A huge thank you, Robert Warren, for taking the time to sit down with us for this interview! We’re beyond excited to have a true SEO guru in the house—your expertise is legendary! This is such an amazing opportunity for us to dive deeper into your world, hear your insights, and learn more about the incredible work you and your team are doing. We know our audience is going to love this!
Professional Questions
SEO Beginnings: What initially sparked your interest in SEO, and how did your career in the industry begin?
I started in the adult industry over 32 years ago when I owned a advertising firm called In Your Face Media Inc in Toronto. Knowing traffic was important I decided to take a different turn and created some leather artistic websites called Hush Magazine. It did very well and I sold it only to find that a company named Python hired me to do marketing – sales which included traffic. It seemed that my talents were best suited to understand customers and create keywords and text that would entice them to purchase from a variety of websites. Later I wrote a 10-year plan for them which they considered their bible in moving forward then I moved on to start helping smaller websites and cam companies grow. I enjoyed being part of a process in seeing a faltering company succeed and that is what sparked my interest in SEO which includes marketing.
Pivotal Moments: Looking back, what was the defining moment in your career that set you on the path to becoming a leader in SEO?
I don’t think there was a specific moment other than a philosophy of read – read and read more. Gaining understanding – wisdom then control over SEO had put me on several expert panels which could be interpreted as a defining moment as a pounded-out answers that others faltered.
Even today reading as much as I can including Google’s notes helps me to understand and prepare for what’s coming ahead. Then when other SEO professionals started to message me with questions asking for help and webmasters contacting me through referrals, I knew that I had achieved a moderate level of success working on projects with my own tools rather than depending on 3rd party software that have their own algorithms separate from Google thereby their results differ in so many ways. Now after all this time I still believe that fixing the foundation of a website first is key to maintaining longevity and ongoing organic traffic growth.
Finally the biggest pivotal moment is when a friend Mark Prince of 2Much.net invited me to create my own SEO website https://robertwarrenseo.com/ I was reluctant but I’m glad I took his advice. We are building it to be a helpful tool for webmasters and future SEO people who are starting up.
Evolution of SEO: SEO has changed dramatically over the years—what do you consider the most pivotal shift in the industry?
Strangely enough, in the old days you could simply build a website and make money. There were a variety of opportunities to create large amounts of traffic but with the influence of tube sites and faltering affiliate programs traffic shifts started to decline as users found more content available for free. Your typical “pornstars” became fewer replaced with webcam stars and now OnlyFans which introduced the missing link from free porn and that is an emotional connection with the model. It’s not enough to simply star at porn – works for a bit – but users are needing an emotional connection – a feeling they are talking to someone famous. Why is that important to SEO? It assists in driving your keywords and backlinks. You need to imagine that you’re sitting with the user and watching them type in the search term to find your website. As stated before, with larger websites gaining a plethora of traffic now they can resell it in whole or niches.
SEO over the years never really had software programs and algorithms designed to replace or add onto Google Analytics or Google Search Console. As they became more available so did the increase in SEO companies pretending to be “experts” who still did not have a clue what Google was moving ahead with nor could even fix foundational problems on a website. I was stunned one time when a potential client came to me saying they spent 7KUSD on a SEO report of their website. After looking at it I was shocked and saddened since everything there was available for free from Google and in addition was incorrect because they printed off pages and pages of reports from the 3rd party software that were incorrect. Yet even today there are SEO companies/individuals who will charge 200$ to 400$ and they are basically creating blogs and social media NOT fixing the actual problem. Sadly, webmasters often go cheaper thereby ignoring experience and knowledge.
Lately AI SEO assistance has become popular but without the proper prompts refuses to answer questions if there are adult keywords. It can be of some use but never should be depended upon and as stated at the beginning the best thing is to read and read more.
Trends to Watch: What trends in SEO and digital marketing should businesses be prioritizing in 2025?
SEO will always for me about fixing issues like technical SEO like page speeds – keyword research and targeting, high quality content, on-page optimization (eg title tags, description, H1 H2 H3, canonicals etc), Off page SEO eg. Backlinks, user experience (UX), analytics with adaptation, and or local SEO (GEO).
