Today we’d like to introduce you to Ish Laos.
Ish, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I taught myself to build websites back in 2004 when my employer at the time needed a website badly. I had no idea what I was doing but I slowly learned.
Growing up I always enjoyed drawing, painting, sculpting and being creative so I thought web design was a good way of expressing myself. A few months down the road my employer started referring me to some of his buddies who also needed a website. I knew then that I was onto something special.
The website design venture lasted a few more years and it wasn’t until some of my clients had a common complaint that my focus shifted pretty dramatically. One by one they started to ask me, “Hey I love my website and all but how come it doesn’t show up when I do a Google search?”
My response probably wasn’t what they expected, but I responded by telling them that I had no earthly idea.
It was at that moment that my entire perspective and outlook regarding what I do changed forever. I started to actually think as a “business owner” and started to put myself in their shoes instead of my comfortable, everyday flip-flops. Let’s just say that wearing their shoes didn’t feel so good. I needed to find some answers fast.
Your website is supposed to be your #1 marketing tool. What good is it if no one could actually find it? I became obsessed with figuring out how to give my clients a larger web presence and bringing in tons of traffic to their websites. I attended seminars, took classes, networked, read books and experimented with my websites. I didn’t even charge my clients, I just wanted to get good at this.
What a lot of people may not know is that Google is an ever-changing ecosystem of innovation. I got real excited when I started actually getting results only to discover that Google had changed the rules on me. What worked prodigiously one year was no longer a factor the following year. I learned then that I had to think outside the box and step up my game.
You see, having a solid web presence and showing up on page one in Google searches is not all about optimizing your website. There is so much more to it.
Over the years, I started picking up other skills that I knew would help enhance and strengthen the authority my clients held over their competitors.
And that is why today I offer so much more than just a website. I offer all the tools needed for any small business owner to get off to a running start, at full throttle. Did I mention that I LOVE what I do?
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I can’t think of any real struggles along the way. I truly feel blessed. Every client that has crossed my path has been a learning experience, and a big part of where I am today, whether it was positive or not. I took every negative experience as an opportunity to grow. What upset them? How can I learn from that? What do I need to do to ensure that I don’t repeat the same mistake?
Sure there were hard times and there always will be. Your reaction to difficult situations dictates how it will affect you long term. You can either learn from it or let it consume you.
Please tell us about Webstuffguy.com.
We specialize in web design and internet marketing. While I still build websites, my focus has shifted to local search engine optimization, better known as Local SEO.
Essentially, we utilize proven techniques that helps any new business establish online authority over their competitors. We help you get discovered and increase traffic to your website.
A lot of the services I now offer are directly related to how they can help establish a dominant web presence for your company.
I am all about Google and giving them what they need in order to push you to the top of searches. A typical example of this is how I became a certified Google Trusted Photographer once I learned that Google started a program that allows you to display a 360° virtual tour of your small business.
I learned how to shoot virtual tours and became certified. Now I can proudly offer all my clients a virtual tour that displays on Google maps when someone searches for your company. (My 360° video as I explain the benefits of Google virtual tours in front of an audience: https://goo.gl/a6otzh)
I offer Google pay-per-click management, social media management, online reputation management, email campaign management, and other marketing services as well.
When it comes to the more creative side, I offer graphic and print design, photography (no weddings, please!) photo restoration (for those real old photos in your shoe box) and recently became FDA certified to fly drones for all your aerial photography needs.
What makes me proud and what sets me apart from all your other companies is what I hear almost every day from new, incoming clients. They say, “Wow, you are a one stop shop for like everything that I’ve been looking for!”
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I think I would have liked to have started a lot sooner. I certainly lost a lot of good years just basically existing and not finding myself. But I think that happens to almost everyone anyway.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://webstuffguy.com http://droneservicesatlanta.com
- Phone: 678-542-4394
- Email: ish@webstuffguy.com
- Instagram: @ishlaos
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WebStuffGuy/
- Twitter: @webstuffguy
- Other: http://360virtualbusinesstours.com/
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