Is there any blogger who doesn’t know Neil Patel? Needless to say that he is one of the most successful Internet marketers in the world, and that’s why I feel proud that he’s this month’s guest on the interview series – the Aha!NOW chat!! 🙂
For those who just know a little about Neil Patel, let me briefly share some vital information about him and his wonders.
● Neil Patel is a popular young entrepreneur, blogger, investor, analytics and SEO expert, and above all, a great human being! Though interestingly, he also calls himself a professional web surfer.
● He is the CEO of KISSmetrics also the co-founder of Crazy Egg. In spite of being a multi-millionaire, he loves to connect with people and help put through his blog Quick Sprout.
● He is ranked as a top authority blogger and marketer by many institutions, organizations, and websites. The most important, being recognized as one of the top 100 entrepreneurs by President Obama of United States..
● He is known for his ability to grow online traffic through search engine optimization. He’s done it for the top companies and can do it for you too!
There are countless number of interviews of Neil Patel online, but I’m sure you’d find this one different from all of those.
This interview is a mix of his thoughts and views about his personal, family, and professional spheres of life.
So, without further delay, here’s a rendezvous with one of the top most blogger of the world, Neil Patel.
Interview With Neil Patel
Q1: Welcome to Aha!NOW, which is a life blog about personal, family, and professional development, and I’d like to start with a question about you.
You’re a successful blogger and entrepreneur, and that too one of the best in the world. Yet, you’re so modest and ever ready to help out just anybody. How do you remain so humble in spite of being rich and famous?
Neil: It really helps that I came from humble beginnings and I am grateful for all of the luck I have had in my life. My parents and family also keep me very grounded. We don’t spend crazy amounts of money because we know that happiness comes from within and from helping others.
Q2: You had working parents when you were young. I think they allowed you to do all the experimenting, selling, and working while you were in school. Looking back, what do you think of their parenting skills, and do you have any suggestions for today’s working parents?
Neil: I had great parents growing up. At an early age they instilled in me a great work ethic that has stayed with me to this day. I think your upbringing has a lot to do with your future. Parents really should cultivate an environment of hard work in their children. Nothing worth having comes easy.
Q3: Since your childhood, an entrepreneurial environment surrounded you in your family. How much impact that environmental stimulus had in shaping your ideology and personality and what specific skills you learned at home? Do you think it would help if children have such inspiration early on to be successful entrepreneurs?
Neil: I get my entrepreneurial spirit from my mother. She stared a daycare in the house when I was in elementary school and seeing her work long hours really allowed me to see first hand what it takes to be successful in business. I do think it helps if children have inspiration at a young age from other entrepreneurs.
Q4: As a teenager, you wanted to change your lifestyle and you became an entrepreneur. What kind of lifestyle would you suggest for today’s teens and young adults to be successful in life? What are the things you think they should not do in their teenage years?
Neil: I really didn’t care what others thought of me in high school. I knew where I wanted to go and I was willing to do anything to get there. I would really emphasize having a strong work ethic and confidence in your abilities and continue to learn. As long as these young adults do that and keep working long hours, they should do well.
Q5: What is the one thing that has been your driving force to become successful? What makes you move and do what you do? If people look up to you for inspiration, what would you enumerate for them to emulate?
Neil: I have always wanted to make sure my family is secure financially. I love helping others become successful as well. It’s all about giving back. I would advise others to give for the greater good. Don’t help with the expectation that you will get something in return. Help because you want to.
Q6: You were born in England and you grew up in the United States. How much of an Indian is there in you? What is your perception of Indians, and do you think they can be as successful an entrepreneur as you have been? Have you ever been to India?
Neil: I have been to India and I loved it! I speak Gujarati fluently and as a child I grew up around many Indian families. I associate myself strongly with Indian culture and that is something I am very proud of.
Q7: What are the basics of Internet marketing that you suggest every blogger should know? I know you can’t tell us all or give us the “gold” for free, but at least you can show us its shine and glitter by giving us some important tips! 🙂
Neil: I think people should really focus on content. Content is a driving force for traffic. Going viral isn’t easy. You really have to focus on creativity and being unique in everything you do.
Q8: Not talking about making it a gold mine, but what are the best ways a blogger can make money online and profit from their blogs. Can I do it even if I don’t have much of a business acumen? Do you think a blog like mine can mint money? Any suggestions? 🙂
Neil: I think anyone can make money from blogging if they follow some simple rules: 1) relate to your community 2) reach out to your community 3) engage and ask questions 4) and find a product or service that is so unique and vital to your users that they have to buy into it.
Q9: You are the Good Samaritan pied piper who can attract “eyeballs” to websites with special skills. Can you reveal a few simple tricks that bloggers can use to get more eyeballs on their blogs so they are encouraged to carry on working hard? How important is social media SEO for acquiring blog traffic?
