Digital Kings Networking Podcast

Transcript

Matt: All right, guys, we are back with another episode of Kings arena. This time we got Matt and Alex with Digital Kings Networking, and we've got Jordan here to ask us some questions. How are you doing, Jordan?

Jourdyn: I'm good. How are you guys doing?

Matt: We're doing great. Doing great. So I believe you have some questions for us about Digital Kings, huh?

Jourdyn: Yep, I do have some questions. So first, I just want to get into the introduction to the business and just understanding how you guys started. So can you give us a brief history of how the company started and what inspired you guys into starting a business and a company that's focused on SEO sector?

Matt: Yeah. As far as a history of digital Kings goes, we've been in business for about four years now, started during COVID We're based in Charlote, North Carolina, and we are looking to expand, but in the near future, we're just mainly focused on our local clients and taking care of business here. As for founding the company, I think that is a better question answered by Alex because he's the founder. Yeah.

Alex: So Digital Kings was founded because basically I was tired of these big box companies coming in and just doing one fits all type solution for these companies. Everybody's company is built different, everybody's needs are different. So our marketing strategy needs to be different and to be able to take care of these customers the right way. And so that's the reason why we put together digital Kings, is to listen to our customers, find out what is the best solution for them, and then implement that system, that process for them, that's going to be best for their business.

Jourdyn: Right. And so what is the range of services that you guys offer to small businesses? Since SEO is a rapidly evolving field?

Matt: Yeah, we offer anything from website design, basic website, to an SEO optimized website. We also do Google Ads or pay per click, as it's also known, social media ads. We obviously do podcasting, and you can sponsor the podcast or we can run podcasts for you. We help our guys get reviews, but really pretty much all of our efforts comes down to our SEO program. It's something that we found that we're really good at and we're always looking to add new things, services wise, to help out our clients, but we're never necessarily going to add something unless we know we're good at it. So really most of our efforts is SEO and Google marketing.

Jourdyn: Wow. And so with SEO being such a rapidly evolving field, especially with media convergence, how would digital king networking stay ahead of the curve, and especially with the latest trend and all the algorithms that come out with Google.

Matt: Yeah, a lot of that just comes down to research. We do research ourselves. We make sure every one of our employees, including yourself, is SEO optimized or certified. Excuse me. We make sure that our guys are keeping up on the new trends. If I find something that's new, I oversee production. I'll make sure to have a meeting with my guys about it and figure out best ways to implement that. But we also look at our competitors. A lot of companies fall short where they just kind of get too prideful and they aren't willing to evaluate maybe what their competitors are doing well, let alone implement or adopt those practices. So that's something that I think we're really good at. Sorry to cut you off, but line where he says something about what is it? Don't reinvent the wheel.

Alex: Yeah, don't reinvent the wheel. Just polish it off a little bit. Make sure that we're not trying to do something crazy out there and try to make up things that are going to be a solution for you and just actually follow what works and make it better.

Jourdyn: And make it better. Well, that's great. Well, you made that line about reinventing the wheel and always acting on and repolishing it. Do you have any success stories of where that happened? Where you use your SEO strategies to improve a client, or even some things of how you would approach the website design and the development to make sure that these smaller businesses have a great online presence and have great customer engagement?

Matt: So as far as success stories go, yeah, we've mean a lot of them. Two that come to mind for me is KBS Charlote. When he started with us, he was one of our first clients. He really didn't have a whole lot coming through the door, but I'm not going to say that it was all us, but our website and presence was able to help him grow his business to where he's very well known in the Charlote market, from general contracting to roofing remodeling. He even did a roof on my house, two roofs actually, because I'm not someone that's just going to pick him just because I know him. He does great work and his website on our end has been able to help him there as well. We also have another local client, uptime truck parking, who he was just featured in the news for an app that him and his team had developed. And again, just having a little bit to play in helping him get from point a to point b is really cool and we're really happy to be partnered with him and so many other local companies.

Alex: Yeah, there's a ton of success stories. You can also take a look at our reviews and some of the things that we have on there that shows who we really are and what we're doing for people. Are we perfect? No. But we work hard to make sure that we have the solution that's going to be best and at least implement the best opportunity for them to grow.

Jourdyn: That's great to hear. So how about the approach to the web design and developments to make sure that these online presences for these businesses help build their customer engagement?

Matt: Yeah, great question. So a lot of Google rankings comes down to providing a better user experience. So when I say that our efforts are all towards SEO and getting more rankings, it being user friendly is a huge part of that. So from websites loading fast to being mobile optimized, first having things like Ada compliancy, there's so many different things that we implement. But the best way that we can continue to stay on top of that is continuous education. As I mentioned previously, and looking at what our competitors are doing, I'm not going to sit here and say that as a company we're always perfect or the pioneers of everything, but we sure can find out who's doing what's right and how to implement that for our guys.

Jourdyn: That's great to hear. I know that even though there are some success stories, that at times there are some challenges that business owners face when trying to create their online presence. So what are some common challenges that you've had to face with small businesses in Charlote, and how have you addressed these challenges?