Outside of Technical SEO companies should also be changing their images over to WebP to save space and more. Google over the past year has focused on things like BlackHat SEO which has harmed many without their knowledge since they used SEO companies that adhere to those methods as it shows faster results just not safer from Google penalties.
Now the recent trend is Google is using a AI software Gemini to monitor and assist your Mobile traffic as a test. So before you start wondering what’s going on with the traffic – you’ll need to understand that your keywords and long tail keywords are important here for the AI tool.
Finally, one of the newer trends that very few speak of are religious fanatics like ExodusCry who’s sole mission is to stop porn in a variety of ways. One way that I am facing now in a couple of clients is their attempt to steal traffic using newer trends in SEO. This takes a great deal of effort to fight and without it, webmasters can see their traffic drop 15% or more in a short amount of time. You need to be on top of your SEO game fixing foundational SEO and fighting back with long tail keywords among other things.
Challenges and Solutions: What is the biggest challenge companies face when trying to optimize their online presence, and how do you address it?
The biggest challenge for companies today is surrendering your ideas and be flexible to change in order to change or alter your website in order to move forward. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to decern between smart advice and desperate advice. Those who know SEO will start at your foundation and move upwards and give evidence to back them up from Google. Desperate advice will give safe answers and cheap costs hoping to get the deal as they rely on 3rd party software to do the job.
I always supply every potential client with an SEO inspector of their website – what needs to be done and show them specifics that come directly from Google itself. I generally ask for access to their Google Search Console usually because either the warnings that were ignored or it is showing much of what needs to be done there. Once done I supply them with a proposal detailing each element of SEO that needs to be addressed always factoring the major impact vs. smaller patches that can be done at a later time on their own.
Generally, around this time if I sense the word load is great and also is time sensitive, I’ll draw in from my network my trusted friend Mark Prince of https://2Much.net to create suggestions to get the work done in a timely manner. After all this information now the webmaster/company can decide which path to take with our options but most importantly they are informed.
AI and SEO: How do you see artificial intelligence shaping the future of SEO?
AI is helpful for basics but until it is prepared to accept adult content and analytics along with offering suggestions that are beyond its capabilities it will be limited. Even with coding you’ll still need to double check but at least the framework is there.
I do not see it replacing any human SEO experts as there are many situations where thinking outside the box is required along with being creative and push boundaries. AI until it can think for itself and grow – will always be limited and unable to achieve what the human brain can create.
Your Methods: What’s a unique strategy or methodology you use that sets you apart in the SEO industry?
The benefit of having 32 years of experience and networking behind me makes my conversations unique to any webmaster. Not just being a veteran but also a well-respected member of the adult industry community. First there is a very strong chance I’ve dealt with in detail their product or content and secondly with a strong network in the industry that any problems that most could not identify or complete I would have a solution. After reading and listening for all those years it is easier for me to not only spot a problem and identify it quicker but also by experience am able to offer solutions that I know have worked. My strategy is to in all situations build trust in who I am but also my capabilities.
My methodology has always been the same in that I focus on the foundations of the website and repair them before moving towards building. There are some webmasters who honestly don’t want to hear that – in fact they simply say get me traffic now. In those situations, I would rather just refer them to a traffic company and remind them that it eventually is going to be a waste of money if the conversions aren’t there.
Cheaper is not always the best option when it comes to wanting a successful website. It does take some time to develop strategies that are cost effective and show results at the same time but this is what I work through with any potential client.
Finally by creating the website https://robertwarrenseo.com/ I want it to be useful for webmasters and future SEO start ups in assisting in getting the real help they deserve.
Internext 2025: As a keynote speaker at Internext 2025, what are the core ideas you’re looking forward to sharing?
As a keynote speaker I truly want to share my core ideas that foundational SEO is the key to building a successful website growth. In doing so Google has made challenging alterations to their algorithms which need to be addressed. In addition, I am hoping to show that 3rd party SEO software which is expensive maybe beneficial in certain areas but cannot be trusted to replace Google Analytics and Google Seach Console. Google has been sending updates, but few read them – that to me is a crime since answers on how to stay ahead of the game are often found there.
