Status 200 Expert Found: Interview with Roy Huiskes

Who are you, and where do you work as an SEO specialist?

My name is Roy Huiskes, and I work as an SEO specialist in the Netherlands. In addition to projects in the Netherlands, I also work on global projects. My English isn’t any worse than my Dutch in that regard—both have an accent 😉. I’m from Enschede; I’ve been doing “something” with SEO since 2003, and I’ve been working as a freelance SEO specialist on my own since 2010. You can find me at chapter42.com.

How did you first get into SEO?

Geddy van Elburg (who now works at IONMOON) was employed at the company where I did my internship. She was actually one of the very first people in the Netherlands to work with SEO and, among other things, attended SES (Search Engine Strategies). She said to me, “Roy, you’re a web designer here and you create designs; would you like to do some SEO work too?” I replied, “Yeah, sure.”

So I went along to London for the SES. That’s where AdWords for Europe was just being announced in a big way, and I was hooked on search in the broadest sense of the word. I learned a lot there, and that’s when Geddy taught me the tricks of the trade: listen to your client and watch what they do.

In the meantime, I finished my degree, and at some point, Onetomarket called me: “Hey, we see that you have SEO experience—we’re looking for SEO specialists. Would you like to come in for an interview?”

And that’s what I said during my first job interview: “Yes, I’d like to do this, but there’s a chance I might want to start my own business someday, because I do have my own opinions and ideas about this. As long as we’re all on the same page, everything will work out. But I suspect I know better anyway, as always.”

In 2009, the time had come: I spent a year working at a casual gaming company, and after that, I started my own business. It got off to a flying start, with clients such as AkzoNobel, Allerhande (and later, more from Albert Heijn), Univé, FBTO, and ING.

Have you chosen a specialization within SEO, and if so, why?

I have a broad foundation in SEO, with knowledge of virtually every aspect: strategic, technical, marketing, and UX. I don’t consider myself a specialist in link building or copywriting. For link building, I rely on my network, and I don’t believe it’s as crucial today as it used to be. As for copywriting, neither I, nor my clients, nor the audience benefits when I write the copy. I have enough knowledge of Google My Business to offer advice, but I wouldn’t specifically label myself as a Google Local Specialist. In short, I can navigate nearly every area of SEO.

How have you seen SEO change over the past few years?

Well, that’s something! I focus primarily on the timeless aspects of SEO, which makes it easier not to worry too much about the changes in our field. Google goes through different phases and periodically shifts its focus to different aspects of search. Despite a period when it seemed as though Google was paying less attention to SEO and innovation outside of ad revenue, there has been a significant shift toward AI over the past two years. As a result, the internet and the approach to SEO are undergoing fundamental changes.

I’ve created an entire podcast series on this topic, the “Casual Catch-up on SEO & UX”(available on YouTube, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform). The core principles of SEO remain the same: high-quality content is valued, and it’s essential to bring that content to the attention of your target audience. This is an approach that was promoted long ago by Matt Cutts.

The message is clear: focus on what you do and make sure you’re the best at it. Then you won’t need any bullshit to reach the right market.

How do you make sure you stay up to date on trends?

I don’t really believe in trends—you could probably tell that from my previous answer. Because I don’t think trends are necessarily good for what you should be doing.
You have to look at what’s good for the customer—and, more importantly, what’s good for the customer’s customer. If you focus on that, you don’t necessarily have to follow every trend; you can just do your own thing.

I am currently learning Python and BigQuery so I can gain insights from data more quickly and put them to use. I see this as an important step in my personal development, rather than just a trend.

What do you think will be the biggest challenge for SEO in the future?

I’d actually say that keeping things “profitable” can sometimes be a challenge—there’s a major shift underway with AI. For example, how relevant will Google still be in the future? In any case, SEO as practiced by many agencies is entirely dependent on Google and the traffic it generates. My advice: broaden your scope a bit and focus more on UX, conversion, marketing, and strategy.

However, that doesn’t mean SEO is dead. I do think it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep track of the results if you view it purely as a performance channel. An interesting approach might be to see SEO more as part of branding rather than strictly as performance marketing.

Do you have an example of a recent case or project you’re proud of?

I’m not particularly proud of it, but there are plenty of interesting examples. Try Googling a recipe, and you’ll see that Allerhande does pretty well. I’m actually quite proud of that!

Are you also exploring the relationship between SEO and other marketing channels?

I think it’s essential to focus on what your target audience wants and needs, not just on having a mix of channels with aligned budgets. There are simply too many assumptions and variables—or a lack of data—for that. It’s all about offering a product or service that truly adds value for your target audience, with the goal of satisfying everyone.

The approach varies greatly depending on the individual client and their needs. Although I believe it’s important to combine different data sources such as Google Ads, Google Analytics, and SEO data, I find the complexity and the many assumptions involved make it difficult to take this approach seriously. This makes such exercises unreliable and raises the question of how valuable this combined data analysis ultimately is.

Perhaps it’s better to focus on trends in your data, which are often visible even without complex data analysis.

Have you ever completely failed at SEO?

There is one story, though, where I can say I really messed up. I once completely missed the mark with a large website that just wouldn’t rank anymore.

I’d been working on it for quite a while. We’d already tried all sorts of things. It did get a little better, but it still wasn’t turning out the way I’d expected. At one point, I realized I had an ad blocker enabled, which is why I hadn’t noticed that the “main content” (MC) in the viewport consisted mainly of ads.

After disabling the ad blocker and making some adjustments to the content, performance improved significantly, although the client’s business remained challenging. That was something I did focus on. And I thought that was pretty much the screw-up.

In your opinion, which industry presents the greatest challenges in SEO, and why?

I think the most competitive sectors are probably window frames, dormer windows, plumbing, and locksmith services. These markets often attract handymen who use aggressive SEO techniques, as well as savvy entrepreneurs who set up quote comparison sites and flood your market with Google Ads, SEO, and affiliate marketing tactics.

If you look at what’s challenging when it comes to SEO, everything is interesting in its own way. You immediately find yourself in a “your money, your life” situation, which means you have to approach content differently.

Everything legal is complicated, too. Because then you have to deal with a lot more side issues. Large e-commerce stores present yet other challenges, which is really cool. I actually find that really exciting to work on.

If you could debunk one SEO myth, which one would it be and why?

I don’t necessarily need to refute anything. I’d just like people to understand the difference between a URL structure and a site structure. That would be great.

What is the most important piece of advice you’d like to share with other SEO specialists?

Don’t chase trends quite so often. Forget about the fads of the moment and take a look at what your customer really wants—and, above all, needs. I think that’s perhaps the most important thing to really focus on. And: if you don’t excel, but just do your thing, it becomes very difficult to become or remain the best in your field.