How Did I Get Into SEO?

It wasn’t a straightforward route. At school, I got fairly average GCSEs and honestly had no idea what I wanted to do. I did a bit of college, tried out IT, worked in a warehouse at Lotus Cars — which was actually a great place to work — but generally felt quite lost. I always had a curious mind though, and an interest in science, especially geology.

Eventually, I went back to college at 20 to do an Access course in Natural Sciences, which led me to the University of Leicester to study Geology. I had this dream of becoming a volcanologist. But once I got to university, I realised that while I loved geology, it was more of a hobby than a career path. Then something quite random happened: as part of a module, we were asked to build a website about the Apollo missions. I found myself completely absorbed — not in the content, but in the process of building the website. That was the lightbulb moment for me. I realised I wanted to do something web-related. So I left university, started teaching myself how to build websites, and eventually landed a job at a small agency. That felt like a major turning point — my first proper step into the digital world.

SEO kind of came with the territory. As I was building sites, I was also thinking about how people would find them. I wasn’t just focused on design — I wanted the sites to rank well too. That naturally led me to SEO. Eventually, I got a call from a recruiter about an SEO role at a digital marketing agency in Norwich. They had just won a global award from Google and it sounded too good to be true, but I got the job! Over the years I built out the team, became Head of SEO, and stayed there for eight years before deciding to go freelance!

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. My job is to help websites become more visible in search engines. That means getting them to rank higher when people search for relevant terms.

There are a few core areas in SEO. First, content and on-page SEO — things like written copy, images, videos, even podcasts. Then there’s technical SEO, which is all about making a website fast, easy to use, and crawlable for search engines. Finally, there’s off-page SEO, which involves building authority through backlinks from other reputable sites. Depending on the business, the focus might shift — technical SEO might be more important for a large e-commerce site, for example, while a local business might need a different strategy altogether.

It’s definitely ongoing. You always start with research — understanding what people are searching for and why. From there, you can see where a website needs improvement. Maybe the content doesn’t match what users are looking for, or maybe the site’s slow or hard to navigate. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. SEO is all about creating a seamless experience — for users and for search engines. If your website answers a user’s question, is quick to load, easy to use, and backed by trustworthy links, you’re on the right track. But it’s something you constantly need to revisit.

Not directly, no. SEO or marketing wasn’t something you could study when I was at school, and wasn’t something that even came into my thinking. My path was quite messy — I went through science, geology, building websites, and then into SEO. But that curiosity and willingness to keep learning definitely helped.

Honestly, one of the best things about the job is that there isn’t really a ‘typical’ day. One day I might be writing content, the next digging into technical audits or analysing data. It’s a real blend of creativity and logic, which I love.

So far I’ve been really lucky. I’ve got a great network and when I went freelance, I just sent a few messages and posted on LinkedIn. That led to enough work to keep me going, and things have snowballed from there. I know that won’t always be the case, but it’s been a strong start.

It’s starting to. AI Overviews haven’t directly impacted my clients in a measurable way just yet, but the way we work is definitely changing. Tools like ChatGPT have made some of the more technical or repetitive tasks a lot faster. I use it all the time — for things like writing formulas for spreadsheets or generating ideas. What I’m keeping an eye on is how search engines might integrate AI into the shopping experience. Imagine Googling ‘best running shoes for a marathon in Italy’ and not only getting tailored advice, but being able to buy them directly through Google without visiting another site. That kind of integration could have a huge impact on how websites attract and convert visitors.

You have to. The industry moves so fast that you’ll fall behind quickly if you don’t. I don’t tend to do formal courses, but I follow a lot of experts on LinkedIn and try to stay connected with the community. SEO isn’t something you can learn once and just apply forever — it changes all the time.

Curiosity is key. It’s not a job you can do well unless you’re genuinely interested in how things work. It helps to have a mix of skills too. Some people go deep into content, others love the technical side, and some, like me, sit in the middle. One thing people often overlook is commercial awareness. SEO isn’t just about rankings — it’s about business goals. Clients invest in SEO to drive results, so it’s important to understand what success looks like for them.

A big one right now is around ‘optimising for AI.’ Some people are saying we need to completely rethink our approach. But I actually think the fundamentals stay the same. If you’re creating great content, your site is technically sound, and you’re focusing on user experience, you’re already in a good position — whether it’s Google or an AI model reading your site. This could change over time, but again, another reason to stay on top of things!

Another myth is that you should optimise purely for search engines. That’s the wrong mindset. SEO should be about helping people first. The better the experience for users, the more likely it is that search engines will reward you.

Keep learning, always. Not just SEO itself, but the wider digital landscape — how paid media works, how websites are built, how analytics tools function. It’ll all help you become a better SEO. And don’t worry if your path isn’t linear. Mine certainly wasn’t. But every step I took helped me get to where I am now. If you’re curious, enjoy problem-solving, and like the idea of blending creativity with analysis, SEO could be a great fit.