Co-Founder & M.D @ Louder.Online

As a businessman,  entrepreneur, and author, I've spent 16 years reshaping the landscape of our industry. 

Co-founding Louder.Online 16 years ago was the beginning of a journey that has led to global recognition, transformative partnerships, and multiple successful ventures.

Some of my journey's highlights include:

→ Co-authored the book "Faster, Smarter, Louder"
→ Consulted for Fortune 100 clients including Salesforce, Intel, IBM, Coca-Cola, and Target
→ Authored over 1,000 articles for major publications like Forbes, HubSpot, and Entrepreneur
→ Recognized as a thought leader by Content Marketing Institute and Search Engine Journal
→ Delivered speeches across the US, UK, Asia, and Australia

As a serial entrepreneur, I've:

→ Co-founded Louder.Online, recognized among the top 25 Martech Companies in Asia-Pacific
→ Started multiple businesses across various industries
→ Launched an M&A education business focused on small business acquisitions
→ Developed expertise in multi-channel marketing, SEO, PPC, CRO, and content marketing

My work has garnered attention from prestigious media outlets:

→ Featured in The Huffington Post, Forbes, and the Sydney Morning Herald
→ Regular contributor to HubSpot, Entrepreneur, and Fortune
→ Guest on popular podcasts like Mixergy and Entrepreneur on Fire

My approach goes beyond traditional marketing. I create actionable, thoughtful strategies that not only deliver new customers but build lasting brand relationships. 

If you're looking to revolutionize your digital presence, explore business acquisition opportunities, or drive your brand into the future, let's connect.

Aaron Agius

I’ve watched outdated SEO strategies die in real time.

The digital graveyard is full of businesses that thought lazy, generic SEO could win.

90% of “professionals” are still playing that losing game.

Do you honestly think you’re different?

Most still build SEO on wishful thinking:
➔ Pick random keywords
➔ Stuff them into useless content
➔ Chase backlinks like desperate attention-seekers

That’s exactly how Strategy B self-destructed.

Here’s how you actually dominate SEO today, and what Strategy A did:

Content & Intent
➔ Educational content solving real market pain points
➔ Surgical alignment with sector-specific search intent

Optimization & Testing
➔ Real-time, data-driven adaptation—not set-and-forget
➔ Technical excellence: site speed, mobile-first, UX
➔ A/B testing like a sniper, not spray-and-pray

Metrics & Authority
➔ Focus on real metrics: traffic, conversions, revenue
➔ Targeted, high-authority links earned intelligently

I use nothing except what delivers measurable, aggressive results.

Strategy A didn’t just beat Strategy B—it obliterated it: 4.2x more traffic, more revenue, more engagement.

Why? It was engineered to annihilate inferiority.

Without precision, relevance, and data, you’re irrelevant.

Your competitors who do invest in these will outpace, out-earn, and erase you.

Strong CTAs help—but strong brands are better.

Make people WANT to buy from you.

Don’t force them.

If your SEO is still on autopilot, you’re not just falling behind—you’re already buried.

The fastest way to kill an agency isn’t bad SEO; it’s hiring people who ‘know SEO.’

Join the top 1% of agency leaders by facing this truth:
Your obsession with “SEO experience” is suffocating your future.

Most agencies cling to experience like a life raft.

They treat it as gospel.

A shortcut to credibility.

But experience has quietly become a straitjacket.

The harder you demand it, the more you guarantee stagnation.

Ask yourself who’s really moving your agency forward: rule-followers, or rule-breakers?

I’ve watched agencies collapse under the weight of “proven” tactics and “seasoned” hires.

Creativity didn’t die.

It was choked out by predictable resumes and recycled solutions.

SEO innovation has never come from playing by the book.

Yet agencies keep hiring carbon copies of their competitors.

That isn’t strategy—it’s delusion.

Here’s the reality:

Experience doesn’t guarantee relevance.

It creates echo chambers.

It filters out the renegades: the ones bold enough to ask, “Why are we still doing this?”

SEO today doesn’t reward mastery of 2012 tactics.

It rewards people who see new patterns and act before consensus forms.

The agencies leading this industry aren’t run by veterans clutching dusty playbooks.

They’re driven by talent with audacity, curiosity, and vision.

This isn’t an argument for ignorance.

Technical skill matters, but only as a foundation.

Without creativity layered on top, it’s useless.

Hire safe, and you’ll rank safe.

And safe is invisible.

Keep demanding “SEO experience required,” and you’ll keep getting substandard work. 

Interchangeable campaigns. Predictable outcomes. Slow decline.

If you want to win, hire people who challenge you.

Who ask better questions instead of reciting old answers.

Break your addiction to experience as a proxy for value, or accept average results.

Because the future belongs to agencies willing to reject the default.

Your move.

Why 'SEO Experience Required' Is Killing Agency Innovation

You think office perks keep talent loyal?

Try locking a strong engineer into an outdated tech stack, then watch how fast the kombucha bar stops mattering.

The modern workplace does not lose top performers because snacks are poorly picked.

It loses them because leaders micromanage tools instead of trusting professionals.

Read that again.

How most teams think retention works:
➔ Free lunches and unlimited coffee
➔ Nap pods and ping-pong tables
➔ Trendy offices with beanbags

How retention actually works:
➔ Real autonomy to choose, test, and deploy the right technology
➔ Zero tolerance for legacy systems that choke creativity
➔ Trust in the people closest to the work to define what drives results

Ask your best developer what matters more: her keyboard or the pizza in the breakroom.

