In September 2020, Phil was fortunate enough to be a guest on the Azeem Digital Asks Podcast. Azeem describes the mission of his podcast as:
“To lift the voices of women, people of colour, and those who are underrepresented and marginalised within the industry”.
Naturally, I was keen to get involved to help Azeem bring on another guest and raise awareness. Give it a listen and let me know what you thought.
Podcast Transcript
Azeem:
Right now you’re listening to the Azeem Digital Asks Podcast, where I talk to some of the top marketers in the industry and find out what makes them tick.
Hello and welcome back to the Azeem Digital Asks Podcast. I’m really pleased to be joined today by Phil Gregory, who describes himself as a mixed-race SEO business owner in the all-white Peak District. Labelled a failure for most of his life, he’s a militant and a fighter, passionate about improving the web.
So I’m really interested to hear more from Phil. Thank you very much for joining me.
Phil:
Thanks for having me. I’m very pleased to be here.
Azeem:
Before you introduce yourself properly to the listeners, I wanted to ask you a bit of an icebreaker question. If you could change places with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
Phil:
This is a great question. I think it’s going to have to be the man with the most money in the world.
Now, I don’t want to sound shallow because I wouldn’t use the money for myself. I would change places with Jeff Bezos because if you had that level of wealth, just think of all the good you could do in the world.
There are so many projects that are deserving of a little bit of assistance, and it would be great to get your hands on that.
Azeem:
Yes, definitely. I feel a bit guilty about my answer because when I was thinking about this, I thought I’d love to be a Hollywood film star, but you’ve got a much more sensible answer.
Phil:
Well, it would be nice. I think if I had 30 minutes before I was to die, I’d want to get my hands on some of that money and use it really well.
Azeem:
I’m just holding onto small, fading hopes of being the first Asian James Bond, but it’s probably not going to happen. Anyway, thank you very much for joining me today. Would you like to give the listeners a bit of a better introduction?
Phil:
Sure, my name is Phil Gregory, and I’m the owner-director of Peak District SEO. I set the company up in 2017, but I have been doing SEO since about 1998, when I was sort of forced to use computers at university and accidentally stumbled upon the possibility of making websites. I just thought, oh my God, this is so cool, I must learn more about it.
Since then, it’s been a rollercoaster, and today the business has been going well. I’ve got over 20 clients and we are continuing to grow. So yes, that’s Phil Gregory and Peak District SEO.
Azeem:
Awesome, really pleased to hear that you’re doing well. I imagine you must have seen a lot of change in the industry since the late nineties up until now. At what point in your career did you realise that marketing was going to be the one?
Phil:
I guess it was probably before I started working in marketing. At university, I was a complete computer novice. I couldn’t use a computer and didn’t own one.
So I spent a lot of time in the IT help suite, asking the staff how to do everything. How do you format a Word document? I just wanted to learn everything because I didn’t want to sit there feeling unprepared.
Once I stumbled upon how to make a web page, a light bulb went on. I thought this was going to be really powerful for businesses in the future.
You would be able to present everything, speak directly to customers, and maybe even sell online. Back then, e-commerce wasn’t really a thing. So the idea came early, but I wasn’t able to act on it for quite a few years.
Azeem:
If you could go back to when you first began in the industry, knowing what you know now, what advice would you give yourself?
Phil:
The best advice I could give my younger self would be to focus on my strengths.
When I first got into computers, it was all about web design and related areas. I explored everything, including Photoshop, Dreamweaver, HTML, CSS, PHP, online advertising, and social media marketing.
If I could go back, I would say, focus on SEO. That is what I was best at and where my passion was. Everything else was interesting, but ultimately a distraction that probably slowed me down.
Azeem:
What have you learned from your working career?
Phil:
That focusing on the basics is essential.
There is a lot of noise in the SEO community. Some people focus on fundamentals, while others are always chasing the latest trends and technologies.
In my experience, most trends and fads don’t last. They take up time and only a small percentage ever prove useful. As a business owner, I prefer to wait and see what actually works rather than jumping on every new idea.
