Navigating Open Source and Freemium Challenges

Joost De Valk is one of the OGs of SEO. As the Founder of Yoast, he scaled what was a side project plugin into a multi-million dollar business, used by 13 million sites and selling to Newfold Media in 2021. As one of the early SEO pioneers he is also an extremely coveted angel investor and invests through his company, Emilia Capital.

1. From Side Project to Multi-Million Dollar Business:

• Why and how did Joost create the first version of Yoast?
• When did he realise that this was not a side project and could be a big business?
• What does he know now that he wishes he had known when he started Yoast?

2. When, How and Why To Invest in SEO:

• When is the right time to invest in SEO?
• How should one determine how much budget to allocate to SEO?
• Once decided on budget, what are the first steps to investing in SEO?
• Which part of the org should SEO team specialists sit in?
• What are the biggest mistakes founders make when investing in SEO/

3. AI Changes The World of Context:

• How does AI change the way businesses create content?
• How can startups leverage AI to create and distribute more content for SEO?
• What are the biggest challenges/problems to leveraging AI for content creation?

4. Creating a Developer-Led Brand and Mastering PLG:

• What is the secret to creating the best developer-led brand?
• What are the biggest mistakes people make when marketing to developers?
• How does Joost navigate the balance between having enough value in a freemium product but also retaining enough value to be able to charge for the premium product?
• Is Joost concerned that budgets will revert back to CFOs and away from individual contributors with the financial downturn that is ensuing?