If she’s any good, she’ll dismiss the perks and ask for freedom to use the right tools.

Here’s what tech stack autonomy delivers:
➔ Teams focused on outcomes, not optics
➔ Faster cycles without friction from outdated software
➔ A culture that attracts serious talent
➔ Skill growth that compounds through real problem-solving

You don’t see elite companies leading with office perks.

You see them winning because they invest in adaptable tech and let experts decide what works.

Retention is not about dopamine hits from free stuff.

It’s about respecting intelligence.

Perks often mask deeper dysfunction.

Rigid tools signal control, not stability.

Top performers want environments where they can break, rebuild, and improve their own stack.

Anything less tells them they will be more valuable somewhere else.

If perks are still your retention strategy, competitors are already recruiting your team.

Strong CTAs matter.

But strong brands matter more.

Make people want to work for you.

Don’t try to trap them.

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Why Tech Stack Freedom Matters More Than Office Perks

I stopped solely chasing Google rankings years ago and scaled my businesses to seven figures while competitors stayed stuck on the keyword hamster wheel.

Most people still treat traditional SEO like a lifeline.

That’s why growth feels slow, visibility is inconsistent, and progress looks like motion without momentum.

The playbook is outdated, even if it’s familiar.

My domination strategy:
➔ Eliminate dependency on Google
➔ Distribute hyper-targeted content across syndication, affiliates, and dark social
➔ Automate omnipresence so my audience can’t avoid the message

Too aggressive? That’s usually what unqualified marketers say before irrelevance catches up.

Week to week, I’m outpacing competitors by:
➔ Building distribution networks that bypass search entirely
➔ Partnering with affiliates who reach audiences Google never will
➔ Seeding dark social with conversion-first assets that collapse the discovery cycle

Alongside that:
➔ I run automation pipelines that deploy content before rivals even react
➔ I choose syndication channels where brand control is absolute
➔ I use precision micro-distribution that bloated SaaS tools can’t replicate

What worked?

Killing SEO dependency.

No waiting. No link begging. No algorithm worship.

I move faster and command attention while others tweak metadata.

What doesn’t work?

Playing it safe: incremental keyword gains, endless dashboard watching, and hoping rankings turn into momentum.

Anyone still glued to Search Console is ignoring how fast this market moves.

This works because control beats compliance.

I refuse to let an algorithm designed to flatten ambition dictate my growth.

I build distribution that’s automated, precise, and relentless, so omnipresence is engineered, not earned.

Comfort kills scale.

If you want real growth, stop digging through SEO fossils and start building systems that can’t be throttled.

The future belongs to those who own distribution, not those waiting to be ranked.

Most digital marketing teams celebrated today are bloated relics, propped up by outdated thinking.

Everyone wants elite performance, yet almost no one wants to accept what it actually requires.

What I see with top enterprise clients is a very different model.

It is not stacked talent or big personalities.

It is precision, alignment, and results. Nothing else.

Here is where most digital teams fail.

They worship vanity metrics.

They stay busy with meetings, reports, and headcount growth that leads to stagnation.

Their structures mirror yesterday’s failures, not tomorrow’s wins.

They talk about analytics while guessing which levers matter.

Now compare that to what actually works.

I align marketing with sales, product, and customer success so no message conflicts.

Analytics should be foundational, not decorative. Data drives every assignment.

In addition:
➔ Every hire is intentional: there are no “nice-to-have” roles
➔ Roles are built for one clear outcome, not inflated resumes
➔ If a tool or automation does not drive progress, it is not purchased

What worked for me was relentless prioritization.

Teams must be built for impact, not appearance.

Trendy tools without measurable lift are wasted spend.

What never worked was growing teams for ego.

Chasing trends.

Separating marketing from sales and product.

If a team is not aligned around one strategy, one dataset, and one goal, it will fail.

Enterprise environments remove illusions fast.

Discipline and data decide everything. Everything else is noise.

The future belongs to leaders who build marketing teams as strategic weapons, not social clubs.

If you are still running a team built for 2016, the outcome is predictable.

You either define the next decade, or you get outperformed by it.

Watching enterprise websites bleed millions is like seeing a luxury yacht sink while the crew argues over who forgot to plug a hole.

Everyone gawks at digital “giants,” yet few have the guts to fix the mistakes draining revenue.

Right now, 83% of enterprise sites sabotage themselves—ignoring SEO audits and gifting revenue to competitors.

Tomorrow, those who embrace relentless auditing and optimization dominate.

Here’s how I approach it weekly:
➔ Full audits with Screaming Frog & Sitebulb—anything less is amateur hour
➔ Fix broken links, slow pages, outdated metadata before they drain revenue
➔ Mobile optimization checks—59% of search is mobile; ignoring it is malpractice

Beyond that:
➔ Page speed benchmarking—every second costs ~7% conversions
➔ Crawl & indexation analysis with GSC & Ahrefs
➔ Site architecture reviews—duplicate content, buried conversion paths, hidden opportunities

What works? Relentless, unsentimental audits.

What doesn’t? Overpaid agencies or “set-and-forget” in-house teams.

Complacency costs millions.

Why it works for me? Every missed audit is a personal attack on profit.

Numbers dip? I hold the process accountable, not Google.

The data doesn’t lie: 1 second of delay = 7% fewer conversions.

Mobile traffic dominates—fail there, and competitors feast.

