Welcome to a new
Introducing
We asked her everything from how she first got into SEO to what empowers her to be the brilliant woman she is 💪🏽
How did you get into SEO?
I initially got into SEO by chance, I attended a talk after graduation on 'how to get into Marketing' which was given by a Head of SEO. He gave out his business card for an internship that was not related to SEO, however, it was in the same building. After that internship finished I sent a message to say thank you and he told me that he had a position for an SEO Exec and I started to work directly with him. He taught me the basics and that's how my career started.
What is your favourite SEO task?
I really enjoy doing technical audits, I like how exploratory it is which enables me to discover new ways to improve the website's visibility in search. I also like that it challenges me to use a variety of tools, read code etc.
What is your go-to tool or resource that you can't live without?
As a retailer, Yext is really invaluable as it allows us to manage and update all of our store listings in one place, across a multitude of local search platforms. This was especially key during the multiple lockdowns that occurred globally. The software also allows us to analyse reviews customers leave on our local platforms, so again very useful
What is something you learned in SEO that made you have an 'AHA' moment?
I've learnt so much in SEO over time that it's tricky to pinpoint one thing, however, I learnt ALOT during a recent migration. One thing I found especially interesting was how redirects are uploaded to Akamai and what format the files need to be in to be correctly interpreted. At the beginning of my career, I also learnt how to edit the front end of a website through the inspect element feature which I used a lot during technical audits to amend H1s which I thought was pretty cool.
What is your proudest industry achievement?
I was featured in the .Net magazine when I first started out in SEO in a piece on sitemaps. I would love to do more contributions in the future and I feel like there is more to come from me!
What advice would you give women who are starting out in SEO?
Being part of a community is really useful and I wish it was something I had been in from the beginning, that's why I find Women in Tech SEO such a valuable space. Self-learning is also extremely important as the algorithm is constantly evolving so keeping on top of the continuous developments is key. I would also recommend connecting with leaders in the SEO space on Linkedin as you never know what opportunities may present themselves in the future.
Give a shout out to a woman in the industry who inspires you and tell us why
Areej AbuAli is really aspirational, I'm so very inspired by all of the amazing work she has been doing to champion women in SEO and create a space of inclusivity. I also find it especially commendable that she speaks about diversity in the industry as it is something that I am also passionate about as I do not see as much diversity as I would like to.
Finally, what empowers you to be the brilliant woman you are?
It helps to have an innate passion for self-development coupled with an inquisitive nature. I also think it is also important to challenge yourself, to continuously strive for more in every facet of life.
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Thanks Sarah for a truly insightful interview, you can connect with Sarah on LinkedIn.
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