Jim Boykin Headshot
Jim Boykin
Founder and CEO

As Community and Brand manager, Ann Smarty’s work is focused on both regularly contributing to the Internet Marketing Ninjas blog and serving as an internal SEO resource for the team. Ann Smarty has been involved in various high-profile roles in the SEO industry for more than ten years. Her background includes working as Editor-in-Chief at Search Engine Journal and being a regular columnist at some of best-known Internet Marketing online publications including Moz, Mashable, Social Media Examiner and more. Ann’s search and social experience ranges from content creation and social media marketing to SEO reporting and consulting. Ann’s expertise in Internet Marketing tools also helps in internal tool development and testing process.

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A brief biography of Jim Boykin

Jim Boykin is the founder and CEO of Internet Marketing Ninjas (formerly We Build Pages). Born and raised in Upstate NY, he has built a reputation as an expert and thought leader in the SEO industry. In the last few years Jim has been recognized by the Business Review as one the Top 40 Leaders Under 40, and listed as one of GSINC’s Top 40 Most Influential People of Search in 2007. Jim has also been featured in local and national publications like Examiner.com and Forbes. He is a member of the American Marketing Association, the Better Business Bureau and the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce.

Jim’s blog was nominated for a SEMMY in 2008 and was named as the “Best Link Building Blog” by Search Engine Journal in 2006 and 2007. Recently though, blogging has taken a back seat as he spends more time traveling and speaking on SEO.

Through the course of his career, Jim has presented at over 100 conferences in over 15 countries. His conference credits include SES, SMX, PubCon, Affiliate Summit, ExpOn, Hostingcon, and WebMasterWorld among others. He has also served as a PubCon Advisor and is a member of Internet Marketers of New York (IMNY). Jim’s areas of expertise include, SEO, Tools, Link Building and The Panda Updates.

Jim first launched We Build Pages in 1999 as a one-man, web design company. However his natural inclination toward Search Engines led the business to develop into one of the world’s most well-known link building agencies. In 2011, the business re-branded to become Internet Marketing Ninjas and began offering several new services and enhanced versions of existing services.

Now, with a staff of nearly 50 Ninjas, the CEO spends his time training, consulting, speaking with clients, and traveling the world speaking and networking. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Jim travelled the country working in National Parks, where he discovered a deep admiration for the natural beauty of the world. He also developed a love of talking to people and a profound appreciation for great customer service.

When Jim isn’t staying at the office until 2:00am he enjoys spending time with his two sons and seeing live concerts. His eclectic musical tastes range from Barry Manilow to Iron Maiden. Jim also enjoys giving back to the community by getting actively involved in supporting local causes.

Internet Marketing Ninjas has also won the Business Reviews award for Best Places to Work in the Capital Region for 2011 and 2012.

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Conferences & Speaking Events

Jim also is a regular speaker at search engine marketing conferences, having spoken at over 170 industry conferences, often speaking on topics such as SEO, link building, internet marketing tools, Google updates, and the future of online marketing.

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Industry Testimonials

I have known Jim Boykin for 5 years. His techniques during any given year are literally 5 years or more ahead of what anyone else is doing. I have also found him to be brilliant, reliable and generous. In the online world where we have all found many people to be untrustworthy, he is one guy who I really trust, and call my friend. FYI, Nobody asked me to write this. Much Love,
dk from Purpose Inc (& a San Diego Chiropractic)

I gained some insight into the practices of our industry’s foremost link development consultants. I was able to see for myself that these guys are for real and they’ve done a good job of consolidating theory with evidence and thereupon manifesting best practices for link development.
Abhilash, SEO Blogger and Link Ninja

Aaron Wall (SEO Book) say’s the following on WBP Alexa rating for webuildpages.com: I write a popular blog and book about search engine optimization. I spend most of my time tracking the latest news and have little time to work on client work. Having said that, I get a ton of leads from people wanting me to work on their site. I don’t have enough time to do that though. Not wanting to risk the brand I worked so hard to build, it took me a while to find someone trustworthy enough to send leads at. At a recent SEO conference not 1 but 2 people came up to me and thanked me for referring them to Jim Boykin. It is pretty rare in the SEO field to get thanked in person by strangers that you only met via email, and that shows what a great job Jim does.
Aaron Wall of SEO Book and Threadwatch

WeBuildPages Review of WeBuildPages’ link building services.
Michael Gray (Graywolf), Graywolf’s SEO Blog

From Jim's Linkedin profile, Industry Testimonials

“I’ve known Jim for close to 10 years, and during that time I’ve seen him grow his company, attracting some of the best in the industry to come work with / for him. He has vast experience in the industry, and always keeps an audience engaged (he’s typically swamped by attendees asking for his advice and thoughts during breaks at conferences) during his, heavily in-demand, presentations, where he delivers actionable strategies and tactics. Through my interactions with him, I’ve seen that he’s a hard working visionary who gives back to the industry and who also encourages the industry to give back to local communities through sponsoring events for charities at conferences.”
Simon Heseltine, VP of Search at CoStar Group, Inc.