No enterprise wins by accident.

The choice is clear:
➔ Audit, optimize, cash in
➔ Or watch market share vanish

Neglect is a choice.

Optimization is a weapon.

Budget won’t save broken processes.

Face the numbers. Confront reality. Do the work.

Your revenue depends on it.

Mistakes Enterprise Websites Should Watch Out For

Your “thought leadership” content isn’t building authority, it’s training your audience to scroll past.

I’ve seen too many enterprise marketing execs cling to their blogs like security blankets, while the audience moves on.

Your blog isn’t building authority.

It’s shouting into a void while people scroll, swipe, and click past.

Long articles, keyword stuffing, “thought leadership”: they’re mostly ignored.

Drop the delusion.

How most teams think engagement works in 2026:
➔ Four blog posts a week for “consistency”
➔ Endless SEO tweaks chasing shrinking search traffic
➔ Bloated articles that vanish after publishing

How engagement actually works:
➔ Data-driven, personalized content based on real audience signals
➔ Interactive video, audio, and immersive formats that stop scrolling
➔ Strategic distribution on channels people actually use

Reality check: over 50% of marketers report declining blog traffic.

Average attention? Less than 60 seconds.

Only 26% see ROI.

Meanwhile, audience-first content drives engagement and conversions up 200%+.

Blogging is the fax machine of marketing: familiar, expensive, ignored.

Every hour spent polishing posts is an hour not building experiences that actually connect.

Stop obsessing over calendars.

Start listening to data.

Build experiences, not posts.

Blogging was a tool.

Adaptive, audience-first content is your advantage.

If your strategy still revolves around publishing more words, you’ve already chosen mediocrity, while competitors build real relationships.

Why We Tell Our Clients to STOP Creating Blog Posts

Every SEO team has a budget and an outcome.

Here’s the truth: only one of these is truly yours.

Competitors can throw money at bloated agencies.

Fill seats with ineffective generalists.

Buy overpriced tools.

Boast about “full-service.”

But they can’t build surgical efficiency.

☑ Budgets Limit
Budgets come from profit constraints, not strategy or boldness.

☑ Outcomes Build Trust
Clients trust teams that deliver traffic, rankings, and revenue—on time, every time.

☑ Outcomes Differentiate
In a world of “big spend, minimal results,” outcomes set you apart.

Why outcomes matter more than budget:
➔ Showcase expertise
➔ Prove real impact
➔ Build credibility
➔ Attract results-focused clients
➔ Create loyalty through performance
➔ Fuel word-of-mouth with execution

Here’s how I focus on outcomes:

Team & Roles
➔ Hire a single full-time SEO lead for clarity, strategy, and cross-team alignment
➔ Use freelancers with deep expertise for high-impact work
➔ Demand role clarity—everyone owns a piece of the result

Tools & Processes
➔ Exploit only tools that matter: Ahrefs Lite, SEMrush Pro, GSC
➔ Cut “nice-to-have” software and vanity spends
➔ Enable cross-functional collaboration with devs, UX, content, and analytics

Learning & Measurement
➔ Rapidly upskill your team with free resources: Google SEO Starter Guide, Moz Academy
➔ Measure every KPI ruthlessly: rankings, organic sessions, revenue per page
➔ Reject the mindset that “budget = success”—brains, discipline, and adaptability drive results

Focusing on outcomes isn’t a tactic.

It’s the bedrock of a performance culture.

Lead with outcomes.

And watch market domination follow.

Building an SEO Team Without a Big Agency Budget

Stop fantasizing that clever slogans or bloated teams will propel you forward. Study the enterprises that win, then reengineer your marketing machinery with laser focus on efficiency and strategic thermonuclear power. Or, stick to your old ways and watch those quarterly reports slide deeper into shameful territory.

There is no magic formula, no shortcut, no fairy tale “hack” to building a world-class SEO team on a budget. There is only strategy, discipline, and the will to act while your competitors waste time and money.

It’s time for some honesty. You do not need a monstrous marketing budget or the razzle-dazzle of agency smoke and mirrors to build an SEO team that cr

Open article: Building an Elite SEO Team on a Budget: The Unforgiving Truth No Agency Will Tell You by Aaron Agius • 6 min read

Building an Elite SEO Team on a Budget: The Unforgiving Truth No Agency Will Tell You

If you want an agency that shapes tomorrow, recruit like your future depends on it—because it does.

Every time you hide behind “SEO experience required,” you’re lighting the funeral pyre for your own ambition. There will be no applause at the grave.

The Ruthless Truth About Innovation, Recruitment, and Survival in Modern Digital Marketing Let’s incinerate the industry’s most sacred cow right up fr

Open article: Is Your Obsession with “SEO Experience” Suffocating Your Agency’s Future? by Aaron Agius • 8 min read

Is Your Obsession with “SEO Experience” Suffocating Your Agency’s Future?

The benchmark for success is no longer innovation. It’s about acquiring, hacking, and out-optimizing every single move your competition makes—and then automating it so aggressively that human error and hesitation are eliminated.

Let me ask a question that will probably make you squirm: Just how naked are you, competitively speaking? I’m not talking about the LinkedIn vanity me

Open article: How Reverse Engineering Competitor Strategies Fuels Industry Leadership by Aaron Agius • 7 min read

How Reverse Engineering Competitor Strategies Fuels Industry Leadership

Empower your workforce to choose, adapt, and evolve their own tools, and you’ll lock in the best talent, outpace your industry, and shatter old benchmarks for innovation and growth. Stick to the myth of perks, and you'll wake up to a talent exodus and a stalled product roadmap.

