We have managed to catch up the extraordinaire Jason Duke, and I must say, in a really efficient and professional manner. I will not speak many things on the sidelines, just give the interview to you straight 🙂
EEG: Hi Jason, we finally can catch up and even know with questions regarding your “tea party” you will be having a day as Moderator and Chair on Thursday 9th June at the Amsterdam Affiliate Conference. Register here for free!
As listed on the agenda, you will also talk about Domain names, and how important they are to SEO success which is the hip topic at this moment. Could you give our audience a glimpse into what they can expect from your presentation?
Jason: Hey Hawkie, well before I get going I want to say thanks for asking me these great questions.
AAC is more than just the sessions and I am positive AAC will rock no matter what happens, but I’ll be doing everything I can to make it the stand out conference of the year, for everyone that attends the sessions.
Now onto the question itself. I’ll be showing everyone that attends the reasons why domain name choice is so important, not just to help ranking, but ensuring the long term lifetime value of customers. Ranking is great, but isn’t ranking better when the visitors remember your domain and type it directly into the browser, bypassing Google’s algorithmic whims entirely?
I’ll also be sharing some exclusive news about ultra premium one word domains like forex, spread betting, cfd, poker, casino and others and how affiliates and operators can get their hands on these domain names gems that deliver this long term Google ranking and bypass route.
More than that though I’ll also be explaining how to use domain names to get those #1 spots in the first place. Repeat and lifetime business is great, but you have to win the prospect to start with and let’s be honest here, nothing delivers traffic better than ranking #1 in Google!
So I’ll be showcasing domain names and how when used strategically, they’ll deliver exactly that!
EEG: We have been watching your activity during last year and we can certainly say that your project is amazing, furthermore it fits right into the topics you will be moderating during the day. How do you rate focus of “humanizing” your brand, to look more human? Is this a good leap towards attracting new business or is it to remain mainstream?
Jason: Ahhh Hawkie you flatter me – thank you 🙂
I don’t know if I’ve consciously gone out of my way to humanize what we do. I’ve just been me. I’m serious in the business that I do, but the truth is we’re not a mega corporation but a couple of guys doing what we love.
What we do is build massive systems with Petabytes of data that end up ranking our and our client sites in pretty much any vertical we throw at it. I love challenges that others shy away from and big challenges that others can’t do, or more likely…. choose not to do, because they’re so hard, expensive and nigh on impossible to deliver on, are fun 🙂
My decision to be me … and have fun while doing it, is simply that… Me being me, drinking tea while smiling, swearing and trying to deliver the best goddam ranking system ever imagined.
I’ve succeeded in swearing, smiling and drinking tea and believe we’ve done the same in delivering the best ranking system too….
Also… and this can never be ignored, Yorkshire tea with Tunnocks Tea Cakes on the side, are a very important thing and without them success rarely comes!
EEG: Being in the industry for quite a while, you have probably seen a lot of new developing success stories and crash and burns. Getting started with a website is a huge step, however once you get to a certain level and ranking, keeping that level in my opinion is the hardest thing ever. What is your view on this? Are affiliates and website owners doing the right thing to consolidate their position in the industry? Where should they focus more?
Jason: Not only have I seen it, I’ve been it!
I love our industry. It’s not only been good to me but I literally owe everything to the people within it. I’m going to be cheeky and take this opportunity to say I owe a debt that can never be repaid to our amazing industry colleagues. People like Shona, Alex, Tom, Andy, Anthony and so many others…
You know who you all are – Thank you for being you and helping me when I needed it most.
Now… onto the multi million dollar question. It’s a tough one to answer and I’ve given it a lot of thought before bashing the keyboard with my answer and one overwhelming thought that keeps popping into my mind is the following…
We are all winging it from day to day.
From the largest Public Companies to the smallest affiliate and everyone in between. I’ve worked in and with all of them. One thing sticks out front and center, and repeats in every single one of the organizations….
We are all doing what we think is best based on what we know at that point in time with the information, experience and gut feeling. No more and no less.
Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we get it wrong. Sometimes amazing success meets us, sometimes dismal failure.
I’ve had both and I did nothing any different any of those times. I simply did, the same as you or anyone else would do…. Make the best decision I could at each turn and hope for the best. This isn’t a vacation in the sun, there is no guidebook telling us where we should go…. Every single one of us is making our own decisions and with that comes rewards, risks, success and sometimes…. just sometimes, failure.
So my advice is simple. Get great advice from those people you respect, look at the upsides, look at the risks and when all that is information is gained make that decision that is right for you. There is no perfect route or decision, only choices…
So let the decisions be made…. Some of them may turn out to be wrong, but no more can be done and no less should be undertaken, but the one closing thought I’ll leave you with on this occasion is a simple one…
Rarely are big businesses made by being timid and never is a great business made by sitting on your arse and wondering “What if?”
If you want to just “get by” then take the safe route, you’ll likely always have food on your table and a roof over your head but personally…. I like playing at the big boy table and I look forward to gaining my seat back there again soon.
Ask me in a year or two if I’ve done it. I don’t know the answer I’ll give, but I know I’ll most likely not regret a thing or decision I made on the way.
EEG: As a closing question, is your session going to be fun and educative? 😛
Jason: Fuck yeh!! 🙂
About Amsterdam Affiliate Conference
The Amsterdam Affiliate Conference is taking place on the 7th – 10th June 2016 and is part of the iGaming Super Show. It is expected to be a huge success with over 4,000 delegates in attendance of which 2,000 will be affiliates. Expect four days of conference, exhibition and networking events with the elite in iGaming, in a city that is like no other. This genuinely is an event that mixes business with pleasure, and one you certainly cannot afford to miss. To find out what to expect from the Amsterdam Affiliate Conference, please view the video below which is from the 2014 conference.
