This is part of the say something nice about an SEO/SEM series - feel free to nominate someone over here.
Beau Graves lives in Payson, Utah with his family including his wife of 11 years (who he met when he was 18) and his two children. He is the SEO Cowboy and clearly a family man. Oh, and he has some technical SEO chops as well. He has been doing the SEO thing since 2007 and works at Avalaunch Media as the Director of SEO.
He isn't a big writer, but he has helped person after person get better at doing SEO. He is a caring, giving and honest man that loves his family, loves his work and loves his friends and colleagues.
Eric Serdar nominated Beau and wrote:
Beau is one of the technically savvy SEO people that I know. His expertise and wisdom was a cornerstone in our organization. Whenever there was a question he was the person that we went to.The best part is his humility and patience to explain the situation. He would never make fun of you for not knowing the answer to a simple problem and takes time to explain it to you and makes sure you understand the answer. He can take some of the most technical and advanced SEO concepts and distill it down to an easy to understand paragraph.
Beau is amazing and would be a valuable addition to any organization. I'm happy to call him a mentor, and lucky to call him a friend. If he had a star rating system, he'd get 5 out of 5.
Beau Graves Bio: My name is Beau Graves - I have been in the SEO/Digital Marketing space since 2007. I cut my teeth on small business startup projects which continue to be near and dear to my heart. However, I mostly work with medium to large businesses at Avalaunch Media where I currently contribute to the team as the Director of SEO. I have a passion for analytics and data and really enjoy digging into campaigns to find the details. I enjoy technical SEO and tend to lean towards that rather than the narrative SEO side of things when it comes to my skill set. I have enjoyed the ride of SEO through all the changes over the past 10 years. I appreciate all the mentors that have guided me through the years. I have found that in the digital space that if you are brave enough to ask that the community is always willing to help give opinions or ideas. I have a beautiful wife and 2 wonderful kids that I look forward to going home to every day. In the time not spent at work, I really enjoy spending time outdoors, helping on other peoples farms when I get the chance. Watching BYU Football on Saturdays and NASCAR on Sundays. I'm a big-time foodie - my favorite part of traveling is finding new places to eat at. My favorite new place this year that I got to try on a work-trip was Hard Eight Barbecue in Coppell Texas. I love horses, sheep, cows, goats, and dogs and hope to someday be able to retire on a ranch with my wife and own a bunch of them.
Favorite thing about the SEO community? My Favorite thing about the SEO community is all of the creative ideas. I feel like everybody has an opinion and a different way to address every situation. I enjoy meeting new SEO's and see new perspectives on things.
One piece of advice to the SEOs out there? My biggest piece of advice out there is to not let yourself get burnt out on the industry. I have seen quite a few of individuals that have chosen to change careers away from SEO because they feel like it is dominated by opinion. I have always taken the approach that SEO can't be the only campaign that you run for a website. It has to be a holistic approach to digital marketing or it is going to be really hard to find consistent wins. Work with others an continue to hone your "digital" skills, not just SEO.
Favorite things in general?
- Favorite color is pretty easy - blue (GO COUGS!)
- Favorite thing to do is spend time with my wife and kids exploring new things - really enjoy watching the BYU games with my Dad & brother as well.
- Favorite food is surf & turf - love a good steak and crab legs - I love almost every type of food, however (pho, pizza, Italian, Mexican, BBQ - love it all)
What you want to be known for in the SEO space? I want to be known as "The SEO Cowboy" (nickname given to me by a client 3 years ago) but most importantly I want to be known as someone that helps others learn the industry and help them gain a passion for marketing like I have. I also want to be known as someone that doesn't cut corners and puts in the time and effort to do things right. At Avalaunch Media we focus on the results and KPI's for our clients and if SEO is only a small percentage of the campaign that gets the clients the results they need, that is okay. We make sure we do what works for the client and make sure it is a fit.
To learn more about Beau check him out on Twitter and connect with him on LinkedIn.
This is part of the say something nice about an SEO/SEM series - feel free to nominate someone over here.