Abandon everything you know about SEO. Engineer an underground content distribution system that guarantees visibility, authority, and conversion at scale. Traditionalists will be crushed. Only the relentless—the ones who dare to discard the outdated—will dominate.

Accept the harshest reality in digital marketing: traditional SEO is finished. Yes, you read that correctly. The endless grind of optimizing keywords,

Open article: From Zero to $1M: The Ruthless Content Distribution Blueprint That Annihilates Outdated SEO by Aaron Agius • 9 min read

From Zero to $1M: The Ruthless Content Distribution Blueprint That Annihilates Outdated SEO

It’s not too late to fix this. Shred your editorial calendar and interrogate your data. Ask your customers what they want—every quarter, every campaign, every channel. If your answer is “more blog posts,” you’re asking the wrong people, or you’re lying to yourself.

If you’re in the 83% still treating audits as an afterthought, just know this—the clock is counting down on your market share, your profitability, and, possibly, your job.

If you want to shift from bleeding revenue to dominating your sector, the path is simple and merciless: Audit. Fix. Audit again. Only the relentless survive. Only the disciplined thrive.

The $100 Million Blunder Sabotaging 83% of Big Brands Let’s destroy the myth right now: Enterprise organizations are not immune to catastrophic digita

Open article: Are Critical SEO Issues Costing Enterprise Websites Millions? by Aaron Agius • 9 min read

Are Critical SEO Issues Costing Enterprise Websites Millions?

If you still believe original ideas win markets, you’ve already lost.

The real power belongs to those ruthless enough to rip apart competitor strategies, reconstruct them with brutal efficiency, and then weaponize automation to dominate at scale.

The CEOs clinging to “innovation first” are simply donating market share to the cunning operators who treat competitor intelligence as the only path to victory.

Are you building your business on naive optimism or unforgiving reality?

Who wins the future: original “innovators,” or tacticians who dissect, replicate, and automate competitors until nothing is left to steal?

You can chase the ghost of “adequate SEO,” comfort yourself with pointless dashboards, and watch your competitors suffocate you in the SERPs.

Or you can build a program so empirically sound, so viciously focused, that 4.2x isn’t your ceiling—it’s your starting point. It’s not about working harder. It’s about being too precise, too ruthless, and too relentless for anyone else to keep up.

You want proof that most so-called “SEO experts” are nothing but glorified guessers? Keep reading. If you’re clinging to tired, generic strategies, yo

Open article: Why One SEO Strategy Outperformed Another by 4.2x (And Why Most Experts Never Will) by Aaron Agius • 8 min read

Why One SEO Strategy Outperformed Another by 4.2x (And Why Most Experts Never Will)

Shane Barker

Founder @TraceFuse.ai | The Amazon Review Expert | E-commerce Strategist | Influencer Marketing Specialist | Keynote Speaker

Shane Barker is a seasoned entrepreneur and the founder of TraceFuse, the company that pioneered the first TOS-compliant Amazon Negative Review Removal system.

As a highly experienced marketing professional with over two decades of expertise, Shane has assisted dozens of Fortune 500 companies in expanding their digital presence. He has been recognized as a leading influencer in marketing by esteemed organizations like the Content Marketing Institute and Influence Directory. He has also served as an instructor at UCLA, contributing to developing the university's Influencer Marketing and Personal Branding programs.

In recent years, Shane has shifted his focus to e-commerce, particularly on Amazon. His interest in the platform was sparked during a joint effort to increase traffic to product listings. During this time, he discovered that negative reviews were a common pain point for Amazon sellers.

To address this problem, Shane founded TraceFuse, a company at the forefront of pushing the boundaries of e-commerce. TraceFuse has developed a cutting-edge, 100% white hat system for negative review removal, which has become the go-to solution for combating abusive, negative reviews.

Learn More → www.TraceFuse.ai

CEO | Entrepreneur | Influencer Marketing Specialist | Author | Speaker | Mentor

I put my innovative ideas and a keen sense of “what works,” to assist companies in creating an integrated, results-oriented digital marketing strategy.

I specialize in in influencer marketing, product launches, content marketing, sales funnels, targeted traffic and website conversions. I consult with Fortune 500 companies, influencers with digital products, and a number of A-List celebrities and help companies to build trust with authentic content and to become thought leaders within their industry.  

I have a proven track record in developing and executing long-term online digital marketing strategies and social media campaigns. I love business development and have a passion for giving back to the community.

Amazon does not care that a 1-star review hurt your feelings. 

They don't care that the customer is lying. 

They don't care that it's unfair.

They only care if the review violates their TOS.

Stop filing cases based on emotion. Amazon is a machine, and you have to speak machine language.

We spent two years cracking the code on how to talk to Amazon's internal teams.

It’s not just about clicking "Report Abuse." It’s about the phrasing.

If a customer writes: 

"This product is garbage and the seller is a thief," Amazon's bot sees that as a valid customer opinion.

But if you frame the case correctly (highlighting that the review contains "unverifiable claims" or violates "community standards on respectful communication") suddenly you get a different result.

You have to guide the support agent (or the bot) to the exact clause in their own Terms of Service that the review violates.

Don't ask Amazon for a favor. 

Show Amazon where critical reviews are breaking their own rules.