Alex: Well, one of the things that we look at in the Charlote market is it's so big, so it's very difficult to put an average budget to play to be able to get the return that you're looking for. So what we do is we actually level the playing field a lot more on the SEO side to make sure that even with a smaller budget, you can compete with the guys that have a ton of money, that are putting it towards creative form of marketing, social media, billboards and things like. So that's one of the things that we look at and break down is to find out a solution that is going to be cost effective for our customers, even in large markets like Charlote, North Carolina. So that's what we try to make sure that we sit down, we come up with a strategy that's going to work and we test it out and see how it goes and then we make changes tweaks as needed to make sure that they have that opportunity to be up there with some of the bigger companies.

Jourdyn: Right. Well, even with managing a business yourselves, especially during a recession, I know that can definitely be tough for a lot of business owners. So how have you guys been able to adapt all of the strategies that you found through research to support your clients during this time?

Matt: Well, I think really that answer just comes down to not cutting corners. Yeah, this year has been tough on everybody already and it's going to be a tough year, but we're still doing the same things that we've been doing, keeping it affordable. If there are practices that we're implementing, our price isn't skyrocketing or taking from others to implement to others. At the end of the day, when there's a recession and there's maybe less work out there, this is really when marketers like us, it's our time to shine. And our reviews and our client base, I think speaks volumes about what we've been able to do this year.

Jourdyn: Put to put into perspective also with the community impact, it's focusing on the local focus with you guys as a company. So through some research, I found that you guys are being the best SEO company for small businesses in Australia. So what do you think makes your approach and results a lot different from other companies?

Matt: Well, like Alex had said, know there's a lot of big box companies that just have a cookie cutter know, a website for KBS, who is a general contractor, that's going to be different and an entirely different campaign than a truck parking website or a church funding website or campaign. You can't have the same thing for every company and every campaign. It's not going to work the same. There might be some similarities, but we have to make sure that we're doing a ton of research and also we're not experts in every single client's industries. So we have to make sure that we ask the right questions, get to know these clients and really understand their consumers and what they're searching, too. So there's a lot of research that goes into this and again, staying ahead.

Alex: And it's been an honor for 2023 being labeled as the number one SEO company in Charlote. And you can also see that on our website as well. We have a nice little badge down there, that kind of little badge of honor, I guess you could say for sure.

Jourdyn: So also, just tying into that, how does digital King Hennessy engage and support Charlote businesses and the Charlote business community beyond just providing website service.

Matt: Yeah, so we do a lot with our community as far as we're doing the Charlote rescue mission around Christmas time. We do that every year. We are sponsoring a little league team. We're going to be in the chamber of commerce, but it never really is enough in my and Alex's opinion. We always want to do more in the community. So we've got know sites set on some interesting programs, but I'm not going to say anything until we get there. But being involved in the community is a must for digital kings. Networking is part of our name for a reason and want to help out the local community as best we can because we wouldn't exist without it.

Alex: Yes, you're going to see digital Kings a lot more in the community for 2024.

Matt: Robert Tepper, give me a shout.

Jourdyn: That's great to hear, guys. So with their client relations and the process that goes from it, what's your process for onboarding a new client? And how do you tailor the strategies that you need in order to meet each individual business?

Matt: What was the last part I heard? How do we onboard clients? And then what?

Jourdyn: And then how do you tailor your strategies to meet individual business needs?

Matt: Okay, so the onboarding process is pretty simple. Usually in that first call of signing up with us, we'll get to know you through our, we actually call it a get to know you process. Pretty straightforward on the nose here, but we just ask you some questions to get an idea of what your website, what you want to look like, what services you offer, or you want to at least market for. And then it really, again, comes down to just getting to know you, your customers and what your goals are. It's not just a quick here, answer these questions. There's follow ups, there's research on our end, there's, hey, who are your top competitors digitally and who are you seeing in real time? Anecdotally that maybe their trucks are running all the time or they've constantly got people coming in their door. It really just comes down to staying connected. This is a relationship, it's not just a product that we sell.

Jourdyn: Right. So especially with your get to know you, how do you guys ensure that the SEO and website strategy for a client's brand identity, and especially for their business goals, how does that strategy like how you do your website?

Matt: I couldn't quite hear. Can you say that one more time?

Jourdyn: Oh, no, I was just saying, how do you guys ensure that the SEO and website should align with a client's brand identity and their business goals?

Matt: Oh, how does it align with their brand and business goals. Well, again, just kind of comes back to just making sure we're asking the right questions. Yeah, it's really unfortunately just kind of the same answer. We got to get into the weeds of things with you and your business. I mean, I basically got to feel like I'm literally part of the team and I'm clocking in there to really do this the best, especially when it's an industry that I'm not personally super familiar with. We work with all walks of life, so we just got to get to know each other really well.

Alex: And all onboarding strategies and plans are different and they're not all the same. It's not just let's build a website, let's write a little bit of content and let's hope for the best. Our strategy is in more detail and making sure that it is tailored for that certain customer and not just an industry in a whole.

