SEO doesn’t have to be scary.

I write this in part for myself, but to be honest, it’s just like learning any other trade. Do the research, take the notes, find the tools, and try things out. If you’re really lucky, as I am, you have people to mentor you. The folks at KnowAgency are my mentors. Jane Phelps and Kevin Hawke have been working in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for years. Originally working together at a marketing firm in San Diego they are now partners in KnowAgency. Atlanta-based, their firm specializes in helping small and large companies optimize their websites and improve their rankings in search engines, like Google.

Even my mom can Google

SERPs as they are called, for Search Engine Results Page’s, are critical in a world where even my mom has an iPhone. At 80-years old, she has no problem “Googling” information that she wants and recently called me up to order her a cutting board. Amazon she doesn’t understand, but the woman can use a search engine. As my husband’s 87-year old father says, he calls up “The Google”.

Just a day-job away from being a techie

My adventure with the Technical side of SEO started with losing my job of 38 years. Things change and my boss retired. It’s been great and forced me to do what I’ve wanted to do for years… something else. The problem was, I liked my other job. It was fun, high-energy, had lot’s of variety, and I was the boss. What’s not to like? Smelling like french fries but mostly the corporate changes that were happening at lightening pace without consideration for the poor souls trying to implement them. I was not disappointed and my boss made it very easy to survive these last six months.

Back to school after thirty years

One of my goals after leaving the golden arches was to go back to school. I like the design side of websites but had felt that my lack of technical knowledge hurt me. Web Development was a strong choice because there are lots of job options and it’s something that I can do from home. Even if I don’t choose to work in the field, I’ll have a basis of knowledge that helps me as a designer.

Job shadow and glass white boards

I’d been working with the Dislocated Worker program and they required that I do one-on-one interviews with folks working in Web Development. This was a great opportunity to meet people I didn’t know, and Kevin at KnowAgency graciously agreed to help. After the interview he offered more help and I jumped at the chance to job shadow him in Atlanta on a family trip. I could talk for days on the wonders of shared work-spaces, glass white-boards, and how helpful Kevin is. Suffice it to say that I was wowed by the experience and when Jane asked if I wanted to try some Technical SEO, I jumped at the opportunity.