Friday ROASTing – John Campbell
Friday ROASTing

Friday ROASTing – John Campbell

John Campbell • 29/09/2017

John Campbell, Head of SEO

What is your favourite shop and why?

I’m not really shopping’s biggest fan, that said, you’ve got to love a bit of Screwfix. After spending the weekdays sat at my desk, eyes glued to my screen, my brain wired with SEO jargon, the weekend brings a welcome chance to do a bit of DIY. I really enjoy getting my hands dirty, taking things apart and putting them back together. I’m beginning to run out of places to store all my tools and gadgets!

What is the biggest challenge you have come up against in your career and how did you overcome it?

I’ve been lucky that I’ve not had any major obstacles in my career to date. However, one thing does spring to mind; a few years back I took a year out of work to travel. In the year I was away, Google happened to release the Penguin update, so when I returned, my first interview revolved around my direct experience of removing link penalties… I had no clue what they were talking about! Swift research ensued.

What is the most exciting SEO innovation taking place in the market at the moment?

I think the opportunities arising in various APIs and NLP are interesting. Many of the day to day jobs we do, could, and are, being improved with the use of APIs and NLP. Voice search is another area that has grabbed my attention. We’ve already had a play around with chatbots and are experimenting with Google’s home speaker in the office daily. It will be exciting to watch this space develop.

If there was one thing you couldn’t live without what would it be?

My wife. She keeps me grounded. Oh, and she stops me from eating hotdogs every night.

What quality do you look for most when choosing someone to join your team?

There are many qualities that I look out for when I’m interviewing, but someone who is looking to tackle things differently will always stand out to me. Flexibility and team work are ‘must haves’ but it’s great to see somebody not always taking the default route and can think outside the box. SEO is ever evolving and we need a team who can work together to drive ROAST’s offering forward.