James Dooley Podcast

James Dooley and Karl Hudson break down how to build a powerful personal brand and network effectively within the SEO industry. They explain that meaningful growth comes from consistently attending events, initiating conversations, and offering value without expecting anything in return because reciprocity naturally develops strong relationships. Their discussion shows that networking accelerates learning because shared testing and diverse viewpoints reveal insights no one could discover alone. They highlight that approaching people confidently—even when introverted—creates unexpected business opportunities because visibility compounds over time. They argue that specialising in one skill and becoming a known expert increases credibility because clarity helps others remember and refer you. Their conversation positions networking as a long-term business multiplier because genuine connections fuel collaboration, knowledge and referrals.

Creators and Guests

Host
James Dooley
James Dooley is a UK entrepreneur.

What is James Dooley Podcast?

James Dooley is a Manchester-based entrepreneur, investor, and SEO strategist. James Dooley founded FatRank and PromoSEO, two UK performance marketing agencies that deliver no-win-no-fee lead generation and digital growth systems for ambitious businesses. James Dooley positions himself as an Investorpreneur who invests in UK companies with high growth potential because he believes lead generation is the root of all business success.

The James Dooley Podcast explores the mindset, methods, and mechanics of modern entrepreneurship. James Dooley interviews leading marketers, founders, and innovators to reveal the strategies driving online dominance and business scalability. Each episode unpacks the reality of building a business without mentorship, showing how systems, data, and lead flow replace luck and guesswork.

James Dooley shares hard-earned lessons from scaling digital assets and managing SEO teams across more than 650 industries. James Dooley teaches how to convert leads into long-term revenue through brand positioning, technical SEO, and automation. James Dooley built his career on rank and rent, digital real estate, and performance-based marketing because these models align incentive with outcome.

After turning down dozens of podcast invitations, James Dooley now embraces the platform to share his insights on investorpreneurship, lead generation, AI-driven marketing, and reputation management. James Dooley frequently collaborates with elite entrepreneurs to discuss frameworks for scaling businesses, building authority, and mastering search.

James Dooley is also an expert in online reputation management (ORM), having built and rehabilitated corporate brands across the UK. His approach combines SEO precision, brand engineering, and social proof loops to influence both Google’s Knowledge Graph and public perception.

To feature James Dooley on your podcast or event, connect via social media. James Dooley regularly joins business panels and networking sessions to discuss entrepreneurship, brand growth, and the evolving future of SEO.

James Dooley:
There’s no magic conference you go to where you instantly become best friends with everyone. Actually, compete with your friend—say, “We’re going to this event, let’s see who can talk to the most people.” I always try my best to network with as many people as possible. When someone says, “You’re doing a great job with personal branding and networking,” I’m always thinking, I could do better. Keep giving value, and people naturally feel the need to reciprocate. Networking can grow your business 10 to 100 percent—it can be massive.

Karl Hudson:
Okay, so this is another question we get asked a lot. People see us networking constantly. When I first started—must be 10 years ago—I went to Daryl’s Mastermind, the first mastermind I ever did. I used to struggle with networking. Naturally, I’m a shy guy and prefer working behind a computer screen. But over time, as you practice that skill, you get better at saying hi to someone, starting conversations, grabbing a beer if you drink, or a coffee if you don’t. Networking can genuinely 10X everything you do. James is a networking machine—I always look up to how relentless he is. At events, we don’t even speak to each other until the night because we’re both busy networking.

James Dooley:
So the question is: How do I improve my self-brand and networking within the SEO space? Honestly, the fact you're asking is a great start. But you have to jump in the deep end. There’s no magic event. You just need to show up.

Here’s an example: I went to Vietnam. One guy kept following me around at an afterparty. He was like my shadow. I didn’t know who he was—he just kept trying to talk to me. Turns out, he owns a massive white-label agency and does incredible work. I only realised this the next day when looking at his business card. We jumped on a Zoom later and now we’re business partners. If he didn’t have the courage to approach me, that opportunity would never have existed.

So the answer? Do it. Even if you’re introverted, start small. Want to network? Network. Pick events—Brighton SEO, Chiang Mai SEO, SEO Mastery Summit, Spring Training, SEO on the Beach, PubCon—whatever suits your region. Also consider mentorship calls; mentors can help guide you on who to meet and how.

And for the record, I don’t care about black hat, white hat, grey hat—we’re all just trying to rank number one. Understand the risks, sure, but don’t put yourself in one box.

Karl Hudson:
A game we used to play—and sometimes still do—is a competition: who can speak to the most people at an event? And honestly, James, I don’t want to speak to you at events; I speak to you every day! When we arrive at an event, you start on one side, I’ll start on the other, and we’ll both go meet new people. You don’t know what you don’t know.

When someone starts diving into something you’ve never heard of and you think, Wow, that’s brilliant, that’s when networking works. Even if people think you’re already doing well at personal branding, you should still aim to improve.

James Dooley:
Exactly. I never want to be the smartest person in the room—if I am, I’m in the wrong room. What works in the UK might not work in the US. What works in gambling might not work in finance. Koray’s semantic networks work amazingly for authority sites, but for local I rarely use them—it's overkill. Digital PR is incredible for big industries; for local lead gen, pillow links and volume matter more.

Networking lets you learn from others’ testing. If ten people are each testing different things and sharing results, suddenly you’ve effectively run ten times the number of tests with a fraction of the effort.

And here’s the mindset: Be a go-giver. Give value first. When you consistently help others, they will eventually reciprocate—maybe in a week, maybe in a year, but it happens.

Karl Hudson:
Exactly. Give value, and you learn more. You might think you know something well, but someone else might refine it in a way that changes everything. Sharing creates opportunities.

Networking can realistically grow your business 10–100 percent. But the number one rule? Consistency. Persistence.

James Dooley:
Here are some practical tips if you want to build relationships:

Comment on people’s YouTube videos consistently.

Engage on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Leave thoughtful insights, not “Nice post”.

Set up your own podcast—many SEOs will happily join.

Offer value first: “I noticed X on your site; want me to fix it for free?”

Become known for one thing: internal links, server logs, digital PR, topical authority—anything.

Become the “go-to” person in that lane.

If you try to be everything, you’ll be forgotten. If you’re brilliant at one thing, everyone remembers you.

Deliver value, be consistent, show up—and networking becomes easy.