The Secret To Ranking Any Website Page: Kyle Roof

The Wild Road to SEO Success

From Lawyer to Full-Time SEO

Kyle started off as a trial attorney but decided to take a break from the courtroom. That “one-year break” turned into five years teaching English in South Korea. While living abroad, he got into building websites for clients—and when a chance encounter forced him to suddenly learn SEO to keep the lights on, he discovered he had a knack for it.

The Infamous Police Shakedown

If you think starting an agency is stressful, wait until you hear Kyle’s story. He and his brother set up shop in India for development work—but were promptly met with a local police “Shakedown,” which ended with his brother getting thrown in jail overnight. With employees fleeing and clients threatening to leave, Kyle had no choice but to master SEO on the fly. This intense trial by fire revealed his genuine talent for on-page ranking factors and data-driven testing.

Founding High Voltage SEO

Building an Agency with an Exit in Mind

Many SEO agencies start with no end goal. Kyle and his team launched High Voltage SEO with the clear plan to scale, structure, and eventually sell. The secret sauce?

1. Predictable Sales Cycle – They developed a repeatable sales funnel and consistent lead generation.

2. Tight Sops – They documented everything so new hires (or new owners) could step in and run operations smoothly.

3. Proprietary IP – They created unique processes and technology, so that they weren’t just another “book of clients.”

4. Sell on the Upswing – They looked for the right time to merge or sell—when revenue was trending up, not stagnating.

As Kyle says, “If you don’t build your agency to sell it (or at least have that option), you might be stuck operating in the day-to-day forever—and you probably won’t see that big payday.”

Reducing Client Churn

Anyone who has run an agency knows how churn can sabotage growth. Kyle’s biggest advice?

• Benchmark Performance: Always remind clients how far they’ve come. Show the “before” metrics (impressions, clicks, conversions) compared to their current performance. That way, if there’s a flat month, they’ll remember the big picture.

• Longer Contracts: Month-to-month might feel easy to sell, but it also forces you to “reapply” for your job every 30 days. Six-month or annual contracts give you time to implement strategic, long-term SEO tactics.

Sops: The Backbone of Scalability

Kyle insists that any SEO task can be documented, and I agree. Create Sops so detailed that a new hire can jump in without endless handholding. Use videos, checklists, and text documents. And remember, Sops aren’t set in stone; they need to evolve with changing technologies and Google updates.

Page Optimizer Pro (POP)

Filling a Gap in the Market

Kyle and his team built Page Optimizer Pro after the on-page software they relied on removed a vital feature. Rather than settling, they created a new tool—first as a custom script, then as a fully fledged SaaS. It was so effective that it paid for its own development after just three months.

What POP Does:

• Analyzes your page and competitor pages.

• Tells you which words—and how many of them—Google expects to see in specific places (like H1s, content body, meta tags).

• Helps you optimize laser-focused on on-page signals (leaving off-page factors like backlinks to other tools and strategies).

The Magic of SEO Testing

Earning a Patent for Scientific SEO

Kyle literally has a patent on his SEO testing method. He creates isolated environments, ranks test pages for made-up keywords, and tweaks single factors to see how the algorithm responds. This approach removes the guesswork.

Key Lessons from 350+ Tests

1. Google Doesn’t Change as Often as You Think: Sure, we hear about major updates every few months. But the core of how Google ranks pages remains pretty stable.

2. On-Page Is Foundational: No matter how many backlinks you throw at a page, if the content is subpar or missing essential keywords, it’s not going to rank.

3. External Signals Come Next: Once your on-page is airtight, then pivot to building a solid backlink profile.

E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust)

You’ve probably heard about E-A-T, and now Google added an extra E for “Experience.” It all boils down to:

• Trust is at the core. Without it, nothing else matters.

• Experience + Expertise means showing you’re qualified and knowledgeable.

• Authority suggests you’re a go-to resource.

For Local Businesses (like pest control companies), it’s vital to prove you’re real. Show your address, staff bios, certifications, valid phone numbers—everything a legitimate operation would have. And remember, E-E-A-T isn’t a direct ranking factor on its own, but if Google can’t trust you, they’ll never push you to the top.

Internet Marketing Gold (IMG Courses)

A place for SEOs to geek out over testing, local SEO, on-page strategies, and more. Kyle co-founded IMG (now often called IMG Courses), which offers over 50 specialized SEO courses. It’s a subscription model that includes access to a private forum (where you can chat directly with Kyle) and an ever-growing library of training material.

The AI Question

With all the chatter about ChatGPT and AI “killing SEO,” Kyle remains confident. He compares it to every other “SEO is dead” panic he’s seen over the past decade. AI is a powerful tool, but it’s not a magic button for rankings. If you’re bad at SEO, AI will just let you produce bad SEO faster. So use AI for content outlines, research, or first drafts—and then optimize with your expertise.

What’s Next for Kyle Roof?

Kyle is laser-focused on pushing Page Optimizer Pro even further. A new feature, “White Glove,” is in the works to help small and midsized agencies build content silos, identify on-site opportunities, and streamline on-page tasks. Longer-term, Kyle envisions selling POP and moving on to his next entrepreneurial adventure—because if you know anything about Kyle, you know he won’t be content quietly sipping margaritas on a beach. (Or maybe he will—after all, he’s earned it!)

Final Thoughts:

Interviewing Kyle was a huge honor. His commitment to scientific SEO and data-driven decision-making is a breath of fresh air in an industry filled with hype. The main lesson? SEO is alive and well, especially if you combine robust on-page optimization with a genuine brand presence, thorough Sops, and a willingness to adapt to Google’s evolving landscape.

P.S. Check out the full episode here: