{"id":163493,"date":"2023-07-27T00:02:07","date_gmt":"2023-07-27T05:02:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=163493"},"modified":"2023-07-27T00:02:11","modified_gmt":"2023-07-27T05:02:11","slug":"raleigh-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/raleigh-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"SEO Community Spotlight: Raleigh"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"intro-txt\">SEO communities around the world are struggling to get back to normal after COVID-19. Ahrefs is looking to highlight different communities globally to see if we can reignite some of them. If you want your community featured, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/patrickstox\">send me a message<\/a>.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Raleigh, North Carolina, is where I\u2019ve called home for more than a decade. It\u2019s a community that I know and love, so I\u2019m featuring it first. It also has one of the largest and oldest SEO communities in the&nbsp;world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But why Raleigh? And what makes it special? Let\u2019s find&nbsp;out!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"intro-tok\" id=\"intro_tok\" style=\"display:none;\"><div class=\"intro-title\">Contents<\/div><a href=\"#\" class=\"expand-dots\"><span><\/span><span><\/span><span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"History of SEO in Raleigh\" data-section=\"history-seo-in-raleigh\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">History of SEO in Raleigh<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A lot of the SEO history in Raleigh goes back to a single company: Websourced. I\u2019m told that, at one point, this was one of the largest digital marketing companies in the&nbsp;world.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That was 20+ years ago and before my time. But I do know that many talented SEOs worked there like <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jennyhalasz\">Jenny Halasz<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AndyBeal\">Andy Beal<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GarrettFrench\">Garrett French<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bobmisita\">Bob Misita<\/a>, and many&nbsp;more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We play the six degrees of separation game with Jenny. The idea is that all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other. It\u2019s amazing how many people she has trained have, in turn, trained others in the field\u2014and not just in Raleigh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BermanHale\">Ashley Berman Hale<\/a> also deserves a huge shout-out for starting one of the earliest communities, the Raleigh SEO Meetup. Founded in 2008, she ran it until 2011 when she moved and turned it over to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/1918\">Phil Buckley<\/a>. Phil ran the monthly events until 2014 when <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FrankCJones\">Frank Jones<\/a> took over. Frank brought me in (<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/patrickstox\">Patrick Stox<\/a>) and, later, <a href=\"https:\/\/seocommunity.social\/@jroakes\">JR Oakes<\/a> to help run things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Raleigh SEO Meetup isn\u2019t the only group, but it\u2019s been the most impactful and well&nbsp;known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"SEO meetups\" data-section=\"seo-meetups\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SEO meetups<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve got a few different groups in Raleigh, and we\u2019ve been lucky enough to keep them free for people over the years, thanks to some amazing sponsors.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This isn\u2019t easy, though. Most of the similar groups in the U.S. have gone to a membership model and\/or have fees for attending the events. It\u2019s always a struggle to keep the lights on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But we\u2019ve been lucky to have people passionate about the SEO community who spend a ton of time and great effort to make these events happen.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On top of that, we\u2019re lucky to have a talented pool of local speakers, a community that supports new speakers, and enough recognition to a point where we (sometimes) pull in bigger speakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve had speakers such as <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iPullRank\">Mike King<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JoyanneHawkins\">Joy Hawkins<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bill_slawski\">Bill Slawski<\/a> (RIP), <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/randfish\">Rand Fishkin<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Casieg\">Casie Gillette<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Indig\">Kevin Indig<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ScottDikkers\">Scott Dikkers<\/a> (co-founder of The Onion), <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GregoryNg\">Gregory Ng<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SusanEDub\">Susan Wenograd<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/fighto\">Paul Shapiro<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stonetemple\">Eric Enge<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hamletbatista\">Hamlet Batista<\/a> (RIP), and many more over the&nbsp;years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image2-13.png\" alt=\"Rob Delory presenting about local SEO at the Raleigh SEO Meetup\" class=\"wp-image-163495\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image2-13.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image2-13-566x425.png 566w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image2-13-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image2-13-1536x1153.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rob Delory presenting about local SEO at the Raleigh SEO Meetup.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/raleighseo\/\">Raleigh SEO Meetup<\/a>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>4,000 members<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>250+ events<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Founded in 2008 by Ashley Berman Hale<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Currently run by Frank Jones and Patrick Stox<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Raleigh SEO Meetup labels itself as the most successful SEO meetup in the U.S. This was definitely true at one time, and we could pull 150\u2013200+ people for our monthly events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve had a lot of formats like conference-style presentations, informal hangouts, live audits, SEO training sessions, lightning talks, and discussion panels over the&nbsp;years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the good times, we had nice event spaces and provided food and drinks. In the bad times, we were at a restaurant, bar, or even a library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We tried going back to in-person events after COVID-19, but we just don\u2019t have the draw yet. We had some great speakers, but there was little interest in the events.