Client Impact: Can you tell us about a project where your work had an unexpected but profound impact on a business?
I have many such clients whose impact was felt not just in profit but traffic. Organically I’ve had several whose 1st month organic increases were 8k to 28k while others increased their overall traffic from having 15 visitors to 6 million within a month and a half.
The past few years when I bring in those numbers ultimately the webmaster says, “Thanks Rob but we don’t need you now”. So, after a warm farewell I wait. Sometimes I take 6 months while other times a whole year but they return since the numbers drop off and they ask me what happened. When you build up numbers often, I try to train the people to do it themselves but in some cases they learn the hard way that SEO is a daily job building traffic.
That being said, not everyone has amazing success like that. Others who faced multiple Google reports penalties had their traffic dropping slowly. It did not take long but were able to rebuild the traffic. Another situation is where a company’s programmers failed to make any changes to the foundation of the website, including images. I was able to maintain the growth just enough to avoid a spiral downward. Eventually after 8 months the owner brought in a new programming team that fixed the issues in page speed and the growth started happening immediately.
Advice for Beginners: For someone just starting in SEO, what resources, skills, or tools would you recommend they focus on first?
If you’re starting out do NOT depend or rely on 3rd party software. Period. What you do is read, read and read more. Any columns or YouTube along with Google documents you can – learn it. Focus on how to fix the foundational programs of a website as mentioned above. That is your starting point, but it will take time. Those of you who are eager I suggest getting your feet wet by creating your own website and learn from mistakes – try to make that grow. It doesn’t have to be fancy but at least you’ll know what it’s like to be a webmaster (NOTE that also includes learning WordPress).
Get to know hosting companies and what they offer like MojoHost along with Billing companies like NetBilling – even branch out into other types of software webmasters use ElevatedX among other things. Introduce yourself to a variety of traffic companies to learn strengths and weaknesses but still never stop learning. There are enough tools you’ll ever need from Google and if not some practical ones.
Personally on my website https://robertwarrenseo.com/ I am shortly going to be introducing exactly that for new SEO people and webmasters and that is free software that you can not only do a forensic on a website but create sitemaps – check canonical links – image conversions – Google updates – necessary articles to help you along and so much more.
Your SEO Business
Comprehensive Services: Your website lists a wide range of services, from Google Analytics to load speed optimization. How do you tailor these services to meet the unique needs of each client?
Quite simply with age and time spent in the industry you begin to understand certain requirements and questions webmasters and others need. The services are designed an laid out not to overwhelm but to show that every need that is required has a solution available. Will you require everything offered in my services? Most likely not and why should you – if your knee itches then you don’t scratch your elbow. My site is designed to scratch where it itches – to meet the need of each person that visits.
Thankfully we will be adding many new features on https://robertwarrenseo.com/ that will increase our benefit to webmasters and future SEO start-up companies.
Client Onboarding: What does the initial consultation process look like when a new client approaches you for SEO and marketing assistance?
The initial consultation generally happens with me listening to what the needs and hopes are for the webmaster and their sites. I want to learn and focus on their goals and achieve them. Once that is done then I have already done a full overview and forensic on their website(s) and I begin to respond that to reach their goals a variety of options should be considered.
After that we discuss more as to what was done in the past as I want to learn as much about the webmaster as I can – hear their frustrations but also allow time to give them hope for the future.
Once a proposal is sent and payment received, I generally start immediately then give frequent updates as to the progress. I try to leave myself open to contact as much as possible since I know faster response times are a show of respect.
Measuring Success: How do you assess the effectiveness of your SEO strategies, and what key performance indicators do you prioritize?
I’ve always told my clients that success is not necessarily in traffic but conversions or profits. Many SEO people can throw traffic from various sources to inflate numbers to make analytics appear that they are doing an amazing job but if that traffic doesn’t convert then what is the purpose of it? A good SEO professional finds traffic suited for the website/company that will turn over and lead them to the sign-up page and convert into sales. That shows how successful the strategy created has become.
Performance indicators overall towards the website is indicated for me not just in growth but Domain Authority. Google uses that to indicate trust in the website. The higher DA you have the more trusted your website has become. That includes all the foundational work in SEO.
