Kyle Roof on How To Rank Website Pages, Insights From 350+ SEO Tests, and Advice For Agency Owners.

Kyle’s Unique Journey Into SEO

Kyle’s entry into SEO wasn’t conventional. After leaving his career as a trial attorney, he took a year off, which turned into five years, during which he moved to South Korea and began teaching English. While there, he co-founded a web design company that eventually led him into the world of SEO. By necessity, Kyle had to learn SEO to save his struggling business and, to his surprise, found that he had a natural talent for it. His SEO agency, High Voltage SEO, was born from that experience and grew to the point where it eventually merged with another company.

The Power of SOPs in Scaling

Kyle emphasizes the importance of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in running a scalable agency. SOPs should be detailed and clear enough for anyone to follow, minimizing training time. They help streamline operations and are crucial for reducing churn and building a business that can be sold. Kyle shared that having tight SOPs allowed him to move from day-to-day operations to serving on the board of his agency, a major milestone for any agency owner looking to scale.

Building Businesses with a Vision to Sell

One of Kyle's key business strategies is building companies with the intention of selling them. He explains that, as an agency owner, you need to focus on creating predictable sales cycles and structuring your company in a way that makes it appealing for a merger or acquisition. In addition, he notes that people don’t truly “get paid” in their businesses until they sell.

Page Optimizer Pro: Solving Real SEO Problems

Kyle’s journey into SEO software development came from a real need. After a software tool he was using removed a crucial feature, he decided to build his own—Page Optimizer Pro (POP). This on-page SEO tool became one of the most widely used platforms in the SEO space. Kyle attributes its success to the tool's laser focus on on-page optimization, allowing SEOs to fine-tune their web pages for maximum results. Today, POP runs millions of reports annually and continues to grow.

SEO Testing and the Patent Process

One of the most impressive feats in Kyle’s career is receiving a patent for his SEO testing methodology. He explains that while many believe SEO is constantly changing, his years of SEO testing have shown that the core of Google's algorithm remains largely the same. Testing allowed him to uncover which factors truly move the needle and which are irrelevant. This scientific approach is now a hallmark of his brand.

Advice for Agency Owners: Branding, Churn, and Merger Tips

Kyle provided valuable advice for agency owners looking to scale. First, having a point of view or niche sets you apart from competitors. For me, it's pest control SEO. For Kyle, it was SEO testing. Second, reducing churn requires showing clients measurable progress—benchmarking where their pages were before your SEO work began. Lastly, timing a merger or acquisition is all about selling while on an upward trajectory, not when business is flat.

Embracing the Future: AI, SEO, and What’s Next

As for the future of SEO and AI, Kyle isn’t worried. He believes that while AI can help produce content faster, it doesn’t replace SEO. AI’s limitations in SEO mean there’s still a need for expertise, optimization, and strategy. His outlook is optimistic, seeing AI as a tool rather than a threat to the SEO industry.

Conclusion

Kyle’s story is a testament to the power of adapting, learning, and staying ahead of the curve. From his early struggles in South Korea to building multiple successful businesses, his journey offers invaluable lessons for anyone in the SEO or digital marketing space. Whether you're an agency owner or an aspiring SEO, there’s plenty to learn from Kyle Roof’s approach to scaling businesses and his dedication to constant improvement.

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