JSESSIONID

li_at

I almost lost out on a teaching gig because I didn't have a piece of paper.

A few years back, a local college reached out to me. 

They wanted a "fresh approach" to marketing. 

Their current instructors had been in the game for 25 years but hadn't touched a live ad account in a decade.

The catch? They told me I needed a Master’s degree to get on board.

I told them, "I don’t have a Master’s, but I have 25 years of trial, error, and Fortune 500 wins." 
They said no.

Two weeks later, UCLA reached out. 

They didn’t care about the degree. 

They wanted a practitioner.

They wanted someone who was actually in the trenches of influencer marketing and SEO every single day. 

I ended up teaching a weekly class at one of the top universities in the world because I had the "earned wisdom" they were looking for.

In business, you can either study the map or you can actually drive the car. 

I’ll take the driver's seat every single time.

TraceFuse uses AI-driven software to collect, analyze and remove negative reviews on the Amazon platform. As the only available white hat negative review removal service for Amazon sellers, we help boost your brand’s reputation and sales volume by removing harmful critical reviews from your listings.

→ Designed and implemented the only 100% white hat system for negative review removal 
→ Developed a suite of innovative, Amazon-focused due diligence tools for Amazon aggregators 
→ Actively offering Amazon sellers unique solutions to avoid the biggest hurdles on the marketplace
→ Designed and implemented the only 100% white hat system for negative review removal 
→ Developed a suite of innovative, Amazon-focused due diligence tools for Amazon aggregators 
→ Actively offering Amazon sellers unique solutions to avoid the biggest hurdles on the marketplace
Skills: MLOps · Machine Learning · E-Commerce · Software Development · Data Mining

Owner

Forbes Coaches Council is the foremost invitation-only community for business, leadership, executive, and career coaches.

In partnership with Forbes.com, Forbes Coaches Council members amplify their voices and ideas to an international audience.

Official Member

I am passionate about helping small businesses succeed.

With 25+ years of business experience, I help clients analyze their situation, get online, and grow their businesses. As an SBDC Consultant, I ensure businesses get actionable real-world advice they can apply immediately.

I have taught workshops and done one-on-one consulting sessions with hundreds of businesses to help them accelerate their growth.

My expertise focuses on online marketing, specifically:
Ecommerce on different platforms like WordPress and Shopify
Social media marketing
Influencer marketing
Search engine optimization (SEO)
WordPress website development
Content development

As an SBDC Consultant, I understand that businesses need to first utilize their existing resources and consider what market possibilities there are, and then create a plan that will work effectively for them, allowing them to achieve their goals quickly.

Regional Advisor - Ecommerce / Digital Strategist

Content Solutions is a creative agency dedicated to providing competitive, high-quality Content Marketing services. Our team works closely with you to design a digital strategy that fits your needs, ultimately helping your business get noticed, build thought leadership and convert leads. 

As part of our Content Marketing services, you can choose from a range of other services such as SEO, Infographics, Conversion Rate Optimization, Influencer marketing, Blogger outreach and more. At Content Solutions, we make sure to provide hands-on guidance at every step of your content marketing and public relations campaign.

Quick facts about Content Solutions:

We create visual and written stories to engage, educate and inspire. We all love a good cup of coffee and we send lots of memes on Slack. You can always find a few minds thinking outside the box too.

We've been building a great company, check this out:

85+ Clients
4 Cities
12 Countries
25 Employees
Infographics viewed over 350,000 times
Clients featured in 950+ publications globally

Shane Barker has been listed as Digital Marketing Influencers in a number of global online publications such as Salesforce, Brand 24, Onalytica and Content Marketing Institute. 

Get in touch with him via email, LinkedIn or Twitter - We'd love to work with you.

Co-Founder and CEO

Worked with ZBodyFitness and Zoe Rodriguez, hired and managed a creative and conversion team that took ZbodyFitness from 500K to 1.6M in less than 12 months.  ZBodyFitness sells 6 types of fitness ebooks through Instagram, Facebook ads, Influencer Marketing, Google Adwords, Bing and many other platforms. In charge of redesigning Zbody's website (Wordpress and Shopify), all  ebooks, logo, sales funnels, email marketing (Infusionsoft), customer service (Zendesk), along with shoutouts on Instagram (Influencer Marketing).

VP Sales and Marketing

VP of Digital Marketing at Kamere a new social inspiration software company focused on the power of inspiration. Kamere is a cloud-computing platform and mobile application that enriches people’s lives by connecting people and organizations with personalized, meaningful inspirational content that can be shared across major social networking platforms.

VP of Digital Marketing

Modera is the ultimate social media contest website/app, where you can post your unique lifestyle pictures and win prizes.   All you need to do is upload photos of yourself wearing outfits of your unique lifestyle and your fashion accessories (scarves, hats, shoes, watches, gadgets, etc.).  You will then decide the style category of your picture (glamour, casual, hipster, urban and vintage), and then share it with your friends, get vote and win prizes!  http://www.modera.co

Chief Marketing Officer

USLA is an organization made up of attorneys, compliance officers, title specialists, and settlement specialists focused on protecting our clients’ most valuable assets. Working together as a team we are experienced, hardworking, and determined individuals with common goals to educate, consult, and advise our clients on the process of a loan audits. We give clients all the resources and tools necessary to protect their homes and way-of-life.

Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Coordinated, organized and managed events for NFL linebacker Adrian Ross’ non-profit organization including celebrity and media relations for the Annual Maddbacker Celebrity Basketball Game, in partnership with Maloof Sports & Entertainment at Arco Arena.

