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 Shweta Gupta! Shweta is an SEO and content strategist based in the UK. With an MBA, a strong background in sales and traditional marketing, and experience in academia as a qualified Assistant Professor, she brings a practical, people-first approach to digital growth. After moving to the UK, she transitioned into digital marketing, upskilling from the ground up and building hands-on experience across SEO, content strategy, paid media and AI-assisted workflows. Today, she works at the intersection of SEO, content and AI, helping brands create content that is structured, useful and built around real audience needs.

How did you get into SEO?

I got into SEO after moving to the UK around four years ago. At that point, I was upskilling into digital marketing and learning from everywhere I could: paid courses, free resources, YouTube, Google, industry blogs, and honestly, a lot of trial and error.

I started by trying my hands on different areas of digital marketing, including Meta Ads, social media and email marketing. But the more I worked across these channels, the more I realised one thing: SEO thinking is essential everywhere. Content does not just need to be written. It needs to be structured, optimised and adapted for the platform, the audience and the intent behind the search.

What really pulled me towards SEO was the research side of it. I enjoyed digging deep, understanding audience behaviour, analysing metrics, spotting patterns and then using all of that to come up with better strategies or solutions. It felt like detective work, but with spreadsheets, search intent and fewer dramatic background music moments.

I also created my own website, GrowwDigitaly, as my little guinea pig to practise everything I was learning. I tested, broke things, fixed them, learned again, and slowly started understanding how SEO works in the real world, not just in course modules.

And honestly, SEO started to feel very close to my personality. I naturally like detailed research, clean structure, organised systems and keeping things put together. So, moving my focus from paid marketing towards SEO felt less like a random career decision and more like finding the thing that matched how my brain already worked. Since then, I’ve kept building my skills around SEO, content strategy and now AI-assisted search and content workflows.

What is your favourite SEO task?

My favourite SEO task is research. I enjoy auditing websites, doing keyword research and analysing competitors because it helps me understand the real root cause behind a problem.

I like digging into the data, spotting patterns and finding the pain points, then turning those insights into a clear strategy. For me, the best part of SEO is connecting the dots between what users need, what the website is missing and how we can fix it with the right intent-led solution.

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

Before AI, my go-to tools were Screaming Frog, Keywords Everywhere, Yoast and Ubersuggest. They helped me understand the basics properly: what was happening on a site, where the gaps were, and how content could be improved.

Now, I rely a lot on ChatGPT, Claude and other LLMs to support research, content structuring and idea generation. I am also experimenting with newer platforms like OtterlyAI, AirOps and MetaMonster.

So I would say my current go-to “resource” is not one tool, but curiosity. Slightly cheesy, I know. But SEO is changing so quickly that the real skill is staying open to testing new tools, breaking things a little, and learning what actually works.

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

One of my biggest “AHA” moments in SEO came from realising that I could learn the technical side too. I come from a non-technical background, so when I first moved into SEO, technical audits, site issues and fixes felt a little intimidating. But the more I worked on different websites, the more I learned how to identify glitches, understand what was causing them and help fix them. That gave me a lot of confidence.

More recently, I became a certified Content Engineer through AirOps, thanks to the Women in Tech SEO Slack channel, where I first discovered the opportunity. That was a big moment for me. Calling myself a content engineer still makes me smile. I realised how AI can transform a task that used to take 15 to 20 days into something that can produce useful outputs in around 15 minutes.

That completely shifted how I think about SEO and content. AI does not replace the thinking, strategy or human judgement, but it can make the process faster, smarter and much more scalable when used properly.

What is your proudest industry achievement?

My proudest industry achievement is a very recent one: creating an AI-powered content workflow tool for a brand that turns deep research into ready-to-post content in minutes.

The tool studies the product, company background, market and competitors, then identifies themes from real conversations happening across the industry. Based on those themes, it searches for relevant opportunities on third-party platforms like Reddit, Quora, Medium and LinkedIn, where LLMs often source and understand information.

It then creates a platform-specific response aligned with the opportunity, platform guidelines, the brand’s knowledge base, content library and the subject matter expert’s author profile.

The part I am most proud of? This process used to take around 15 days manually. Now, it can be done in about 15 to 30 minutes.

For me, that was not just an AI win. It was a strategy, SEO, content and workflow win all coming together. And honestly, those are my favourite kind of wins.

What advice would you give those starting out in SEO?

My advice would be simple: keep testing, keep experimenting and keep learning. SEO changes quickly, and in this AI era, standing still is probably the riskiest strategy.

Try new tools, build your own small projects, learn from free and paid resources, and do not be afraid to make mistakes. Some of my best learning came from testing things, breaking things a little, and then figuring out how to fix them.

In short: stay curious. Curiosity will take you much further than knowing one tool perfectly.

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

I would love to give a shout out to two people.

First, Chima Mmeje. I really admire her work, her energy and the way she has built her community, FCDC. When she speaks, she has this ability to keep the audience focused throughout, which is not easy. I also really enjoy attending Sip and Search events because they are insightful, practical and genuinely fun. The way Chima and the team bring learning and karaoke together makes the experience feel warm, human and memorable.

Second, I would like to shout out Erin Simmons, co-founder of Women in Tech SEO. I have huge respect for the way they have built this community and created so many opportunities for WTSers to learn, grow and feel supported. The community they have helped create is not just inspiring, it is genuinely career-changing for many people, including me.

What empowers you to be the brilliant person you are?

What empowers me is the belief that it is never too late to start again.

I restarted my career at 35 in a new country, from scratch, as an intern, even though I had 10+ years of experience and a managerial background back home. It was not easy, but it taught me that growth does not always look glamorous. Sometimes it looks like starting over, asking basic questions, learning from people younger than you, and showing up every single day.

I see myself a little like water. Put me in a new shape, and I will try to adapt, learn and flow with it. I do not shy away from learning new things, no matter the age or experience level of the person teaching me.

Curiosity is what empowers me most. Staying curious, staying open, and keep trying, even when things feel uncomfortable. That is what helps me grow.

Finally, how does it feel being part of the Women in Tech SEO community?

Being part of the Women in Tech SEO community feels like having a place where I truly belong. It has given me a strong support system, not just for SEO questions, but also for those moments when I feel stuck in my career or even in life.

Over the past three and a half years, I have learned so much from this community that no course or certification could have taught me. The shared knowledge, honest conversations, opportunities and encouragement have helped me grow with more confidence.

For me, Women in Tech SEO is more than a community. It is a reminder that growth becomes easier when you have the right people around you.

----

Thanks, Shweta, for a truly insightful interview!

You can follow and/or connect with Shweta on her Linkedin or visit her website!

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! 🙌🏽