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211: 4 Steps to Efficiently Create Content That Gets You Ranking at the Top in Google with Ray Blakney
05/26/20 • 52 min
1 Listener
Sword fighting, Peace Corp serving, apple pie with cheddar cheese-loving business owner Ray Blakney stops by to share with us how he’s grown the largest language learning online school in the world that hasn’t raised venture capital.
Whatever content you have -- a blog, a book, a podcast, a website, a YouTube channel, or a combination of them -- Ray’s 4 proven steps will get you from crickets to consistent growth of your brand, business relationships, and revenue.
A Few Highlights from This Podcast:
Starts first business as a language school in Mexico with wife (who used to be his Spanish teacher)...but then swine flu hits...and it forces them to go online, which leads to huge growth (got over 4 million visits in 2019) - Shares a lot of personal information on your site and podcast questions...why? Psychologically what is the reason? - Tips for coming up with a name for your business - 4 steps (plus a bonus 5th step!) for his proven content amplification process 1) Research 2) Create great content 3) Amplify on social media 4) Ranking and linkbacks - Resources named: UberSuggest and Ahrefs.com - Advice on writing emails that get people to agree to link back to your content - What’s a realistic timeframe for all this to work and snowball? Answer may surprise you. - And be sure to book a free, no pressure call or jump on a live training to get help implementing what you learned. This is so valuable!
Our Guest
Ray Blakney is an award-winning Filipino-American entrepreneur who has over a decade of experience building (bootstrapping) and operating 6 and 7-figure online businesses. He and his businesses have been featured in magazines such as Entrepreneur, Forbes, The Boston Globe, and other top publications.
In his free time, Ray is a part-time sword fighter.
Learn More: LiveLingua.com InfiniteUpcycle.com Anomalous Educator Podcast
Great Quotes
- “The advantage of us not needing to grow is one that a lot of people overlook. They look at it as a business. You grow, grow, grow, just for the sake of growth, and sometimes if you're happy where you are, I don't know if you're making a hundred thousand dollars a year, were you really that much happier making 120.” -Ray Blakney
- “Bookstores are making a comeback in the United States. Those like little niche corner shops where you used to go and read books, Barnes and Nobles, you know the big ones are going bankrupt, people want that personalized thing where you can go in and you know the seller or the seller knows you. It's like: -You know, a new book just came in that I know you would love because you, this is the kind of book that you read.” -Ray Blakney
- “I think a lot about names and people ask me a lot about names cause it was all about like copywriting and words and it can be really tough, but it's great to know, one you can change it, two its kind of like no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care that sort of phrase, it's like no one cares about the name of your business, they care about the results they're going to get for them or how you're going to make them feel in doing the interaction. So focusing more on that and less on the names.” Laura Petersen
- “So you really need to know yourself first and then write some content that is around that, we find that that's the base for creating any great piece of content is that there is a point to it, your personality is included and you know what you're trying to say in that content.” -Ray Blakney
- “Even if you sell 20 copies to 20 people who really need it, you did something good and you never know where those relationships could go, it can just completely snowball in a way you can't anticipate. But let's not worry about trying to please everyone and be this massive overnight success.” - Laura Petersen
Take Action Now!
- Amazon Bestselling Book Workshop + Resources [free]
- Bestselling Book Accelerator [best option to get your book done, live, and #1!]
- Speaker's Secret Gig List [get more speaking gigs]
For full show notes click: Create Content That Gets You Ranking
Sword fighting, Peace Corp serving, apple pie with cheddar cheese-loving business owner Ray Blakney stops by to share with us how he’s grown the largest language learning online school in the world that hasn’t raised venture capital.
Whatever content you have -- a blog, a book, a podcast, a website, a YouTube channel, or a combination of them -- Ray’s 4 proven steps will get you from crickets to consistent growth of your brand, business relationships, and revenue.