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It might be that people lost the habit of coming or weren\u2019t aware we started doing the events again. I think we\u2019ll just have to get back out there and plug along. But for now, we\u2019re still doing online events and some occasional lunch meetups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/triangle-marketing-club\/\">Triangle Marketing Club<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>5,500+ members<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>75+ events<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Founded in 2015 by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FlyingNCMBA\">Chris Douglas<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Cole_Watts\">Cole Watts<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Currently run by Chris Douglas<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The group focuses on things beyond SEO, but much of its content is also relevant to SEOs. Chris has had a few issues getting the group going again after COVID-19. But he\u2019s back at it each month, and the attendance is growing again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/beerandseo\/\">Beer &amp; SEO<\/a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>700+ members<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>75+ events<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Founded in 2008 as the RTP SEO Meetup<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Relaunched by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rdelory\">Rob Delory<\/a>, JR Oakes, and Patrick Stox<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Currently run by Rob Delory and Patrick Stox<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This group was growing pre-COVID, and we saw 50+ people at some of the events then. The content here was always more advanced, and we never expected a huge turnout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We haven\u2019t had an event for this group since COVID-19 hit, but I think it\u2019s about time we try again. The turnout at the Raleigh SEO events and Triangle Marketing has us scared, though, because they traditionally experienced a much higher turnout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"SEO conferences\" data-section=\"seo-conferences\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SEO conferences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The largest running conference in Raleigh is Digital Summit, which started in 2008. Founders Eric Gregg and Scott Hedrick are from Raleigh.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before the series was sold, they held the premiere conference for the series locally. This event was called Internet Summit, and it attracted upward of 2,500 marketers each&nbsp;year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also have the Raleigh SEO Conference, which is much smaller at fewer than 200 attendees. This is another event that we just haven\u2019t done since the pandemic but, hopefully, we can get it going again next&nbsp;year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image1-10.jpg\" alt=\"Ashley Berman Hale presenting at the Raleigh SEO Conference in 2018\" class=\"wp-image-163496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image1-10.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image1-10-567x425.jpg 567w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image1-10-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ashley Berman Hale presenting at the Raleigh SEO Conference in&nbsp;2018.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>There were some other conferences over the years like the Digital Marketers For Business (DMFB) conference, which doesn\u2019t run anymore. There was a different conference being planned when the world shut down, and I\u2019m still hopeful that it will move forward soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"The people\" data-section=\"the-people\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The people<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Passionate people make the community special and help it grow. We\u2019re really lucky to have awesome people who are willing to share their knowledge and hang out with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a lot of experts on different topics. I\u2019ve already mentioned many people. But some others who live here or used to that you may know include <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/marktraphagen\">Mark Traphagen<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Casieg\">Casie Gillette<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jakebohall\">Jake Bohall<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rjonesx\">Russ Jones<\/a> (RIP), <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/gofishchris\">Chris Long<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/heatherlloyd\">Heather Lloyd<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jpsherman\">JP Sherman<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/notsleepy\">Tony Spencer<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/chasers\">Chase Granberry<\/a>, and so many&nbsp;more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are also a lot of unknown SEOs who are really good at what they do but aren\u2019t public facing. Plus, there\u2019s a constant stream of new SEOs entering the&nbsp;field.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also have reps in the area from some of the SEO tools and resources like Ahrefs, Lumar, seoClarity, and Third Door Media (Search Engine Land).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are constantly new SEOs, marketing people, and business owners who come out to the events, allowing the community to grow. In addition to the events, there are a lot of random get-togethers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Raleigh also seems to attract a lot of remote workers. It had one of the highest rates of remote workers for any major metro both before and after the pandemic.