This is part of the say something nice about an SEO/SEM series - feel free to nominate someone over here.
Cyrus Shepard, lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife and business partner, Dawn Shepard who he calls his "secret weapon." Cyrus has only been in the SEO industry since 2009 but it feels like he was here for decades. The information, advice and tips he shares make you feel like he has been in the industry since before 2000 because he is incredibly smart and very experienced.
He was at Moz for several years until 2016 and has always had education and sharing in his blood. He is known for questioning why certain SEO concepts are the way they are, he is known for asking hard questions and he is also known as being a friend of almost everyone I know in the SEO community.
Cyrus shares a ton of social media, industry blogs, and industry conferences and even a ton via one-on-one dialog with his industry peers.
Cyrus received two nominations, which helps sums up what a special and caring person he is.
Hardik Oza nominated him and wrote:
He is the guy to whom I'm following from starting my career. He always ready to help me with his answer for my queries and that works well for me. One of my clients had rewarded me for their traffic growth and all credit goes to this super human. :)
The second nomination doesn't want to be revealed but wrote:
Like many folks in the SEO community, Cyrus has dedicated so much of himself to helping and educating others. But beyond that, I feel very fortunate to have connected with Cyrus on a few tricky SEO issues, then in-person at a conference. He has been very generous with his time, providing helpful insights and ideas to take back to brand partners. Cyrus also introduced me to a group of fellow agency-owners who have since become incredible mentors to in these early years of our agency. Always kind, helpful, and responsive -- we appreciate you, Cyrus!
Cyrus Shepard Bio: Cyrus started in SEO in 2009. He formerly led the SEO and Audience Development at Moz team until 2016. Today he is the founder of Fazillion Media, which does content and affiliate marketing, and occasional SEO consulting for clients. Before SEO, Cyrus worked dozens of jobs, including stints as a waiter, bartender, wildland firefighter and actor.
Favorite thing about the SEO community? You come to the SEO community as a calling–almost subconsciously–and before you realize it, you're part of a family.
One piece of advice to the SEOs out there? For new SEOs who want to be serious, study the foundational principals: Old Google patents, PageRank, anchor text, and the like. For experienced SEOs, it's never too late to pick up on machine learning, so you are guaranteed a job in the next 5-10 years :)
Favorite things in general? I have a film degree from USC and love movies. Also reading books (mostly science fiction) and running whenever I can.
What you want to be known for in the SEO space? My goal has always been to make hard SEO easier to understand for everyone, experts and beginners alike. It's easy to get caught up in the "expert" bubble that exists online and at conference, but the truth is that most people who do SEO have limited knowledge, are busy with other tasks, and are often overwhelmed with information. My job is to make challenging concepts easier to understand for these people.
You can learn more about Cyrus at his personal blog, on Twitter and on LinkedIn and he wants you to check out his new project named Zyppy.com.
This is part of the say something nice about an SEO/SEM series - feel free to nominate someone over here.