A Few Highlights from This Podcast:
Starts first business as a language school in Mexico with wife (who used to be his Spanish teacher)...but then swine flu hits...and it forces them to go online, which leads to huge growth (got over 4 million visits in 2019) - Shares a lot of personal information on your site and podcast questions...why? Psychologically what is the reason? - Tips for coming up with a name for your business - 4 steps (plus a bonus 5th step!) for his proven content amplification process 1) Research 2) Create great content 3) Amplify on social media 4) Ranking and linkbacks - Resources named: UberSuggest and Ahrefs.com - Advice on writing emails that get people to agree to link back to your content - What’s a realistic timeframe for all this to work and snowball? Answer may surprise you. - And be sure to book a free, no pressure call or jump on a live training to get help implementing what you learned. This is so valuable!
Our Guest
Ray Blakney is an award-winning Filipino-American entrepreneur who has over a decade of experience building (bootstrapping) and operating 6 and 7-figure online businesses. He and his businesses have been featured in magazines such as Entrepreneur, Forbes, The Boston Globe, and other top publications.
In his free time, Ray is a part-time sword fighter.
Learn More: LiveLingua.com InfiniteUpcycle.com Anomalous Educator Podcast
Great Quotes
- “The advantage of us not needing to grow is one that a lot of people overlook. They look at it as a business. You grow, grow, grow, just for the sake of growth, and sometimes if you're happy where you are, I don't know if you're making a hundred thousand dollars a year, were you really that much happier making 120.” -Ray Blakney
- “Bookstores are making a comeback in the United States. Those like little niche corner shops where you used to go and read books, Barnes and Nobles, you know the big ones are going bankrupt, people want that personalized thing where you can go in and you know the seller or the seller knows you. It's like: -You know, a new book just came in that I know you would love because you, this is the kind of book that you read.” -Ray Blakney
- “I think a lot about names and people ask me a lot about names cause it was all about like copywriting and words and it can be really tough, but it's great to know, one you can change it, two its kind of like no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care that sort of phrase, it's like no one cares about the name of your business, they care about the results they're going to get for them or how you're going to make them feel in doing the interaction. So focusing more on that and less on the names.” Laura Petersen
- “So you really need to know yourself first and then write some content that is around that, we find that that's the base for creating any great piece of content is that there is a point to it, your personality is included and you know what you're trying to say in that content.” -Ray Blakney
- “Even if you sell 20 copies to 20 people who really need it, you did something good and you never know where those relationships could go, it can just completely snowball in a way you can't anticipate. But let's not worry about trying to please everyone and be this massive overnight success.” - Laura Petersen
Take Action Now!
- Amazon Bestselling Book Workshop + Resources [free]
- Bestselling Book Accelerator [best option to get your book done, live, and #1!]
- Speaker's Secret Gig List [get more speaking gigs]
For full show notes click: Create Content That Gets You Ranking
Previous Episode
![undefined - 210: 6 Fascinating People Brainstorm Book Ideas and Fight to Overcome Imposter Syndrome [Replay of Zoom Call with Community Co-Hosted with Allison Melody of Food Heals]](https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/episode_images/40e454efe619796ce2d85677dfa420788f281670facebee0768538085b16d859.avif)
210: 6 Fascinating People Brainstorm Book Ideas and Fight to Overcome Imposter Syndrome [Replay of Zoom Call with Community Co-Hosted with Allison Melody of Food Heals]
Do you struggle with imposter syndrome and overwhelm on what book topic to pick to write about? You are not alone!
This is a replay of a really terrific group Zoom call that my biz bestie Allison Melody of the Food Heals empire did last Saturday. Six entrepreneurs joined us to ask questions, brainstorm, and work through mental blocks.
I hope this helps you wherever you are in your journey! And jump into our 14-week Bestselling Book Group Program starting on May 25th, if you catch this in time!
