In this episode, I chat with Jeff Louella, Technical SEO at Wirecutter / New York Times. Jeff is an amazing technical SEO who I've now worked with twice at different companies. We dive into his 20-30 years in the industry, tell the story of how he went from working at an electronics store to becoming a programmer and eventually an SEO.
In Episode 7 of The Page 2 Podcast, host Jacob Stoops reconnects with Jeff Louella, longtime technical SEO, web dev veteran, and currently Senior Technical SEO Manager at Search Discovery. Jeff shares the full story of how he transitioned from electronics retail and early web design into one of the most respected SEO technologists in the industry.
🚀 In this episode: • The wild early days of web development and LiveWire scripting
• How Jeff accidentally broke 20 websites with an infinite loop—and why failure matters
• His biggest technical SEO win: recovering $11M in lost revenue through pure implementation
• Redirects, redirect mapping, and why 301s are his favorite SEO tactic
• Dealing with dev teams: how to build trust, earn respect, and get your work done
• Why accessibility and technical SEO go hand-in-hand
• Google Sheets nerd-outs, plugin hacks, and homegrown SEO tools
• The underrated value of curiosity, tinkering, and learning from doing
• The rise of tech SEO, owning your niche, and still staying well-rounded
• Balancing the grind: parenting, podcasting, failure, and lifelong learning
If you’re a technical SEO—or want to become one—this episode delivers a blueprint for building credibility, executing successfully, and keeping your sanity in a complex, ever-evolving field.