Director of SEO at Jademond Digital
Born: 1975
Location: Tianjin, China
About Marcus
Marcus Pentzek is a seasoned SEO expert with over two decades of experience, in developing websites and doing SEO for them, specializing in both international SEO and Baidu SEO. His journey began in Germany with a passion for coding and website development, which naturally evolved into search engine optimization. He has worked with some of the world’s largest brands, helping them navigate complex digital landscapes and achieve measurable success.
Professional Background
- Education: Marcus studied early childhood and youth education in Germany. Before transitioning into the digital world, he worked extensively in social and educational roles, including coaching and managing youth programs.
- Early Digital Career: His fascination with computers began in childhood, leading him to build websites for small businesses in his mid-20s. He worked with a range of technologies, from PHP frameworks like PHP-Nuke, Joomla, and WordPress, to custom eCommerce websites with xt:commerce.
- SEO Expertise: Marcus’s SEO career began in the mid-2000s when clients started asking him how to attract visitors to their websites. His self-taught SEO skills quickly led him to an agency role in Colohne, where he became Head of Onpage SEO in 2008.
- Major Roles:
- Seoline: In his first agency role as Head of Onpage SEO department, he worked with many small, medium sized but also some big German brands like Quelle Versand
- Abakus Internet Marketing: Marcus not only consulted for major brands like and Nestlé, but also managed the product development of SEO Diver, the agency’s own SEO toolbox.
- UDG (formerly SUMO): As Team Lead SEO, Marcus led SEO strategies for global brands like Siemens and B/S/H/, with a focus on international SEO, but also consulted the German football Bundesliga in SEO for China.
- Searchmetrics: At Searchmetrics, Marcus took on the role of Chief SEO Consultant, advising international clients on SEO strategies and conducting in-depth research. He co-authored the first-ever Baidu SEO Ranking Factors Correlation Study.
- Jademond Digital: Since 2022, Marcus has been the Director of SEO at Jademond Digital, leading the agency’s Chinese SEO efforts and continuously testing and developing new approaches to stay at the forefront of the industry. At Jademond he continues research like publishing the more in-depth 2023/2024 Baidu SEO Ranking Factors Correlation Study.
Notable Achievements
- 2020 Baidu SEO Ranking Factors Study: Marcus led groundbreaking research on Baidu’s ranking algorithms, offering invaluable insights for businesses looking to improve their presence on China’s largest search engine.
- 2022 SEO for China book, co-authored with Jademond founder Kun Tang, available on Amazon.
- 2023/2024 Baidu SEO Ranking Factors Study: Marcus led the even more in-depth second research on Baidu’s ranking algorithms, offering invaluable insights for businesses looking to improve their presence on China’s largest search engine.
- SEO for International Markets: Marcus has managed SEO projects across Europe, the U.S., and China, mastering the intricacies of multi-regional and multilingual search optimization.
- Trusted Advisor to Leading Brands: Throughout his career, Marcus has worked with major global companies like Siemens, Nestlé, and B/S/H/, providing tailored SEO strategies that have resulted in significant online success.
Publications & Contributions
- Baidu SEO Ranking Factors Correlation Study: A pivotal report that sheds light on what affects rankings on Baidu, China’s dominant search engine. Marcus’s work has been widely referenced in the SEO community and has helped many international businesses navigate the unique challenges of Baidu SEO.
- SEO for China book: co-authored with Jademond’s founder and CEO Kun Tang, this book is the first of its kind to not only provide Baidu SEO advice, but also to back up experience with data.
- Articles and Webinars: Marcus regularly contributes to leading SEO platforms like Search Engine Journal and has spoken at numerous industry events.
Personal Life
Marcus has lived and worked in China for two years from 2012 to 2013, where his Chinese wife and he received their son in 2013. He worked for a Chinese e-commerce company in Beijing. From 2014 to 2022 the small family moved back to Germany. Since December 2022 the moved to Tianjin in China, where he resides with his Chinese wife and bilingual son. His international perspective has helped him stay at the forefront of SEO for both Western and Chinese markets. In his free time, Marcus continues to explore coding and digital marketing trends while enjoying family life, playing Magic the Gathering and watching Science Fiction like Star Trek and Stargate with his son.
Connect with Marcus
- LinkedIn Profile: [Insert LinkedIn URL]
- SEO Publications: [Link to published articles or studies]
- Jademond Digital Profile: [Link to Jademond author or team page]
Some Recent Blog Posts by Marcus
- How Baidu SEO Differs from Google SEO
- Why Your Website Needs an ICP License to Succeed in China
- Best Practices for International SEO in 2024