Azeem:
That really resonates. The basics are often overlooked.
Phil:
Exactly. I audit sites where basic issues haven’t been addressed. For example, sites not optimised for mobile or hundreds of pages without meta descriptions.
This is fundamental work. Get that right first, then move onto the more detailed aspects.
Azeem:
Who has inspired you in the industry?
Phil:
There are many, but Rand Fishkin stands out. He puts a lot of effort into everything he produces and comes across as genuine and passionate.
I also like Barry Adams. He is very direct and says things as they are, which I appreciate.
Azeem:
What are your biggest challenges as a business owner?
Phil:
My challenges are mostly outside of SEO. It is about running a business.
I spend a lot of time thinking about how to improve the service, how to scale, and how to bring in the right people. That is the biggest challenge I face.
I am currently working with a business coach to help move the business to the next stage.
Azeem:
How has COVID affected your business?
Phil:
I could see it coming early on. When the news first broke, I contacted my clients to let them know we were ready to respond.
Initially, nothing happened, but then clients began to panic. I lost about a third of the business as people paused their services.
However, things stabilised over time, and many clients returned. Businesses adapted, and activity started to pick up again.
Azeem:
How do you continue to learn and stay up to date?
Phil:
Learning has always been important to me. I read a lot and listen to podcasts. I use Audible and often learn while walking or exercising.
I did not do particularly well in school initially, but I have always pushed myself to improve and develop my knowledge.
Azeem:
What has been your biggest failure?
Phil:
Imposter syndrome and communication.
Running a business involves much more than SEO. It includes managing relationships, planning, and leadership. Communicating the vision clearly has been a challenge, but it is something I am improving.
Azeem:
What are you working on at the moment?
Phil:
I am working with a company that provides environmental solutions for heavy industry. I cannot go into detail, but it is rewarding to support businesses trying to make a positive impact.
Azeem:
If you could ask yourself one question, what would it be?
Phil:
Has my ethnicity affected my career, and is SEO dead?
Azeem:
Let’s start with the first one.
Phil:
In the early days, perhaps. The industry was less diverse. But things have improved significantly.
When I started my business, I was concerned about how people might perceive me, especially in a rural area. However, the response has been positive overall.
Azeem:
And SEO, is it dead?
Phil:
No, not at all.
There are still many businesses that are not properly online. There is plenty of foundational SEO work still to be done.
SEO is evolving, but it is far from finished.
Azeem:
Final question. What is your go-to song for productivity?
Phil:
Iron Maiden, Run to the Hills. It gives me energy and helps me focus.
Azeem:
Brilliant. Thank you for joining me. Where can people find you?
Phil:
Search for Peak District SEO on Google or connect with me on LinkedIn.
Azeem:
Thanks again, Phil.
Phil:
Thanks very much for having me. It has been a pleasure.
To listen to all the other episodes of Azeem Digital Asks, click this link.
If you enjoyed this podcast, you may also like:
- Why Now Is Not the Time to Cut Your Marketing
- Creative Cuppa Podcast Speaks to Phil Gregory
- The Small Business Owner’s Handbook
I’m Phil Gregory, the MD and founder of Peak District SEO.
I’m an SEO & Google Ads Consultant with 28+ years of experience in I.T and helping UK Businesses improve website performance.
I built my first website in 1998, then I discovered the joys of website optimisation and never looked back.
If you want a no-nonsense, no-hard-sell approach and to actually get your website fixed with a solid, affordable, long-term approach, hit the contact button today.
Peak District SEO is a UK-based Digital Marketing Company.
We help businesses make more money, using traditional Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) , Ai Search / GEO and paid advertising (PPC).
Why Peak District SEO?
27+ years of experience.
80+ 5* reviews on Google
Our customers have hundreds of page one and position 1 rankings, and we can prove it.
We’ve helped hundreds of SMEs in the UK
We have numerous articles published across the web discussing SEO.
We regularly publish case studies about the work we’ve done
Customers trust our service – See our reviews on Google, Trustpilot and Facebook
Our customers have hundreds of page one and position 1 rankings and we can prove it.
