John Kriney is a Miami-based internet marketer, SEO strategist, author, and speaker who helps businesses grow through data-driven digital marketing, especially in highly competitive local markets like South Florida. He combines hands-on agency experience with education-focused content, including his book “8 Step SEO Plan” and a slate of new speaking events designed for business owners and marketers.
Who John Kriney Is
John Kriney is the founder and president of OptFirst Inc., an internet marketing agency headquartered in the Miami–Fort Lauderdale area that specializes in integrated search marketing, SEO, PPC, and performance-focused web development. He has spent decades helping companies improve their search visibility, generate qualified leads, and turn their websites into real revenue drivers.
Beyond agency work, Kriney is known as the author of “8 Step SEO Plan,” a practical guide that breaks down complex SEO into an accessible, step-by-step framework for small and mid-sized businesses. He positions himself not just as a consultant, but as a teacher who wants business owners to understand how search works so they can make smarter long-term marketing decisions.
Personal Snapshot
On a personal level, John describes himself as an internet marketer living in Miami, Florida, with a strong passion for marketing, SEO, and PPC. Outside of work, he has an interest in movies and dogs, adding a human and relatable side to his otherwise technical, data-centric professional persona.
He also encourages visitors to dive deeper into his thinking and methods by reading his book, which is often presented as a central “next step” for people who want a structured SEO roadmap. That mix of approachable personality and structured expertise is a big part of his brand.
OptFirst and His Work
OptFirst is a certified Google Partner agency focused on integrated search marketing, combining organic SEO, paid search, local listings, and conversion-focused web design. The agency emphasizes placing businesses directly in front of high-intent searchers at the exact moment they need a product or service, using both organic rankings and paid campaigns.
Over the years, Kriney and OptFirst have worked with a wide range of businesses, especially service-based and local companies, to secure first-page and often first-place rankings in competitive markets. Their approach includes technical optimization, mobile-friendly and AMP-oriented builds, and close measurement of user behavior to continually improve performance.
Author and Speaker
As an SEO author, Kriney’s “8 Step SEO Plan” distills his experience into a clear, repeatable process that businesses can follow to move from confusion about SEO to a structured, prioritized action plan. The book focuses on fundamentals that survive algorithm changes, such as strategic keyword targeting, content quality, technical health, and high-value link acquisition.
As a speaker, he has appeared on radio and marketing podcasts, sharing lessons learned from ranking local businesses at the top of Google in one of the nation’s most competitive regions. His style leans heavily toward real-world case studies and “what actually works,” rather than abstract theory, which makes his talks practical for owners and in-house marketers.
New South Florida Events
Recently, John Kriney announced three new SEO and digital-marketing speaking events across South Florida, targeting audiences in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties. These talks are positioned as a return to more public-facing education after years of focusing primarily on consulting and agency operations.
Attendees can expect hands-on training that includes real-world SEO tactics, step-by-step breakdowns aligned with his “8 Step SEO Plan,” and live Q&A where local businesses can get feedback on their specific challenges. The events are particularly geared toward service-based and location-based businesses that need to win in local search and multilingual, multicultural markets typical of South Florida.
Why It Matters for Local Businesses
South Florida’s business environment is crowded, fast-moving, and often dominated by local and hyper-local search competition, making strong SEO a critical differentiator. Kriney’s combination of local-market familiarity and national-level SEO insight gives regional businesses a chance to learn strategies that are both sophisticated and grounded in the realities of their market.
From these events and his content, business owners can learn how to structure their websites, content, and backlink profiles to push into page-one rankings, while also understanding how to track results and adapt to algorithm changes over time. For marketers interested in building multi-channel, search-centered systems, his work can serve as a blueprint for scaling sustainable lead generation.
Connect with John and OptFirst
To learn more about John Kriney, explore his background, and connect on social platforms, you can start from his personal and professional profiles, which link out to his social media accounts and additional contact options. From there, you can also find ways to follow announcements about upcoming speaking events, new content, and educational resources.
To work with his team or explore services like SEO, PPC, paid social, and performance web development, visit OptFirst’s official website, where you can review their capabilities, case studies, and contact details for consultations.