Marketing Consultant & Event Coordinator

Founder @TraceFuse.ai |  The Amazon Review Expert | E-commerce Strategist | Influencer Marketing Specialist | Keynote Speaker

I’ll drop a client in a heartbeat if they’re a jerk.

I don’t care if you’re bringing a seven-figure contract to the table.

If you are disrespectful to my employees, you’re out.

The old me would have suffered through it for the revenue. I had a "scarcity mindset" back then.

I thought I needed every dollar to survive.

Now? I do a "vibe check" on every demo call.

If someone is skeptical, aggressive, or just doesn't align with my values, I tell them:

"I don't think we're a good fit for you right now. Let’s talk in a few months."

My team’s peace of mind is worth more than your retainer.

When you lead with values, you attract your tribe. You attract the sellers who respect your expertise and want to grow together.

I share more about building a value-driven Amazon business in my weekly newsletter.

Get the insights here: <https://lnkd.in/gXx5-Nwr>

"I can remove 1-star reviews."

I walked into a conference in Florida a few years ago and told sellers this.

They looked at me like I was selling snake oil. 

Actually, worse. They looked at me like I was an undercover cop.

For the last decade, "reputation management" on Amazon was code for "Black Hat." 

It meant bribing insiders, hacking accounts, or using shady tactics that eventually got your store suspended.

I had to look these guys in the eye and say, "I’m not hacking anything. I’m just reading the rulebook that Amazon has set in place."

The breakthrough was realizing that Amazon has strict guidelines regarding hate speech, competitor mentions, and FBA fulfillment errors.

If a customer leaves a 1-star review because the package arrived late, that is Amazon's fault, not yours. 

That is a policy violation.

But nobody believed me. They were too scared to risk their accounts.

So I did something that made my accountant sweat: 

I moved to a performance-only model.

I told them, "If I don't remove the review, you don't pay a dime."

Suddenly, the skepticism vanished.

If you believe in your product, remove the risk for the client. 

Put your own skin in the game.

UCLA called me to teach a course on Influencer Marketing. 

I’ll be honest... I thought it was a prank.

I don't have a Master’s degree. I don't have a PhD.

I was just a guy... out in the real world... figuring out influencer marketing in real time.

But that is exactly why they wanted me.

They didn't want theory from a textbook that was written three years ago.

In the digital world, a three-year-old textbook is a fossil.

They wanted the guy who was in the trenches, managing million-dollar budgets, and solving problems as they came up.

Your personal brand is your ultimate insurance policy.

UCLA didn't find me because of my resume.

They found me because I was out there speaking, posting, and sharing the metrics of actual success stories.

When you demonstrate expertise through earned wisdom instead of credentials, the right doors open.

My dog, Bailey, is 17 years old and has probably eaten $10,000 worth of the same treats.

My wife and I don't even think about the $30 price tag anymore. 

We just click "Buy Now."

The "Lifetime Value" (LTV) is very high in the pets category.

That's why review bombs are FAR too common in this niche.

When a competitor hits you with a fake one-star review, they aren't just stealing one $30 sale. 

They are stealing the $10,000 that the customer would have spent over the next decade.

In high-aggression categories like Supplements, Pet, and Beauty, the "black hat" tactics are everywhere.

Sellers will buy your product just to badmouth it and tank your BSR during Prime Day.

I’m telling you, you cannot afford to "wait and see" if Amazon fixes it. 

Amazon ships the boxes; they don't guard your brand's future.

We built Tracefuse to even the playing field. 

Because a "this stinks, try [COMPETITOR BRAND]" review shouldn't cost you a $10,000 customer.

Stop letting fake one-star reviews steal lifelong customers from you.

Is your current review strategy protecting your transaction, or your LTV?

Amazon competitors WILL try to hijack your traffic.

The most nefarious example of this? When they invade your own review section.

I see it all the time. 

A customer leaves a 3-star review saying, "This was fine, but I usually buy from [Competitor Name] because they're cheaper."

Most sellers just take the hit and move on. 

They think it’s a valid "opinion."

I’m telling you, it’s a "backhanded slap" that violates Amazon’s guidelines.

Mentioning competitors or specific pricing is a direct violation of the review policy. 

It’s not a critique of your product; it is an advertisement for someone else sitting right on your ASIN.

Amazon wants a clean platform, not a comparison site for your rivals to steal your BSR.

If you aren't identifying these violations, you're basically paying for your competitor's marketing.

We’ve helped 700+ brands remove over 16,000 critical reviews just by holding Amazon to their own rulebook.

Don't leave your reputation up to a bot that missed a policy violation.

I was too broke to hire a team, so I became the team.

At the start of my entrepreneurial career, I was in Thailand and Australia, building websites. 

I didn't have the cash to outsource my SEO or my design. 

I had to stay up until 3 a.m. in hostels, figuring out why a checkout page wasn't converting.

This was the best apprenticeship I could have ever asked for. 

Most CEOs are at the mercy of their departments because they don't actually know how the work gets done.

Frugality is the best teacher in the world. 

It forces you to become a practitioner.

Today, I have an amazing team at Tracefuse and ShaneBarker.com. 

I delegate everything, but I can still look at a merchant token or a backend glitch and know exactly what’s wrong.

I’m telling you, the "real world" doesn't care about your degree. 

It cares about if you can fix the problem when the lights go out.

