Will Hanke is a St. Louis local that specializes in SEO, and next on our Speaker Interview Series for WordCamp St. Louis 2015. Will is quite active locally. You can read up more about him on his official bio for the WordCamp St. Louis event.

Will be speaking on a subject I love and did last year in WordCamp St. Louis 2014 – WordPress SEO. I’m extremely excited he’ll be taking the helm, and also thankful for him taking part in this interview. 🙂

NILE FLORES: What got you interested in WordPress?

WILL HANKE: I was creating websites back in the FrontPage era, and WordPress was a natural progression for me. The ease of use, ability to customize and engagement options hooked me.

NILE FLORES: What is the most interesting WordPress-related project you’ve worked on?

WILL HANKE: Definitely FloatMissouri.com. I loved building the custom theme, business pages and the ability to help create a community.

NILE FLORES: Name 3 WordPress plugins that have always been on your MUST install list, and why.

WILL HANKE: Yoast SEO, Raven Schema, and Yet Another Related Post Plugin (YARPP).

NILE FLORES: What is something interesting about you that the WordPress community doesn’t know?

WILL HANKE: I was using the Internet before it was called the Internet during my military days.

NILE FLORES: In regards to new WordPress users, what one or two pieces of advice would you give them that could be very helpful?

WILL HANKE: Definitely get a backup plugin before you start playing around with things, and make sure it’s working. Then go wild! Click everything and learn as much as you can about the CMS. The possibilities are truly endless!

Please feel free to leave a comment below and ask Will any questions- either about him, what he does, or even about SEO. 🙂