Brian Dean

Brian Dean is an American SEO expert and entrepreneur. He is the founder of Backlinko.com, a digital marketing blog, and the co-founder and CEO of Exploding Topics, an online platform that identifies trending content topics.
Dean’s work has been featured in several top-tier industry magazines, including Forbes and Inc. Magazine. His "Skyscraper Technique" is widely used for modern link-building. He has been recognized as an "SEO genius" by Entrepreneur.com and acclaimed as a "brilliant entrepreneur" by Inc. Magazine.
==Early life and education==
Dean was born and raised in the United States. He obtained his undergraduate degree in nutrition from the University of Rhode Island and a master's from Tufts University, graduating in 2007. Dean enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Purdue University, which he later discontinued. 
==Career==
Dean started his career in 2008 as a dietician. He also worked as a freelance writer for Livestrong, a fitness website. In 2010, he transitioned to freelance SEO and digital marketing consulting, assisting small business owners and enterprises to enhance their search engine visibility. Despite initial setbacks, Dean’s first successful website was a personal finance website in 2012.
Dean identified a niche in the market where there was a lack of guidance on creating and promoting content. Recognizing the gap, he launched his blog, Backlinko, to provide actionable white hat SEO strategies to address this need.
Backlinko, established in 2013, is a digital marketing blog offering advanced SEO training and link-building strategies, attracting subscribers from companies like Apple and IBM. Dean's expertise in sharing practical SEO techniques has positioned Backlinko as a valuable resource for marketers and entrepreneurs seeking to improve their online presence. SEMRush acquired Backlinko for $4 million in January 2022. Backlinko has been listed as a top blog to follow by Forbes.
Dean is known for developing the "Skyscraper Technique," a potent link-building strategy that enhances content quality and attracts backlinks. This method involves identifying top-performing content, creating superior material, and strategically promoting it to relevant websites to boost SEO efforts and increase traffic.
In 2019, Dean co-founded Exploding Topics, a platform utilizing machine learning algorithms to forecast emerging content topics, benefiting content creators, marketers, and businesses seeking to capitalize on trending subjects. With widespread adoption by companies like Shopify, Google, Apple, and Netflix, Exploding Topics has become instrumental in informing strategic decisions across various sectors.
Dean's work is widely recognized and featured in numerous major media outlets, such as Inc., Fast Company, Entrepreneur, U.S. News & World Report, Success Magazine, Vox, Forbes, Fox News, The Next Web, HuffPost, and TechCrunch.
==Awards and recognitions==
* Dean has been titled "the world’s foremost expert on search engine optimization" by Success Magazine. 
* He has been recognized as an "SEO genius" by Entrepreneur.com.
* Brian has been recognized as a "brilliant entrepreneur" by Inc. Magazine.
==References==
==External links==
* Backlinko.com
* Exploding Topics
* 
* 
* 
* 
Category:American entrepreneurs
Category:Search engine optimization
Category:University of Rhode Island alumni
Category:American people