Adapting to Change: With the digital landscape constantly evolving, how do you ensure your services remain current and effective for your clients?
Very simply as stated you read and read more. Target Google updates and articles they come out with especially recent ones to give you an indication as to what is happening and what will happen. That also means to look at YouTube videos and other featured articles that are relevant. When I do see information like that, I like to add it to my website https://robertwarrenseo.com/ so that those who rely on the information there are updated as well of what may happen on the horizon.
Client Education: Do you provide training or resources to help clients understand and maintain the SEO improvements implemented on their sites?
The answer will always be yes. My task is to get the website on track and successful. There is no intension of trying to stick it out for the long haul but rather throughout the process I am constantly training someone whether it’s the owner or a designated employee who is capable of learning the ropes. Several clients now I am training their SEO people on staff as we go along so that they can take over when I feel it’s time to let them take over.
Success Stories: Can you share a specific example where your services significantly enhanced a client’s online presence or business performance?
One client who had a recently created tube site that was barely drawing in 15 visitors per month. I was brought in and after adjusting their foundation and backlinks among other tasks their numbers rose quickly to 6 million within a month and a half. The website maintained that growth even reaching over 8 million. The owner was overjoyed and felt at the time my job was completed, and he would take over not asking for training. Unfortunately, he felt that the growth was to continue but after 9 months it dropped below a million and he quickly sold the company without investing anything more into SEO.
Another client who had several Asian websites had similar results and although sales were increasing, he decided to move back home and start up another group of sites leaving the Asian group of sites to drop in numbers.
Service Evolution: How have your service offerings changed over time to adapt to new SEO trends and technologies?
Google updates and trends especially in the technical SEO caused us to create a software program that will be brought into service very shortly which will not only convert all images into WebP format but in addition scan your images and create keywords and tags right into the coding of the image. In addition, with new trends and technologies we’ve had to adapt our ability to scan and recommend upgrades to any website that are in line with the new Google updates and prepare for future changes as well.
This also includes the ability to code an image so that you can find websites that have stolen your content and match the images up based on code so verify that an infringement has taken place.
Client Collaboration: How do you involve clients in the SEO process to ensure their goals and expectations are met?
Communication is very important and based on the clients’ wishes generally I provide weekly updates in detailed forms but am available daily including most weekends and holidays to answer their questions along with report.
This is a constant flexible service and can also include online progress reporting where clients can sign into their spreadsheet to not just see the progress but answer and suggest ideas of their own.
Competitive Edge: What sets your SEO and marketing services apart from others in the industry?
As a veteran of 32 years what sets me apart from others is reputation and competence. Having a solid reputation for knowing what you’re doing but as well as others who recommend you either on webmaster boards or one on one gives webmasters confidence that their trust in me is warranted.Are the tools available to everyone? Yes. Is the ability to interpret the results of the tools properly in order to get the job done efficiently is the edge of experience I feel I have apart from others in the industry.
Future Plans: Are there any new services or innovations you’re planning to introduce to your clients in the near future?
Our goal is to be on the leading edge of Googles updates and changes in strategies so to interpret that means we’ve created various software that will answer those changes before they happen. Items such as image that will be more useful to SEO strategies – backlinks that are more favorable to Google in connecting to a webmasters website but mostly trained professionals who are veterans themselves that are gifted and admired in their work to join https://robertwarrenseo.com/ and work alongside in giving a balanced base of talent to achieve the maximum results for any client.
Personal Questions
First Career Steps: What was your very first job, and did it influence your approach to work in any way?
My first job was at 16 being an oil sprayer at a garage in Southern Ontario. Although I was a teen and there were many adults working around me the owner after a short period of time put me in charge of the shop and cash. The very first week he came to tell me his profits went up over 100% not because we were working harder but that I could be trusted with large sums of money without skimming it off the top.
Although part of my character you remain honest and humbly work your hardest not wanting to break the trust any owner has placed in you. It also taught me loyalty as I am reminded of one evening in winter when everyone had left but there were still cars lined up around the corner. I was getting into the car late and noticed that my boss had put on his overalls to start working. Looking at my mom I told her I couldn’t leave so she went and got food for me, and I changed back and went back to work. When my boss saw me walk back, he exclaimed that I should go home. Seeing him on his own I said that I was still shop manager and to stop talking back and get to work. He laughed – and at that moment I learned what loyalty was.