A Few Highlights from This Podcast:
[05:45] - [5:00] : Alli kicks off call + Laura intro and why books matter
[12:22] : Tamar intro about the book she's work on
...vulnerable stories ...4 chapters so far ...afraid bc of ego to dig into ...wants the word “hope” in there Finding Hope Acceptance
[15:54] : Larry Roberts
...1+1=Podcast ...wrote it in 20 days ...got emotional ...Scrivener ...bringing wife on the journey ...how to start a VA business ...Readily Random podcast ...recovered alcoholic
]23:47] : Nancy Foote...3⁄4 done about classroom management (33 years teaching)...how to get kids on your side ...struggling bc had another book calling at her! ...started on second book too ...works at literary conferences part-time ..."when I teach, I tell stories about my life" ...Coca-Cola Hot Pants ...Paul Harvey ...Zero G with Mark Kelly astronaut ...Parkinson’s, two kinds of breast cancer, ..."how can you be so positive and upbeat?" ...baseball with Nolan Ryan ...Writing 6-word sentences...loving writing it...like poetry ...shoulder surgery ...Imposter Syndrome Monster
[37:06] : Christopher Centri...astronomy and space science ...struggling with things online ...in another part of New York state ...Mars + search for extraterrestrial life ...Lunar Mysteries ...Thinkific, Teachable, ...wants courses ...near Lake Erie + wine + science presentations
[48:37] : Hazel Englander...loves wine too ...listens to CTP! ...model all over the world ...famous boyfriend...backstage rock and roll parties ...not sure about sharing bc of kids, husband, and haters ...Queen, Sir Elton John, etc — should I name names? ...should I have a publisher or self-publish?
...Tim Ferriss and Nick Kokonas podcast: https://tim.blog/2018/10/18/nick-kokonas They compare notes about the somewhat slimy similarities between the music and publishing industries. [timestamp: 2:26:02] On the Hembergers and The Alinea Project, and the upcoming Aviary Book being released independently. [timestamp: 2:41:23]
Free Facebook Group for Authors CopyThatPops.com/facebook
More Info On the 14-Week Group Program starting on Monday, May 25th
*Past clients of Laura’s, ping her for super discount if you want to join us too ([email protected])
Take Action Now!
14 Week Group Bestselling Book Program with LaptopLaura and Allison Melody
Next Episode

212: Book Writing, Amazon Bestselling Book Launching, and Driving Tanks with Small Business Tax Pro Jonathan Maki
Writing about a boring or complicated topic (at least as seen by others)? Well, our guest today shows how to make even things like taxes and avoiding an IRS tax audit interesting, easy-to-understand, and immediately applicable to his audience.
Listen in to see how Jonathan Maki went from driving tanks in the Army to helping businesses be prepared for an IRS audit, whether it happens or not.
His #1 Amazon bestselling book will help you understand what the IRS will want to see and how they want to see it -- in simple, clear, plain English.
Our conversation also covers...
A Few Highlights from This Podcast:A story about driving tanks in the Army- What did the Army teach Jonathan about business?- Why did Jonathan go into helping small businesses with taxes?- What are his best quick tips around taxes for entrepreneurs and business owners?- The $1,000,000 tax bill story. Eek!- Story about a guy who hid from IRS for 20 years - Audit Armor Basic Training Manual: Protect Your Growing Business from the IRS (grab Jonathan's book!)- Why did Jonathan want to write a book?- Did Jonathan ever feel the imposter syndrome monster breathing down his neck? How did he combat it?- Honest thoughts working with Lulu for publishing? [Hint: Neither of us loved the experience and we tell why]- Best tips for sitting down to write?- Why and how to use 99 Designs for an incredible book cover contest (and how it's a secret weapon for marketing your book even before it's live!)- Best tips for writing with “less is more” in mind - Laura's 10-Week Bestselling Book Mastermind...now enrolling for August 2020 start!
Our GuestJonathan Maki drove tanks in the United States Army.
Then, shortly after receiving an MBA from the University of Notre Dame in 2008, he started helping other small business owners understand their own finances and navigate the complicated US tax system.
He is a dedicated husband and father of two young girls, and he loves surfing with his wife in his free time.
Learn More: - Depository Analysis - IRS Audit letter redacted - 7 Practices to Help Protect Your Growing Business from an IRS Audit
Great Quotes- "I wanted to write a book that was to outline sequential, cohesive steps of action so that it would make it easier for my clients and for me too." - Jonathan Maki
- "I’m so glad that I worked with you because I had the content but it’s the same as comparing the steak vs the sizzle." - Jonathan Maki
- "My waves of inspiration don’t come in the form of an outline." - Jonathan Maki
- Amazon Bestselling Book Workshop + Resources [free]
- 10-Week Bestselling Book Mastermind, co-run with Allison Melody [starting August 2020]
To access full show notes on Book Writing and Amazon Launching with Jonathan Maki, click here.
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