SEOblog Interview: Los Angeles SEO Expert Robb Fahrion from Flying V Group

We’re excited to have interviewed Los Angeles SEO expert Robb Fahrion from Flying V Group for the next installment of our Featured SEO Expert Series!

Flying V Group is one of SEOblog’s Top SEO companies in Los Angeles

Fahrion is a co-founder and partner of Flying V Group. He is passionate about helping businesses grow using the power of the internet. Fahrion graduated from Chapman University in Orange, Calif., and resides in Costa Mesa, Calif. He enjoys writing about digital marketing, helping his clients turn their dreams into reality and is a HUGE Mike Trout fan.

What would you say is unique and/or challenging about the Los Angeles SEO industry?

“The competition in the LA area is incredible. We are competing in one of the largest economies in not only the United States, but also the entire world. Other competitors in other states might be competing against five-10 other legitimate firms or competitors, but that number is probably tripled, if not more, in LA and that is not even considering national competitors as well. So, what does that mean? That means that you must be working with an SEO agency that knows what they are doing, otherwise you will be left in the dust of your competitors. From an SEO perspective, we have to be very strategic with how we plan for each of our clients. We do not have the luxury of providing a one-size-fits-all SEO strategy because each client brings a unique set of circumstances due to the amount of competition in the area.”

How does your SEO agency stand out in a crowded market like the LA area?

“Fundamentally, we do better work than our competitors. Our team stops at nothing short of success and we abide by a mentality that understands that the only way for our agency to win is if our clients win. We are trying to build long-term partnerships with our clients and integrate our services into everything that they do. We are not concerned about the quick wins. We would rather take a loss at the beginning of an engagement knowing the potential opportunities that exist 12 months and five years down the road. We are also an extremely transparent agency. We provide references, we have plenty of reviews online and we give our customers insights and reporting regularly because we actually want to show them the work we are doing since we believe it is a premium service compared to competitors.”

Can you share a success story from a local SEO campaign centered around your area?

“Of course. We actually service both the Los Angeles metro area and the Phoenix metro area. This success story comes from Camelback Auto Glass. When we took over this account, they were not generating any leads online. All of their business was driven through referrals, partnerships and word of mouth. We redid their website and spent a ton of time focusing on local SEO and technical optimization aspects. To date, 95 percent of Camelback’s sales now come from online. We have positioned them on the first page for some of the highest value keywords in their area and are outperforming national providers like Safepro and Safelite. In one month, we generated over $75k worth of traffic, organically, meaning absolutely free. Even to date, Camelback Auto Glass does not run a single paid ad and relies solely on the SEO efforts of Flying V Group.”

What is the best advice you ever received in business?

“The best advice I ever received in business is from my father, “When you feel like the job is done, that is the time to get to work.

“That quote could sound like one of a workaholic, but it really is not at all. What my dad means is that there is always someone trying to best you and we must continue to stay hungry and look for ways to improve our business. This does not always mean business growth. This could mean improving processes, adding additional training for employees, or focusing on better channels to drive new business.”

What do you think is the most important quality that makes an SEO agency truly great?

“Great agencies are the ones that have a true investment in the success of their clients. I believe that I run 50+ businesses and I take it to heart how each of them perform. With that mindset, you invest the blood, sweat and tears into your clients’ accounts and they will see the effort that you are putting in to generate incredible results for them. They also begin to feel like you are an extension of their team and a part of their family. It is truly an incredible feeling and one that will immediately begin to separate your agency from all of the others.”

Any predictions for the future of SEO?

“SEO is only going to get more and more important. There is so much competition online and one must utilize every avenue possible to differentiate themselves from the rest. Even branded SEO is becoming more important. For example, we had a client inquiry come in the other day and when I researched the client’s name, four other competitors with the same name came up. This presents a lot of issues for businesses of all sizes and if you are not continuously improving your SEO efforts and placing valuable content about your field or business into the marketplace, you are going to get lost in the shuffle. I guarantee it.”

What is your reaction when you hear that “SEO is dying”?

“I laugh. It is a ridiculous statement and one that is driven by fear-mongering and the idea that all traffic has to be acquired through paid mediums. Also, SEO is a part of every digital marketing channel. When I think of SEO I think of driving more online visibility for my business whether that be through social media, organic search, paid search, etc. They all work together.

“We built our own business strictly off of SEO techniques because we had no money to compete in the paid game early on. Flying V Group is competing in one of the most competitive markets because other firms know (or should know) what they are doing. Yet, we have created this incredible company. How? SEO. So how can SEO be dying? SEO has only just begun and the longer companies wait to get onboard, the more hurt they will be when they try to make up the ground they are already losing.”

What do you think is the most important contributor to keeping clients happy?

“Honesty. We’re not perfect. I know that, our employees know that and we let our clients know that. But, we are getting closer and closer to perfection every single day and that is the most important thing. One of the worst things you can do to clients is make stuff up just to sound good. They will always figure it out because your clients are very smart. Being honest and forthcoming with information is the best way to keep a client happy. They will be more understanding and they will know that your investment in them is a real one. This also goes back to what makes an agency great. If you invest in the success of your clients’ businesses, they will be happy having you be a part of the team.”

Interested in being considered as an SEOblog “Featured SEO Expert”? Reach out to our team at info@seoblog.com! We’d love to hear from you and give you a high-traffic platform to share your SEO agency’s story and insights.