When SEO giant and Moz founder Rand Fishkin said yes to our podcast, we couldn’t wait to come up with questions. Within a few days, we had a monster list of queries, and while some people wanted very basic, beginner’s info on link building, others demanded deep-dive answers to complex, multi-part questions that would not only make the podcast run 10 hours long, but make the average listener’s head explode.

During several closed-door meets where we mercilessly culled the list and argued over what our audience really wanted to know, our team agreed on two things. One, the show would be something special. Two? In the words of Gabrielle Union in that completely-underrated cheerleading movie, Rand was going to “bring it.”

Here’s a simplified list of why Rand was our must-have guest for Heart of Business:

He knew SEO was a thing before SEO knew it was a thing

Believe it or not, there was a time when business people and tech critics could not decide if SEO was going to stick around, or disappear faster than an unpopular meme on Reddit. Rand took a chance in 2004 and went all-in with SEO before the question was even settled, and he has thousands of loyal Moz users to show for it.
He successfully manages a boatload of social media accounts
How many times have you sat, wringing your hands, over how you were going to manage your cadre of social media accounts? Rand deftly juggles Twitter, Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn and FourSquare accounts, and we just had to know how he does it.

He can spot sharable, engaging content from 10,000 yards

With posts on the consequences of buying marijuana vs. laundering billions of dollars to programming your brain in 10 steps, Rand’s Twitter feed alone balances hugely interesting news items to quote-worthy SEO knowledge and infographics. Sorting through millions of pieces of content and finding what works is an art, and to us, so exploring how Rand manages this was mandatory.

He’s completely mastered viral marketing

By the time Rand’s marriage proposal ran during a Veronica Mars episode, prompting his now-wife Geraldine to give an enthusiastic “YES!”, Rand’s original plan to air his ad during the Superbowl had caught fire amongst millions of users. Using a different name, a blog, and a promise to help raise funds for Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, he turned his romantic moment into a viral phenomenon that hasn’t been duplicated since.

He gets how fashion and familiarity run hand-in-hand

Ever run across someone at a trade show or mixer, have a great conversation, and completely forget who they are the next time you see them? At any and all business events, Rand rocks bright yellow Pumas, making him immediately recognizable to any and all guests. Using fashion as an identifier is nothing new, but few get it right like Rand, making him a business marketing ninja.

Tomorrow, we’ll run our 30+ minute interview with Rand, where he gives gold-standard answers to questions on SEO, social media and creating awesome content. Until then, we’ll use social media and blogging to tease what’s in the podcast, so watch this space for SEO and marketing goodness.