Catalyst Employee Spotlight: Joe Mesgleski

You can have the best data and most sophisticated tools, but it doesn’t mean anything without great people. Fortunately, at Catalyst, we have no shortage of great people. From Search Associates to Search Directors, and from Project Managers to Managing Partners, each member of the Catalyst team is committed to maximizing client business results and making Catalyst a world-class agency. Read our Employee Spotlight series to meet some of the team members responsible for making Catalyst an all-star agency partner and a great place to work.

Meet Joe

Name: Joe Mesgleski

Title: Organic Search Manager

How long have you worked at Catalyst?

I have been working at Catalyst for two and a half years.

How long have you worked in SEO and what type of clients have you worked on?

I have worked in SEO since about 2006. I have worked on all types of sites, including Pharma/Bio-tech sites, hundreds of eCommerce websites, and sites for several Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 giants.

How did you get your start in SEO?

I got my first full time gig doing SEO while in college back in 2006.

A friend of mine was the President of a web design agency in Massachusetts and I needed an internship in order to finish my bachelor’s degree.

He brought me under his wing and gave me my initial crash course in SEO. From there, I worked at various internships for other agencies and even an ecommerce website until I began a full time job in 2008 as an ecommerce SEO Analyst. I stayed in that role for the next 7 years.

What do you like most about working at Catalyst?

It’s hard to narrow down only one thing that is great about Catalyst. For starters, we get to work on great accounts with fantastic brands. The caliber of people, and the overall personalities and friendships you forge working here is another great and important aspect of the job. Lastly, the location in the Back Bay of Boston is perhaps the greatest location we could hope to be in.

What has been your greatest achievement or success in search/social?

My greatest success has been helping several smaller online retailers achieve exponential growth in their businesses by leveraging the power and reach of the internet. It’s been particularly gratifying because search wins for businesses at that size are incredibly impactful, and can be game-changing for overall business growth.

In your opinion, what is the most important search/social trend or change for 2019?

1. Mobile will continue to overtake desktop device market share.
2. We will also see a bigger adoption of voice search.
3. For ecommerce, if you are not playing on Amazon’s playground you are losing out.

If you had to give one recommendation to an advertiser who wants to use search or social marketing to achieve business results, what would it be?

A friend and current client once said this to me and I think it applies here.

“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is right now.”

Share a fun fact about yourself

I practice Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under John Clark of Team Carlson Gracie Jr. in Boston.

Why Joe Makes us Proud

What I love most about Joe is his attitude and approach to answering complex SEO questions and challenges.  He meets his clients at their level to provide analysis and solutions that are easy to understand and implement, and does it in a way that is fun and engaging. – Jim Kensicki, Managing Director, Search & Social, Catalyst