous South Side, throughout his youth Henley witnessed a series of perspective-altering incidents that could have negatively impacted his life’s trajectory, but he also was shielded from the chaos whenever he got home.

“Growing up on the South Side wasn’t as rough for me as it was for other people. I still had my mom and dad, and whenever I saw bad things happen, I simply went into the house,” Henley recalls.

Although he was subjected to external events that no child should have to experience, Henley never became embittered, and he didn’t let unfortunate circumstances derail his passion for learning.  

A self-described shy nerd, Henley read a lot of books as a child, which allowed him to absorb information very few of his peers were being exposed to.

He also listened more than he spoke; that is until the conversation shifted toward topics he had studied.

“Even to this day, when I start talking about something that I’m excited about, I can talk about that subject forever,” Henley says.  

“Otherwise, I am more of an observer. I prefer to listen and take in information.”

After high school, Henley dabbled in college until he determined that his time and energy was better spent earning income.

Early on, Henley worked at Family Dollar, in a slew of factories, and as a bartender before later becoming a dealer at a local casino.

These jobs kept the lights on in Henley’s modest suburban apartment, but they didn’t enable him to tap into that same childlike curiosity that he exhibited when he was younger.

That is, until he learned about SEO.

For context, SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization, which is the process of improving the quality and quantity of traffic to a website.

Many corporations like Best Buy and Target invest substantial amounts of capital into SEO in order to appear first on Google searches, the idea being that the more prevalent their brand is online, the more sales they will generate.  

SEO is still a relatively novel concept, but in the last decade, the competition to be in front of customers online has intensified, and even though most businesses don’t have the resources to compete with Best Buy or Target’s marketing efforts, many small and mid-size companies can still position themselves in front of their customers by developing an SEO strategy.

Unfortunately, many small businesses don’t concern themselves with SEO; partly because some are blissfully ignorant to its power, and partly because some owners don’t see it as a necessity to remaining viable in the modern landscape.

But Henley believes SEO is a crucial element to running a business, and that by not tapping into that industry, companies are missing out on obscene amounts of revenue.

“In a sense, SEO is how you market yourself to people,” Henley mentions.  

“A lot of people worry about the analytics and the data that come with doing SEO, but more importantly, SEO is also about how you market your business to your ideal clients. And if you’re not doing SEO, you’re not getting in front of customers, and that means you’re missing out on opportunities to attract more clients.”

This is one reason why Henley became an SEO Specialist, to help stop the unnecessary forfeiture of internet real estate.

He also wanted to educate clients while simultaneously offering them SEO services that could position them near the top of specific Google searches.

At the same time, if Henley wasn’t committed to fortifying a relationship with his clients, then all his meticulous and diligent work on the back end of his clients’ websites might be for naught.

“I care about how my clients’ businesses perform, and I care about them being successful, as opposed to spitting out some random analytics that any other digital marketer can give them,” notes Henley, in touching on the fact that there are many other digital marketers who will overpromise and underdeliver when it comes to SEO optimization.  

“Unlike some people in the SEO space, I actually like to work with the people who hire me because they are the ones who are trying to make an impact and elevate the lives of their customer base. That’s why I feel compelled to go above and beyond for my clients.”

When it comes to choosing which SEO Specialist a business should hire, Henley recommends vetting for marketers who can showcase proven results they have had with past clients, but that they should also inquire about customer service, and what the experience of partnering together will be like.

“With me, if I’m not in constant communication with my clients about their progress, then that shows that I don’t care that much about their business,” Henley says.  

“My clients aren’t just a number. Instead, my goal is to give them a first-class service that they will cherish and value because I know there are a lot of other digital marketers out there who won’t do that.”

In an SEO landscape infested with scammers who can’t deliver on previously established expectations, Henley is the antidote, a no-nonsense entrepreneur who believes that SEO is simply a vehicle to something more powerful:

Genuine human connections.

“Yes, I do SEO, but what I really do is build relationships,” Henley says.

“I could be the best SEO Specialist in America, but if I don’t offer an excellent service to my clients, it won’t matter because ultimately they won’t trust me and they will take their business to someone who they can not only get results from, but also cultivate a meaningful relationship with.”

Moving forward, Henley would like to scale his SEO practice, but he also wants to share his knowledge with the underserved citizens of Chicago so that he can create opportunities that weren’t previously available to those in the inner city.

“I want SEO to become something that low-income people in Chicago can learn and make a career out of,” Henley explains.

“Throughout our interview I’ve talked about this a lot, but what SEO truly is, just like any other business, is a vehicle to something bigger. Of course, I want my work to help my clients earn more money, but that’s just one part of this entire ecosystem. I also want to enrich the lives of others because it doesn’t matter what I can accomplish for myself. What matters is who else is benefitting as a result of my knowledge and expertise?” QS

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