Damon Burton on SEO, Social Proof and Betting on Yourself
When I say this man changed the trajectory of my career, I mean it. Damon Burton is the reason I came back into agency life, and he is one of my favorite humans to follow online.
He founded SEO National in 2007, wrote Outrank, and the 2 clients sitting at the top of his Facebook profile are Tony Robbins and Russell Brunson. I get uncomfortable just saying that on my own podcast. So in Episode 96 of The Purpose Chasers I asked him the questions I actually wanted answered: how social proof really works, why SEO is the most slept on asset a business owner has, and what you have to believe about yourself to close a client like that.
People Follow Expertise. They Convert on Humanity.
Damon did not do social media or social proof for most of his career. He used Facebook as a safe space to talk about his wife and kids. That started to change around 2020, and when he reverse engineered what happened next he found roughly $150,000 in contracts that had come from social media. So he asked why.
"The short reason why social proof works is because people will follow you for your business expertise, but they'll convert when they relate to you as a human."
That is the whole case for video testimonials in one sentence. A real client on camera is the most human thing in your marketing. Nobody relates to a positioning statement.
Documenting Beats Performing
I expected Damon to say something like, when you are good, you tell everybody you are good. Instead he described the opposite of hype.
"I'm not really creating content pieces to be provocative. I never have calls to action. Like I'm really documenting. And so when you switch your perspective from content creation to documentation, that's probably where that hurdle comes down."
Documentation is how authenticity shows up without you trying to manufacture it. It is also exactly what I do for clients: I document the real result in the client's own words, and the proof does the rest. That is the Social Proof System in a sentence.
Why SEO Is the Most Slept On Long Term Asset
Damon has stayed in SEO for 18 plus years because it is predictable enough to know what he is walking into each day and changes often enough to stay interesting. But the business case is simpler than that.
"All the traffic is on page one of Google. Like 90% plus the traffic is on page one. So you have to have enough progress to get to the point of monetization. So that's why it takes time."
Paid ads are quicker, but you still burn money for 30 to 90 days before you see a return, and the day you stop paying the traffic stops. Content that ranks on your own platform keeps paying. Ads rent attention. Rankings own it.
What You Have to Believe to Close a Tony Robbins
My friend Steph asked me to put this question to Damon, and I was uncomfortable asking it. His answer was not about confidence. It was about process.
"You have to have faith in your processes."
Around year 8 of running his agency, a friend who had built and sold 5 businesses in 10 years showed Damon how big the gap was in his documentation. Damon had processes, but most of them lived in his head. So he spent about a year centralizing and documenting everything properly, because a business with good processes is worth a significant multiple of one without them. That is the same lesson Brad Costanzo teaches about building a business you would want to buy.
What This Looks Like When a Client Does It
Dr. Carolyn Colleen is a TEDx speaker who wanted to clean up her visibility online. We did not run ads. We fixed what was already there so the right people could find her.
What Clients Say About Owning Their Name Online
Dr. Carolyn Colleen wanted to clean up her visibility online and did not know where to start. Now her funnels are connected and the right people are finding her. Her summary:
"No fluff, just targeted SEO."
Keith of Sundanced Wood carves signs and art by hand in Sugar Loaf, New York. He wanted a website that told the story of his pieces and the people who own them. His verdict:
"What Mark has done to this website and the entire process from the testimonials with everybody has been exactly what I needed, what Sundanced Wood needed. He's an artist, like there's no doubt about it."
More real stories on the Happy Check client results page.
Keep Listening
Allie Bloyd on why marketing is an investment, not an expense
Shaun Clark on why HighLevel said no to everyone but agencies
Want to Look as Good Online as You Are in Real Life?
On The Purpose Chasers I sit down with people who are building something that matters. In my business, The Happy Check, I help coaches, creators and service businesses turn that same kind of real story into video testimonials and content that bring in clients.
If you want to take your marketing to the next level, book an organic marketing audit call with me.
Or start with the free Happy Check book and learn who to ask, when to ask and how to use what they say.
Keep reading: why owned proof beats rented attention, video testimonial marketing.
