Name: John Shehata
Occupation: SEO Manager for a major News Publication
About Me: I started as a Java Developer, then moved to web based application. After 9/11 i started developing web sites in PHP, back then I discovered SEO and I was in love.

SEO is not just a job for me, it is a passion. I worked on all types of site; small and larger, fortune 500 and 1000 companies, English and Spanish sites, etc.

I believe an SEO Specialist must be technical, editorial, strategists, tactical and innovative. 5 main skills an SEO Specialist must have:

1- Technical Background: analyzing code, understanding new technologies and its effect on SEO
2- Editorial Skills: An SEO Specialist must be able to write good copy, i am saying to be a reporter or and editor but only to have the ability to write good content. Keyword placement is not stuffing keywords in the text, it is an art that is gained through practice and experience.
3- Keyword Research: Keyword research is not just research keyword popularity, but understanding search trends, search intentions, search cycle, KPI, conversion points, etc.
4- Strategy and Tactics: knowledgeable specialist are good in good in tactics, but a good SEO is implementing tactics to serve the main strategy and vision for the site. Strategy comes first then tactics.
5- Innovation: think out the box, don’t be afraid to try new techniques, discover and research.

enough said,
John