Lessons from the Journey: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned through your career in SEO and beyond?
Every week I am reminded how little I know and as much as I have read that it has only prepared for me to understand everything new being taught to me. Always grow mentally and never think you can call yourself an expert because google will soon come out with something new that will make you feel like a newbie again. In light of that, pick your friends well because you’ll need them for advice and help along the way.
I’ve always said that it’s not that I know everything about the industry but I sure as hell know the people who do.
Daily Habits: What does your daily routine look like, and how do you keep up with the fast pace of the digital marketing world?
I am a proud father of 5 kids so when I wake up it’s always getting them ready for school and spending time with them. They are the reason why I am doing this. Soon afterwards I drive out to get myself some Tim Hortons coffee and a drink for my wife. The first while I am checking my emails and responding to messages until I am ready to tackle each client’s needs for that day.
Although I do not break for lunch though I do break in order to read and update myself on what Google is doing along with any articles relevant. My afternoon again is scheduled off to tackle clients SEO needs until my break late afternoon when kids are back home, and I need to start prepping for dinner. I then try to spend a few hours with them in family time before their bedtime.
Once they are down, I return to my desk to respond to any emails or messages along with any unfinished work that was required for the day. Hopefully by then I can take time to read more articles etc. on SEO before turning into my bed.
How I keep up with the fast pace? Simple – coffee. Oh, and alongside coffee and a very strong desire to know answers to as what to expect next and to learn from others through articles – YouTube, magazines etc. Then occasionally with a bit of a needed break I visit webmaster boards to see what’s new.
Work-Life Balance: How do you manage the demands of running a business while maintaining time for personal interests or family?
My work life and business is my personal interest keeping me pushed and growing. Family will always be above everything and keeping a strict schedule with some flexibility I am able to manage it. Thankfully I do have an extremely patient and thoughtful wife who understands my need to work as hard as I do even on weekends.
Hobbies: What hobbies or activities do you enjoy when you’re not working on SEO projects?
The only thing that takes me away from work is my family. A careful balance between the two has to be kept so that my kids and wife do not feel neglected or left out of my life. My brain is set up that work is actually what helps me to relax.
Inspiration: Who or what inspires you most, both professionally and personally?
Both professionally and personally my inspiration is my family. Now professionally I do have close friendships and those who have my complete and total trust which would be Mark Prince of 2Much.net We’ve gone through a great deal together from enjoying wine on the steps of the Playboy mansion to solving impossible problems in SEO.
Legacy Goals: When you think about your career, what kind of legacy do you hope to leave in the SEO industry?
My nick name developed back when I was in Seminary, and I teased a girl so badly she started crying. After consoling her I soon realized that it was my words that caused such pain. It was then in the 20s that I decided that I would use my words and life to make people better off after they met me than before. So being called TheLegacy you’ll find that in 32 years and beyond after I leave my hope is that people will say that I left them better off than before they met me.
Personal Milestones: Outside of work, what’s an achievement or milestone you’re particularly proud of?
That for the 100 times I have fallen into dark pit that I collected myself and got out 101 times. My self-perseverance – determination and ability to think outside the box is what I am particularly proud of. Today I have 5 milestones – my kids.
Life-Changing Moment: What’s one event or experience that shaped you into the person you are today?
Getting a divorce and almost losing my kids. For 10 years I was in court and even though each time lawyers would say that I was a man and would never get custody much less win ate away at me but I was there to prove them wrong. I had rebuilt who I was from the ground up and not only won the case but full custody of my kids. I had learned that anything is possible even in impossible situations.
Favorite Quote or Motto: Is there a quote or motto you live by that keeps you motivated and grounded?
“Perspective is everything – to a worm – digging a hole is far more relaxing than going fishing” Anon
Thank you so much, Robert Warren, for taking the time to chat with us. It was an absolute pleasure doing this interview with you—such a great experience!
