Welcome to a new
Introducing
How did you get into SEO?
It was a pure coincidence! I was about to start my second year at university, doing my Marketing and Advertising degree and really wanted a job in the industry - any kind of job in any kind of marketing. It wasn't easy to find - I didn't want a full time job as I was a full time student and needed to attend university - and obviously I knew nothing really I was totally new to the subject, straight out of school. After spending days sending my CVs out, I managed to land a junior position at a Birmingham-based digital marketing agency, Bootcamp Media, and that was the best thing that could have happened to me back then! I started off in outreach and as I learned more, I started moving towards more SEO focused tasks.
What is your favourite SEO task?
SEO Audits and Competitive Analysis
What is your go-to tool or resource that you can't live without?
DeepCrawl! I have other crawling and non-crawling tools that make my life easier but DeepCrawl always had my back and never disappointed me so I have to give them that.
What is something you learned in SEO that made you have an 'AHA' moment?
I had so many of those through my first few years but I couldn't remember them all. The one I remember the most from the very early days is that I was honestly very surprised that I can work from any place on the planet of my choice, all I need is an internet connection! Another one, from later in my career was that if people work in a digital industry, it doesn't mean that they know how all the digital channels work including SEO, especially in agencies. If you want everything to go smoothly, you have to educate your team members the basics of each part of your business - otherwise, you will be losing a lot of time for fixing simple mistakes.
What is your proudest industry achievement?
I am very proud of getting out there and building up my profile as an industry speaker. Especially considering that at my first job, I was afraid to pick up a phone call from a client because I was scared that my English is not good enough and I will make a company look bad.
I remember sitting at my first industry awards ceremony, thinking that once I have my own company, I want us to be so good at what we do that we end up at a ceremony like that. During the first year of Creatos Media operating, we created a campaign that was so good, we had to enter it in the industry awards. We didn't get shortlisted but I was so proud that a company in its first year, which has just started crawling not even walking yet, didn't fail. We won't be telling stories about losing our first clients due to lack of experience in running a business - no, we will be telling stories about producing campaigns so good that we felt they are actually worth getting into competition with the best agencies in the country. This is what I am proudest of!
What advice would you give women who are starting out in SEO?
Make sure you take the time to develop your skills and knowledge not only at the beginning but throughout your career.
Give a shout out to a woman in the industry who inspires you and tell us why
I will definitely squeeze in more than one :)
Aleyda Solis: For her speaker career, this is my inspiration.
Areej AbuAli: For this group, for each initiative she comes up with for women in the industry and for finding time for it!
Chelsea Blacker: For her confidence and client management skills - I have been very lucky to learn a lot in this area while working with her.
Finally, what empowers you to be the brilliant woman you are?
I aspire to be the best - in everything I do.
' Success is a journey, not a destination'. - Arthur Ashe
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Thanks Izabela for a truly insightful interview. You can check out Izabela's website and connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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