“Jim has been a leading voice in the digital marketing industry for over a decade. His experience, wisdom and intelligent ideas are the basis for success. he has a genuine interest in supporting others and takes active steps to make the right things happen.”
Duane Forrester, VP of Industry Insights with Yext

“Jim and the WeBuildPages are the best (and only) organic SEO firm to which I recommend people. Go with Jim if you want top rankings, otherwise, good luck!”
Andy Hagans, Andy Hagans Link Building

“Jim Boykin is a great example of a determined entrepreneur and a true “live and breathe” SEO. From the free tools to the conference photos on the WeBuildPages site and his excellent blog, Jim has been a generous supporter and advocate of the search marketing industry. He’s also one of the few people that “get” SEO.
Lee Odden, President, TopRank Online Marketing and Online Marketing Blog

If you’ve ever heard Jim speak at a conference there’s no doubt he’s on the leading edge of the Search Marketing arena. He delivers top notch advice, ideas, and strategies, without needing to resort to trickery or selling “snake oil”. He should be on every company’s short list of people to talk to.
Michael Gray, Owner, Atlas Web Group Inc. and SEO Blogger Graywolf

Jim is one of the brightest minds in search marketing. He is always at the top of the industry with ideas to get clients top search rankings. I highly recommend him and have enjoyed working with him over the last 4 years.
Patrick Gavin, President, Text Link Ads Inc. and Blogger on Link Building Blog

Jim is a well established member of the SEO community and is highly respected. He has offered his knowledge on numerous occasions and I would recommend him to anyone in need of bettering their search presence.
Truman J. Hedding , Vice President Search Marketing at Boulevards New Media

Well known in the industry, long time link builder, and good guy.
Barry Schwartz, President, RustyBrick, Inc. and Search Engine Roundtable and Search Engine Watch.

WeBuildPages Review of WeBuildPages’ link building services.
Michael Gray (Graywolf), Graywolf’s SEO Blog

Jim is one smart, reliable and very down-to-earth guy – although being hell busy (as you can imagine for such a top SEO) he always gets back to my e-mails in time, so working together was very smooth so far. I appreciate all his insights and posts on his weblog – having a beer or two with Jim exceeds what you would learn in a 15 days conference IMHO . This guy knows his stuff! kudos!
Christoph Cemper, Owner, CEMPER.COM

Jim and WeBuildPages are a firm I consistently refer people to for great link building and targeted SEO campaigns in a wide variety of markets. Always professional, always reliable and very friendly – great to work with all around.
Rand Fishkin of SEOMoz

As one of the most knowledgeable guys in the SEO community, Jim is an asset for your organization. Couple his knowledge with his ethical practices, attention to detail, creative thinking, and SEO tools, and Jim and the entire WBP team are a force to be reckoned with. We had very positive results with Jim and his team, and would highly recommend him for work in the online marketing industry.
Greg Hartnett, President, Best of the Web

Jim has exceptional dedication to his work and to the people that he works with. That unique work ethic becomes abundantly clear in the form of solid, consistent results. I thoroughly recommend Jim and his team to anyone seeking optimal performance for their website, since Jim’s prodigious experience encompasses practically every facet of internet marketing.
Darrin J. Ward Founder, SEO Chat / Google Dance

Jim has a well earned reputation as an online marketing consultant. Aside from his personal ability he has successfully built his company to be one of the most sought-after agencies in the industry. I would have no hesitation in giving my full recommendation for Jim or the WBP team
Nick Wilsdon, Owner, e3internet

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Interviews with Jim

Interviews with Jim

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Meet more of the Ninjas

Ann Smarty Headshot

Ann Smarty

Community & Brand Manager

Let’s Talk AI and Google.

Let’s have a Talk about Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ok…we must talk about AI….it is here NOW, and I predict that 2023 will be the year that AI will have a major impact on nearly Everything. With the release of ChatGBT a few weeks ago, the world has moved into new era’s of information. AI will […]

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How to Do Link Building in 2022-2023

How should we be doing link building in late 2022 and into 2023? Jim Boykin, CEO of Internet Marketing Ninjas, and Ann Smarty, IMN’s analyst, discuss how link building should work (and how we don’t recommend it working). Link building starts with creating something linkworthy. This could be a very useful tutorial, a niche report, […]

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Location and Proximity: How to Rank Your Business for Multiple Location-Based Queries with Ben Fisher

How to Rank for Multiple Location-Based Queries

Location is the strongest local ranking factor, so is there any way to rank for multiple locations? To discuss local rankings, Jim Boykin, founder and CEO of Internet Marketing Ninjas, and Ann Smarty, IMN’s analyst, were joined by Ben Fisher, Google’s trusted Business Profile Product Expert. Ben Fisher is Co-Founder of Steady Demand and Diamond […]

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What Is Google Business Profile and How to Optimize Your Profile in Google with Ben Fisher

What Is Google Business Profile and How to Optimize Your Profile in Google?

Google Business Profile (formerly known as “Google My Business” and still referred to by many marketers as “Google Local”) provides local businesses with a unique opportunity to be found on Google and Google Maps. How does it work and how to optimize your Google Business Profile? To discuss Google Business Profile, Jim Boykin, founder and […]

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How to Avoid Being Suspended on Google Business Profile (& Get Reinstated When You Are) with Ben Fisher

How to Avoid Being Suspended on Google Business Profile

Being suspended on Google Business Profile is nothing unheard of. Lots of businesses have their listings suspended. How to avoid being suspended and how to get reinstated when you are? To discuss Google Business Profile suspensions and reinstatements, Jim Boykin, founder and CEO of Internet Marketing Ninjas, and Ann Smarty, IMN’s analyst, were joined by […]

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PPC DO’s and DONT’S with Truman Hedding

PPC DO's and DONT'S

Pay-Per-Click advertising is one of the most efficient ways to buy relevant traffic. And yet, too often businesses are not implementing the tactic properly. What are the most common mistakes businesses make when investing into PPC advertising? To discuss pay-per-click advertising, Jim Boykin, founder and CEO of Internet Marketing Ninjas, and Ann Smarty, IMN’s analyst, […]

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