SEO Blueprints

For an SEO, living in New York City seems like a dilemma. It is expensive. If you work on the internet, why would you need to live in a city, particularly the most expensive city in the country? Just in the United States, you could live in many different less expensive places and get an apartment in good condition for just a few hundred dollars per month where the cost of living all around is much lower.

Living in NYC has many social, cultural, and practical advantages, but is it worth it if you don’t need to commute to a building and work in an office? The answer is yes. Living in an area that has a lot of professionals in your industry, and people in general, is extremely valuable. I have met people who help me with my workload for my websites, clients, other SEOs that are a big reason for some of my success, as well as high profile people in the industry.

Last night I attended the ProBlogger meetup in New York. I went with a friend of mine who has a high profile in the industry and before the event he introduced me to the head of sales and head of international sales for Yahoo. We then went up to the event where I talked to Darren Rowse of ProBlogger, won a prize (which consequently gave me a great link to my blog), and got a picture with him.

The food and drinks were paid for by TextLinkAds, so the guys from there attended. Bloggers came from all over the the New York area, and any area within a tolerable train ride of New York. Talking to them and hearing about their experiences is enlightening. You pick up tips, learn about other niches, and most importantly build contacts.

Many factors influence where people choose to live, but if you are in the internet marketing industry, and are looking for a place don’t rule out places just because they are expensive. New York, as well as other places, can give you advantages you wouldn’t get anywhere else.

Filed under: Internet Marketing Industry, Blogs