Interviewing Franzi Dietrich

Welcome to a new WTSInterview edition, where we interview brilliant SEOs in our industry and share their stories with the world! WTS members are welcome to share their story by simply filling out this form; we encourage folks from all walks of life in our industry to do so.

Introducing Franzi Dietrich! Franzi is a seasoned freelance SEO & Content specialist with over a decade of experience both on client and agency side within various industries. Franzi is passionate about SEO and content and loves to share her expertise by creating bespoke strategies, conducting content audits and mentoring others in the field. Outside of SEO, she is a book, crochet, knitting and digital art nerd.

How did you get into SEO?

Short answer: I started working in SEO as a student and never stopped working in SEO ever since. The longer version: I had a pretty normal "boring" way into SEO.

I studied Business Management, where I fell in love with all things marketing, which led me to do a Masters in Marketing Management. As it focused on all things brand and market research, I was sure I would end up in a role like that.

But then I started as a working student in SEO at Immowelt in 2011. I stayed on as a trainee and junior SEO after graduating, before moving on to other companies. So I have been an SEO and content marketer since 2011 and have never tried anything else.

What is your favourite SEO task?

I love digging into all things content, starting with a content audit and gap analysis. Finding out what customers ask/search for that a site doesn't yet cover, or finding hidden gems that little tweaks can bring to light. But I have also fallen in love with SEO split testing for very small/niche sites. It's so hard to do with very little traffic and pages to work with, but the results can be so rewarding.

And - what convinced me to stick with SEO and content: big content campaigns. Creating something new, creative, something with a new angle, working with other departments, getting the content live and rounding it off with content outreach and digital PR - such a fun, exciting process.

What is your go-to tool or resource that you can't live without?

Definitely Screaming Frog. I love how many tasks you can do with the Frog. Not only does it help with a technical audit, but it is also super helpful for doing a content audit or competitor analysis. But lately I have also fallen in love with Also Asked to find some really niche and long term content ideas.

And go to Resources? - Newsletters and podcasts. My favourites are WTS Newsletter, SEOFOMO and Coreupdates for newsletters and The SEO Mindset, Crawling Mondays, Search with Candour and SEOs getting Coffee for podcasts.

What is something you learned in SEO that made you have an 'AHA' moment?

That SEO and content marketing are actually quite close to brand and market research. So even though I don't have a job with that title, it's pretty close to what I thought I'd end up doing. Because to create helpful, relevant content for your specific niche and your customers, you can't just rely on keyword research - you have to look at market trends, interview customers, work with sales and support. And great, helpful, unique content - always a great way to strengthen your brand.

What is your proudest industry achievement?

One of the proudest moments for me personally was trying out a technical SEO position after only working in offpage SEO and content marketing. It was so scary, definitely not my cup of tea, I need the mix, but I would never have known that without trying.

Workwise It was building a B2B website with the digital sales team almost from scratch and increasing traffic and leads significantly as the only SEO for that specific product/site. Oh, and taking the leap into freelancing recently, definitely a proud moment too.

What advice would you give those who are starting out in SEO?

Join a community - find a mentor. SEO can be so overwhelming and changes so fast. Having someone to support you, to guide you through those first steps. Someone to point you in the right direction where to start learning can be so helpful and make the whole world of SEO seem a lot less scary.

And: stand your ground, speak your mind based on your experience and what works for you / projects you have worked on. You can ask one simple question to 10 SEOs and get 10 completely different answers and ideas on how to approach a problem. Your specific experience and POV counts.

Give a shout out to someone in the industry who inspires you, and tell us why

This may come as quite a surprise - but the first and most important person is Areej! I mean, look at what she has built, bringing together so many supportive, inspiring, creative SEO - or rather digital marketing - women and people who identify as women from all over the world. That is a huge achievement.

There are so many more out there like Aleyda Solis, Tory Gray, Alice Rowan, Jo (seojoblogs), Josephine Rudolf. The list goes on and on.

Finally, what empowers you to be the brilliant person you are?

Honestly - having amazing other women out there empowering me is a huge factor. And being someone who empowers others. And in the last few years I've learnt that life is too short, so just be your weird nerdy self and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

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Thanks, Franzi, for a truly insightful interview!

You can learn more about Franzi on her website and connect with her on LinkedIn.

Check out our Interviews page for more interviews. If you've enjoyed reading this, we'd love for YOU to share your story with the world! Simply fill this form here, we welcome brilliant SEOs from all walks of life! 🙌🏽