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are lots of great in-house SEOs, freelancers, affiliates, and a surprising number of famous YouTubers in Raleigh. We have a lot of folks in the gaming niche, probably because Epic Games of Unreal Engine and Fortnite are right next door in Cary, North Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the world\u2019s greatest content creators, Mr Beast, grew up in Raleigh. A couple of years ago, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6gphsiQDjDY\">built downtown Raleigh in Minecraft<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"SEO companies\" data-section=\"seo-companies\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SEO companies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a lot of great SEO companies in the Raleigh area. Some of the ones that are constantly winning national SEO awards are Go Fish Digital, Hive Digital, and Locomotive. Ayima, which many people may know because of its Redirect Path plugin, also has a presence and history in Raleigh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Three Ships is another company that I think deserves a mention. It partners with and grows companies. It also acquires companies to grow them. I think it\u2019s leaning somewhat on the Red Ventures model. Red Ventures is just down the road in Charlotte, North Carolina, and has many employees in Raleigh as&nbsp;well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many great companies that work with more local clients too. Some of them have been operating for nearly 20 years. Others are newer to the market but have talented people.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do y\u2019all remember a few years ago when it was announced that iContact had acquired Moz? I was surprised by this because that was a company name I hadn\u2019t heard in a while, and iContact is just 12 minutes from my house (according to Google Maps). I was fairly amused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"How to reinvigorate in-person SEO events?&nbsp;\" data-section=\"reinvigorate-in-person-seo-events\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How can we reinvigorate in-person SEO events?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s been hard to get things going again after COVID-19, and I\u2019ve spoken with many other organizers with the same troubles. Running these events is a lot of hard work. If you have a local community, thank your organizers and ask how you can help. They will greatly appreciate it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We want to know your thoughts on how we can get things going again, and we want to feature other communities so we can bring more awareness to them and spark people\u2019s passion for&nbsp;SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want your community featured, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/patrickstox\">send me a message<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t need to be a physical community; it can be a virtual community or group. I\u2019d prefer if someone passionate about their community is willing to share it in their own words, but I\u2019m happy to help if you\u2019re having trouble communicating your thoughts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Raleigh, North Carolina, is where I\u2019ve called home for more than a decade. It\u2019s a community that I know and love, so I\u2019m featuring it first. It also has one of the largest and oldest SEO communities in the&nbsp;world. But<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":150,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[335],"tags":[],"coauthors":[377],"class_list":["post-163493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-seo","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>SEO Community Spotlight: Raleigh<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With COVID-19 dampening SEO communities globally, we hope to reignite them by highlighting some of the best and the great work they do.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/raleigh-seo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SEO Community Spotlight: Raleigh\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It&#039;s about bringing people together.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/raleigh-seo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"patrickstox\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-07-27T05:02:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-07-27T05:02:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image2-13.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Patrick Stox\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"It&#039;s about bringing people together.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@patrickstox\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ahrefs\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/raleigh-seo\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/raleigh-seo\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Patrick Stox\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/14bf754248f3c561786477e4e5fd2067\"},\"headline\":\"SEO Community Spotlight: Raleigh\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-07-27T05:02:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-27T05:02:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/raleigh-seo\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1679,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/raleigh-seo\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/07\\\/seo-community-spotlight-raleigh-by-patrick-stox-general-seo-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"General SEO\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/raleigh-seo\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/raleigh-seo\\\/\",\"name\":\"SEO Community Spotlight: Raleigh\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/raleigh-seo\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/raleigh-seo\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/07\\\/image2-13.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-07-27T05:02:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-27T05:02:11+00:00\",\"description\":\"With COVID-19 dampening SEO communities globally, we hope to reignite them by highlighting some of the best and the great work they do.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/raleigh-seo\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/raleigh-seo\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/07\\\/image2-13.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/07\\\/image2-13.png\",\"width\":1999,\"height\":1500},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\",\"description\":\"Link Building Strategies &amp; 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