“Rent out your pixel.” Jonathan Kiekbusch says a site making $300–500 a month could make another $1,000–2,000 this way. 💡
At the Chiang Mai SEO conference, I sat down with Jonathan Kiekbusch, CEO of SEOButler, after his talk on hiring with empathy and gratitude. 🎙️
He shared how SEOButler grew, two affiliate monetization tactics few people use, and how he hires and keeps a team. 🧩
📊 In this episode, we unpacked:
- 🌱 How SEOButler started
- 🧩 What SEOButler does
- 💰 Two overlooked monetization tactics
- 👥 How he hires and keeps people
- ⚖️ Balancing work and life
🎥 Watch the full episode:
🌱 How SEOButler Started
Jonathan never intended to get into SEO. He was doing work he didn’t enjoy and looked for services he could fulfill. 🌱
About five years earlier, he started with an article writing team for other marketers, then added service after service. By then he had SEOButler, an agency and a full-time office. 🏢
The team: 8 full-time in the UK, 2 in Asia and about 50 writers and editors in the US. 👥
🧩 What SEOButler Does
SEOButler provides SEOs with the products they need, for clients or affiliate sites, mainly content and link building at scale. 🧩
People often start small and grow with SEOButler up to 50,000 words of content. It serves agencies and affiliate SEOs, and its own agency focuses mostly on ecommerce SEO. 🛒
For more on link building, read Alexandra Tachalova on building links. 🔗
💰 Two Overlooked Monetization Tactics
- 📈 Ask for a higher commission. If you already drive traffic and conversions, tell the merchant you need, say, 7% instead of 5%, or you’ll send traffic elsewhere
- 🎯 Rent out your Facebook pixel to a company in your niche that runs Facebook ads, for a monthly fee
His disclaimer: check how legal pixel renting is in your country and what paperwork you need. ⚖️
For more affiliate monetization ideas, read Gael Breton on building authority websites. 🔗
👥 How He Hires and Keeps People
- 🔥 Hire for motivation first. He’d rather teach a highly motivated, less skilled person than hire a skilled, demotivated one
- 🌱 Hire junior and grow them. It saves money and avoids bad habits. Senior hires need a different process
- ❤️ Make them love where they work and show how much you value them
- 💵 Pay fairly so they can live a decent life. Underpaying causes churn
For another agency’s hiring view, read Navneet Kaushal on building an SEO agency. 🔗
⚖️ Balancing Work and Life
Jonathan brought his wife into the company. Since they deal with the same issues during the day, they can disconnect at home. He admits it may not work for everyone. 💑
His two tips: keep business as business, making mathematical rather than emotional decisions, and know how much time out you need to recover. 🧘
He’d been to every Chiang Mai SEO conference for three years because nearly everyone there is an entrepreneur who does SEO, so even coffee conversations are high level. ☕
📝 Key Takeaways From the Jonathan Kiekbusch Interview
- 📈 Negotiate higher commissions once you drive sales
- 🎯 Pixel renting can add income, but check the law
- 🔥 Hire for motivation over skill
- 🌱 Grow junior hires and pay them fairly
- ⚖️ Make business decisions with math, not emotion
- ☕ The best conference value is often off stage
❓ FAQs About Jonathan Kiekbusch
What does SEOButler do?
It supplies SEOs and agencies with content and link building at scale, and runs an agency focused mainly on ecommerce SEO.
What is pixel renting?
Renting your site’s Facebook pixel to a company in your niche that runs Facebook ads, for a monthly fee. Jonathan advises checking its legality in your country first.
How does Jonathan Kiekbusch hire?
He hires for motivation over skill, prefers junior people he can grow, and pays fairly so they stay.
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Have you ever asked a merchant for a higher commission? Share this with an affiliate SEO. 💬
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Jitendra Vaswani is a well-known expert in SEO and AI-driven digital marketing. He has spoken at international events and founded Digiexe, a digital marketing agency, and AffiliateBooster, WordPress plugin designed specifically for affiliate marketers. With over 10 years of experience, Jitendra has helped many businesses succeed online. His bestselling book, Inside A Hustler’s Brain: In Pursuit of Financial Freedom, with over 20,000 copies sold globally, underscores his influence and commitment to empowering digital marketers.