Neil: Focus on solving problems that your end users have. It’s all about being unique and offering ideas that are outside of the box, which is how you can naturally and organically increase your traffic. Social media is a great way to promote your content and to share it with a wide range of people.
Q10: Success was not obvious to you. You had to work hard, made many mistakes and faced many failures. What are your tips to overcome obstacles in life, whether personal or professional? What is your motto or how would you define Neil Patel in one sentence?
Neil: Failure is not the end all be all, it’s a stepping stone to something greater.
Q11: If you had not been an entrepreneur and a blogger, what would you be doing? What are your other pastimes?
Neil: I would have been a salesman. I love the whole process and I love helping people solve problems.
Q12: You claim that you don’t have to be rich to be happy. What is your life philosophy? What do you consider a better life and what brings happiness into your life?
Neil: I think family and friends come first. You can have all the money in the world but without people to share your experiences with you’ll live a pitiful lonely life.
Q13: You’re a family man, aren’t you? Your parents, sister, and brother-in-law hold an important place in your life. Are you able to take out family time and indulge in family bonding activities despite your busy schedule? How do you think it helps you?
Neil: Definitely. I have a busy travel schedule but I visit my family at least once a month for at least a week. It’s very important for me to have a work/life balance.
Q14: You’ve talked about your entrepreneurship and family, but never about your personal relationships. Are you in a relationship? If yes, then how do you deal with the relationships problems when you’ve them? Do you believe in the institution of marriage and do you have any plans of getting married soon? 🙂
Neil: I try not to talk about my personal life online. I prefer to keep it private.
Q15: What makes you confident that KISSmetrics has a secure future? Do you think the future of blogging, search engine, analytics, and Internet marketing would carry on in the same lines as it does now?
Neil: At KISSmetrics we provide a unique solution that holds real life benefits to our users. I definitely think KISSmetrics will succeed because we have always been at the cutting edge of innovation.
As for the future of internet marketing, it is ever-changing so you just have to keep up with the trends 🙂
Q16: In today’s blogging world ruled by pandas, penguins, humming birds, and probably more animals to come, what’s your advice to bloggers as to how should they plan their blogging strategy.
Neil: Focus on content! There are no shortcuts.
Q17: You say that creating good content is the best SEO tip and blogging strategy. But I’ve seen many bloggers writing great content, promoting it by blog commenting and social media, yet they don’t achieve higher Alexa and SERP ranks. What do you think they’ve been missing?
Neil: They just need to be patient. It takes time for a blog to generate substantial traffic. It took me years but look where I am now 🙂 Plus the one thing I do is I try to go above and beyond. I have written some great pieces of content… but many of those pieces are 30,000 plus words long.
Q18: How do you manage your work-life balance? What are you tips to deal with the stress that comes with your work and success too? I see all your photos online with a broad smile on your face. Are you always as happy?
Neil: There are always ups and downs. If anyone says they are always happy they are lying to you. I am very disciplined in my day-to-day and that keeps me focused. I eat right, sleep at a reasonable hour and keep my focus on the end goal at all times.
Q19: Gratefulness is an exceptional quality that makes you more human. What and who are you grateful to? What are the other personal qualities that you deem as essential in every other human being for being human?
Neil: I am most grateful for my family– they are my rock and foundation. I think being there when you say you will and giving back are essential to success.
Q20: Lastly, how do you like my blog, Aha!NOW? What message would you like to give its readers about personal development, life, and blogging?
Neil: I love your blog which is why I felt I needed to help you out with this interview!
I am big on personal development. Every year I try to improve upon the last year. It’s important to keep growing and learning. That’s the key to happiness in my opinion 🙂
Sorry for the short response. I wish I could be more thorough, but it just isn’t possible due to the volume of emails that I receive.
You can connect with Neil Patel on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter.
Thank you Neil – for your time. You’re just awesome! 🙂
And, dear readers, before you leave, I’ve a short and sweet slideshare prepared by FATbit Tech on the life of Neil Patel. It’s worth watching. 🙂
[slideshare id=22743589&doc=final10-130610063426-phpapp02]
I hope you enjoyed learning more about Neil Patel. Few lessons that I learnt from him and his life is to be humble and down to earth, give back to your family and society, and always be helpful.
You won’t find many probloggers like Neil Patel, who answers every comment on his blog and replies to each email, no matter how busy he is. He genuinely helps out people.
Wasn’t it lovely having Neil over? I hope you enjoyed this interview as much as I did. 🙂
Over to You –
What do you learn from this interview of Neil Patel and his life? What is the one thing that you’d like to imbibe from him and why? Share in the comments.
Photo Credit: Neil Patel