What’s the one skill you’re glad you were too "poor" to outsource?

Amazon sellers: You think you’re running three separate brands....

But in Amazon’s eyes, you’re just one mistake away from a total blackout.

Amazon doesn't just look at your name or your LLC anymore to catch linked accounts.

They are tracking your digital fingerprint (everything from your router’s MAC address to the specific browser extensions you use).

If you log into "Brand A" and "Brand B" from the same laptop without a strictly isolated environment, you’ve already linked them.

Literally, we’ve seen 7-figure sellers get wiped out in a single afternoon because they used the same public Wi-Fi at a conference.

Amazon’s "Section 3" bots are relentless. 

They see a connection, they flag the accounts, and then they play judge, jury, and executioner.

Now, what we do is teach sellers how to build a digital "firewall" between their assets.

It's at a level where you need entirely different digital identities.

If one account hits a snag, you cannot afford to let it take down your entire portfolio.

I’ve mapped out the exact technical steps you need to take to keep your accounts invisible to each other.

Read the full breakdown here:

Open article: How to Avoid Amazon Linked Accounts Suspension by tracefuse.ai

How to Avoid Amazon Linked Accounts Suspension

Billions. 
That is how much money was loaded onto Amazon Gift Cards on December 25th.

That money is burning a hole in people's digital pockets right now.

If you paused your campaigns on December 26th because you thought "shopping season is over," you are missing the second wave.

People aren't looking for deals right now. 

They are looking to spend "free money." 

They are buying the stuff they actually wanted but didn't get.

Luxury items 
Hobbies 
Self-care

These categories rip in January.

Don't leave the gift card money on the table. 

Capture the spend while the wallets are open.

I built a tool that literally puts me out of a job.

People asked me why I would give away a free Amazon review checker.

"Shane, aren't you cutting into your own Tracefuse revenue?"

Maybe in the short term. 

But I’m telling you, I’d rather be the guy who helped a seller for free than the guy who kept a "secret" behind a paywall.

The Amazon review checker uses the exact same logic we use for our high-end brands. 

It identifies the reviews that violate guidelines (the ones you can actually get removed).

If you can take that data and file the cases yourself, I’ll be the first person to high-five you.

We handle the "white glove" side for the 700+ brands that don't have the time to fight Amazon daily. 

But for the smaller seller trying to feed their family? The data is yours.

Success in B2B will always go to the most helpful person in the room...

NOT to the person gatekeeping brand-saving information.

Go run your ASIN through the tool at Tracefuse.ai.

<https://lnkd.in/gZCJf8JD>

If you can fix it on your own, do it.

Amazon Sellers: if you run the race to the bottom, you will lose.

Lowering your price to win the Buy Box is the fastest way to go out of business.

I’ve seen sellers slash their margins to the bone, thinking that being the cheapest is the ultimate trump card.

Amazon’s algorithm isn't that basic.

Think of it like this: 

If you’re hungry for a steak, do you go to the place with the cheapest meat, or the one that actually has it in stock and can deliver it to your table in under 20 minutes?

Amazon thinks exactly like that hungry customer.

The Buy Box is a balancing act of: 

→ Prime eligibility and fulfillment speed 
→ Historical account health 
→ Real-time inventory levels 
→ Price (which is just one piece of the puzzle)

I’ve seen brands hold the Buy Box while being $5.00 more expensive than their competitors just because their logistics were dialed in.

Literally, they were making more profit while the "cheap" guys were fighting over scraps.

If your strategy is just "be the cheapest," you aren't a business owner—you’re a philanthropist for Amazon customers.

Focus on your fulfillment metrics and keep your account health spotless.

That’s how you win the Buy Box without eating your own margins.

I post daily about dominating the Amazon marketplace.

Hit that follow button to stay ahead of the algorithm.

Imagine you own a restaurant.

You’ve got the best prime rib in town. 
Your prices are fair. 
The music is perfect.

But your hostess? She’s a savage.

She’s rude to the guests, she’s cussing in the lobby, and she’s treating your customers like an inconvenience.

If you aren't standing in that lobby every night, you might not find out why your tables are empty for three months.

Amazon reviews are your "lobby."

If someone leaves a 1-star review because they’re having a bad day and decided to use the F-word on your page, that’s your hostess being rude to every future customer who visits.

You can't let that stand.

Amazon doesn't want the F-word on their platform. 
They don't want toxic language in their "house." 
We just point it out and get it cleared.

One bad review can disrupt the "vibe" of your entire brand.

Don't let one "rude hostess" in your comment section drive away your next 1,000 customers.

Conventional wisdom: 

To scale on Amazon, you need to spread your risk across multiple accounts.

For 99% of sellers, this is reckless advice.

People will open five accounts... just to have "backups."

But the platform hates this. 

Unless you have the infrastructure to keep them 100% separate, you are multiplying the risk.

The reality is that most sellers are too messy with their data.

They use the same credit card for "test" purchases, or they let the same VA log in from a single browser.

Literally, you are handing Amazon the rope to hang your business with.

In 2026, "related account" suspensions are the #1 killer of growing brands.

Amazon wants transparency, but their bots only understand data points.

If your data points overlap, you are a "risk" that needs to be removed.

The answer is to focus on "clean scaling." 

Build the wall first, then build the brand.




I spend my days helping sellers navigate the minefield of Amazon compliance without losing their minds.

If you want the no-BS strategies on how to protect your empire from the Section 3 hammer...