Jourdyn: Right. That makes sense. So making sure that all of your individual clients have that get to know you being set and making sure the precedent in that relationship is being built that way, it's easily translated onto that website. Great job, guys. So just switching gears a little bit with looking into the future trends and industry insights. From your perspective, what are some of the upcoming trends in SEO and website design that small businesses should be aware of?

Matt: Mobile optimization. 100%. Everyone's using their cell phone nowadays. Anyone listening to this is probably going to be in the car looking at it off YouTube or Spotify, hopefully not actually looking and watching the road. I know we have that issue here in Charlote, but yeah, I mean, everyone's using their cell phone. I think the stat is 80% of people are searching off their cell phone. So you got to get with the times. Got to make sure that you're on top of things.

Jourdyn: All right.

Alex: I said that 80% is growing.

Jourdyn: Oh, yeah, that 80% is definitely growing, especially with so many people are just now searching more on their phones than they are on a regular desktop. So how does digital team networking plan to evolve its services to meet the.

Matt: Future demand and changes one more time? You might have to get a little closer. We couldn't hear that.

Jourdyn: How does Digital King's networking plan to evolve its services to meet future demands and changes in the digital landscape behind.

Matt: Adapt and conquer and continue AI? We've implemented that right away. And this is something that was rolled out what, like a couple of months ago or so? So really it's just, I mean, we have to make sure that, like I've said, multiple times. We're researching, we're finding out what's new, what's working. If something's new and it's not working, I'm not going to implement it. But if it's showing any sort of positive results, then we're going to do it.

Jourdyn: So as a small business yourself, what are three pieces of advice you would give to other small businesses that are looking to improve their SEO and online presence?

Alex: Stick with it. I mean, find a strategy that works and give it its chance to do something would be one.

Matt: Yeah, definitely stick with it. I would say do your best to identify what kind of customer or prospect you're trying to get in front of and try and cater your website as best you can to that. Your website should emulate your sales pitch in a sense. And probably number three I would say is call digitalkings networking or go to their website at ww dot digitalkingdigitalkingsnetworking.com and fill out that form submission for a free website audit and then you'll get.

Alex: To talk to me.

Matt: There you go.

Jourdyn: Okay, so for smaller businesses that are also on a tight budget, what are some of the fundamental steps that you think that they should start to take in order to improve their SEO in addition to contacting us?

Matt: Well, if they don't have a website already, you got to, you got to get with the times. Even if you can't afford like an actual good website, whatever you can, something cheap out there, just get something up to represent yourself. At least have a credibility piece online.

Alex: Better than nothing.

Matt: Yeah. Other than that, if you don't have the budget or time to do SEO yourself or find somebody else that is an expert like us and can actually do it for you, manage that. I would do an update every so often, make sure it's optimized, do some research that you can maybe take a course. But as business owners ourselves, luckily we've got three business owners here, so we're able to divide these hats that one person typically wears all at once. As a small business owner, it's going to be hard for them to find the time to actually learn this stuff on their own, which is where people like us come into play. But I guess as a tip, I would say, yeah, have a website, stick with it. Try and optimize your Google Business profile and try and write something new or unique every so often and that'll get you as far as you can without going with someone like us.

Jourdyn: All right. But for the clients that do want to go with you guys, what is the best way to get started?

Matt: Best way would be give us a call or go to our website again. Ww digitalkingsnetworking.com, that is our payment company. This is Kings arena, which is paid for by digitalkings networking. Just fill out our contact form. We're not know you can even put in know. Hey, just give me a call in a week or something. I'm just interested. But whenever you're ready, know, turn your dreams into a reality as far as your website's concerned or your.

Alex: Yep, we'll take care of you.

Jourdyn: All right. So is there any upcoming projects or initiatives that DKN is excited about? The future?

Matt: That next client, really, I mean, nothing gets us happier or makes us more excited than helping out another small business owner, whether it's local or not. Obviously we love our local guys and girls out there, but we have this mantra here that we kind of, it's a little cheesy, but we live by. Everybody wants to be a millionaire, but we want to help a million people and this is the route that we found that we can do that best. So anybody that needs help and we know we can help, then that's really the next exciting thing for us. We also might be joining a flag football team in Charlote, so there's that too.

Jourdyn: Oh, wow. Getting sporty with SEO. All right. We like to hear it. Well, thank you guys so much for taking the time out to speak with me about some of the questions that I have. And I'm pretty sure some of our listeners also have as well.

Matt: Yeah.

Alex: Thank you.

Matt: Can you do me a favor and sing our intro song?

Jourdyn: Absolutely not.

Alex: That's a good one right there.

Jourdyn: Oh, gosh.

Matt: All right. Perfect.

Alex: Lions eating my head.

Matt: All right, well, if you guys need any SEO needs or website design, go to www.digitalkingsnetworking.com, fill out there our form submission or just give us a call at 980-580-8094 and we will help you out.

Jourdyn: All right, guys, thank you so much.

Matt: Thank you. Bye bye.

Alex: Cut off.