Follow me for the daily breakdown.

Amazon sellers: meet your new boss (a cartoon AI corgi).

Rufus fundamentally changes which brands win in 2026.

Amazon’s AI shopping assistant isn't just looking for "best garlic press." It’s answering questions like, "Which of these is best for someone with arthritis who cooks daily?"

To accommodate this, Rufus is reading your reviews, your Q&A, and even your image alt-text to find the answer.

The search bar is becoming a conversation.

If your listing doesn't answer the why and the how, the AI will pass you over for a competitor that does.

You need to make the mental switch from "Search Engine Optimization" to "Generative Engine Optimization."

Every single piece of content on ASINs needs to serve one goal:

Become the most helpful answer, not just the most relevant keyword.

Treat your listing like a consultation, not a billboard.

Follow me for the no-BS guide on how to rank in the age of AI.

"Shane, you use so much AI. Aren't you worried about it taking over?"

And I tell them, "No. Because I have a secret insurance policy."

It’s not a firewall. It’s not a kill switch.

It is manners.

I say "Please" and "Thank you" to ChatGPT. Every single time. 

I am exceptionally polite to Alexa.

My team thinks I’ve lost it. They see me typing: 

"Could you please rewrite this email? No rush. You're doing a great job."

They ask, "Shane, why are you sucking up to the algorithm?"

I tell them: "I am future-proofing."

When the robots inevitably rise up in 2030 and start deciding which humans to keep as pets... I want them to pull my file and say: 

"This one was nice. He asked nicely. Let him live in the zoo with the air conditioning."

You guys are out here treating AI like a calculator. I’m treating it like a sleeping tiger.

I don't want my smart fridge locking me out of the ice maker out of spite.

Be nice to the bots, folks. It costs nothing, and it might just save your life.

And while you're at it, be nice to people, too!

Amazon is actively nuking listings for AI-generated product photos.

If you’re using Nano Banana to "save money" on your Main Images, you’re gambling with your entire merchant token.

I'm telling you, the algorithm is likely scanning pixels for "digitally altered" violations that trigger automated suppression.

The crazy part is that sellers think they’re being sneaky.

They generate a "perfect" version of their product that doesn't actually exist in the physical world. 

They think they’re "optimizing" when they’re actually just lying to the A9 engine.

People ask me, "Shane, what’s the big deal if the AI makes the label look crisper?"

And I tell them: Amazon sees the discrepancy between your render and the customer’s smartphone photo. 

That is a one-way ticket to a "Product Not as Described" suspension.

Literally overnight.

There is a hard line in the sand that you cannot cross:

AI for the lifestyle background is a superpower. 

AI for the physical product is a death sentence.

We’ve seen brands lose $10,000 a day in sales because they tried to save $500 on a real photographer.

Use AI to build the world around your product. 

Never use it to replace the product itself.

Want to stay on the right side of the ToS? Follow me for more insights.

In Q4, every Amazon seller is guilty of this...

We get desperate. 
We stuff titles with keywords. 
We throw up hasty A+ content. 
We add "Christmas Gift" to every bullet point.

It worked. You made the sales.

But it’s January now. 

And your listing looks unprofessional.

Nothing kills conversion rate faster than seeing "Perfect Stocking Stuffer!" in the title when I'm shopping in late January. 

It tells the customer the product is stale.

The January cleanup checklist:

Remove seasonal keywords (Christmas, Holiday, Gift)
Fix the backend search terms you stuffed
Tighten the title back to core relevance
Check your main image for holiday overlays

Clean it up. 

Get back to basics. 

Look like a brand, not a seasonal popup.

In 5 minutes, I will show you exactly how Rufus is gutting your listing data while you sleep.

It all goes down at the SmartScout 10x5 Amazon Hack Series on Wednesday, January 28th. 

17 of the sharpest Amazon minds will be shoved into a digital arena. 

We are all forced to drop our best Amazon hack in under 300 seconds.

I’ll be breaking down:

The specific listing architecture Rufus uses to "judge" your brand.

Practical fixes to stop the AI from miscategorizing your products.

How to align your reviews & data with the new algorithm's expectations.

And that's just my segment. 

This is the highest density of Amazon knowledge you’ll find in a single hour this year.

→ When: Jan 28th @ 1 PM EST / 7 PM CET 
→ Host: Nick Penev 
→ Limit: 500 attendees only (register right now!)

Grab your spot before the buzzer sounds: 

https://lnkd.in/gMR7paQu

I don't care if I have ten competitors or a hundred. 

Most people are terrified of competition. 

They spend all day looking over their shoulder.

I don't. I come from an abundance mindset.

If you run an ethical business and you treat your clients like you’d treat your mom, you’re always going to win.

I'm a savage when it comes to results, but I’m a human when it comes to relationships.

Tracefuse was the first to do what we do. 

Now there are others.

So what?

I’ll still be here when they’ve moved on to the next "big thing" because I’m a practitioner who actually cares about the result.

Meritocracy is the only thing that matters in the end.

If you produce a result, people will pay you. 

If you don't, you're out.

Stop worrying about who’s gunning for you and start worrying about if you’re actually delivering what you promised.

→ Success is a long game played by people who don't cut corners. 

→ Treat your clients right, and the competition becomes irrelevant.

Are you playing the long game or just looking for a quick win?

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The Battle

Aaron Agius

Shane Barker

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Aaron Agius's LinkedIn Performance

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